My New 355 Spider

I have been a Ferrari fanatic since I was a kid. I am now 43 years old and was able to purchase my first (and hopefully not last) F-car.
I had been searching for about 10 months and became familiar with just about every 355 spider/GTS on the market in the US. I did my due diligence and researched the 355 and became familiar with all of the model specific issues; valve guides, headers, sticky bits, etc. I finally found the one, a black and tan 1997 spider (thanks Trestlenewport). I had the car shipped to San Diego where I had it dropped off at Bobileff Motorcar. Gary went over the car, helped with the California smog, and spent time making sure I understood the car and its systems. Gary was very patient and a pleasure to deal with.
During my research I spent many hours on Fchat to learn everything about the 355 I could. I must say the 355 posts are like a roller coaster. Some posts instilled confidence in my decision. Other posts made me second guess my decision to purchase a 355 (this ties into Monteman's post - Have we killed the 355). I felt with all of the research I had done along with the 355 owners and mechanics I spoke to I was making the right decision. I am very happy and excited to own this car and plan to enjoy it for many years to come.
IMHO - one needs to do their research and know what they are getting into when purchasing a car such as this. I know the maintenance involved with the 355 and have started to budget for it. I am aware that there may be some unscheduled maintenance "surprises" and am prepared to deal with them when they arise. As Monteman told me "you have to maintain these cars like aircraft".
I am confident I made the right choice purchasing a 355 and am glad I was not swayed by the horror posts. I hope to post more on Fchat as I enjoy my 355 and hope that potential 355 buyers will look at the positives and do there research when purchasing a 355.
Enough bantering - time to go for a ride...
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