rust areas in 355...are these common?

check out this 355 for $39k. Its got too many stories for me(mileage conflict, rust, interior, etc) but for purposes of education, whats the deal with the rust? are these areas weak points or is this some kind of flood car?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1995-Ferrari-F355-GTS-6-Speed-Manual-Trans-EURO_W0QQitemZ180430511204QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item2a027f1c64#ht_14795wt_1282

"Small areas of rust visible on upper rockers/door opening area under the door weather strips on drivers and passengers door. (shown in pictures) Also has small spot of rust present on both doors at the rear upper gloss black window guides. "

thx, still learning

 

Corrosion on the sills and the black bit around the mirror is not uncommon. Mine has a little on on the the mirror surround bits (not as bad as that though).

The stuff on the sills looks more serious.

Remember, its Italian. It will rust if left outside.

 

thanks....good to know and something to look at when I find the right 355.

I happen to be looking for a GTS and this caught my attention b/c I like the color and the fact that the mechanicals seem to be done but this car has too many stories

 

I don't know if that's a good price or not, but the stories all seem to be around import rather than the car itself. The interior cosmetic stuff is normal (crema is even worse) in terms of marks and use of a leather dye for touching up. An retrim isn't that expensive.

As for the rust, the sills look a bit ropey so I'd be checking them out, otherwise if its mechanically sound, I'd be tempted to take a look and use the rust as a bargaining chip.

 

That's frightening for a 1990s car. I would keep looking.

 

Does the price reflect it though? If this had been a 1980s vehicle with that amount of rust at that price, you'd just think of it as part of buying a car from that era... or at least, I would.

If you can live with the rust (would storing it correctly slow down the oxidation?) or are a DIY expert and think you can fix it, then use it as a negotiating point on the price.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

it -could- be a good price and im not scared away just by the interior or just by the rust(thanks to the knowledge here) but also now the unknown correct mileage(Odo replaced at some point from KM to MI) so all 3 together just make for too much story.....also a 'registered as a gov't agency car' in the history, DEA in Miami?

ill wait and look for something better but someone may very well get a solid mechanical car with some minor, fixable issues for under $40k.

that said, if my range was $40k id be much more attracted to this car than one without service history

 

the thing that worries me about that car is the fact that it is a EURO car. What does that even mean? i have heard that eventually it may not be able to be registered and thus would then be useless, is that true?

 

Maybe, but I haven't seen that amount of rust on a 328 other than a wrecked one. (I have seen significant rot on 246s and 308s, but those cars were not built on a modern assembly line like the 355s and had no corrosion prevention.) I would guess this 355 has been driven in the rain and put away wet many times. Or maybe it's corrosion caused by dissimilar metals being joined? Not sure...

The problem with rust, obviously, is that it's like cancer. If it's bad enough to be visible, it's bad, and 355 market values don't support the kind of disassembly and metalwork required to put it right. And I can't see heading out to the garage to detail and drive a rusty Ferrari.

I have seen much cleaner 355s, despite the mediocre build quality of these cars. I would pass.

 

It means the buyer had better confirm the DOT and EPA paperwork matches the VIN and is in order, or the car can't be registered in California and probably other states with smog tests.

I wouldn't go through the hassle for a 355, because there are many nice ones available that are U.S. cars.

For a Boxer, the EPA/DOT releases are normal, because the cars were never certified to for U.S. sale.

For pre-smog cars (pre-1975 in California), no problem bringing a car in from Europe.

EDIT: Looks like the seller pulled the item or it ended.

 

Good point.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

The price is really inviting, specially for a GTS but there are too many variants on those cars to be aware of, you could spend easily 20K in the first year alone, which will bring you back to the right value, so why don't just find a good one ?

 

Beautiful color, But i say pass.

 

Great color. The seller is a good guy, my brother recently bought his Testarossa from him and its everything the seller said it was.

If it didn't have the rust it would be a great buy.

 

a 355 of mine had the slightly rust door sills as well as rust underneath the windshield... this was an arizona car... never driven in the rain. Always garaged etc... there is NO RAIN HERE! bottom line... if its italian... its gonna be rusty. Have the car checked out and evaluate the rust. The rust can be stopped and prevented from spreading nowadays. Its not a black art to stop the rust. You just need someone who knows what they are doing. 355s are notorious for rusty door sills. This is somewhat common.

 

I know the seller and he is very honest and a straight shooter. This is a good car for someone who wants to put a little bit of labour and love into it. The big stuff is done already, the rest can be done as time and money permit. This is a great introduction to Ferrari. If I had a bit of extra cash right now It would be in my garage. I just love the colour.

 

Hello
The rust under door seal plate is actually very common Just held on by screws under the door seal,can be removed in less than 5 min. I have seen this and was present on my 348. All you need to do is remove the seal plate and refinish or just replace them with another type. The body is fiber glass under the door seal plate. The other rust looks like it is just surface rust and my be refinished very cheeply. If all the eng work is up to date I would not be scared to buy the car. I would buy a car with miles on it over a car with very few miles on it. It all depends what you want to do with it. Just admire it or drive it. Alot of negative comments by non Ferrari owners.

 

not sure I agree....most of the comments are constructive opinions on rust and i find them helpful as someone in the market

theres no doubt that the Euro/import/mileage issue is a story that will cause some extra work for the buyer either during registration or when selling it

otherwise if this car checks out mechanically it seems to be a decent deal if one is up for dealing with the rust/interior.....that said, the comments that there are better or cleaner cars out there are factual.

good luck to the seller, he does seem to be honest in representing the car.

 

Good luck, but you may be suprised what's out on the market. Clean cars are not always the perfect car if you know what I mean being a mech as I'am. The number 1 thing is check all records before you buy. Make sure the Title is clean, been there done that, took a year to clear up+ Lawyers fee's. On a very low mile CLEAN CAR direct from Porsche North America.