348? TR? Which is right for who?

We have a 90 TR and it's a great car for out on the road but for a daily driver I think a 348 would be a better choice. It's a little more user friendly (ground clearance problems at driveways etc.), easier to park (the TR is big and you don't see out of it as well) and the maint costs should be lower.

 

It's all about the care and feeding as well......the V8s are much more economical to maintain and operate, against the realistic budgets you would need to set aside IN ADDITION to the original purchase $$$ to care for a TR or Boxer.

HTH

PS I have TWO 308s and still spend far, far less than a 12 cylinder car.

I could draw an analogy to females, but better not........

 

I just bought my 88 TR and I am actually amazed at how easy it is driving it in the city. In three wks I have nearly 2000kms ( ~1300 miles)

Price is similar. 348 lots of fibreglass.TR more metal ( steel and alum.)

Go for the TR. It is entirely a big ass Ferrari. The guys I know with 348 get confused as old MR-2s.

 

You could also note in your research the difference in depreciation......3x8s are fairly stable, while TRs may continue to trend downward, due to production numbers and maintenance concerns cited above.

Happy shopping!

The TRs are AWESOME cars and I'm saving to do a Boxer deal someday myself........

Speedy308 announces garage expansion program soon!

 

LOL! Canadas a BIG country, so you have room to drive that BIG car!

Watch out for the mooses!

 

Both are great cars so there isn't a bad choice. I think it boils down to personal preferrence more than anything else. I chose the TR over the 348 because it had the 12 cylinder over the V8. I use my TR weekly but not as a daily driver. The front spoiler drags on parking lot speed bumps all the time. Everything is more expensive to repair on the TR. But, it does have a lot more torque than the 348. I'm looking for new wheels now so that I can buy new tires. I don't really notice the car being too big or hard to see around or park or drive in the city traffic. Most of my driving is around the lake and through the hill country here in Central Texas and the TR is perfect for that task. Go drive both cars where you think you will be doing most of your driving.

 

I'm a convertible guy so am happy with my 348 spider. I'd like to add a 12-cylinder car at some point but unless the top goes down it will have to be in addition to the 348. Now that the 348 is sorted it actually not difficult to potter around town in. Fortunately my commute doesn't involve freeways in LA - wouldn't do that on a daily basis - but certainly will "take the Ferrari" in rotation with my other cars.

Having said all of that, I had a brief ride the other day in a Testarossa and I will admit it is that much more bada$$ than my 348. That big fella does have some presence......

Cheers
Kevin

 

Wes, I was in that same position in 99. I thought the 348 was for me. What a car, what a drive. Was sooo close, then, and 86TR came out of nowhere the next day. Drove it, and was amazed. The most important question you need to answer for yourself is which one do you want in your heart. Then, go forward and never look back. I was always in love with the TR, and felt that I loved the 348 because it looked so much like the TR. But its not a TR its a 348. Hence for me I had to have a TR. My neighbor has a 94 348 spider and its just such a fun car as well. At the end of the day, I love the TR more, and he loves the 348 more.

As for daily drivers, both the same, and repairs.....every ferrari is expensive !!! If a few grand a year extra is your decision maker, then maybe a ferrari is not right for you. Buy with your heart and soul !! I did !!

 

Both cars are awesome. I went through the same process and finally chose the 348 because:
1) personal preference for EFI over mechanical injection
2) I like to do my own work and the 348 was laid out in such a way that it seemed easier to work on
3) slightly better parts availability (and cheaper parts) for the DIYer.

All in all I feel I made the best choice for now but would still like to add a TR to the garage eventually, so Kelly please keep me in mind if you ever want to sell (LOL!) Good luck.

 

12 cylinders for me

 

I have owned a tr for 2 years now and just sold her last month. They are a fantastic car. You get ysed to their size and once you do they are easy to drive you just need to watch out for speed bumps and curbs etc. a good tip is if you can drive in somewhere without touching then you can reverse out wiyhout touching.The thing you need to ask yourself is are you buying for looks, power, or handling. If for looks then they are not too dissimalar from side and front but from the rear the tr is awesome. If for power then the tr wins hands down once off the mark and when on drive days and moving quickly there is little that will beat a tr, If for driving then I can tell you that I am 6' 4 and I fit quite well into the tr and it has a little extra room than the 348 so for me that is a plus handling wise I can do better times than some 348 drivers on a medium tight track but if it was very tight then I spose the tr would be a little harder to handle but probably more fun.
My tr had atubi and there is nothing like the sound it makes at 4000 plus rpm. There is nothing like the rear view you get through the side mirrors over the rear guards looks just like a Le mans rear view. No car turns heads like the TR. I have been in convoy with all types of ferraris and the one that drops the jaws the most is the Tr, just a bit more out there than the others.
Repairs and maintenance, well I have been lucky I spose as I only did routine stuff but did do new clutches etc but there are lots of helpfull people onthis site who can assist with less expensive solutions to things and most parts are readily available.
I did up all the suspension and this made a great difference to her ride. It was well worth the $$$. Don't forget that these machines are simply machines and that most good mechanics can service them well so for little things you do not need to pay the $120.00 per hour at the Ferrari dealer so just be sensible about your maintenance. Hope this helps am happy to answer more questions if you have any regards Tony (frari)

 

TR all the way .

