Which car is cheaper to own, 355 or testarossa?

We're renting the weather.

 

That is cute!!!!! But, how much of the rent money is going for the eventual earthquake? Or, are they just a BONUS????????????

 

great analysis...the 355 is the more enjoyable car to drive....better handling and steering and clutch and general feel... the 12 does sound better... if you can handle it , i would get the 512tr, which is huge improvement over the tr

 

It looks like you're very close to Henryk which means you may have help or advise close by when you work on the car.

 

Let's say regardless of maintainent cost, depreciation, resell value, wife factor, which do you like?...the Tess or 355 .....it would be interesting to know.

 

I would choose the F355. Many reasons. Yes it will be cheaper to own. You will drive it more. Your wife will be more comfortable in it. The interior space for the passenager is better than the TR. Over all I would say you will have many great years owning a F355 over a TR. I considered the same issue back in 1996. I choose the F355. Never ever looked back. Go for the F355.

Good Luck

 

Drive both cars, then decide.

As for the 355. It's a great car and can be a daily driver.

Maint: As you know, every 30K or 5 years you must do an engine out belt change. Dealers charge about $7500 and independents are about $4500.

I've spent about $2K a year on preventive maint and "goodys".

You'll be hard pressed to find a good car for $65. If you find one for that price range, be prepared to invest 10K-15K right away. Those that I have seen have been neglected cars, need work cosmetically and are over due for an engine out major service. Assuming that no preventive maint was done by these type of owners will only escalate the cost of other issues that will be discovered during engine out.

Valve guide issues can be found during leak down test on PPI. Exhaust manifolds can crack but you can change to aftermarket headers or have QV in UK rebuilt factory ones. Once you do this you never have to worry about it again.

Other issues: Melting dash paint. One weekend and about $10 in spray paint will fix this. I just did mine and came out perfect. Shrinking dash on airbag cover - Replaced at dealer for $180.

As first stated, drive both and then decide. The worst thing you can do is buy a car and while driving it always wishing you had bought the other model. The F-Car experience should be pleasure...not pain

 

That is not even a close one. Get the the TR and leave the v8 for for tomato juice favored drinks!

 

I'm not sure how anyone could be torn between the two, unless you just have to have a F car because it's a Ferrari. They are way different cars. Forget the cost to buy or maintain - drive them both - decide which you prefer then figure cost.

 

I admit styling plays a part in the process, but the F355 is quicker in ever way. It is easier to drive. It does not blend with all the other cars on the road. It is about as wide as a TR. It's interior is updated. In all the time I owned my F355 (1996) I never had any big problems or issues (touch wood). I will say F355s do not like to sit unused for long periods of time. It is a car you need to pay attention to. If you do not drive it throughout the winter then go in and start it once a week. If the roads are dry go take a drive in it. Storing a F355 is a little more involved than the TR. I will say I love the way the TR looks and my favorite is the 512TR(92-94). But after driving both a lot I decided to buy the F355 as it was more fun to drive and more fun to drive quickly or hard. I just loved it.

 

Well i have had 2 testarossa an sold the last one to buy a 1998 355 was very excited till i got it then all i wanted to do was sell it took 3 months to sell then i bought a f512m and never looked back and the 5 to 10k running a year is bollocks so my advice is from experiance go for the testarossa

 

5-10k a year to run a TR is not anywere in the ball park. I would say 2k tops would be a bad year for a TR. Unless you have a major failure of the trans of something.

I can pretty much garentee that the TR is a cheaper car to run then the 355. Insurance will be cheaper for one, less stuff falls apart on the TR..minus little interior doodads..but even then,most times they can be replaced or sorced through the original supplier which in most cases is Fiat anyways.

