long time Ferrari lover wants to be buyer | FerrariChat

long time Ferrari lover wants to be buyer

Discussion in '348/355' started by lmiller4440, Jun 15, 2006.

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  1. lmiller4440

    lmiller4440 Rookie

    Jun 15, 2006
    6
    I live in Indianapolis and plan on purchasing a Ferrari (355, 348 or earlier). I have loved Ferraris since I turned 16 and now have the limited capability to buy one. Are there any good Ferrari mechanics in my area who would do a good PPIN and help with the maintenance without them buying a new Ferrari with my bill payment?

    I would also like to learn more about the goods and the bads of the various models I described above. I am very mechanical but do not have Ferrari specific experience.

    Any advice would be appreciated.

    Thanks.
     
  2. TOOLFAN

    TOOLFAN F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Mar 23, 2005
    2,807
    California
    "use the power of the search feature you must"- Yoda
     
  3. Bullfighter

    Bullfighter Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Jan 26, 2005
    22,596
    Gates Mills, Ohio
    Full Name:
    Jon
    Welcome to fchat. You might fill out your profile, and also post the mechanic question in the regional forum for better responses.

    For the goods and bads, check out the 348/355 forum and also probably the 328/308/Mondial forum on here. A lot of people aren't sure which one to get.

    In general, the transverse V8 cars (308/328) are less expensive to maintain than the longitudinal V8 cars (348/355). All of the cars have their issues. A good web site for some ideas about costs is www.eugeniosferrariservice.com, because he's a reputable mechanic who lists his prices.

    You might think about how much of your Ferrari lust is based on speed, overall driving enjoyment, and looks. The 308/328 aren't considered fast cars anymore, but a lot of people like the classic style. The 355 is quite a bit faster, but the service costs are pretty steep for a Ferrari V8.
     
  4. BT

    BT F1 World Champ
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    Mar 21, 2005
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    Bill Tracy
    Thanks for the tip. The service pricing is very informative. I am surprised at how close the service price for the 308/328 is to the 348. I am getting the major done on my 348 currently and was guessing what the cost would be.
    BT
     
  5. lmiller4440

    lmiller4440 Rookie

    Jun 15, 2006
    6
    I had visited the 348/355 forum and had begun to learn from specific threads. I had not found yet a recent thread on the generic goods and bads of the various models. When I owned a Carrera, I had a mechanic who could give me the low down on the pluses and minuses of the models (which ones tended to burn valves or needed new guides at 50 K miles; which ones tended to have tranmission problems, which ones had bullet proof trnsmissions, etc.). I just was looking for some general input from this great forum. BTW, is anyone going to the USGP. I would be happy to buy drinks and pick your brain a bit.

    Bullfighter, you advice is very good. I will check out the site.

    Any more input from anyone?
     
  6. lmiller4440

    lmiller4440 Rookie

    Jun 15, 2006
    6
    I desire both which is why I love Ferraris. I tend toward the newer models in terms of style. They are of course faster too. However, my pocketbook will dictate my ultimate choices. I want to understand the type of trade off you mention re the service costs of the 355. That would be my top choice. I read something about the valves or valve guides on the 1995 355's being prone to problems. what are the better years for the 355 and 348?

    Thanks again to everyone for their advice.
     
  7. GCalo

    GCalo F1 Veteran

    Sep 15, 2004
    7,645
    Northern California
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    Greg Calo
    "now have the limited capability to buy one"

    FWIW, if in fact your capability is "limited" wait a while until you can raise those limits.

    Ferrari's are worse than women when it comes to expenses!

    With limited purchasing power you'll suffer limited repair power, and the car's value and your enjoyment will be severly limited.

    They are wonderful cars, but they do need attention at times.
     
