Huge let down after 348 drive

I drove a CRX Si years ago, it was quite a car. A 348 is not a supercar, it's a sports car. It takes a while to understand a Ferrari. They have strenghts and weaknesses. When you know what they are about and how to use them they can be very rewarding. I've seen some people step into my car and just not understand the car and not have rewarding experiences. I've seen some people step in and get it quicker than I did.

I don't think your initial feeling is flawed. The 348 doesn't just give magic. My first ride in one was disappointing. But they are capable of very special moments.

The worst Ferrari ever can be a POS but also give an amazing experience like no other.

There is also no one holy grail among models, they all have their positives and minuses.

 

Actually, the way you felt driving the car is exactly what I felt and to some degree still feel today. Most cars (performance cars) today will smoke my 348 at a stop light. The car is slow off the line (comparitively), brutal to drive in stop and go traffic, and shifting requires a community college degree (takes time to get it correct). After all the my car is 21 years old. A person needs to ask themselves "why am I buying this car"?

My answer would be, I wanted something different, I wanted a car that I could learn to work on myself that would be a challenge, and I wanted a car that (after 60 miles an hour) would haul A$$ and hug the road like it was on rails. I wanted a car that I could say "yeah I owned one of those and drove the Shi! out of it". I am not driving the car to perserve the value, I am going to drive the hell out of it and when I am done (if I live through it) both the car and I will be wore out.

The person who sold me the car purchased a Porsche (sp?). He call me six months later and was on the way to trade in the car in. His response was "the car (the Porsche) is a dime a dozen and I could just not bond with the car". Even though I am not in his shoes, I think I know what he was saying.

Drive a couple of more - after all you have the gift of time. My guess is each one will be alittle better (actually not the car, but the experience). Good luck and never apologize for what you feel.

 

... this person understands what owning a 348 is all about. You don't just buy a Ferrari and own a car, you live Ferrari. You experience the thrill of driving it, contolling it, commanding it, taming it. Yes the 348 is raw, a 300hp go-cart, stiff, no power steering, no adjustable shocks.... I love it. Many consider it the last of the old syle Ferrari's for exactly these reasons. I come back from a drive feeling drained and tired, that I really experienced something special and I sleep like a baby !!

So whether you buy a Ferrari or a Porche (or Honda) depends mostly on what you want to get out of the experience of owning one ! Forget about comparing the cars. Compare what each one gives you as a driver of cars !!! Ferrari is not just a car nor is it a status symbol of success and wealth.....it is a life style. If you don't get what I'm raving on about then you shouldn't buy one you will only be disappointed as has been the case here !

 

It takes more than a test drive to get to know the cars. It also isn't about going fast or taking a turn at speed. It's the feel, the interaction at any speed. At three years of ownership and 20K miles the car can still open my eyes to new experiences.

The biggest mistake I see people make is to try to flog the car right away. The people who become enamoured with the car are those who simply drive it for a while in the country. My brother was one of the biggest fails. He went into a right turn hot and deep and cranked the wheel. All it did was understeer painfully. Felt like a pig. My car responds best to smooth inputs.

 

None of the original 50 were exported for sale to the US Pete (Europe only, though I think at least 3 went to South East Asia and there were a few in Japan, however I don't know whether they were sold new there or imported from Europe), but I do know that some of the Michelotto (race) versions are in the US, so who knows, there might be a road GTC there as well. If there is however, I haven't heard of it, nor is it listed on www.348GTC.com

 

I just purchased a mint tb 10000 mile 348 without even driving it once. I still have not driven it, I understand what people are talking about when they say its a specific unique car.

I am coming from a 996 c2 and 996 turbo. Most would say I must have lost my mind changing to a 348. I sat in the car for a test run with the owner, tubi was screaming notes I could only dream of with Porsche and although not turbo fast its the same speed as a 996 c2. I wanted it right away. Nothing like a ferrari.

With my 996 c2 I raced with a 348, at 140 km plus that ferrari was still right there ahead. So to say a 348 is slow depends to what, my turbo would kill it but no one looked at the turbo.

The 348 has looks, crazy f looks. The new capristo I just installed makes notes that Porsche can only dream of. 996 models is what i am referring to. I had the pse exhaust , Porsche' s best ...sounds ok but nothing like a 348.

The other day I reversed my car to let it see the sun, I was looking at the side mirrors and the capristo was singing and in my mind I said wtf is happening. Something that I never really got with the 996 family.

993 turbo gives me that same feeling as a 355/348.

If you don't get that feeling this car is not or you.

