348/355 & Service Costs | FerrariChat

348/355 & Service Costs

Discussion in '348/355' started by ibesuc, Sep 8, 2017.

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  1. ibesuc

    ibesuc Formula Junior

    Jun 16, 2009
    489
    NY
    Full Name:
    Steve
    How do 348/355 owners as well as non-owners feel about these cars and service costs? Do you feel the charm they offer over the 360s and even 430s make the costs worth it?


    Not sure if I like the idea of a mechanic essentially replacing my car's motor every 15,000 miles... I trust the guys in the factory more and would rather have their assembly permanently.

    Just my thoughts... my problem is I love the 355 and even 348, but the majors are such a turn off.
     
  2. Dave rocks

    Dave rocks F1 World Champ
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    Nov 23, 2012
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    Dave Lelonek
    The problem is the internet, not the cars. Yes, some known issues to sort but not a big deal.
     
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  3. yelcab

    yelcab F1 World Champ
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    Nov 29, 2001
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    Mitchell Le
    So taking the engine out, and replacing its timing belts is equivalent to "replacing my car's motor?" You better get a Lexus then.
     
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  4. itsablurr

    itsablurr Formula 3

    Dec 9, 2005
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    Matt
    That would be an emphatic yes. IMO, 348 especially so.
     
  5. 16v2911TT

    16v2911TT Karting
    Silver Subscribed

    Oct 4, 2013
    137
    LA
    I was in your shoes a little over a year ago. I came from Porsche and knew very little about Ferrari. However, through some fortune, owning a Ferrari suddenly becoming a real possiblity, an attainable Italian car - impossible! Right? This is an Italian car with Italian mannerisms, personality, quirks and with all the "is your tempermental Italian sportscar on fire yet?" jokes you could ever ask for, etc...

    I began reading articles, spoke to friends of friends who owned these cars and Ferrari mechanics, read countless reviews, spent hours on YouTube which in all, narrowed my choices to the 360 & F355 (and by some miracle every so often, the F430). Thinking with my head though, the more reasonable car, from a rational perspective, was the 430 & 360, the former being a stretch, financially.

    I test drove all three and instantly fell in love with the F355. It was exactly what I needed from a sportscar: the smell, drop-dead gorgeous looks, that mechanical/visceral feel, that clunking sound when you close the door, the piercing exhaust at WOT and that gated shifter. Sure, F430 and 360 were faster, more agile, more technologically-advanced but they just didn't appeal to me the way the F355 did. Unfortunately, of the 3, on paper, the F355 seemed the worst in terms of service and maintenance.

    Now was the time for research...

    Like anything I buy (especially of this value): research, study, ask questions and most importantly, try and get some first-hand experience. There are ways around some of the exaggerated service costs I've seen some media outlets post (almost stigmatizing), including finding the right example that's been well-cared for (meaning, most of the pitfalls have already been covered and the car has been actively maintained) - I would know! I bought a car that required quite a bit of work, including an engine-out service, but I prepared for it (PPI is a must).

    Personally, it's very difficult to replace, or even put into words, the dynamic euphoria I feel when I drive this car. It's almost emotional...and I haven't been able to put a price on that.
     
  6. vdettore

    vdettore Formula Junior

    Mar 3, 2017
    353
    Georgia Coast
    Full Name:
    Vince
    As a new Ferrari owner Is the service costs less for the 360 and 430? I purchased a 348 a few months ago and just spent $9k on the major.
     
  7. WATSON

    WATSON Two Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Sep 9, 2010
    21,611
    WI
    Is it worth it? Of course. It is the best looking, best sounding Ferrari ever. It is the last of the "little" Ferrari's.

    The 360 (jelly bean) is not my cup of tea. Nice, but, no.
    The 430 is nicer but the cost of that car versus the looks still don't work. Buy a Gallardo.
    The 458? Uhm, yea, that's a problem...I need one of those. Acquisition costs aside.

