More 348 and 355 questions

One word.............. Brotherhood

 

Yes the 348 needs belts too, the good news is that you will not need valve guides or exhaust manifold like the 355. Neither cars use hydraulic lifters, adjustement is accomplished through shims although it is rare (just did both my cars one with 35K miles and the other with 55K and neither needed adjustments).

348 is a simple car mechanically, easier to work on than the 993 and far more engaging driving wise. I had 97 993 that I used as a daily driver; good robust car, great for track work and easy to drive at the limit. 348 requires more attention and is much sharper and raw, the 355 is similar but less edgy and more refined. Both have a sound at redline that makes the Porsche flat 6 sound like a lawn mower

You can get a very nice 348 with service in the $40K+ range, and a Spider for $50-60K. Drive them and you will like them; I thought they were such good value that I bought one of each. BTW, my daily driver is no longer a Porsche but another 2+2 that is the best value on the planet - 01 456M GT 6sp - drive it and you'll get rid of your 996 in a heatbeat!

 

Funny I was in your exact same boat, been a porsche owner since 99, still have my 2003 C4S as a daily driver. I also was looking to spend no more than 70K for the 1st year of ownership. Give that the major service to change belts etc needs to happen every 5 years or so, and costs 6-10k depending on who does it and the model (355 is slightly more), you have to factor that in. In this price range you are looking at early model 355s (95-96) and apart from the major service you need to figure out what if anything to do about the valve guide issue if it has not been fixed or addressed in the early model car. That could go from spending $0 since some cars apparently run fine, to spending a lot of money to fix the valve guides during the 30k.

Bottom line, I came to the conclusion that it would take a long time to find a 355 that had either a documented recent major service and valveguides done for $70k, or had neither done and was $60K or less and in good condition. Not saying it isn't out there, but it is not easy to find. All the cheap 355s I called on left me feeling queasy for some reason or another.

So I joined the 348 brotherhood. I bought another Fchatters car for mid/low 40's, bought 355 wheels/tires for $2700, I am budgetting $8K for the major service and another 2K-3K for things like floormats, spacers, shields, fixing sticky interior, 02 sensor replacement etc, maybe hyperflows. That puts me at a total of $55K for a what will be a great 348, vs 70K for what would have been a so so 355.

Just my opinion,

-Eric

 

Flawlessly logical. LOL

 

good choice!

How can you say no to this
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355's do not require valve adjustments. Valve guide replacements on occaision....but not valve adjustments.

 

Or this...
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Chris,
How long did you have the car off of the charger for that picture? You know that can be dangerous... Better get it back in the garage!

 

yes - the 348 is an interference engine, snapped belt = 32 valves clangin' away. 355 has two cam belts, a snapped belt only has 16 valves dancing.

FNA does say 3 years and 15,000 miles, my mechanic says 30,000 miles is fine. The manual says 52,000 miles if I recall. This is a very hotly contested discussion point on Fchat. You will find some cars that have NEVER had their belt changed, and some that have had valves dancing already. It's all extremes, of course. I'd budget for $5-6k USD for a belt change with extras, but could be higher depending what else you want to do at the same time. I haven't had to go through this yet. A lot of optional stuff gets done to these cars while you're in there.

My mechanic seems to be re-adjusting the tension on the accessory belt each time he gets the car for a few days, or whatever he calls it. I believe those are the only two belts.

I've had a few little things fail on my 348 - but I drive her a lot ('94 spider). Currently have an e-brake issue to work through. Only the throw-out bearing on the clutch was a real issue - and that was in the first few months. I really like my 348 and have no interest in moving to a 355 or 360, regardless of how prices move in the next few years.

 

GCalo splits, and now you harass me ?

OH, btw, it was still plugged in Photoshop does wonders

 

hmmm... by listening to too much of this...

http://www.jandjsalmon.com/video/355VIR.mpg

 

Vince, the car looks really stunning - PM me next time you've got it at Gary's or in San Diego.

I think you got good advice here already.

For $70K, I'd agree you could get an exceptional 348 instead of scraping into an low-end 355. I also think it's good to keep the 996 as your daily driver - Ferrari service tends to take longer than with normal cars. Usually a good shop can get parts overnighted, but the odds of everything being nicely stocked on a shelf in the back room aren't high.

Of course I would try to talk you into a 328, but seeing as this is the 348/355 forum I won't even mention it.

 

Whatever car you choose.....
Be grateful that one of the country's top mechanics is in your back yard
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Without question, go with a 355 when possible. You'll regret not doing so IMO. Better styling and performance, and not much to worry about if maintenance is current. Just don't buy a neglected car and expected to easily sort it out.
Not too far from you: http://www.ferrarichat.com/ferrariads/showproduct.php?product=2578&sort=1&cat=11&page=3

 

One these cars, most maintenance is done due to age and not miles. Would you want to use a 10 year old clutch?
The dash leather shrinkage is a known problem, and doesn't happen again after it's fixed.