IS THIS TRUE ABOUT THE 348 MODEL ???

I have an early 348. #17 of the production run and I have to admit that in the begining of our relationship things were a bit sketchy. The onlimit handling was tricky...but frankly the only place that you had a chance of facing the wrong way was at a race track...as the limits are very high.

Having said that I set out to improve the beast. Here's a list of what I've done. Basically the car has 30+hp and is about 200 pounds lighter than stock. At the track it hangs with the 355s until we hit the corners where I can outbrake and outhandle them. She's been around 14 years now and I wouldn't trade her for the world....well maybe for a 333SP!

Superchips ECU mod......30hp, 10% + torque
Tubi and test pipes 10hp?
F40LM front brakes
F50 rears
18" Challenge Wheels/bigger rubber

Serie Speciale Stuff
Rear Lights
Front Spoiler...improved high speed stability
CF Sport Seats

 

Well I think the 355 is a much superior car because of:

vastly better transmission,
airbags,
power steering,
an extra 75hp,
can rev 800rpm higher,
much nicer and more modern interior,
looks much better (IMO),
plus it is quite a bit faster

I suppose you get what you pay for; the 348 is by no means the "worst" Ferrari or a "crap" car, but I just prefer the 355 for its modern technological additions, styling and performance improvements.

 

I think alot of the 348 bashing comes from people who have never even driven one, let alone owned one. Just because you have read an article/review/posting dosn't mean you know anything about them. Once you have owned one for a while then you may be qualified to give a true opinion, even then it will be of just 1 car. For me it has been a well built, totaly relyable, fast, fun car.

 

That car is stunning! Thanks for attaching that pic!

 

Hi,

Ok, this is my first post and this will be my first Ferrari

I am torn between all the information, prices and opinions and would like to know what others would do if they where in the same situation.

I have decided between a 348 and 355. I like the Spider and it does seem they would be more exciting to own. Well, I am sure ANY is going to be a new standard of car ownership. Here is a breakdown and would like suggestion on where I should focus.

348 - 91/92 - 50K
348 - 93 SS - ~60K
348 - 94/95 Spider - 60K - 70K
355 - 97 Spider - 86K - 90K

Which is the better deal for a first Ferrari? Would you even recommend going back to an earlier TB/TS and paying the lowest and spending a few more $$ to maintain?

Any help is very much appreciated!
-chris

 

Go with a 92-93 348 and have some $ left over to tweak it out
clean it up, diff wheels, exhaust, whatever you want... Then, when
you have more $ available, step up to the 355 and determine for yourself which one you like better. A ferrari is a ferrari, you'll get the same stares regardless !

 

Hi Group,
I had a 348ts and thought it to be a very good car. It sounded really cool with Tubi's, handled well, was easy to work on and the quality seemed to be pretty good for a 1990 car and technology, reliable too. There are always "bad apples" in the basket and may be that's where the negatives are coming from? I think the 348 even though it's very nice could have had some different styling to the rear end and front lights and a rework on the electronics. My '91 TR is a superior car, but it should be at about 2x the price. However, the 348 and 355's are more nimble than the TR and really excellent cars.
Hey keep in the fast lane,
Jim

 

The leaky roof?
I have had 355 Spiders that leaked bad and even my 355Berlinetta leaks. Yes, the COUPE!

The 348 and 355 in that aspect are idential cars! THAT aspect!


The question you have to ask yourself is, are you willing to spend the extra $$$ for the extras you get.

The 2nd gear is just as bad in a 355 as in the 348 my friends. So it is on the 308s, 328s, TRs, 512TRs...etc.

 

Had my 348 challenge for just under 2 years, I loved it, it looked like a ferrari should, sounded great with Tubi and the steering was sublime, had my 360 modena 6 speed for almost 2 months now, yes it is an amazing car, but somehow the 348 still looked more ferrari to me, maybe its the red thing vs. the NART blue. Make no mistake the 360 is light years ahead, its almost a normal car with fantastic performance. So what am I saying - the 348 was great despite the leaky roof, electrics that only worked when very dry, the connectors on the airflow meters that constantly caused bank 1 to go out and the ignition that on occasion would not connect to let me start her up.

Unless you have unlimited funds then go for the best you can get in your price range.

 

I have had my 348 for 14 years now. As far as reliability and quality it was perfect from day 1. The handling was a little tricky at the limit as was high speed stability.

However....with a little sorting...I run away from 355's at the track and on 'spirited' drives.