    The engine out service on the 355 is the only tricky thing. You need a good mechanic to do it. One of the better independent shops is in your state and a sponsor here. As you do your research, call Dan at Baradan. They do more 355 engine out services than most.

    For some here, buying a car that needs the engine service is a better deal than one that just had it completed. You get a lower acquisition price and control over that critical service. It may be a touch more in the end, but then the car is yours and set up your way. Five year interval is the norm despite the internet fodder that you need to do it every three (or less).

    Other stuff is just the same stuff you will see in an 360 / 430. Pulled leather dash. Sticky switches. etc.

    There are some good sticky's at the top of this forum on PPI and what to look for.
     
  8. brian.s

    brian.s F1 Rookie
    Professional Ferrari Technician

    Nov 3, 2003
    3,806
    Midwest
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    Brian
    Why do so few people amortise these numbers by time/mileage? Most cars the come through my shop average under $1500 a year during ownership. Those the have deffered regular service and/or ignored warning signs and noises spend considerably more because the headers went and then continued use caused further damage for example. These cars tend to be less robust than the old P car and a certain finesse is required to best appreciate and look after them.
     
  9. brian.s

    brian.s F1 Rookie
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    Nov 3, 2003
    3,806
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    There are definite times when too many full services are carried out, this exasberates the internet myth imo
     
  10. redwedge

    redwedge Formula Junior

    Sep 30, 2012
    324
    London
    Full Name:
    Steve C
    Neither would I - but then this is just pure hyperbole.

    If you can't afford to run a 355, you can't afford to run a 360/430 either. The difference in servicing costs, which is a few more hours' labour every cambelt change, is a tiny part of the total ownership cost of any of these cars.
     
  11. A348W

    A348W Formula 3

    Jun 28, 2017
    1,741
    North Wiltshire, UK
    Having just bought a 348,had it serviced and sorting out various bits previous owners didnt do and age related issues, I would say the basic scheduled service costs aren't too bad.

    I pay less per hour to have my Ferrari serviced than my BMW. Whilst I use an indie for the Ferrari and a main dealer for the BMW, I know the Ferrari main dealer is also cheaper per hour than BMW main dealer.

    Given the age of these cars what I'm finding is it's the age related items and "whilst your there" costs that add up.

    No Ferrari is going to be cheap to run. Whilst there will be some differences in basic servicing costs between models, they all have there weak spots that will cost. The engine out on the 348/355 only adds a few extra dollars to the cost of a cam belt service over other models.
     
  12. 355rockit

    355rockit Formula Junior

    Dec 1, 2010
    889
    San Marcos, CA
    Full Name:
    Vas
    I had my 1995 F355 GTB for ~5 years. I spent around $25K for services including major. Some of the costs could have been lower had the original shop I used hadn't mucked up a bunch of stuff during the major and some other services. It took 2 years to sort out all the issues caused by the original shop. The 2nd shop was awesome and helped fix the various issues and help find parts. As a rule of thumb, I kept at least $5000 a year in a separate car savings account for any issues that arise.
     
  13. johnk...

    johnk... F1 World Champ
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    Jun 11, 2004
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    I'll have to disagree with that on all counts. 308 can be pretty cheap to own. In 32 years I spent less on my 308 that some spend on a single 355 major. And the cost of a typical major for a 355 runs about twice what a typical 355 major runs, al least in my neck of the woods.

    With the possible exception of the 458 and 488, the 348/355 are without a doubt the most expensive 2 seat V8 F cars to maintain. And when you consider that many owners way over service their cars due to belt insecurity, it just makes the situation worse.
     
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  14. AceMaster

    AceMaster Three Time F1 World Champ

    Feb 6, 2009
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    You mean get a Buick
     
  15. thorn

    thorn F1 Rookie
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    Aug 7, 2012
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    Tallahassee, FL
    In terms of cost comparison, it is a valid question. ;)
     
  16. johnk...

    johnk... F1 World Champ
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    Jun 11, 2004
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    Actually, for most cars replacing the engine would cost less than a typical 355 major. A lot less.
     
