My E36 M3 (widebody, lots of work done to it, probably faster than my 348) that I've had for 13 years is supposed to be picked up tomorrow. I'm selling it to make room for my 348. I'll miss it, but it's not a Ferrari.
This is a loaded question with a double-edged sword. And here's why. From one enthusiast to another, do not make this decision based on current events. The rise in prices in modern high production F-cars is not indicative to real demand and actual value. IF you do your homework and look at the value trends of past and present you'll see that as the rare vintage F-cars take off in value in times of economic upswing and low interest rates. KEY WORD LOW INTEREST RATES. The high production cars sit idle, then slowly begin to rise, and then surge as the bottom feeders (brokers and private flippers) enter the game and try to ride the wave solely based on the badge. This is the only card they have to play, as they can't afford to play in the big leagues (high six figure cars and 7 figure range cars) This is artificial price pumping, and doesn't hold once the game ends and they all owe the bank their life savings due to their stupidity and greed. If you truly are ready to part with your beloved M-cars, then I would suggest doing so given the climate. But do not play this game of "am I going to miss the boat." That is an emotional take on the situation and not a rational one. There are more than enough 355s to go around, and while they may experience a price upswing in the present, it will not hold. There are just too many of them. The E36 and E39 are absolute dynamite to drive and are effortlessly gorgeous. I've spent alot of time behind the wheel of both. Have almost grabbed an E36 a few times. Best M3 ever IMO. If you have money to burn and want to do it, then go right ahead, don't let anyone on here stop you. It has the best sound of all the modern F-cars IMO, and is stunning to behold. But make sure to make your decision rationally. Lastly, how's the 2nd gear aka "warp speed" treating you in that E39?
Why are you getting so personally offended about the comments posted by loxx? The comments posted were a generalised comment to those who prefer the F1 "flappy paddle" gearbox to manual gearboxes and were not aimed at you specifically. You like both the "flappy paddle" gearboxes and manual gearboxes? - Well good for you! However, you're not the only person on this site and there are plenty of others who frequent this section of the site who do prefer the "flappy paddle" gearbox to manual gearboxes. I suspect that it's those people that loxx's comments were aimed at.
yep. 355b manual way to go. Whatever they say thats the car. get one ,fix it, enjoy. simple as that. amen.
Do you mean me, then? The whole manual / F1 thing has been done to death. I don't give a **** what gearbox anyone prefers when it comes to 355s. Just buy the one you want. What pisses me off is when the manual (note: NOT 6 speed) owners try to infer that bizarrely this choice of gearbox somehow automatically makes them better drivers, or more "pure" car lovers or all the other bull**** that gets trotted out. It is complete and utter rubbish. In my 26 year car owning history I've had more manual cars than non-manual. In fact it's at least a 4:1 ratio in favour of manual cars. When I was searching for a 355 I wasn't particularly concerned either way. I just bought the best 355 I could find in my spec and budget (spec being colour and body style). But, four years of ownership later I'm glad it's an F1. I love it. It's crude and basic compared to modern gearboxes, but it works well and requires some level of skill to get the best out of. So what? I'm losing nothing in performance, and *heresy alert* I think that the manual car with the old fashioned gate and huge gear-stick poking out half way to the roof dates the interior. A lot. But that's just my view and I'm not going to rubbish anyone for having a different one. /Steve. 1998 Ferrari 355 GTSF1 six speed. Red / Crema. 26,000 miles.
I sold my e46 M3 (Laguna Seca on Black, manual) for my F355(Rosso Corsa on black, manual). I didn't use the M3 as a daily driver. So I said to myself why have a M3 when you can have a F355 for the same price? The answer was easy as long as the F355 is not your only vehicle(daily driver).
Well, a 335 manual at least (I prefer the targa top to the hard top - Not that I want to start another: "Now you're just being ignorant!" response from anyone! ). The biggest concern I have with the F1 gearbox is that it comes from an era where Ferraris technology is not that well supported when it comes to repair and maintenance requirements (the digital air-con systems from that era fail on a regular basis and trying to get those repaired can be a nightmare, and I can see these gearboxes being the same!). As the F1 gearbox cars get older and older, I can see that they are going to become more unreliable than the manual cars (on the control unit/operating system side of things - Not the actual gearbox itself), and be harder and more expensive to keep on the road. Added to all that, the 355's F1 system, being the first of it's kind, is a comparatively crude and aggressive system that under certain conditions, can feel quite clunky (mainly at slow speeds when in slow moving, stop/start traffic). The manual cars in those circumstances give you a smoother drive as you can control the clutch yourself rather than it just banging in and out at a pre-set speed, and will remain far more reliable as the years go by.
