Sad Day?

Misunderstood

Accepted.

You're right, people want to sell whatever they happen to be peddling but in the case of the mag it's just knowledgeable people expressing honestly held opinions and no one expects everyone to agree.

 

I agree that the FORZA respondents continuing to remain 355 owners does not invalidate their reluctance to recommend the car to others. For example, I used to date a lot of strippers, but I wouldn't recommend the practice to everyone

I may have given up the strippers, but I still own a 355!

 

You can still like the cars, they are amazing.

You just need to budget $5-7k per year and just like a 355, select a good car to begin with. Any Diablo that needs 60-70k of work on it will look like a turd. I saw a bad car here and there, and didn't bother with the details. The good cars all fell within the $5-7k per year budget.

Work with a quality seller, do a PPI with compression/leakdown and survey the service records.

 

According to some posting here, service records don't matter on the 355. As long as it was serviced by the owner, it's all good..

 

I've heard that too.

 

The more important question is which costs you more to "service" and "maintain" annually?

 

lol

 

A good PPI and service records is always a great idea... but in the end mechanical things seem to have an idea of their own on how things should go and no one can foresee it. I have seen cars that have been flogged without mercy seem to go forever and ones babied and meticulously maintained be a owners nightmare. Hence the start of this thread. Drews bad luck is the exception but from his shoes it sucks... this thread had me seriously thinking about selling my 355 and getting a Porsche TT. (I'm thinking heated seats navigation back seat for the kid) then me and my wife went out had a cpl beers drove about 200 miles on a nice eve with the top down. I said we need to pack and take a weekend trip. My 355 is a like a high maint whore my common sense tells me to dump..... but my ego says I need to ride that B&*#$ one more time. No one can or will ever convince me a ferrari is a good way to spend money...but God D#$% it sure is fun

 

It's nice when our friends try to protect us from ourselves through their own self sacrifice and suffering.

Well at least you got rid of half of your headaches. I am trying to protect future 355 owners by keeping mine.

 

Drew's experience is a data point and, while these cars are now old, there is statistical value in the cumulative experiences of the owners. His "bad luck" wouldn't have happened if he had owned a better designed Ferrari, an Acura NSX or a Porsche.

The frequency and expense of the 355's failings make it, on average, the Ferrari V8 most likely to demolish your bank account. Chalking this up to random luck isn't a good answer. There are more items that tend to go wrong in these cars, and design flaws that no amount of babying will counteract. The quality of the car to some degree dictates the "random luck", and of course having a previous owner who recently dumped his 401k into repairs can help your odds.

I have friends who have (or have had) them and went in with their eyes wide open, fully aware, and love(d) their cars. As long as they know the car's weak spots (and there are even more on the 355 Spider...), they've accepted the trade-offs and all is well. I've known two others who liked the 355 but sold after weighing those same trade-offs.

The value in Drew's post is that with these cars now falling into entry-level BMW 3 series pricing range, they are attainable for guys who absolutely couldn't afford the possible service/repair bills. He had some bad luck, but the underlying causes aren't something we can just shrug off or toss away as random. They aren't random.

 

I agree

Drew is/was a LONG term 355 owner, for him to have had enough , I can only imagine the hardship.

I always find it comical when someone with 1 yr of ownership think they know it all , and claim they got the best deal, and have the best car experience.......... To only sell their car within the next service for a Magical money making business opportunity , or because they are getting married and need to sell ...ROLMAO !!!

Sure they do.

 

Or better still to constantly contribute to the data base by posting that in their unstated ownership period that they have had zero trouble. I don't care if it is a 308, 430 or 355 owner, if you haven't had the car for several years (at least 5) I really don't care what your opinion is. The only opinion your qualified for is the paint quality.

It's tough enough not knowing someone's standards. We all know people who are satisfied if the car is capable of getting to the liquor store under its own power and others whose standards are impossibly high but having a car for 1 or 2 years and putting 4000 miles on it doesn't mean crap.

 

Three very good posts...and I agree with all of them

 

You don't have to imagine. He was rooked into spending $15K on a NIB interior for which he had no need. I believe $13K stereos are completely discretionary, too.

$28K wasted right there.

