Gentlemen I need some advice here. I have read some old posts and the 355 seems to have good reviews all round(ex 1995) especially the targa GTS. Anything in particular I should look out for with this car? Apart from the obvious PPI anything else I should be aware of? What is a good price for a 97 or 98 GTS? How does the Coupe compare to the GTS, is sound that much better in GTS? How do you guys think these cars will depreciate in the future? Is there a more desiarable mileage level that I shold look out for? How is overall quality of the 355 in terms of ongoing maintenance? for those that have driven or owned a Porsche 993 Turbo how do they compare? Is the 993TT alot more torquey than the 355. My understanding is that the 355 has alot of top end grunt but not much low end. I know the sound from the 355 is meant to be incredible but do you have to be doing 130mph to hear it. From my post you can guess I have driven neither car but hope to do so before making a decision. I would like to hear some informed opinions please. Thanks BJM
Get a 355 with Tubi if you want the sound. Makes great noises at all speeds. By the way my 96 Tb, Red/Tan is for sale. Just completed 30k service, and is mechanically perfect. Art
I agree with William H: I have a 355 coupe which is a great car. Actually its for sale if you have any interest. However, I would go for a 512TR in a heartbeat. It is by far the most car for the money IMHO. Regards, Mark
watch out for stress paint splits along the pillars on the GTSs, esp. in normal to higher mileage examples.
Enzo and Will H Whats great about the 512 TR? I thought TR in general where hard to maintain with alot of problems? Whats the big difference between it and the 355?
bjm: The 512TR is essentially 80-90% new versus the first series car. My 512TR never, ever required unscheduled repairs....honestly. My best friend has a 1992 512TR with about 33,000 miles and hasn't had a single problem of note. My 355 is a nice car but the 512TR was Ferraris top-of-the-line car at the time and as such the quality shows. In terms of performance the 512TR is definitely faster than the 355 especially above 100mph and there is no substitue for the torque of that flat 12. I think you would have to drive one and drive it hard to really understand what a wonderful piece of work it is. Regards, Mark
Get a 355 if you want to have a blast. The Porsche might "might" be faster although they put down the same numbers on various tracks but its in the 355 that you will have more thrills.
I had a '99 355 GTS with an F-1 transmission. I bought the car new, and it was a beautiful looking, aggressive sounding (with tubi) elegant machine that had the nimbleness of the smaller ferraris in a fairly luxurious package. I like open air motoring, but in the Northeast US, a convertible can be problematic, and i don't like driving one with the top up. My GTS had a carbon fibre roof insert, which was suprisingly heavy. The dealer remarked that the car exhibited less flex than they were accustomed to in the "targa" (sorry, P word) version of the car; apparently, the true convertible is preferred for this reason alone. I liked the roof line of the GTS, which gave me the best of both worlds. I only got rid of the car because i found the paddle shifter uninvolving for street driving. (I am not advocating that one way or the other, but its another factor in your decision). The GTS does not seem to hold value, so buying a depreciated late one may be a good deal. Having said all of that, i didn't really like the power assisted steering on the car. I have also owned a 348 spider, a 328 gts and a boxer, all of which had no "assist" and far preferred the steering in all of them over the 355. The biggest disappointment in the 8 cyl. ferraris tends to be the lack of torque. These cars run on revs. If you want push you back in the seat launches, buy a 12. But, the 12s just aren't as nimble to toss around, and got progressively bigger and heavier, even as they evolved as mid-engine cars. Once in the 12 cyl. realm, there will be much left to personal preference, daytona v. boxer, boxer v later flat 12, flat 12 or back to Daytona style with the Maranello. Personally, the boxer is my favorite of all these cars, and is a relative bargain, to boot. But, alas, its a coupe. Oh, yeah, and by the way, after a couple of 550s, i am currently driving a porsche.But, then again, i've got my eye out for an older carb'd 12 cyl. ferrari, so don't be influenced by other's choices, there's alot of personal preference in this, but by all means listen to the advice on the relative mechanical/maintenance/driveability issues that are presented. There are alot of really knowledgeable people on this board who have driven them all....
Depends what you want I guess. Daily driver in all weather conditions ? 993 TT is the choice. If it's "balls to the walls" power and the ability to easily modify a car for much more HP....(Autothority Stage 2....$7K USD and 100 "real" HP....done it myself)......then the 993 TT is a winner hands down as it will eat the 355 for breakfast. If you want something else, then the F car is for you.
