Future Owner - Questions....

1. Having owned both I would say that the 360 is a more refined car. Also services are much less expensive on the 360. 355 engine comes out vs 360 engine stays in.

2. Yes

3. You should be able to do most of it yourself, many guys on this board do. Belts can be done at a good independent shop if your not comfortable with it.

4. Headers sometimes crack, shifter bushing can wear out (manual gearbox). Theres a thread on this board about replacing it........easy and inexpensive fix.

5. Yes, with the correct tools.

Andy I also owned a Polar Silver 993 coupe a few years back........for me theres no comparison. Once you go Ferrari you will never go back.......

 

PS theres a GREAT independent shop in Westerville Oh (NJB)

 

Haha

The 355's exhaust note is irreplaceable

I would say that the 355 can be more fun to drive only because it isnt as refined as the 360.............but dont get me wrong about the 360, its a beast of a car. Especially with the added hp and is also alot of fun to drive. I think for where these cars are selling nowadays that you couldnt go wrong with a 360.........its lots of car for the $$

 

I started out in the 355 camp a long time ago. Who could forget the imagery of the yellow Berlinetta in "The Rock"? But after driving both the 355 and 360, I felt there was no real comparison. (Flame suit on)

Yes, the 355 was more edgy and raw. But it also was a '90s car with an '80s interior. Sure the plastic interior pieces get sticky with both cars, but I felt it wad ridiculous how the passenger airbag cover warped on 98% of all the cars and how spartan it was. The 360 was the first "ground-level" Ferrari that had an interior that wasn't a mockery when compared to the beauty of the exterior.

After sitting in the 458, it's nice to see Ferrari really start focusing on interior esthetics.

 

+1.

Have the same issue with my previous 355 (passenger airbag etc), 360 is in another league.
Was also impressed by the new 458, but price in Norway is approx 580k US $ if you add some equipment....

 

The 355 is a terrific car which I would never disparage. However, after careful comparison I decided the 360 is a very large step up in every way except possibly the exhaust note. Even that is easy to upgrade on a 360 with several quality aftermarket systems. With regular and proper maintenance, experience has shown the 360 to be exceptionally reliable and durable.

Besides greatly improved aesthetics and quality over the 355 inside and out, 360 performance is simply fantastic. It has a wonderful dual personality. Super easy, slick and effortless to drive like a normal car if that's your wish. Light and easy handling, nice but normal sounding, simple and idiot proof for the SO and other incomp (or docile) drivers.

On the other hand, breathtakingly brutal when pushed towards its limits. Howls like scalded lion and slams your head back with power shifts at redline, pulls hard until you realize you're over your head and back off, whipping effortlessly through twisties at 3-4X posted limits. As incredibly high as they are, you do NOT want to find the performance limits of this car. You can get yourself in a lot of trouble if you're stupid.

DIY maintenance is certainly possible but must be done with much care, several specialized tools and lots of manuals. For example, oil filter must be properly torqued at the risk of total lubrication system failure. Then there's the guy who did a DIY clutch replacement on a manual car and burned up the engine by not understanding the complexity of several subsystem interactions. Some jobs can only be done correctly using the factory supplied SD3 or SD4 computer system (e.g., F1 clutch adjustment and replacement).

All things considered I've found my 360 more than satisfying, just a fantastic car in every way. Lots of guys around here own (mostly used to own) nice Porsches so you can find plenty of comparisons. I just don't see you being disappointed by a 360.