When is enough enough???

$9k for cats? $8k for motor mounts and ignition lock?

I'm in the wrong business.

 

$10/mile for a 355. You may have gotten off cheap.

All joking aside,... 355's are expensive to maintain. Shows in the sales prices. They sure are pretty to look at and fun to drive.

I bought a warehouse in 2009. Had a 355 spider in it. wasn't even tempted to keep it. sold within hours of getting the title sorted.

 

I would certainly say that "that's enough" ! Good lord....

 

355. Nuf said.

You either love them or hate them. Complaining about them being expensive is like moving to Phoenix and complaining there is too much sunshine.

Dealers don't consign every car that walks in the door. If it needs a engine out service, your looking at finding an independent. But, just take the engine out service right off the price, it not more for the "it's unknown what else we'll find" factor.

 

I feel like your in a Fram commercial!!!

 

seems to me if you actually drove the car your cost per mile would be a lot less, they are pretty reliable and driving it might have been cheaper plus you would have enjoyed the car.

 

Learn to fix it!

Then they are reasonable and a joy to own.

 

Ouch.....more money on maintenance then its worth

 

Haven't had to replace the headers yet?? I did on mine.

My 360 F1 was trouble free by comparison. Saying goodbye to the F355 was not too painful if you get my drift.

 

so do you love the car.

 

Hello All,

This thread reminds me of a thread entitled, "How much is too much" which I remember in the 355 section. Relative to this topic, receipts for service were at 94k, the car was sold at 42k. The potential buyer wondered what else could possibly go wrong if they bought this car after so much service being done.

Does a well sorted 355 exist? Really? To the OP, I would just drive until it quits, then sell it for parts. A quick trade in would work out also.

 

Drive it until it dies, then put a Subaru or Boxster S drivetrain into it.


I can get very tiring... BTDT putting cash in. The real question is, is being so well serviced going to be looked at negatively when you sell it?

 

See it as restoring your car constantly for pure enjoyment only. You've maintained it to mint condition for the next fortunate owner who can continue restoring it monthly, too.

 

Great write up on what really holds down the value on these (unfortunately). This scenario may be on the more extreme side with everything hitting at once. I've always wanted an early '95 'B'.....but still it's so hard to justify these sorts of #s

 

I think the 355 is a wonderful looking, sounding car. I also think the design has aged well.

But, it is stories like this that keep me away. No matter how much fun to drive, continually sinking this kind of money into an unappreciating asset kills the fun. Perhaps the only way to make sense of ownership is to do the work your self but how many of us truly have the skills and patience?

To the OP: I have a 575 in my garage. Nicely optioned, stick. Has been very reliable. Hope to keep it for years. Dealership guys love the car because (a) it's a manual and a great driving experience and (b) it tends to produce a good ownership experience. Unfortunately i don't drive it much (less than 1000 miles this year). For the Sunday morning jaunt, it tends to lose out to either the motorbike (Ducati) or a workout on the bicycle. My point is, unless you are itching to drive it, your behavior may be telling you it's time to move on.

Thanks for sharing the details. Painful.

Philip

 

Drew, where are you located and were you the first owner?

It says you've been here for 10 years and you're asking this question?

If your situation was common we would all hate our cars. This isn't even close to my reality or others that I know.....

But, even looking at the items you've had done, it sounds like you hit something or are running her real hard. Then it looks like you have a lot of money "diagnosing" only to find out you had a bad ignition?

If I was you, I'd sell the car. In fact I think you might want to stay away from a Ferrari all together. Lot's of what you are describing here are general items that, without really looking into, looks like you might have been over charged for.

I mean you spent $8k for a respray on the front and some "minor" cosmetic stuff? Either you were overcharged or it wasn't minor.

Look, the engine out service is a well known issue with the 355. You should have known that going into the purchase. You need to decide the interval based on your driving. But, I think 3 years is extremely conservative.

Further, I've never heard a dealer not wanting to sell a car. But, if they won't sell her then do it yourself. Do you do anything yourself? If she's in good condition then she should sell herself. A 355 is a hands on, drivers car.... beautiful / timeless lines, great engineering, and real enjoyment to drive.....

Good luck selling her.

 

boy that hurts.

might be time for a 430 or a pcar?

 

$30k....down payment for a 458?

 

When the absurdity of maintenance costs take away the joy,... is time to move on.

 

Could you post some pictures of the engine bay and other areas of detail?

 

I love this.. if this was truly an anomaly.. then this "rumor" or "falsehood" wouldn't exist about 355's being money pits. Mechanics on this site and others wouldn't reinforce it. I have yet to meet a ferrari mechanic that says the 355 experience doesn't mirror what is posted here. But I'm glad you've had a great experience with yours.

A cliche is a cliche because it has a grain of truth in it.

 

Ferrari isn't alone on this. Ten days ago, I was looking at a Diablo. $57,000 spent in 4.5 years....no engine or tranny rebuild either, so nothing was kind-of out of the ordinary.

It worked out to a cool $32 per mile.

 

355s are a tragedy. The last small Ferrari and it looks great. It drives great. Sounds great. They are money pits and that shows in the values.

Dave