Here's how the old girl has evolved....

Superchips ECU mods....~30hp
Tubi..........................~10hp, and 40+ pounds weight savings

Serie Specialle stuff:
CF seats....around 60 pounds of weight saving
front lip spoiler.....cured high speed stability and looks great
rear lights.....just looks cool!

Challenge Stuff:
F40LM front/F50 rear brakes....not much outside of my Indycar outbrakes it
Challenge wheels/tires...totally cured handling issues and 12 pounds lighter per corner

The 348 is a great car....period! The 355 is a great EVOLUTION of the 348...it is not a new car as the 360 is. We could debate the pros and cons of whose got better this or that...but frankly I'd rather go driving!

Ciao

Dino

 

Thanks for the reply. That is where I am leaning towards right now. Saving a few $$ always makes the wife feel good

 

They also changed the mounting loation of the upper rear a-arm. The SS and later 348s have the same suspension geometry as the 355. This raised the roll center and gave the car more predictability at the limit.

I run my F355 on the track, last year I did 18 track days, most of them in the middle of the summer down here in Teaxs. Its hot! However, the car never overheated, and in one session I loged 72 minutes on the track (TWS) and was timed in the 2:05 range on street tires.

The interior quality of materials is worlds better on the F355.

 

If you ever run on a track in Texas, plese send me a line and I will come and give you a run.

 

One of the big criticisms I've heard about the 348 - and I'm old enough to remember its introduction - was the sticker price vs. build quality. The sticker for 348s were in the neighborhood of $112,000, and that bought you a car with plastic used significantly in the interior - plastic in a Ferrari????? Yup. The older 328's interior held up better, and had less gimmicky seat belts and electrical doo-dads that failed often. Power-to-weight ratio was horrible, allowing the GMC Cyclone turbo truck to out-accelerate it easily at less than half the cost new. The handling out-of-the-box was poor for a $100K Ferrari, everyone was comparing it to the Acura NSX. The Acura won hands-down, as the Ferrari 348 was 'all flash and no dash'. I haven't heard many complaints about the electrical system lately, but I remember them - it's crap. The ECU/engine computer was found to be dangerously unprotected from water - washing the car 'the old-fashioned way' would douse the computer with water, causing shorts. Early 348 owners were looking for a replacement enclosure for the computer. ECUs would burn out, stranding the car until the 'right' ECU could be found and replaced - some of these 'fuses' are over $200 each. Early 348 owners were buying up spare ECUs and stocking their tookits with these items in the event they just 'burn out'....

Keep in mind that the 348 sold poorly when introduced. Ferrari had many units languishing in Maranello with no buyers - hence the improvements mid-production, starting with the Series Speciale cars. This was before Ferrari established Japanese-flavored quality control measures at the factory - Luca got credit for this when he came aboard at this time.

 

I agree that many unfavorable comments made are in large (not all) by people who have never owned one and base information on a report/article read and/or 'someone they knew who owned one'. I also don't understand why there is a lot of comparing of a 348 to a 355. The 355 was an upgraded car of the 348, as is the 360 the upgraded 355. The 328 was the replacement of the 308. So why all the 348 comparison to it's replacement? Do we do this so much with the other replacement models. When the car was introduced the market was down and anything introduced would have suffered from poor sales. Expectations may have been high and the car may have been overpriced. But, what if we look at it today for what it is. The 348 offers TODAY IMHO the best bang for the buck.

My 2 cents.

 

Heres and idea, lets compare the 400i with the 456 ??? Good convo guys but we all know fcars get better with every model. I love my 86TR and I know there is alot of neg on its tail compared to the 88.5 and newer. Which is odd because I have never seen these gremlins on my 86.

As for the 348, I would take that over any Viper,z06, and anyother thing. Why? Because its still an f-car...stop comparing f cars to one another. Its like comparing your children....they are all unique and beautiful and should enjoy them for what they are. We should be so lucky to have this opportunity.
my.02

 

Ummm the computers in the 348 are fairly well protectd from the elements as they are mounted behind the seats inside the passenger compartment. How water would get in there without runining the interior as well is a weird to me. Are you sure your not getting confused with the 95 355's with the computers in the engine bay?
As far as plastic goes in the interior..have another look at a 355 interior..note the plastic steering colum surround and cheesy plastic vin number plate molded into it. Same thing as a 348. Have a look at the plastic HVAC controls that bubble..have a look at the dash in the 355 that shrinks in the sun..have a look at the switches in the center console for the park lights and see if the switch has been glued into place from undernieth...Your telling me that the 355 interior is better? Ha the only thing wrong with the 348 interior is the lousy electronic climate control panel..and that dumb flip-up radio panel. Sure as hell not as bad as most say. Heck the leather on the seats in the 348 seems to stand-up to wear tons better then the 355. How about the streeing wheel leather...certainly wears out much faster in the 355 then the 348.

