Where do I start? Seeking info on owning a 348

http://www.club348.com/technical/Tech/348.html#Starting

need I say more?

Regards, Ben

 

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=213638 Members annually write up

http://www.qv500.com/indexferrari12.php great info on 348/355

Welcome aboard!

Be aware...Flood gates are going to open very quickly!

 

I personally would not recommend 348 ownership to anyone who can not do any of their own maintenance and repair work. I simply think that it would burn you out if you had to pay someone every time some little thing went wrong. There are many jobs on the 348 that can be handled by an owner with even limited skills.

 

This sounds similar to my approach. $10k per year is pretty high. I have had my car for about 3.5 years and spent about $11k total. My insurance is around $900 per year in South Florida with Allstate. I like the 348. It has good looks, good acceleration, good handling, great sound, and reasonable buy in / ownership costs (for a Ferrari). I have occasionally thought about trying a different model Ferrari, so if you have an interest I might be willing to sell my car. Most people that have seen it agree it is in excellent condition.
Good luck with your decision, buying a Ferrari is a very fun experience (compared to buying other cars).

BT

 

Fow what its worth .... you can always insure it under "Collectable" insurance and you'll get coveradge both ways ... and can get 3K or 5K yearly miles at your disposal. Worth looking into for sure as those rates are usually really good. Good placed to start looking at Hagery, Classic Ins and there are many others.

 

If you have a great Mechanic (Eugenio) There is no way that if you buy a good 348 you would spend 10K a year driving the car 5-7K Miles a year. I have owned my car for 6 years and put 21K Miles during that time period, and have spent less then 12K in maintenance: including a major service, minor service, brakes, clutch, presure plate, electrical gremlin, alternator, battery,oil changes every 2500 miles, and tires. So my average is 2K a year. Insurance for me is about 1000 a year. Registration in Ca is about 250 a year, so figure .7 cents a mile Gas is about .25 cents a mile. So my total cost of ownership other then depreciation has been $1.18 a mile which includes service, gas, and insurance. Depreciation in my case is 29 cents a mile. Granted when I get another major next year this average will be higher.
Jean-Louis

 

Though the ones that do fix their Ferrari's will tell you it isn't all that hard. Lefty losey, righty tighty.

 

On a serious note I tell people this.

Obtaining a Ferrari is not the hard part. The hard parts is maintaining a Ferrari.

Read through the 348/355 section and through the archives. Also have a read of the primer page that was referenced to above. Take your time reading the stuff, and try to get a good understanding of what the cost are of owning a Ferrari. Be it taking your Ferrari to a reputable independent mechanic, or servicing it yourself, your will still have to deal with the high cost of factory parts. That is unless you can source the same parts that are used on different brands of cars, and we have done that for a few items. In either case you can end up spend a few hundred for an oil change, all the way up to several thousands. So if after you buy your Ferrari your are handed a repair bill for, oh let's say, $5000, will you be able to foot that bill with out it affecting your house hold finances? I'm being serious here, because those types of bills and bills 2x and 3x times that amount are not uncommon, especially if your are taking it to a mechanic to do the repairs.

So think long and hard about being able to afford the maintenance of a Ferrari before you actually go out a buy one.

 

you are in my area so this is a website that maybe helpful and he is in the neighborhood...http://www.exoticars-usa.com/services.htm go to Ferrari pricing to have an idea of maintanence costs...I am in the market for my first beauty and everyone has told me that a good starter car is 3x8/Mondials...and I plan to do as much as i can...thousands to a mechanic would send me to divorce court...(wife doesn't understand anything other than AtoB transportation)...

One thing I can say is...you will get an abundance of help here and the Porting Head guru "Mark" is not far from you

Benvenuto alla famiglia...

 

http://www.theferrari348.com/forum/index.php

It contains half of the 348 primer. haven't got round to uploading the other half yet.

Also, here's something I posted up on another forum regarding stuff that can be done on a 348. You might find it interesting. All prices in UK pounds.


