Hello everyone, I kind of agree with both ideas. And the strange this is I have actually come real close to buying this exact car almost 2 years ago and did not do it. I bought a 99 Carrera Convertible instead with an extended warranty and fully loaded. I have sold the Porsche last October and since the time that I drove this car (the F355), I could not stop thinking about it. So, I could not even really enjoy my Porsche. Believe it or not but it was almost like a sad moment for me when I chose it over the F-car. In any case, this car (when I tested it) drove amazingly and was going straight all the way through 125MPH. At the time though, the owner (the same guy) wanted 62K for it and it needed the 15/30K service, 4 new tires and the front and rear bumpers needed to be painted. This is also not counting any unforeseen issues that might have come up. At the time, my budget was in the high 50s so I could not afford it. But now, I am itching to buy a F355 GTS. I am looking for a Red one with any color interior. One of the main reasons why I liked that particular one was because it had the much nicer, non-airbag steering wheel. And of course, it was reasonably priced. Please let me know if any one of you guys know of a Red F355 GTS (preferably a 95/96) that is for sale anywhere. Thanks. Erdem.
From the distance, this car looks nice and seems to have "all the right stuff" i.e. nice color combo, good engine condition, really low price. Who cares if it has been repainted (well). I mean how hard is it to use some adhesive remover and peel that hood decal off? It's upsetting how EPA/DOT will always screw up well running cars from Europe, and a few years ago (with the Euro lower) there were early Diablos to be had in the 50-60k$ range, but impossible to import because of EPA/DOT. It pisses me off! You can't touch those cars because they are so unbelievably expensive to convert!! Are we now to believe that somehow in Europe with high speed autobahns and anal beaurocracy in Germany their safety levels are substandard to the "advanced" needs of the 55mph US ??? Huh? Sorry, had to vent.
I completely agree. Why does the ownership of a nice sports car have be so expensive? To maintain it is already expensive and I think that anybody with a passion for one of these cars and the willingness to pay for the upkeep should be able to own one without having to pay for the inflated "US Model" price. Heck, I don't even like the stupid looking airbag steering wheel of the F355 US Models. They look like Toyota Corolla steering wheels. (Sorry for going on and on about the steering wheel. It just annoys me on a such a beautiful car). I will definitely change mine with any other 3-spoke one I can find. Anyway, anyone have any idea on how much it would cost to convert a F355 into US spec?