To wait or not to wait

Hello all,
Newbie to the forum so I will apologize ahead of time for all the newbie mistakes. I'm hitting those year where I'm starting to enjoy the finer things in life (41) and i have been blessed with a nice career and a good income for these days. I'm not a 1%er more like upper middle class. I have finally completed my collection of sport bikes and look to buy my first exotic. My question is should I wait a year or so and go for a 360 which is what I truly want or start out with a 348 which I could buy today. I have about 50k in the coughfer and from what I see 360's average around 65k low too over 100k. I don't finance anything so saving and paying cash is much more rewarding, but I have about .001 in patience but for the right car I will wait. Is their a huge performance difference in let's say a 348-355 and a 360. The biggest factor that stands out for me is I love the look of the 360. I'm not really looking to tracking the car, just looking to get a little rush when I get on some back roads.

 

Personally, I'm going to wait for the Ferrari I truly love.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Also my feeling. Also, 360's will probably cost you less to care for and maintain in the long run.

 

Welcome to the forum!!

Don't rule out the 328 - AMAZING cars for pretty low investment. Own a Ferrari
for the price of a mid-range Toyota SUV.

SUPER simple cars, and very very reliable.

Jedi

 

What he said. $10K-$20K less than a 360 and not at all scary to own/maintain.

 

I agree with your philosophy of having cash for this kind of purchase. I'm slightly older than you, and though not all that wise would offer this:

1. 360s are still falling, so while you're looking for the right car (and do look) you can be saving cash and probably buying a better car for less.

2. 41 is a really great age, but at that age we're out of warranty and stuff happens. Buying a 360 now is a nice thing to do for yourself. Life is a one way trip, so don't cheat yourself out of the experience.

3. The performance gap on public roads is overrated. The 348 is relatively slow by modern standards, but IIRC it does ~5.5 sec 0-60, which is still within shouting distance of a brand new Boxster/Cayman. I wouldn't make that your main criterion.

Good luck.

 

I have to take this opportunity to say I rode in YOUR car... (now owned by Jeff)...

OMG Jon... what an AMAZINGLY perfect 328!!! Best I've ever seen in person.



Jedi

 

Thats one of the biggest factors i got the ok from the boss(wife) to get a ferrari we where looking into BMW SUV's in and attempt to match her s1000r and those things are close to 100k. So we made a compromise if i hung up the leathers i could get and exotic. no offense to anyone but i wanted a diablo at first but did some research and found they are proven to be a headache to keep pristine. I also refuse to sell any of my bike collection so paying a 100k for a problamatic car is out of the question. is the 328 a v-6?

 

328 is a V8 engine, approx. 265 hp. Very nimble car on twisty roads. Has 4 valves per cylinder and uses timing belt that needs to be changed every 3 years or so.

360 is a V8, approx. 400 hp. Has 5 valves per cylinder and uses timing belt that needs to be changed every 3 years or so.

430 is a V8, approx. 483 hp. 4 valves per cylinder and uses a timing chain that eliminates the periodic costly belt change.

You might want to stretch financially for a 430. They continue to come down in price - especially the coupes.

.

 

Thanks to all for the input. I'm leaning heavily on waiting for a 360. She will most likely be a weekend fun car since my daily driver is a 700hp ford lightning and 4 sport bike available when I really get the need for speed. The wife loves the 355 but she opted to use her resources to buy a 192hp BMW s1000r and it's my turn. Just curious is there a large amount of aftermarket parts (wheels)ect available for this model(360) and has anyone seen one in stealth gray before or might I be better off looking for one that is running well with proper service that needs cosmetics.

 

You know what you want. Get that car.

I like the look of the 348 and the 360. A 360 that was perfect for me arrived about 2 years ago and it's been a wonderful, happy experience. I had and still have no problems financing. My used DD Boxster lost 50% of it's value. I don't think my 360 will do the same. Personally I've seen a 10% increase in asking prices over the last year as the economy has improved. This is just based on ebay and cars.com. Seems about $60k is the lowest end of the spectrum with high mileage cars. If you really like the 360 and it's the car for you, then save the cash and get the car you want. Here's the key... get the car YOU want. If you want a red manual gated shifter car with tan interior.. that might be a higher price than a blue and green interior F1 car. Get what makes you happy. If you are equally happy with a nero or red car.. that opens the field to you considerably. The right car for you will come along. You will know. If you're like one of the people who come on ferrarichat who have been "shopping" or "looking" for the right 360 for 3 years.. then you probably don't know what you want or maybe are a little too picky or want some ideal that doesn't exist.

I know that had I bought a 348, I probably would be as happy as I am with my 360. I still find myself looking at ebay and cars.com at 348's. This means I'll probably have one in addition to the 360 in the future. If you don't have this experience then I argue you save the extra few months for your 360 and buy in the winter.