The 355 has alot of little annoying issues that can draw on the nerves. Interiors bublbling..rattles in the doors, roofs not working on the spiders manifolds cracking, slowdown light popping on..even though you have test pipes,suspension light comming on because of a broken accuator (GM part by the way). water leaks on the spider and GTS models axel boots wearing out(mostly the inner boots), 150 buck ignition wires I could go on and on. But it is a very cool car and a wondeful machine to drive and listen too. I would own one , but I'm a mechanic and on my pay I'll have to wait a bit before I can get one. For now I'm stuck with my 308 (I love it though)

The TR has it's problems aswell but mostly they are electrical related. They like to burn connections as the fuse panel..and funny running of the engine because of fuel/air system issues is common. The trans as mentioned above is a weak point but this should not keep you from buying th car. The TR is a great machine.. Though not as tossable as the 8 cylinder cars, it is a wonderful cruzer and highway car. I really like the fact that with these cars you can cruse at 120 and the rpms are only at 3kRPM were as the eights are close to 4500. Great cars no matter what you choose..it's up to you to decide which you like the best!!

 

LOL - next week he'll start a thread trying to figure out what color combo to
get!!! THat was my hardest choice actually....

I would go for TR hands down. If I could just shove another 4 cylinders
in the 348, I'd have a mini-testarossa.

dave
indy

 

Amazing how many replies there are and how little hard data is provided given the owners on this board.

If you want objective numbers, bpu669, here they are:

I have owned my Testarossa since February of 98. In that time I have spent $26,936.14 on it. This figure does NOT include gasoline, the cost of the car itself or depreciation. It DOES include everything else - maintenance, taxes, insurance, accessories (wheels, exhausts, covers, maintenance books, etc). The car currently needs a clutch and rear tires which I haven't done yet so are not included.

I have owned my F355 Spider since April of 01. In that time I have spent $11,533.51 on it. Same as above applies. The car currently needs a new passenger seat potentiometer, two rear shocks (leaking) and a water pump (weeping). None of these has been done yet and so are not included.

So the cost works out to:
Testarossa Ownership Per Year: ~$3,990.54
F355 Spider Ownership Per Year: ~3,218.65.

I'm guessing that if I did all the work that both cars require right now, their net annual cost of ownership would be nearly identical. My advice is buy the one that most speaks to your heart. However, I am speaking with the benefit of not having to deal with a wife. I understand how that could swing your vote. If you really want the TR, it should make your wife feel better that the TR is pretty much fully depreciated now and will hold its value extremely well if you care for it. I think the 355 has room yet to fall.

 

Forgot to mention that you might like 'maintenance only' figures on the two cars. However, if you're considering ownership, I would still look at my original figures since you will be wanting to do some things to the cars as well. For maintenance only, I've spent:

Testarossa: $14,340 in 81 months, or about $2,124/year
F355 Spider: $2,538 in 43 months, or about $708/year.

I should mention that I JUST had a major service done on the TR, so that number will look artificially high since that will be the majority of the car's needs for the next 5 years or so. If you adjust out the $4800 I just paid for the major, the TR would be around $1,413/year.

Also, I use a quality independent mechanic. Nothing against the dealers except that the nearest is 5 hours away from me.

 

cgperry - great data there!

 

bpu699 - I've posted my comments above and perhaps I'm partial to 355 because I own one. Just want to mention if you are interested in a TR, I know of one that you should consider.

I do concours and when I saw this car...I was amazed. Red/Tan 17K miles and he wants $67K. One owner, tool kit, books, records, dealer serviced and even original window sticker. Just did full major service at dealer last month. Not a nick or scratch inside or out. Truley a 10 point car, and I'm careful when I say that. The car is in Ft Laud.

I found this car by accident when looking for a Lambo I want to add to my stable. PM me if you want details.

 

i, too, had seen a couple owners reporting 5-7K/yr in maintenance costs. don't the specifics, so who what the total actually represented. i like the TR as well, but those figures have kept me on the sidelines. however, after reading this thread, i feel i could take the risk and start looking for a TR.

i suppose it really depends on the condition of the car. i know it's been said before, but buying a well-sorted car upfront can save big dollars over time. good luck to you!

john

 

"cheaper" and Ferrari do not go together regardless of the models you compare!

 

I have been looking at some 348's.....I think they are nice looking AND are quicker than something like a 308-328......If I were going to that body style....I would get something like a DINO. They arent quick but at least they are simple and hold their value well.....A 355 would be better to own than a 348....but as with any of these cars....make sure they look babied.....too many people have beaten these and then not driven them....and then beaten them...and then not driven them. Not a good driving routine. But I agree as above....practical and Ferrari don't go in the same sentence.


CHRIS