 

I wonder if you would see this sort of passion on a BMW, Honda or Porsche chat forum ! Thats the difference.

 

That's a flat our GORGEOUS interior.
No comparison to any CRX I've ever seen

 

I'm probably unlike most buyers. I bought a 348 for only one reason....it's looks. I've always loved the looks of the 348. I have no idea how fast it is in comparison to other cars. I actually don't really care. It's fast enough for me.

As much as I like to drive it, it's just as much fun walking back to it after leaving it parked for awhile. Today I was shopping at Toys R Us, came back out to find a family taking pictures of it. I told the young boy to jump it, that way they could get a better pic. It was awesome seeing the kids (and Dads) face.

Random pic.....(yes, wheels on backwards)
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Igor, like I said, if it felt really sluggish compared to a 300 bhp Cayman S, I'd say there was something up with it. Regarding my motor (and thanks Kurt) here's a few snaps. They are stunning cars. She wasn't in this nick when I found her though, pretty much the whole car has been spruced up - respray, retrim and complete interior done, wheels stripped and redone, wheel arches, engine out and detailed, underside sorted etc etc.
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Thanks. I always wanted a 348 TS, like other models a lot but there was something that I really liked about the 348. Had a poster on my wall as a teenager and always said I'd get one some day. When I went looking I found that I couldn't find my 'dream car' on the fairly limited UK market so bought a mechanically sound one and got her sorted out. She sounds ok too as some of the work involved high flow sports cats and a Nouvalari Supersport exhaust - louder and more raw than your average sports exhaust by quite a bit.

It's not the cheapest way to go (understatement!) but if you're interested here's a couple of threads showing some of the work.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355/340077-cam-belt-service-detailing-348-a.html
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355/385838-348-re-trim.html

 

One comment;

The 348 (at least mine) doesn't have a great "feel of speed" if you know what I mean.
I traded my 1977 Maserati Merak SS (Euro) for the 348 Spider, and to be honest I first thought it was kind of tame in comparison. That was untill I went in to a bend and realized I was driving 160 km/h (100 mph). You just don't feel the speed in the car, which can be somewhat dangerous.

As said, the steering is better than anything else I have tested, and the looks are just beautiful.
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no one ever took a pic of my 996 twin turbo

fast as hell, handling was incredible, same with the 996 c2. the car interior was nice, but no comparison to the 348, they both sounded like modified lawnmovers, the expensive commercial type.

When my wife looked at the 348 for the first time with the capristo singing, her first words were...my god what did you buy.

it just is in another group, not better just unique. I hope I like the drive or then i just might have to put it in the living room.

 

Where's the "like" button?

 

I wanted a 348 or a 360 and found a 360 first, so it came home with me... I've lays loved the 348's looks and will have one as well in my garage one day. I will warn you that even the 360 will "feel" slow at below 5k RPM. The engines are designed for higher RPMs. You get a kick at 5k rpm of getting on the step so to speak. Low end torque isn't there the way it is in other engines. But, but... the entire package is perfect, steering input, braking, etc. Just be warned that the way these cars are intended to be driven is RPM intensive. I think the 348 is going to shine best in the curves below 80% maximum limit. It's steering has always been highly praised...

 

This reminds me of the 1st time my wife drove my car. I asked her what she thought. Like you and the OP she was somewhat underwhelmed, though for different reasons.

She didn't understand what all the fuss was about and felt the car was a bit twitchy and the ride a little harsh.

I found out later that she had confused the speedo readings and instead of traveling at 100kph, which was the legal limit (on a typically rough Aussie road)......she was doing 100mph!!!

 

Yikes - little bit of a distinction there between the two.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Don't you think it depends a bit on what you compare it to, though? Compared to a 1970's Maserati maybe it doesn't, but compared to a modern car I think it can do at times. There again I drive the 348 a little quicker than my daily driver. I feel confident driving the 348, I don't mean that it feels scary fast, just that you're lower down in the 348, suspension lets you feel all the bumps etc. When I took mine on my runway (I'm an air trafficer), going at approaching 160mph it felt seriously fast, and I've been in modern cars going quite quickly that didn't give the same feeling of speed.

The difference I find is that the 348 feels like it can handle it and makes you want to push on. I find myself concentrating further down the road in the 348 for one thing. She just seems to want me to go faster all the time, often feels like I'm reining her in then you're out of the corner and let her go - the default setting seem to be 'go fast'. I'm clearly barking mad but just feels different to other cars I've driven.

 

Stevew got served!!!