For reliability:

• Refurb and upgrade alternator with better parts (£40, Parts £65 plus removal & fitting)
• Check alternator bracket and replace if cracked (£30)
• Refurb aircon motor fan in front luggage bay (£40 plus removal and fitting which is very easy)
• Replace OEM tensioners with Hill engineering tensioners (£220)
• Change all belts, cambelt, alternator, air-con. (£90 ??)
• Replace all hoses worth silicon hoses (£120)
• Replace all other hoses ie: oil & fuel etc
• Check fuel hoses for cracks and replace if necessary (they can easily crack if over tightened - £220)
• Replace water pump (Optional. Never heard of a water pump going, but you can never be too careful as it shares the cambelt - Cost £650 new or £200 for the ebay rebuilt version)
• Check and recore/replace radiators as required (Cost £1,000 new or £200 for recored)
• Change radaiator sensor (£9)
• Change oil temprature sensore (£15 for non Ferrari or £75 for Ferrari)
• Check the header tank (water tank) at the bottom for corrosion. Replace/repair as necessary. (Cost me £75 for a used one)

For performance:

First thing you need to do is put it on a rolling road or hub dyno and see how much power the car has. If it has significantly low power, then do a compression test. After you do all the things below, take it back to the same place and do the test again and then compare. I ended up witha significant increase of power of around 10%.

• Use NGK iridium spark plugs
• Replace OEM spark plug leads with Magnecors (£170)
• Do the cam timing (I got an extra 30bhp+ from just doing this)
• K & N air filter (£50)
• Ensure throttle cable is not too loose (doesn't cost anything to do)
• Remove OEM cats and replace with Hyperflows (£800 plus fitting)
• Change the 348 wheels for 355 magnesium or other 18" wheels (£750+)
• Get the valves done (£400???)

For handling:

The 348 gets a lot of criticism for it's handling. The main problem is because most 348's don't have them refurbished or sorted out. It's very sensitive to change. To get the car at it's best, it's recommended to do the following:

• Refurb dampers (£60 plus vat plus removal and fitting cost) and change the rubber bits at the ends.
• Replace suspension bushes (Between £500 to £1,000 depending on wether you get OEM rubber or poly bushes - plus fitting and removing is a pain))
• Do a full geometry setup by someone who knows what they are doing (£400 plus £45 for a set of Hill Engineering shims)
• Balance tyres (£40)
• While your at it, have the wishbones powder coated if necessary (£40)

To enhance the driving experience:

• Get a Tubi, Capristo or X-OST exhaust system (Anywhere from £500 used to £2,000+)
• Carbon sports seats (£2,000)
• 360 Challenge steering wheel (£180)
• AP Racing brakes (awesome) - £1,800
• Traction control system (ok- so maybe it won't improve driving experince - £800 plus fitting)
• HID main lights (£99 plus fitting)

For looks:

• Stripe - option from £350
• 355 bonnet vent - (£250 plus painting and fitting)
• White side indicator (replace the old orange ones - £50 off ebay)
• Carbon fiber bits for interior (£800 to £2,000+)
• Red start button - (Just like the 360CS & 430's - £60 from ebay plus fitting)

If anyone has other info or spots a mistake please add/amend as necessary.

 

I sent you a PM with some information.....Good luck on your search

 

I just recieved a call from an owner with a car I was previously interested in, but he wasn't ready to sell at the time. He is now.

I have his data, and it would be worth speaking with him even just to listen and learn about everything he has had done to the car.

By the way, the advice Ernie and a few of the other guys can give you on this site is priceless. When you PM me I will give you a list of the guys you need to go to that are more trustworthy than your own mother.

Best wishes on the search!

 

It's all good. The prices are surely not heading up anytime in the next year. I think they may go down another 5% or so, depending on how bad the recession is. When it is time to purchase, make sure you buy a good one, they are priced very close to really bad ones.

BT

 

^ BT - saw your previous post on this thread about having Allstate insurance. Unless you own Allstate, Allstate stock, or are an agent or something, ditch that insurance. Allstate is the worst insurance company on the planet. Get a decent policy, like State Farm, Amica, ANYTHING but Allstate. If you ever have to make a claim, they will rape you. I say this as a brother, because you seem like a good guy. And this goes for any of the rest of you! Do not trust your Ferrari, you, or your family, to the "good hands". I deal with insurance companies everyday, and they all suck, but Allstate sucks the hardest, even worse that Farmers. Sorry, don't mean to hijack a thread ...