Why 348 the worst and 355 the best????

Moved to the appropriate sub-forum.

 

I obviously have an interest in Ferraris, and sports cars. The basic shape of the 348 and 355 is the same, but side strakes and tail light treatment of the 348 are plainly visible. Some people like these because it's "exotic", some people think it's "overdone". I can tell the cars apart at quite a distance.

In terms of performance and driving dynamic, there are a lot of modern cars that will outshine the 348 and 355. If you enjoy the driving experience, I wouldn't worry about.

 

I know what you mean! I feel the same way here. I was shocked the first month I was here and heard all of this talk about the 348, infact it made me feel a little sad about my purchase of one..but I like the car so I ignore it.

IMO the 348 kicks butt!!!, its absoluetly an awesome vehical to own. IMO its the first of the real performance V8's. What a great car even with its stock 300hp its got enough ummph to have fun.

Let me add that not only is the 348 exotic looking but its now just to the point to where its affordable for most people. I cant tell you how many people ask me what year it is. Most people dont know about Ferrari's in the outside world, They cant tell if my car is a 2004 or a 1991, for all the know they still make the 348's. So who cares, its a great car and by far way cooler and more stylish then the 328's.(no offense 328 guys) So the 355 was made after, so what, I have owned several other Ferrari's and they all seem to have some issues.

 

The 348 had a lot of problems when it came out. It got a lot of bad press from owners, reviewers and wannabes. Once sorted out, it seems to be a great car and an improvement on the 328. The 355 OTOH seemed a vast improvemnt in engineering and aerodynamics over the 348 when it came out. People loved it right away and thought of it as the first "reliable" Ferrari. Then came the cracking headers, valve issues...but once sorted out the 355 is a great car too even if it wasn't the "NSX of Ferraris" that people hoped it would be initially.

I think I see more 348 bashing of the bashers these days than 348 bashers themselves. The cars are sorted out and frankly, ANY Ferrari is a blast to own and drive.

Ken

 

In a nut shell it's a combo of the lack off power, as compaired to the 355, and the early handling issues.

 

Nope. A bit faster though.

You gotta study more Ferraris. Vacation in southern California sometime.

I think the "348 is the worst" is the usual hyperbole you get on any discussion board. The early ones seemed to have a lot of teething problems, and that's enough for the casual buyer to categorize 348's as "bad". 355's take a lot of guff from the 360 guys, by the way, so it's not all black and white. It's fair to say there are some design issues with the 348 that have nothing to do with aesthetics. There's no real point to debating which looks better. We all have our opinions.

BTW, isn't Portugal gorgeous? How 'bout some pics of your 348 cruising the coast instead of shredded tires (which I can see every time I drive our freeways in San Diego...)

 

The "black and white" reference was to the 308 versus 328. I haven't evolved since grade school - ask anyone.

 

I think 348 & 355 are distinguished far apart is just a result of gathering information from magazines, internet, etc. Also 3 mechanics I talked prior to my first F-car purchase, advised to stay away from 348, which influenced my purchase of 328 then to 355.

As you pointed out, 348 & 355 are not much different overall on papers. Then again, most Ferrari afficionado read or heard how these 2 are different, like I did. Ripple effect of this information resulted in today's reputation on 348 & 355. It doens't matter whether that is true or not.

Personally I drove 348 and didn't see any problems as I never went above 80. I'm sure you can find some owners' comments who owned both cars from this site.

 

Classic when I hear the comments repeated and repeated. Teething issues. Early ones were bad. etc.

Fact is that the 348 is a much better car than a 328. That in itself p$$es off those that have a 328. It has more power and more room, much better handling (never heard of any handling issues) and the whole thing does not rust like the 308 and 328s do. The re-design of this car was so extensive that lots of folks could not get used to the all new way this car was built. The engine was rotated 90degrees, the tranny now was in the rear, the car was a true rear engine car vs the 308/28 being a mid-engine car (thiis is where the rumor about the handling is coming from)

Take a 328 on the track and a 348 (early) and tell me which one has "handling problems". I dare any one of you to come and take that challenge who thinks the 348 has handling problems.

Style and looks are personal issues. One likes the 328, one the 348. There is no right or wrong.

As for the 355:

The only real issue on a 348 is the ECUs. They do go bad and this is why you see "Check Engine"-lights come on. Replace them at $1600 each and you are done with your "issues" that make this car so bad.
Take a 355 and you will have in the early (95-98) 355s valve guide issues, a slappy $8000-bill and of course the cracking headers at another whopping $8000. Spider potentiometers and the subsequent search for why the bloody top is not working yet again at $1000 per year.

So take all that real knowledge and make a decision and you will be driving a 348 soon. Besides since a lot of the Ferrari folks are "traditionalists", the 348 was the last production car that Enzo was still involved in himself.

 

Cavallino motors, wow some great points.




By the way arent we comparing the 348 to a car thats about 20,000$ more?

 

To answer the question, I think people can make a large (mental) separation based on small issues. The grates and grill across the back lights are the major styling difference between the 348 and the 355. It is like if someone thinks a singer looks good, then has her hair colored and curled, then they say she is UGLY. They really don't mean that, but it just comes out that way. She is still a beautifuil girl, just like the 348 is still a beautiful car. Most people like the cleaner look of the 355 more. I think it is because it reminds people of the 308 / 328 / 246 Dino look more. Don't be offended, the 348 only needs to be excellent in your eyes. The cars are not chocolate and vanilla, more like Chocolate with Rocky road.

BT

 

Double True! Great post.

 

I think the 348 is a beautiful car and to me looks like a baby TR. The 355 is also very nice looking. I, for one, like the grates on the side. I will say that the 348 is the better looking coupe and the 355 is the better looking convertible.

 

I have to be honest. Before reading this thread, my opinion of the 348 was not very high. Given the rep it gets from most posters here, and in other venues, it seems like we all may have rushed to judgement. In fact I saw one the other day in mint condition.. made my heart skip a beat then a little voice said.. "oh it's just a 348". I think that the negative press can be a boon to the owners of these great cars however b/c they can pick up a great later model F-car that is fun to drive with few issues for the cost of a Chevy SUV. May I be the first to say that my opinion has changed regarding these fine cars.

Cheers.

 

Several of the longtime Ferrari/exotic dealers I know, who could have any car they want, have a 328 in their personal garage. Take it as one data point, and enjoy whatever you buy.

 

how's the comparision between 348,355 & 360
when it comes to production numbers ?

 

The biggest problem with the 348..was the NSX

 

I have no trouble distinguishing the baby TR from the baby F50.

 

Won't happen. Owned both and loved them both. However, the 348 is inferior in just about every way. Great car, don't misunderstand me, it is just not the car the 355 is. It will never be an "investment" model.

UOTE=pedro.maia]Didn´t expect so much when I made this post...
But that was what I pretend to say...

And I can bet that if a few years.. 348 will have a big value in the market...
By the production numbers I may say that in 5 or 10 years a 348 will have more market value than a 360 or maybe a 355.. But this (market value)
has nothing to do with the subject...

Pedro Maia[/QUOTE]

 

I like the directness of the steering more.