 

I hope I don't offend any TR owners but...

I have heard from plenty of people that the original Testarossa "drives like a truck." How do you TR owners respond to this? I'm told that the 512TR is a great improvement over the original TR (I know the 512TR is much more $$$, but I'm just looking for comments on the cars themselves). I'd like to drive both

From my experience, 348 is easy to drive; it could be an every day car. I am so careful with the front spolier that I've NEVER scraped it once. You just need to be obsessive-compulsively careful with the car.

 

To Frari--

By the way, you're 6'4 and you fit WELL into the TR?! I'm 6 feet and I need to chop my head off to fit into that thing... no headroom whatsoever. Also, the dashboard comes real low and touches the legs. I think the 348 has a lot more room... I have inches to spare above my head in that thing and plenty of leg room. Just my 2 cents

 

I'm 5'11 and my hair rubs the headliner. As for your comments about it driving like a truck, it is very old school Ferrari in the sense that around town it is rather heavy on the controls. But at highway speeds and above it is quite nice especially at triple digit speeds. I have been in the Ferrari business a long time and have driven almost all their cars a considerable amount and find many other models preferable for urban/suburban driving, thats just not what I do in that car. For the type of driving I do in that car, I love it. But TR's are just another of the many cars they have made that people just seem to love or hate, few are in the middle.

 

The Testarossa will give you more looks than any other Ferrari unless a top supercar is next to you like an Enzo,F50 or F40. The 348 is a good car but the Testarossa is a great one, also it was a true spercar that was the fastest production car for 11 years. The Testarossa will cost a lot more money to service, my last major was over $12,000 and then a clutch for another $5,000. But if you ask me I will tell you Testarossa all the way, the 348 will always be a shadow to it and also as a surprise to the 328. The 355 is a great car but it is not a 12 and it was never a top of the line Ferrari. I drove the 360 very hard but for me the Testarossa was more raw and it was more interesting for me but for some reason I put myself on the list for the 360s replacement.

 

I dunno--I have a rosso corsa 348 and people just won't leave me alone! People make comments whenever the chance arises. Every time I take it on the highway at least one person takes a picture of the car, either with a camera phone or a regular camera. My 348 just makes everyone smile... Ferraris make people smile--it's amazing.

That's the nice thing about the 348--people look at it as if it's a $300,000 car! Little do they know they could afford one.

Hey, I'm not knockin the TR--I'm just defending my lil 348! TR won't give you any more attention in my opinion.

PS I NEVER see Ferraris on the road on Long Island... EVER--but today, I saw a dark red testarossa drivin down Deer Park Avenue--strangest thing ever. Ferraris make people smile... the testarossa sure did make me smile! The driver and I said hello to one another (we were on opposite sides of the road)... Wish I had stopped him to take a ride, oh well...

 

To 348sstb yep 6'4" the only time I have propblems is with helmet on and I have to slouch down as head hits roof. I sit with legs splayed quite comfy used to have turbo porsche it was worse so am happy with tr

 

I think that in the world of Ferrari owners, the 348 gets less attention; and in the world of Ferrari owners, the 348 is less exotic.

But people in the world are idiots when it comes to knowledge about Ferraris; most are wholly ignorant of them, so when they see a Ferrari of any kind, they are amazed. I don't believe you can say that one particular Ferrari gets more attention compared with another. Ferraris get attention!!! A Ferrari is a Ferrari.

The 348 may be a piece of **** within the world of Ferrari enthusiasts, but to people in the outside world it is, simply, a Ferrari. People can't tell the difference between a Testarossa or a 348 or a 360 Modena--because they don't know! They just know it's a Ferrari. For example--today, someone who saw my 348 asked me: "Is that a mo-DEE-na?"

I don't care if you get a Dino 308 GT4, which is probably the ugliest Ferrari ever--you're still in a Ferrari and you'll still get an absurd amount of attention.

 

I'm 6'2" and have no problem with the TR
Just tilt your seat cushion in the front edge up positionand give some rake on the back. Feels the way the countach's seat look and really hits the exotic car seating position note really well. Of course you can position to a more "formal" way by have flat cushion and nearly right angle back.

348's also fit well. Have less control over seat positioning though.

Both felt the same in terms of overall room.

512tr feel a lot bigger interior wise because the centre ( Canadian spelling ) is gone.

because the prices as mentioned are nearly the same, I would just buy what you like ( TR for me). Don't worry about depreciation etc. Figure it cost nearly $1000 per day CDN for me to rent a TR for a day. Even if I lose 30 grand on my car in the next month I can certainly say I got 30g worth of use out of it at the rental rate.

Have fun and go zoom zoom zom!!!

BTW Speedy 308, In canada we do have lots of Mooses. Except we call them Meese.

 

The TR is a 12 cyl & IMO its the best looking Ferrari road car ever.

The 348 is nowhere near the same league as the TR

 

i had a 348ts. it was fine as a starter ferrari. and pretty good value for money. but i thought the build quality was lacking and the performance was only so-so. i wanted a 12 cylinder and always liked the tr line. but i went straight to the 512tr instead and that was a huge step up on all counts.

so from a looks and performance basis i would vote for the tr. all the other criteria are specific car dependent.