Thinking About getting a 355 spyder,need advice please???

I may be somewhat prejudiced, but I have owned a '95 spyder and currently have a '95b, and am a huge fan of both cars. (the b is lighter and thus quicker in every respect than the spyder; '95's are the fastet 355s period, if you care.) Make sure the maintenance is up to date, and go for something with some mileage, at least 10,000. Valve guide problems will show themselves, if at all, during that time. These cars get better with age, and should be enjoyed in motion.
IMO, ther 360's are better cars, but not as demanding, involving and as thrilling to drive, and not as rare. Future value I think will be in the 355's favor as the 430 is absolutely killing the 360 and will continue to because the cars are too similar, other than performance. The 360 is only marginally faster than the 355 if you are prepared to push the 355's rev's which will make a sound that is unparallelled in V8's.
Regardless of your choice, you will be a very happy man.

 

Future F owner....

As far as speculation of markets, I do not know and no one on this chat room can assume what will happen to car prices next year, or two years from now. Assume depreciation on all autos unless classics. SO as for the Spider question... I own a 99 GTS F1 and have driven them all ... damn, except for the new 430 - can't wait!!

Seems like 95K is a bit high for that car. You should be able to do better. Spiders... problems other than listed from prior post.. with the top (slow, pain in the rear, sticks), seat potentiometer, rear view hinderance from boot, F1 issues..

Low miles does not mean too much for a 355 as much as people want to sell them at a higher price. I have 32K miles on mine and there are no problems, but I have 4 years of my own experiences with repairs and mtc.

30K service done properly is subjective. I have seen 30K service done, and not changed out the tensioners, only the bearings. AND timing was done poorly where it was off and HP was off. Hard to notice off the lot till you start racing and say... man!!!

In my opinion, find a 355 (If that is the one you want) newer model the better, at a good price and pay for someone to perform all the maintenance under your supervision. You learn a lot about the car as well as know it was done properly. I know too many people that have been screI&^(*& by dealers and independants. You can probably get a spider for $85K in great condition and save the $10k for the unexpected used car oops mtc. Or put Tubi, Hyperflows, and Gruppe Ms in it and get the sound and speed up to a 360 level.

Good luck. All of these are hard choices. These are all F cars for a reason. Expect the unexpected. They are great when they are on the road running, but ouch when you have to repair them. This is not a Nissan. Even in great condition, expect issues in the future if you like to play hard!!

Carmine

 

Get yourself a 355B if you are going to get one. A coupe will always be a more rigid car. Not having to worry about the top is another plus. Oh and did I forget to mention that a coupe will probably save you about 10k.

Granted you are going to love them both so there really is not a right and wrong.

Just my $0.02...

Thanks.

Vince

 

Everyone else has stated the obvious so things to look out for.

If the car is an F1, see if you can find out anything on the F1 pump. These don't go out often but when they do it's $15k from Ferrari but someone on f-chat found a source for $4k, still a huge expense.

On Spider cars, becareful of the top. When these go out or have any problems, the cost is usually very high to fix or replace.

Valve guides- These aren't usually a problem on later model cars but I've seen $15k+ repair bills so make sure to keep an eye out for these.

Exhaust Manifolds- If they are still OEM count on them going out. They cost about $6k to replace although there are aftermarket solutions like NAPerformance for 1/2 that price.

Catalytic Converters- These seem to also be a problem on the F355, very expensive to replace the OE ones, but Hyperflows can be had, not to mention they are a hell of an upgrade.

That should cover the majority of the basics, just make sure it's a good car, reputable seller always helps. $95k is also a decent deal for the car you are explaining. Especially if it's red/tan or another highly desired color combo.

 

I think you'll find that a 355 is a completely different driving experience than a 350Z. As well engineered as a 350Z is, it leaves me cold, as most Japanese cars do.

If you can buy a 355 Spider (99) for $95K that has 4800 miles, that's not a bad deal. Is it a 6 speed or F1? Color? U.S. car? But be prepared to spend money on the car, as part of the "ownership experience", in comparison to your Z.

Good luck!

 

How about this gem of a find?
mint is the only word that describes it. It is not mine, but I do know the car.


http://www.ferrarichat.com/ferrariads/showproduct.php?product=1065&sort=1&cat=11&page=1

 

Thanks Chris.....you're a gentlemen & a chronologist

I'll tell ya something guys...tomorrow I take ownership of what will be my new 360 spider...so that's on my mind real heavy. At the same time, I just walked in the door from coming back from my brothers....in my 355. I won't kid you: I'm wondering if I'm not making a big mistake leaving this car. I don't expect the 360 to sound as sweet, I don't expect it to be so incredibly nimble and fun to drive (it's larger & bulkier). Maybe I'll think different after owning it for a while....but there's something so pure & dynamic about the 355 that it just gets to you. As my friend Mike put it: the 360 is a better car, but the 355 is a better Ferrari...I've met a lot of guys who concur with that assessment.

Back on subject: a 350Z is an entirely different animal....it's a daily regular car made quite sporty, whereas the 355 is a race car made street-able. When you have a 3.5-litre engine putting out that kind of power with those kind of rpm's...it's a whole different ballgame & experience then a conventional engine can deliver. Trust me, it's there and it's legit....the 355 is an amazing car and there is no mass-produced sport sedan/coupe that can match it. I've never met a 355 owner who regretted their purchase!

There is also something else that I've come to terms with: I think we're deluding ourselves & too obsessed with all this concern about value, price retention and the future standing of these cars. Will a 355 be worth more then a 360?....who knows....but here's my thought: if we are fortunate enough to be able to afford these cars now, then the fact is we are at a level in life where it really shouldn't matter that our cars stay at $90k, go up to $150k or plummet to $30k. That's not why we bought these things.

Look at the big picture....the huge chunk of tax we pay when we buy these toys, all the loss of "interest" while our chunk of money is tied-up in these cars, the cost of insurance, the cost of maintanence and as of late: the cost of gas. Heck, one day nobody will care if the car had it's 30k done, it'll be more important that it comes with a full tank of gas!!!

So....it's ridiculous to sit around and bicker about which car may rise to be more valuable one day: none of us fortunate guys should really be concerned about a couple tens of thousands one way or another, in the grand scheme of our lives, it really isn't much either way. We all got where we are by being smart, prudent and careful with our money....but the only thing we should expect from our Ferrari's is to be Italian, sleek, beautiful, fun, exciting, excilerating and exotic. All this talk of value, depreciation, potential appreciation, etc....it's all mental ego and remedial mental fascination.

Somewhere out there is a guy who has owned a 308, 348 and a 360....he paid all sorts of taxes and lost money in all the moving around...BUT he's experienced generations of fun and enjoyed himself. And then there's the guy who bought a used 328 and actually can sell it for a bit more then he paid because he sat on it for decades (the same car every day)....yes, he's financially ahead....but which of these guys has enjoyed himself the most? Can the measure & quality of your performance-car experience really be based on how much money you SAVED buying a go-fast toy?

Pick what excites you, buy what you can afford, enjoy the car and never regret putting miles on it: YOU own the car, the car doesn't own you!

 

Jeeezzzzz Steve, where the F do you pull this crop out of????? Get some sleep, your burning the oil and gettin' wiggy again!

 

Godspeed and goodluck

 

Just one note here...I took a year to find the right car. Take your time!

 

I had a '98 355F1 and loved it. They sound great and are a great track car. The 360 is a twitchy car and is unforgiving and I owned 2. It is also faster and more comfortable and a lot bigger car. I will probably own one again sometime in the future.