  8. van22

    van22 Karting
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    Aug 7, 2005
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    Absecon Island, New Jersey
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    VAN C
    love to do the work my self when possible. make sure you have great tools and don't hesitate to pull the trigger. for 90 % of us they are only going to be driven occasionally and not our everyday driver. when your everyday driver is a ferrari, that means you have too much damn money! enjoy it, use it and spend some of the best 2 hours every weekend cleaning it and always remember that there are 2 types of people in the world ferrari owners and those that wish they were. life is short, enjoy! my vote would be for a tr or 355 both similar as far as top speed. the tr is more manly and the 355 more everyday. and for what its worth when i had my tr and was in the fast lane everyone got out of my way, in the 355 no one does. makes you say hmm?
     
  9. Bullfighter

    Bullfighter Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Jan 26, 2005
    22,596
    Gates Mills, Ohio
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    Jon
    As Greg says, there's no luxury in owning a Ferrari if the first real issue is going to put a crunch in your finances. I had the "stretch budget" for an F355, but a nice margin to buy a 328/348 and not sweat 1 or 2 fairly major service visits right off the bat.

    In general, the later years for a model are the best. Again, poke around this forum and you'll that '93-'94 348s are preferred to '89s, and '95 355s have different engine management electronics (Motronic 2.5) than the later ones (Motronic 2.7). The 348s are simpler cars (manual gearbox, manual tops, unassisted steering, etc.) so some of the big ticket items on 355s (F1 clutch, power top mechanism, etc.) aren't a factor.
     
  10. engr2law

    engr2law Rookie

    Mar 23, 2006
    7
    Virginia
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    Colin
    I have only been on this site a little while, but I have been reading conflicting info re the F355 engine management system. Is the 2.5 or the 2.7 considered more reliable?

    I think I read that the hp went down after 95 (but I could be wrong about that). I dont want to steal the thread; a simple answer would be great.
     
  11. BT

    BT F1 World Champ
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    Mar 21, 2005
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    Bill Tracy
    Actually I think the early 348 have Motronic 2.5, the later 348 have Motronic 2.7. The early 355 have Motronic 2.7 and the later 355 have Motronic 5.2. Most people as has been said here prefer the later year cars, but I have had very few problems with my early 348. Ingenere also has an early 89 348 and has had few problems. The build quality is supposed to be better on the later cars, but I am glad for the (relative) mechanical simplicity the earlier cars offer.
    :)
    BT
     
  12. Meeyatch1

    Meeyatch1 Formula 3

    Dec 28, 2003
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    Mitch
    As a fellow Indy resident who is enchanted by the F355, and someone who will own one by 2008, I can understand your plight. I was very close to getting a black F355 a couple of years ago because I could afford the car itself, but started to rethink if I could afford for the car to break. I determined that I was not ready yet and wanted to have more money in the bank for when something happened. With a Ferrari it is not an 'if', but is a 'when', with regards to repairs. So look at your finances and think about if you could afford to drop $10,000 right off the bat if something happened. Just a good reference point that I was told to use when I was looking for an F355.
     
  13. Bullfighter

    Bullfighter Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Jan 26, 2005
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    Jon
    I think you're right - I was confusing the Motronic (Moronic?) versions used on the 348 and 355.
     
  14. lmiller4440

    lmiller4440 Rookie

    Jun 15, 2006
    6
    The insight you have given is very helpful. Perhaps, Meeyatch1, you and I can talk sometime since we are both in Indy. I will be at the USGP and at the Monument Circle for the Ferrari Club showcase on Friday before the race. I hope to see some of you there.

    BTW, I am fairly mechanical and have been a crew chief and a driver of formula cars (amateur). So drivetrain mechanicals do not present a large worry. Although, I will seek and use (pay) experts as needed. I do like the suggestion that the 348's less sophistication (F1 shifter, power top, etc.) might be a better choice. When I said "limited capability" to buy, I will have a reserve cache when I buy the car. I just wanted to let you all know that 360's, TR, 550's, etc. (fabulous cars) were not part of my search so that the discussion was limited to cars that were on my financial screen.

    I look forward to joining the legion of Ferrari owners if things go well.


    Les
     

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