I actually agree with most of what you've written. But, as I've said many times, PROPERLY maintained 355s have proven to be reliable in supercar terms (both manual and F1). There is no evidence that the F1 cars - when looked after properly - are any less reliable than the manual cars. And I'd argue that a properly driven F1 is no less "jerky" than a manual. In fact I'd say it is likely smoother EXCEPT when being driven very aggressively, at which time neither car is smooth. And you don't want it to be. The F1 at full tilt in sport mode is anything but smooth, and that's a wonderful thing. If you've been in an F1 and it has felt really jerky in normal driving conditions, it is simply not being driven properly. Both cars require skill to drive at their best. Both are great cars.
Im sorry if people Feel my comment about being ignorant is out of place , but really.. maybe its just me??. I feel if you say you rather drive a Prius or 635 You cant like Ferraris all that much!!, Or just looking to bash.. Come on now!!!???..Its an insult to the marque..A preference and what you would like to buy..Of course..
The F1 system seems to be rather reliable and not too expensive to fix if you are buying parts in the right place. I've never seen an F1 pump or F1 display go bad on a 3 pedal car however so there must be a slight edge in reliability. If the gated shifter dates it than I'll take more of that as I find it beautiful But yes, in the end the most important thing of course is to just buy what you like.
New term: manual envy. Like penis envy, where one over compensates and reveals the true envy lurking below. To the op: we all could have e30 m3's or e39 m5's instead of a 355. There's a reason we don't. That said, the e39 m5 is on my list of cars to own, but in addition to, not instead of the 355.
I had an e36 M3 (Dinan equipped) along with my 348 spider. I always thought the bmw was a practice car for the Ferrari. The drove similarly. Eventually the M3 became redundant so it went. Now I have a 335is and a different 348. No redundancy since the driving experiences are so different. For you, I see the same. Your e30 and e39 m cars are very different machines. The 355 will remind you of the e30 but is so much better the e30 will feel positively barbarian. There is nothing like the e39 m5 so I'd keep that one. On the other hand, if it needed to go to fund the 355 I'd do that. Later u might want to get an e92 M3 since that is a 1 model v8 M3 and will be collectible.
Step out of the fold and onto the podium. I'm glad you have the practical car covered elsewhere. That's the only reason I would have a BMW now. Dump them and don't look back. For sporting, style, and history, I can pass at least 3 Bimmers on one simple cruise downtown. They can be tricked out and all, but the Fcar effect trumps everything, even an MB SLS, with the F1 championship this past year. It's still just another MB, AMG or whatever. Yeah I have seen more MB supercars in the past year than Fcars on the road. The most Ferraris I ever see on a random cruise is ONE. One California last fall and a 458 Spider just a few weeks ago. The driver complimented me first in traffic. I think he was older and thinking history over price and performance. I returned the favor since his car was excellent as well. That's the brotherhood kicking in. There were probably less noticeable Bimmers along the road as well. There can be so many of them! Everyday...
+1, I had a 1988 E30 M3 in 1997-1999 and sold it to buy a NSX and never looked back. I replaced the NSX in 2006 with my current F355. the F355 is much more fun and special to me in comparison to the M3. I have had mine for 9 years and do not regret it at all. The OP should definitely drive a F355 to make up his own mind to see if it is worth it or not, but to me it is not even close. Forza F355!
I've been thinking that NSX's, especially 2006's are going to get really valuable fast so you might want to consider back tracking.
I love this because I am in the exact same boat. I just sold my 335I twin turbo that had a LOT of mods ( I took a F430 on a 30mph dual start) LOVE bimmers. Has the old E36 M3 when it was a big deal still 15 years ago, had 2 M5 E39's (still one of my favs) but agreed. After sitting in my friends Ferrari and driving a 360 and then a Gallardo, there is nothing like an Italian car. * or bike. I have a F4 312RR right now for those of you in the 2 wheel know! Love this thread.
