Purchasing a F355 with over 50k mileage

It will all be based on condition of the car. Mechanical records help. You’ll want to see what the car needs, to have no remaining issues.

More things wear with higher miles but as long as you or the previous owners stay on top of the maintenance, no reason to not have the same experience if not better than low mileage examples.

Robb

 

At the very least make sure valve guides have been done. Like Robb said, mechanical records help a lot. I've looked at a few higher mileage 355s and most of them had some serious engine work so keep that in mind.

 

Maintenance and functional condition is the absolute prime concern when buying these cars. Everything else is BS.
If these cars are maintained they are amazing. If they are not then they are miserable and very expensive to deal with.
I think you can generally get a feel for if the owner was thorough in taking care of the car or if they did the bare minimum.

In addition one of my personal red flags would be if the car does not have headers or an aftermarket exhaust manifold at that mileage. The stock manifolds are all a failure waiting to happen. Its only a question of when. The other would be valve guides like the guys mentioned.

 

Hi Chris, have a read at my 355 thread, i have done a lot of the work you many encounter. I live in London, you are welcome to come and see the car and i will give you a few pointers of what to look for. Where are you in London?
https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/decided-to-give-my-f355-berlinetta-some-tlc.443507/

 

Get a compression and leak down that's invaluable insurance otherwise its a gamble. Yes you need both. Best of luck and remember high mileage does not mean bad in the same way low mileage does not mean good, be diligent is all.

Sent using FerrariChat.com mobile app

 

Over and over, the mechanics say the cars do better if they are driven. Condition is vastly more important than mileage, and regularly circulating fluids and lubricants to all the parts is a good thing. Even AC systems do better if they are used regularly.

 

I went to a cars and coffee this past weekend and there happened to be another 355 there.
Mine has 45k miles, the other 27k. I had several people comment about how amazing and much better shape my car was than the lower mile car.

My car burns no oil, original guides, great compression numbers. It has never let me down.
It had been well cared for, a large folder of records.
Initially, yes I wanted a lower mileage car, but I look at it this way; The previous owner got it all sorted out for me, now I just get to enjoy it. I still keep the good care going, replacing any and all questionable items.
If I could do it all again, i wouldn't change a thing... except to get a GTS lol

 

39K miles on mine. Pretty good service history and the big stuff has been done, except valve guides. Runs great, looks great, and i am not afraid to use it.

 

Condition really does trump mileage on these cars IMO. You can have a 10k mile car left to rot for a decade that will run worse than one that's been driven and serviced regularly with 3-4x the mileage.

I bought mine with high 60k miles and sold it after about 5-6k miles just recently. I sold it with an F1 issue that was the result of a failed part from the 360 pump upgrade...but besides that the car ran like a top all the way to the red line throughout the entirety of my ownership.

That car, however, came with a binder full of receipts that, since its birth, totaled to more than the cost of the car new.

 

So imagine you are buying a Ferrari from the 60s, 70s or 80s How important is the odometer reading really??

 

What's the difference between a shed queen that never gets driven and had the odometer mucked around with compared to a well sorted pampered high mileage car. Cars that are not driven have more issues than cars that are used. There are so many threads on this. Check the car out with honest people that know these cars and what to look for. A higher mileage car will be cheaper than a low mileage car and properly sorted most of the time but then there are exceptions to both. How many miles will you do and are you looking to resell or keep that's some of the questions you should be asking yourself. Good luck

 

All cars have issues. Get it checked out. If it's good and well looked after and your happy with it buy it and enjoy. It's Ferrari FFS.

 

Do they turn into pumpkins at 50k miles? What happens to them?

 

I am no expert in F cars but went through similar process recently (many advised me and also red a lot of F-Chat). Had a very nice very low mileage Aston Martin which I babied and finally sold as I barely drove it. It is in a collection now. I ended up with a 1995 Rosso Corsa, Spyder with over 44K miles. Think 3 ring binder with receipts, valve guides, clutch etc done. That said I bought the car knowing that it needs several things and plan to address those in the spring. As long as you don't get surprised and you know what you are getting yourself in you are in for a treat...

 

all the best with your search!

 

There's a general misconception that once a Ferrari hits 50K miles, the cars will be worn out, and will need major components replacing due to wear and tear any time soon, so will be more of a gamble to buy

Conversely, there is also a misconception that a Ferrari with ultra-low miles, will still be like new, and will be several decades away from requiring any major components repairing or replacing.

One thing that I was encouraged to do when I bought my Ferrari 348 from a highly reputable independent Ferrari specialist here in the UK, was to drive it at least once a week, for at least 50 miles, to get the car fully warmed up. It was pointed out to me that one thing Ferrari's do not like, is to be sat stationary for weeks/months/years on end. They said that a big reason for Ferrari's reputation for unreliability, oil leaks, coolant leaks, electrical faults etc., etc., is due to them being parked up for long periods, with seals drying out, condensation getting in, and such like, and then owners jumping in them, and driving them as though they were last used yesterday.

(For the winter months, when there is ice/snow and loads of salt on the road, the specialist said that it was best not to drive the car, due to increased corrosion risks, but I should fire the car up at least once a week, not let it just sit idling, but to rev it at @ 2K rpm to start with, slowly increasing it over 15~20 minutes to 5Krpm, replicating the engine speeds of normal, early driving, until the oil temperature got to it's normal operating temperature, in order to keep the oil and coolant circulated, and help drive out any condensation).

They told me that they had had 308's/328's/348's/355's and 360's come in with 50K + miles on the clock, that needed far less work to be done, than similar aged cars with sub 10K miles on the clocks, simply because they had been used regularly.

Personally speaking, I'd be happier to own a 20+ year old car with 50K + miles on the clock, that is in a well cared for condition, and has a thick folder of service history and invoices, than one that has averaged 500 miles each year of its life - Especially if there are big gaps in the service history.

Enzo Ferrari made cars to be driven - Otherwise he wouldn't have bothered putting an engine in them!