Romancing the 355? Do these cars have a soul?

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I still get incredibly exited when I see a Ferrari. Even if it's model that I'm not interested at all. Hmm, except for the California.

 

I have recently been thinking very seriously about buying a 997 not as a replacement for my 355, but simply to use as a daily driver. No way it could replace a 355, it just doesn't have "IT", whatever "it" is. I get excited just looking at the 355 in the garage, no way a 997 can do that. I have a friend similar to the OP's friend, he loves cars, but to him they are just number generators. All comparisons start and stop with the statistics. Car X has 30 more horsepower and gets to 60 0.2 seconds faster, so therefore it must be better. He is just not wired to get "it". Can't understand why I would want an older, slower car vs. something newer, faster, and under warranty.

The 997 is a great car, good power, great fit and finish, fun to drive, back seats for my kiddos, the car really ticks a lot of boxes for me. BUT, then I started researching. Just go google 997 IMS failure and 997 cylinder scoring. I realize these issues only affect a small percentage of these cars, but some estimates put it at 5-10%. The cylinder scoring is what really scares me, no way to prevent it, just russian roulette basically. Getting it means a $10-20K engine rebuild...and people say 355's are expensive and fragile!?! So much for German reliability. Long story short, I've basically scared myself out of buying one and am looking for something more sensible and reliable to go with the 355, like an Aston Martin Vantage.

 

Not the same because the running cost of the older less mass produced 308 to 355 cost more than the higher production number 360 - 458 because of the engine out service. The cop out would be to buy the more reliable model, not necessarily the cheapest to buy.

In this case the OP is referring to a previous 355 owner who now owns a 911 while being dismissive of Ferraris. His attitude clearly stems from being bitter and trying to justify why owning a 911 is better.

 

I owned a 996 C4S and 986 S Boxster which were both affected by the IMS issue. It was scary especially going on rennlist.com seeing the countless new threads titled "Blew my engine today." If you are going to get a 997, make sure it's a 997.2 or a 2009 and newer. They no longer have the IMS bearing. Or you can buy a 996 turbo, 997 turbo or 996 997 GT3 which don't have the M96 M97 motors.

 

I replaced my 99 355 GTS for a 2011 Porsche twin turbo 6 speed manual. Both cars have soul.
I could not be happier.
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Back to the original question, 'Does the 355 have a soul?'

I agree, all Ferrari's are 'special'. But I also find all my Porsche's to be special. Both my Lamborghini's are special. I've spilled my bloody knuckles on every one of them.

I personally see the differences in the design philosophy that went into each car. I have also seen the laziness of prior wrenches as well as the unique design and engineering that went into each car before it was built. Underneath the car you can see where the 'soul' of the designers and engineers went into it. This has created a 'connection' to each car I own and therefore I feel for my cars. As a result, I empathize with all cars and feel bad for the poor 'beaters' on the road. Why? Because every one of them was once a shiny brand new car that ran perfectly at one point in its life.

But those 'beaters' were produced in the millions. Statistically speaking, the Ferrari's and Lamborghini's are not only rare, they don't exist! Therefore, even the most 'common' of these cars is a truly special creation of design, engineering, performance, and most importantly, EXPERIENCE.

As stated before there are faster cars, more reliable cars, and much more 'useable cars' to own. But no other car on planet earth produces the 'experience' even the most 'common' Ferrari does. As stated before, "If I have to explain it, you wouldn't understand."

 

Could not have said it better!

 

cue the slow clap...

 

Tex, y'all said it all.

 

It's the combination of form and function...and race pedigree. Ferrari is just better at putting that "racing, snotty vibe" into their cars than any other manufacturer. I got "out of the game" a couple of years ago, and not sure if I'll ever return, but I still appreciate the marque.

 

I just drove my friend's new Corvette. I have to say that car is much faster, stops better, handles better, and will be much more reliable than my 355.

There is no way I would trade the 355 for his Corvette. It is a nice car, but not truly "special."

 

I guess that depends on who you are talking to. Some people would probably say the person that bought the older car purchased it because he couldn't afford a newer or better car. It is all about perception.

I re-read the OP first post. I didn't see where there is any bitterness. He stated his friend had a couple of 355's which didn't have any real issues. He moved on to other cars.

A friend of mine had a beautiful TR. He drove the car fairly aggressively. In the end it ended up needing an engine rebuild. He washed his hands of this car and Ferrari. He stated that he would probably would not buy another one because he felt these cars are too delicate and got sick of paying the Ferrari tax, and money is not an issue with him. He is more into performance so he purchased a modified 997 TT, and put a 700+ hp motor in his Pantera.