  17. WATSON

    WATSON Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Sep 9, 2010
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    Then most cars are a better car to buy than a Ferrari . For sure. Right?
     
  18. WATSON

    WATSON Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Why?
     
  19. thorn

    thorn F1 Rookie
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    Aug 7, 2012
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    Watson, everyone buys a car for whatever reasons they have... sometimes costs are a consideration, and sometimes they are a lesser concern.

    For me, a Ferrari is an outstanding car. It's "better" in terms of what I want from performance, experience, enjoyment. But those 3 factors are completely separate from what it costs to properly maintain one. The fact that one enjoys Ferrari ownership doesn't make the maintenance bills less.
     
  20. AceMaster

    AceMaster Three Time F1 World Champ

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    When it comes to Ferrari, if costs are a consideration, then you really aren't in the market for a Ferrari.
     
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  21. johnk...

    johnk... F1 World Champ
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    Jun 11, 2004
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    Absolutely. The only reason to buy a Ferrari is because that is what you want. From performance/cost/reliability points of view there are many cars the are superior or equally.
    As Thorn said, you buy a Ferrari because that's what you want. But strictly speaking, from performance/cost/reliability points of view there are many better or equal cars to choose from, particularly if you are talking about a 355. In my case I bought both my 308 GTB and 355 spider based on styling alone. No other considerations. If the 308 was only available as a GTS, I wouldn't have bought one. I have no interest in a 355 GTS or Beretta. Actually, cost of ownership was a consideration on the 355 which I ultimately threw aside. My next car will likely be a 991 911. It will cost about what I paid for my 355 4 years ago and I'm sure it will be driven more, perform better, and cost less to own.
     
  22. schnazzy

    schnazzy Formula Junior

    Mar 31, 2008
    494
    Seattle
    I don't drive very much. My daily driver car has just ticked over 16k miles in 28.5 months. My F355 gets about 200 miles a month, maybe a bit more when I drive it to work more. My daily is way faster (like more than double the HP), has a flappy paddle gearbox, navigation, cruise, lane assist, heads up, and an air conditioning system that is almost as cold as my ex. ;).

    I knew buying the F355 would require some extra costs to bring it back a more shining example, have all of the accessories, and replace things that it needed. I factored all that in and when I did, an F430 was about the same cost after 2 years (including purchase, fixes, plus 2 years of running costs). I didn't buy the F355 because I was on a budget (in the negative sense), I bought it, no joke, for the sound.

    Very clearly I wanted black and tan, a 6 speed, berlinetta, and a 95 was preferred. The only thing else I wanted was the sound from a Capristo exhaust. It had a Tubi, I took it out. Tubi sounded fine btw.

    In my other car, at a stop light, I can't even tell if it is on. That is surely not the case in the Ferrari. I bought the car for the sound, the experience, and the rawness of an odb1 Ferrari.
     
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  23. schnazzy

    schnazzy Formula Junior

    Mar 31, 2008
    494
    Seattle
    One other interesting point.

    I went on a drive with the local Ferrari crew. I think it was about 15 cars. Probably 9 458's, mine, 2 lambos, 1 california, maybe one 488, a Mclaren, and a Porsche GTS. Of the ~15 cars, 6 drivers came up and commented on how they loved the sound of my car. Maybe 1 or 2 were just being nice but for sure, the F355 with this kind of setup, with the high pitched F1 sound, is much different than the more tame in stock form 360, 430 and 458's
     
  24. itsablurr

    itsablurr Formula 3

    Dec 9, 2005
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    Carlisle, MA
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    #24 itsablurr, Sep 10, 2017
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2017
    I'll get that exact same response when driving the capristo'd 348. IMO, between the two, the pair are the high water mark of ferrari v8 sounds.
     
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  25. SoCal1

    SoCal1 F1 Veteran
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    Jun 14, 2011
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    Tim Dee

    Yuuup the 348 can really scream also. I know Ernies' Mine , vinces and couple others out here 348's sound insane.

    Not to mention a little butt kickin on some 355s :)
     

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