service cost on a 355

I am looking to purchase a 355, of course i will first do a ppi. but i ran into a thread that some people were saying that the 355 cost $20k-$45K every 5 years for repairs. is this true? talking to some reputable svc guys and other 355 owners i was told that the car would probably need an out engine svc which would cost around $5k-$7k if done by a non-dealar reputable svc guy every 5-7yrs. any answers from you guys experiences?

 

There are countless threads on this subject if you search the 355 forum.

Yes, engine-out service IS recommended every 3-5 years and the cost is about $6k-7K by an an independent and a few thousand higher if performed by a Ferrari dealer. I would recommend purchasing one that has had a recent service however. If you buy one that requires a service you may be in for a little (or rather large) surprise when that engine does come out.

$20k is only if your engine blows up or your F1 tranny dies, generally speaking...

 

that makes me feel better. of course svc records are important but i think the most important is the ppi by a trustworthy and reputable svc center. that i will do
thanks for the reponse. by the way, i love the color combo on you tdf but i am looking to get into a 6-speed manual.

 

Expenses are overstated many times. I assume the following and haven't been disappointed yet:

- Belt service every 5 years - $10K
- Annual Miscellaneous - $1000

The last belt service was just under $7K but then I had to do a clutch last year that was just over $4K but I upgraded the slave, triple seals, etc. while we were in there. If you assume $15K over 5 years ($3K per year), you'll probably be fine as long as you start with a solid, well maintained car that passed the PPI. Some may be higher, some may be lower.

Hope this helps.

 

If a service was done simply to get the paperwork required to sell the car it is common to find many short cuts taken that might not be in the best interest of long term reliability.

 

excellent point.

 

Spend some time and pay extra to get a clean, no stories car and develop a relationship with a mechanic you can trust, it will cost you less in the end.

Robbie's car comes to mind, more expensive than the ones you find on the market these days but will probably cost a lot less to maintain and fix.

My annual spend last year was less than $300

 

That is an excellent point, Dave.

 

thanks everyone, Bottom line is get pretty good ppi by a reputable svc guy before purchase

 

In my view the engine out service interval depends on how hard and how many miles you put on the car. Here in the US we cannot drive this cars anywhere near their limits unless you go to the track .. or your father is the town's sheriff.
when you do the PPI have your mechanic remove the bottom covers under the engine and with a light you can see the belts .... if you can still see the white BRAND marks in it then you are fine ...
We get obsessive with ferraris here in the US .. just think of this .... we put 12 dollar per quart oil good for extremes and for 15 thousand miles, which is synthetic... and then drive 1000 miles and we are supposed to change it ???? why ...... same thing with the belts .
this is the only country in the world that you see advertised ferraris with 3k miles with a 10k miles service done and belts ..... if you go to maranello and tell this to any of the italian mechanics that have been working in these cars for 30 plus years and they will laugh at you.
but anyway....... i have my 355 it is perfect, every screw and bolt is perfect and they dont break and most of the little stuff you can fix yourself ... just have a ferrari mechanic for the engine stuff ... the rest is easy and not as bad as people say ....
in my experience ... i have spent 350 in an ashtray because it was al melted and 250 bucs in oil filter and kit and a full check up.
Also we are not taking into account accidents and bad luck ... and things that may go wrong ...... god forbid you miss a gear and break your transaxle and that will break your bank for sure ... same thing if you over rev it ... or smoke the heck out of the tires in every light ... but if you buy a good car and you dont abuse it ... you will find that 1k per year and maybe 5 k every 5 years for a major service will be enough