 

I am not sure how anyone can use Drews experience as a data point when no one but Drew knows what the itemized list of expenses was. Also $13,000 stereo systems and buying a NIB interior for later use isnt part of 355 maint or usual expenses.
Also if there isnt a trend in the repairs needed it cant be factored in. Paying for three techs to spend more than a week looking for a broken wire is one persons experience not part of the normal cost of owning a 355.
I also wonder if some peoples expenses on these cars are necessary. This forum is full posts by people that feel like the dealership that services their car is equivalent to a farmer that would milk a cow to death if they could.
Another thing if you buy a 99 355 now instead of in 2004 you can buy one with some of the problems addressed Shrinking dash,sticky parts,valve guides with up to date engine out service. I personally believe people who have bought a 355 in the last 5 years are a lot better off than people that bought them ten or eleven years ago. Reason is its well documented what you need to look for in these cars and can buy one that has had these issues addressed.
I havent owned my 355 five years but I bought it from my best friend and I know everything thats been done to it over that period and 11,000 miles. Engine out service,clutch a couple of sticky buttons and ash tray replaced (no idea why that was)
Brake pads oil changes and tires just before I bought it. I would assume thats somewhat normal for these cars. After reading Drews post more thoroughly he bought a 99 in 03 or 04. I would believe his experience would be as far to one end as someone else that says they have owned a 355 for 2 years with no issues at all being at the other.

 

Excluding the interior, it is probably a data point at the bad end of the bell curve. (Although 355 interiors aren't durable, and it is a 15-year old convertible...) When you've owned your 355 a bit longer and then sold it, your experience will be another data point.

Hopefully more was done prior to your ownership, because there's a LOT you didn't list that is likely to fail on a 17-year old car.

 

So lets say I'm not a hands on kind of guy. Lets say I majored in English literature and barely assembled that desk from ikea. If the car doesn't start, what am I going to do after all the peanut gallery tells me to check the fuses and none are blown? What then?

Then the peanut allergy tells me to bring it in for service. And it legitimately is an iffy connection on pin 17 right as it goes ino the right motronic ecu.. And gve fine readings at the components, but only every 2 seconds was the connection broken. In essence, yes. It did take 40-60 hours to trace the issue... That you have to pay dealership rates for because there isn't an Indy nearby.

Well how does he refrain go.. you shouldn't own the car because you're not good enough mechanically to own it. Please. Not everyone is inclined to diagnose a complex issue. And then yes.. These costs are legit. Not just for a 355.. But for any FCar.

 

Oh come on , you know check book owners are not allowed , these guys aren't enthusiasts because they buy the "yellow box "

 

Not to the tin foil 355 hat crowd. Don't you get it? Any argument contrary to theirs is just not valid. You don't own one therefore are not allowed an opinion based on other methods of gathering data or information. And even if you do own one, maybe 2 or 4......since new..... your opinion still does not count because it runs contrary to the Kool Aid drinkers.

Like I said disagreement is OK, actually any rational person expects it but when the arguments run to , being accused of making up fictional owners and their ownership accounts, an entire publication staff being accused (against all evidence) of pursuing an anti V8 agenda and just telling owners with no ax to grind they are lying or making up data????

Please if those are not the signs of a complete and total lack of a rational argument there is none. It's too bad, there are some defenses to their position but the childish antics used in place of them just undermine any cogent positions that might be getting made.

 

Well you are completely wrong in every way in your understanding of my post..let me try again.
I said I dont know how anyone can use Drews experience as a data point without knowing what was done and if it was all completely necessary. Maybe you have read every shop invoice from his car and you can share your wealth of knowledge with the rest of us.
Was every dime spent on usual 355 maint? I would have to believe not compared to what other people have spent on their 355s. Knowing this I am assuming he had some rare troubles with his car or everyone would have spent the same amount .
I never said spending money for three Ferrari techs to spend a week looking for a broken wire isnt legitimate.. I implied its rare... so rare in fact it took 3 guys a few days some research and phone calls to find. This is not a normal expense of owning a 355. I'm drawing pictures next time......... sheesh

 

If you are going to take that position you need to reject every single account not supported with documents, all documents and an inspection of the car to determine its condition good or bad.



Pretty stupid conditions huh?



Going to disregard some types of repair costs because they are not common? Who determines that? The tin foil hat Kool Aid crowd? Sorry but you are really starting to sound like a charter member.

 

on the other hand, if you rack up huge surprises in 1-2 years you've earned the right to jump ship IMO. No reason to wait longer to prove a point.

 

Yes, no question but if needed I'd gladly cut them all out if it meant a better sampling but it is all academic anyway. If the Pope had a bad 355 experience the Kool Aid drinkers here would blame it on a Jewish conspiracy.