Tom

 

Mitch:

I hope your not thinking I'm 355 bashing. I'm not! They are great cars...my point is with a little help...the 348 can be an amazing car that will run with the best of them. Ferrari just needed to do some fine tuning which is what they did with the 355....and I'd love to run with ya anytime!

Ciao

Dino

 

This goes triple for us Mondial t guys. Hell, the only other Ferrari that I could have afforded would have been a 308GT4. I love the looks of those, but come on, the performance is nothing like my t. I followed all the suggestions of the 348 brotherhood, added a few minor (cheap) enhancements of my own, and now my high-mileage, 4-owner, replaced speedometer story, Ferrari purrs like a kitten, flies like the wind, and burns no oil. What else do I need to know? So far my total investment is way south of $40k.

Sure, someday I'll transplant the engine and tranny out of a 430, (no more belt changes!) (6 speed!), but for now, I'm happy as a hawg in the mud.

 

...........is the 348............and there will be no other.

I simply love my car.

Bought it without records.........last service papers where there.......that was all.

Had a friend to look at it before I bought it though.......and he knows about italian cars......that´s for sure.......otherwise....?????

Engine and drive chain are both like a dream.

Minor problems as A/C fan and A/C compressor but that is all.

Bought 348 original wheels as well as hyperflow cats on eBay just for fun more or less.

Now I just installed a lift in my garage so next project is "gearbox out", just to check everything is in order in there.

Next project is "engine out".......and I will try the instruction manual some of the guys here have written.

No other car for me.........that´s for sure.

//B//
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This thread is back? I read and re-read it back when my 348 was a dream. It reminded me of a high school crush I once had. The more bad things my best friend had to say about the girl, (she's too easy, her parents don't care where she is or how late she stays out, she dresses like a tramp, etc) the more I wanted her.
Same with the bad things they were saying about the 348, I love the side strakes, I love no power steering, I love the odd shift pattern because it's exactly the same as my Porsche, etc. The world can hate the 348, I love mine.
Bee Jay

 

+1 LOVE my 348ts. I also love the 355. It is even more beautiful. But the 348 was, for me, affordable, where the 355 was not. With a fresh major service and a little help from my Brothers on this site, I have had no trouble keeping my 348 on the road. Its true that the TS top leaks a little when I wash her, but I dry up the drops with a paper towel, remove the top and enjoy the sun. It's not like I'm going to drive it in the rain. Although I always hoped to "upgrade" to a 355 some day, I doubt I'll ever be comfortable with another F car ... this one has been too good to me.

 

I just picked up a 95 348 Spider and could have purchased a 355 if I wanted but here are somethings that crossed my mind. The 355 has more electronic items to go wrong. More power but in the really world can you use it? Yes the 348 has a leaky roof, I don't melt and very seldom do I drive the car in the rain....Owning other Ferrari's before I missed quite a few nice summer days (not many in Minnesota to start) with the F-car in the shop and the additional electronics of the 355 made me think when things go wrong will I miss more of those days while the shop sorted it out..... Yes I could have the same problem with the 348 as it has some more electronics than say a 308 but the top of the 355 really scared me, seat moves, windows lower then the power top lowers. Too many actions for a Ferrari to handle at one time in my mind.

Buy the cleanest 348 and don't let anyone make you fell less of a Ferrari owner. After all the 348 is a Ferrari, quirks and all. Take the saved money over a 355 and buy some cool items like Tubi's, start a good wine collection, pay for your kids first year in college (State School), you get the idea...

 

I guess back in 2004 the topic was bashing the 348. Now, however, er...

For similar money you can get a nice 308 QV. For a first time buyer, I think I'd still go that way. IMO, 308 quality was a bit better. And I say that as one who likes the looks of both cars.

I think it's true that the spider is one of the better 348s to get. I believe they had gone to the single plate clutch (?) by then and debugged the self-destructing gearbox, etc. Also it has the manual top, lots simpler than the 355 mechanism. It's a pretty good looking car, IMO.