355 is a lot of fun. The Porsche doesn't exude the excitement the Ferrari does. At least until you lose the Porsche in a turn... If you can find an F1355, so much the better.
I've got the 355 F-1 and the 996 C-4. For me, the 355 is much more fun. They both have a top speed of 183, yet the 355 is a bit quicker. Certainly more fun to drive. The P-car is the daily driver, but the fun comes in the 355. In my view, the TR is antiquated technology. The 355 is everything you wanted a 348 to be.
staright line a 512TR will annihilate a 355 and hang with a 360. The 512TR has a different frame from the early TRs it is much more ridgid so the car handles much better. The Hp & the sound of the flat 12 are very nice
Dino & Other 355 owners Does the trademark ferrari scream only happen above say 100mph or is it more a function of revs e.g, will flooring it in 2nd or 3rd produce the beautiful scream or does this happen only at very high speeds?
I had a 993tt and it was a great car. BUT the 355 is the far better car. The Porsche is for sure stronger down low... gets up and goes. The 355 you have to burn a little tire for it to get up and go. Once you get the RPM's around 5000's the thing turns into an animal and the sound is just///// how should I put this Ferrari only ( I like the stock sound, no need for you to waste 3k on a tubi that really gives you no extre hp. Besise the stock car allready sounds better then anything on the road.). The 355 handles far better. On the twisties Ferrari, in traffic Ferrari. But on the open road I just have to say if you don't have the right RPM's in 355 the Porsche will say bye bye. Even if you did everything right still you are not gonna loose that 993tt. Sorry. Overall the355 is a much better car and that is why I got rid of the 993tt and got a 355. Not to mention the looks and the attention.
bjm- the SCREAM will come at 3500rpm and above in any gear. So in first that's about 10mph or so and beyond The 355 actually opens an exhaust butterfly to a louder muffler under computer control at 3500rpm. It was a clever way for Ferrari to put a non-road-legal exhaust on a street car and sell it! (EVIL GRIN!) The Porsche is a great car, and engineered to the hilt. But it dosent' have THE SOUND! The F355 is the most fun you will have in a sports car with your clothes on. They are wildly different cars. Drive both and you will see! Best! Ben.
The 355 is considered the "Daily Driver" in the F-car world. Mine has been incredibly reliable. The darty/quick reacting steering, nuetral handeling, and high revving power band, all equate to the closest thing I have experieced to my 125 Shifter Kart days. The 355 is so easy to drive fast on the street, but push it HARD, and you enter a whole other demension in driving. It takes a lot to get it to the threshold on the street. The speeds are so fast (and unsafe for the street) that I rarely do it. I must sat though, that the experince is truly unbelievable. After owning MANY Porsches, I bought my F-car. Not to be funny, but if you buy a P-Car today, you will in all likelyhood find your EXACT twin on a daily basis. I see SO many Twin Turbos in my town that it makes me sick.
Artherd Thanks for that good info, thats what I was hoping to hear . Ferrerai Fanatic I hear ya about the twin turbos being common, although the old ones 96 and 97 993 turbo's are alot less common in my area. The 993s, are much better looking.
agree with most comments here about 355, except for the one about don't bother putting a tubi on and saving £3k....my de-cat tubi with test pipes makes an already super car even better and i wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone else....it's the icing on the cake! tony
Definitely a matter of RPM, not speed. It'll shriek at 8000 rpm in 1st gear. At speeds over 100 I'd venture to say it's gonna be harder to hear the engine note than at lower speeds.
Does not matter 1st gear 2nd gear try going under a bridge and hit it. Ohhhh make sure you turn off the stereo. Because you will hear the most amazing exaust sound.
BJM, The trademark F-Scream on the 355 happens whenever you punch it (regardless of the speed.) You do need the R's above 4000, which is no problem. The sound is the best part. Folks hear you coming a block away....
Guys The Berletta coupe seems to be had for less than the spyder or GTS any reason for this? I think the coupe looks the best. Do you still receive all the aural pleasures in the B? or is as a few have said already the GTS targa the best way to go?
the spider would have cost more when new than either gtb or gts and retains that premium now too... it's a tough choice between them but spider does it for me tony
