Sad Day?

Glad to hear it, but it's not luck so much as that 308 has relatively little to go wrong -- 355 is much more complicated, so statistically it will be more failure prone.

As far as we know, posters of 355s seem very reliable. Very few issues, other than the posters developing stress cracks, the ink getting sticky over time, and occasionally catching fire.

 

KISS---Keep It Simple Stupid

More technology on a Ferrari, more future problems. When I went looking, I had no interest in paddles and the fewer computerized stuff on board, the better. I don't even want A/C, electric windows or a stereo on board. If I could, I'd rip them out. My Range Rover has no air shocks...good old springs and shocks, NO problems.

I've always described Ferraris as "dainty" vs their counterpart Porsche which you can beat the crap out of. Many beat the crap out of their F-cars, they break, cost BIG $$$, then are un-happy....self-inflicted wounds by owners. We have all seen the Euro videos of TR's doing donuts or drifting, the diffs explode later and it is the diffs fault. Huh...

When you buy an F-car, you assume it will cost you...it is Italian after all. Ferrari is a business, therefore the high prices for parts. In a Bosch package $1, in a package with a prancing horse $10. SKF box.. $1, prancing horse box... $10.

BUt, If it spends more time in the shop than the road wth big bills to boot, the fun factor is gone.

 

I think both John and Jon have brought up something for me that is real though. Cost of repair is not the only cost or expense of ownership. What is the difference to your pocketbook between things you repair due to age vs. due to something breaks. I do get that you do not have to repaint your worn out car, rebuild your worn out suspension, replace various shot and worn out components. Most 308's reflect that today. They need total restoration and the cost of that will far outpace repair work on a 355. Of course, that time will come for a 355 as well.

For me, over a period of 10 years, the 355 has run up 30-40K in expense. Cracked headers, popped a cam belt, etc. etc... but the 308 has sucked up just as much in bare metal paint, shocks, suspension, exhaust, brakes, all rubber, interior, and on and on. I did not "have to" but let's just say to own the cars in the same relative condition I did.

I share a garage with 2 friends. One just purchased a 98 355 spider nice overall for 40K. Now even with some age related expenses coming, he still paid less than half of what mine cost over a decade ago so I am not sure that his cost will be worse going forward. I think at 40K that is a heck of a car for the money. (as an aside my other garage mate just purchased a 96 Viper GTS blue/white for 40K and to me another great value)

One last comment would be that while I love both of the cars, and will never sell the 308, the 355 has been driven about 10X the miles of the 308 over the last decade.

 

I'm one of seemingly few who has gone against the tide recently by buying a 355. After years of fearing the 355 running costs, I decided to jump and experience a Ferrari model that I've liked from its launch.

Besides, my focus was to get a race/track worthy Ferrari with in-period race history; after some paper analysis, the 355 Challenge car made more sense in terms of Ferrari race cars to run at the track. Other than Challenge cars, Ferrari race cars with in-period race provenance are beyond my car hobby budget. From what I was told by others with 360 and 430 Challenge experience, such cars are on another level operating expense-wise.

Also, buying a 95 model enables me to take a track/race car for occasional street drives. Lastly, I got tired of having street Ferraris that I end up not driving enough due to mileage or aesthetic preservation. I wanted a car with patina and that I can enjoy driving without such worries. In fact, having race patina was part of the allure for me.

It's too early for me to make a full assessment of my 355 Challenge experience, but so far I rank it higher than my street Euro 308 GTS and both 328 GTS experiences.

 

Love it Big Red! I went ahead and got the major done when my 20 year old, 3200 mile car spent it's first winter with me. It got all the valves checked, 2 new 355 e-ecus, and a number of other things including a weld fix on the oil tank! To me it was worth it. My maintenance fund took a huge hit but I got a super low mileage car! I can hear the engine ticking over nicely now behind me. The only concern I have is with a little belt and pulley noise when going up through the gears. I also have a new pulley on one set of cams. My car has a 355 fender liner on the left rear and i have a replacement to go on the front left since I cracked it backing into my storage area this winter. But it may be better to just repair the original since both ends are good and the ebay used part is missing some of the other end! Driving her home to PA for the holiday!

 

They are not that bad...everyone can find exceptions, Evans does great work.....ive been there

 

My 355 spider has 39,000 miles on it...what will it be worth after 40 or 50k?
Some people have told me they would never buy a 355 with over 15k on it..maybe they would maybe they wouldnt...thing is I want to drive mine another 25k. But I feel like if I do it will only worth something as a parts car... pleas do opine

 

I don't have enough time to read through the many tangents in this thread, but Bullfighter said it on the first page: these were (and are) cars for folks with deep pockets who don't really care about the bottom line on the running costs.

I owned 2 355s, and I love the cars. I didn't have big bills but I certainly have seen people get into a pickle with them. That being said, it's not the potential maintenance that I didn't like (I enjoyed working on the car tremendously) but the simple fact that it is not a great daily driver/regular use car. There are a lot of reasons for that. But I want something I can drive pretty much anywhere.

Porsche does fit that, but I just am not a fan. I am an Audi fan though....

 

That is good to know. I have always liked the Countach and Diablo. The Murcielago and Gallardo are probably better cars and I do like them, but I don't love them. However I do like the new Aventador a lot, and from the pictures I have seen I like the new Huracan even more. I think I like it better than a 458 Italia, which is a nice car as well.

 

The Ferrari 360 Is The Most Reliable Car I've Ever Owned

 

6 months and he's making that proclamation... Funny.

Wait and see how the clutch looks in another 4 months..

 

People give this guy way to much attention...

 

"Most Ferrari owners drive approximately 11 miles per year, and those 11 miles are the sum total of each time they move it in and out of their driveway, where they polish it with a diaper."

Seems like someone who lives in an alternate Universe.

Last line was the funniest, "it can't break if I don't drive it" LOL. Oh yes it can...

 

This thread couldnt get any farther off track...what started as something that could have been very helpful researching alternative avenues of repair has turned into? ..... I have no clue

 

You can always start a new thread with the exact focus you want

 

See, there you go.......5 years of Aventador or Huracan depreciation will pay for more than a decade of Diablo service.

In Dec 2012, my dealer was practically begging me to take a left over 2012 LP-550 for a discounted price of $210k.....19 months later they are $180k cars.

That $30k would replace a clutch, valve adjustment, full engine reseal, replace all the suspension bushings, new set of rubber, and a brake job on a Diablo.

 

as you reinforce my point....

 

Doesn't it seem like our European counterparts don't have nearly as much heartache over this car (355) as we do here in the states?

The car just doesn't seem to have the reputation over there it does here, and when asked they tend to point to the radically higher labor and parts costs here in the states as being a key factor.

My general experience is that damn near everything except wine is more expensive in western Europe and the UK, so it does continue to beg the question of why the huge delta? Especially considering the USA is such a huge market for Ferraris?

 

+1 (uk owner)

 

I lived in Germany 2000-2003 and Mercedes labor and parts were significantly less expensive compared to the Ford dealers I had just used in the US.

 

Maybe because of some misconceived perception that Americans are wealthy, so the Ferrari tax gets added. Just a guess. Or maybe they are happy with their cars and understand it as just part of ownership.

 

really hate the fact of " STICK MANUAL CARS " being an endangered species
and also hate cars which require a lot of expensive maintenance such as the 355 and others

 

Dont buy an exotic car then...stick to a honda

 

That's likely because most Europeans drive their Ferraris on a regular basis.