 

Yup this is the last piece in the puzzle for my collection! Like I said earlier I was a huge fan of the lamborghini diablo and for a while I was building a replica, that was pretty cool but always had to depend on others to help me and unfortunately no one is as passionate about a project as the one who is flipping the bill so that was a 40k learning experience that ended in a 30k loss so being the adhd person I am I took the money I had left and started buying and racing sport bikes and now have in my garage the best of the best in the 2 wheel arena( 2011 ZX10, 2011 BMWs1000r 2010 Aprilia rsv4r ZX6 track bike)so it's only fitting to add a car that I have been coveting for the past 5 years at car shows and so on! The only problem is I'm one of those that when I want something it needs to be in my possession yesterday, but I find it a rush to go to the bargaining table with a suitcase full of cash. it makes the deal very quick and simple. I bought my wifes BMW for 5k less than what the seller swore was as low as he would go! Cash is king and it's a rush to deal like that! So I will do as much research on these cars as I can until I find the car that I can post to be my first exotic. I look forward to reading and sharing with u guys about the cars dreams are made of.

 

My God don't any of you goof balls ever consider just buying a damn vintage car strait out of the gate, and quit screwing around with this newer crap???? You know its what you really want.

 

I was born in 1983. The Ferrari 348 is vintage to me.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Don't even try to go there...mind you I DID convert a REHOS(308QV)owning friend on a 2500miles trip from Brisbane to Melbourne and return in March this year.He reckons the 365GT4 2+2 is the ideal fast touring vintage car with some modern stuff in it.

 

Serviced 348 now, then trade for a 360 in two years. Problem solved.

Then again, after owning a 348 you may decide the 360 is not really the upgrade you thought it was

 

It sounds like you favor the 360 more so why not wait a year or two and see where prices are? Prices will fall some between now and then and you save some money and get the car of your dreams.
Or if in a year or two you have enough cash, you could stretch you dollar to get a 430 or a CS.

You have a good collection of bikes to keep you entertained for now so why not wait a year or so to buy the car you really want?

My .02 since I favor the 360 and even more so the CS. It seems you also favor the 360 so I thought my opinion was valid for this situation.


Both choices are ferraris so you can't go terribly wrong.

 

Wait and get what you want, but wait a little longer and get a Challenge Stradale... you won't regret it.

 

I love Fchat.

A guy comes on with a really simple question: Buy a cheaper car he doesn't really want now but can afford or wait and buy a car he really wants later --- and in 20 responses we have people telling him to buy 10 different cars.

Nobody suggested an F40 or Enzo yet?

 

Dont wait.
Buy a nice 348. They have pretty much stopped depreciating.
Enjoy it now and save up for a 360 using the 348 as a partial bankroll.


Life is short and depreciated cars are not an expense (other than maint).

 

Hey, we just wanted to make sure he looked at ALL of his options
And people here always want to convince others their car is the best and what everyone should buy.
They're all great cars so it's hard to go wrong.


What's your opinion Mr. Mayor?

 

I too got the motorcycling bug before I turned to Ferraris - 100K miles on three different Beemers within ten years (R1100RS, K1200RS, and K1200LT) - and I looked for the best bang for the buck car first. My choice was the 456M, which was over $230K new, and I got a 2001 for under $70K with only 7K miles on it. That said, sorting it out to 9/10ths took an additional 3K miles and $20K bucks, but it was a labor of love and well worth the satisfaction.

The 360's were well under $200K new, and good ones can still be about 100K - with spiders commanding even more - so not nearly the deal a 456M is. That said, they are sportier cars, and that's what I'm looking for right now; a 2001 or newer 360 with less than 20K miles. I've watched them come down over the past year or so, and I think about $75K is now the sweet spot for a good example, so I'm ready whenever the right one appears.

Just speaking for myself, but the 348 and older mid-engine V-8's don't do anything for me other than to fill me with nostalgia; I want something more modern, and the 355 is the oldest car in that line I'd think of as modern.

Best to face the fact that buying a Ferrari is an irrational act, and just buy the one you fall in love with, as I did. Then the cost of ownership won't be a burden.

Cheers,

George

 

I already said he should buy the car he wants. My fear is that the 348 maybe cheaper but will eat him up in repairs.

By the time he finds a really good one at the price he wants to pay, 360 prices will have dropped a bit more and it will all be moot.

My other suggestion is open a lemonade stand and get a few more bucks.

 

I agree with you. I already added my .02

Own the car of your dreams not your second choice. Your prefered car may be more expensive, but you will enjoy it more even if your second choice is slower or more expensive(but still attainable in the near future)

I'm opening a lemonade stand tomorrow going of your advice! I'll probably just lose money though...

 

I'd hang in longer for the 360. Changing Ferraris is a PITA.