Which Ferrari would you suggest

This is a very open ended question. We would need quite a few more information. Will you work on the car yourself, do you prefer older cars or newer, any cut off year, are you looking for gated or F1 shifter, what us your price range, you mentioned convertible will this mean only two seaters or 2 +2 included, etc.

The car will perform in the US quite well. As with all low cars you need to be careful driving it, especially over speed bumps and low points.

If you are set on a 355 I would recommend going to that section and asking for feed back there and if you can test driving them.

Good luck.


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California. Modern, reliable, can be both a coupe and a convertible, and can be used every day. They're a terrific bargain. And, if you keep the itch, move on up in a few years to something else...T

 

Having owned classic and a modern Ferrari my answer depends on your purchase budget and yearly maintenance budget. If money is no object buy the newest Spyder available, if you want to dip your toe into Ferraris somewhat safely I’d buy a 328, providing you fit. I sold my 308 which is the same size as the 328 when I got older and more arthritic. Older Ferraris are SMALL.
As you’ll discover in your research 348 and 355 both require an engine out service spelled EXPENSIVE. 328 service is done with the engine in. I agree with the above post that the California is a great car. Problem is it’s still depreciating and the top and transmission can be troublesome. I bought a one owner, 7k mile, 6 year old Cali with their Power warranty. When the yearly service came due the car needed $15k of motor mounts, exhaust headers, and shock work, none covered by my $5k warranty.
Enjoy, they are worth it

 

Need to know your budget, remembering to factor in about 10% of purchase price to fix “bits”. and a reasonable annual budget for annual maintenance, the specific car groups will help here. Also as said do you want a manual or are you not bothered as this will rule some in/out.

At the lower end Mondial, going up 328, 355 , and as said a California would be a good “modern” entry point.

You do need to go sit in some and ideally test drive them. (As said older ones are typical Italian!)

Get yourself to your local owners groups and cars and coffees, you’ll find everybody is really welcoming and helpful.

There is no problem driving these cars on our roads these days; and similarly they like to be driven and there are lots of people who daily drive them.

As long as you have the money and aren’t stretching yourself they are great; buy what you like, it’s a personal decision,enjoy in good health and take pride in putting lots of miles on it...your only here for a short time!!!

 

Im a short term (1 year) Ferrari owner. I could not be happier with my 328. Its been nearly perfect and the two issues Ive had with it I fixed myself for a total of 40 dollars (blown hoses). I love the 355 but on my income can not afford to maintain one and deal with some of the known problems if they should arise.

 

Is you budget around $30k or closer to $1 million? Are you looking for performance or just want the "oohs" and "ahhs" while you're ordering off the dollar menu? Do you know which end of the screwdriver to hold? Ever removed an engine from a car?

Seriously, these are questions that need answered before evaluating your situation. A 355 could be either the best or worst choice depending on your "needs".

 

Get a C8 convertible and live a happy non stressed life.

 

I’m not sure that would feed the itch. If you’ve dreamt of owning a Ferrari, then you should do it. I recommend you buy what stirs your heart. If you could provide a budget it would be easier to suggest models. It is also helpful to describe what kind of driving you like to do.

If you have 80k to spend and like road trips, maybe look at a first generation California. They are beautiful, have a lot of utility, and are very fast. They are modern and reliable. However, if you want a manual transmission car the California won’t do.

 

And pay far more in depreciation than you would in service.

Don't get me wrong, I will have a C8 someday, but I wont even upgrade to a C7 until their prices drop dramatically. I bought my C5z at the bottom and could sell it today for what I bought it for almost 8 years ago.

 

You might only have one shot at this - unless something else catches your eye, go with your initial feeling on the F355

 

And ignore all warnings of that model being possibly an enormous money pit eating up all his hard-earned savings? That's the voice of reason. Of course if your heart says so, then go for it as you live once.

But definitely an early California with some mileage could be the best and safest way to get into the game. You will notice that owning a FCar is a lifestyle and with it you will make good new friends and get positive experiences.

 

IMO the 355 in all its variants is one of the best car designs of all time. Dont let all the talk about these cars being money pits get to you. They certainty can, but thats not always the case either. 355's do have some known areas that can get expensive to repair, steering racks, convertible tops, valve guides and exhaust manifolds. I'm biased as I've now owned 2 348's (just picked up a spider). But 348's seems to have fewer of the potential bg ticket repairs that the 355 does and is a very similar driving and feeling car. Again, I love the look and sound of the 355 but those bigger ticket items have kept me personally out of ownership. 355 is a great car.

 

Was at Boardwalk today when a 355 spider rolled in. No denying, it's a looker. Sounded great too...T

 

355, deal with the issue as they come. Just keep on mind the issues will be expensive. If your wallet can support perhaps the most expensive Ferrari to maintain..go fo it. Damn awsome car.

 

Such a personal decision! I admire you asking for feedback, which isn't a literal substitute for experience and there's a great deal of that here you won't find anywhere online.

If you look at the join dates of those responding we all got into this in various ways. Your story will be connected to the car you choose. If your heart wants the F355, and you're not ruled by it do your research. The can be very high maintenance but nothing sounds and looks the part quite the same. Heralded as the best sounding V8 they have ever produced.

A gated F355 spider was also my choice. In the end I choose differently and thrilled. I spent years enjoying adventures with others until I had the means and even then, it wasn't the right time. Two of the countries best mechanics are here in Denver close to me which ticked off another important requirement if your mechanical experience is limited.

I've only been an owner for 3 weeks and 1 day despite everything I've experienced. From point A "I want one", to C "I bought one" I spent a long damn time in B "the journey." Congratulations if yours is shorter.

 

A couple of months ago - very similar !

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/what-ferrari-could-i-be-looking-at.611596/

 

I didn't say that, but interesting take and oddly confrontational, so let me expand.

My point is that at the end of the day, you should have something you like (as unreasonable as that may sound, lol). If another model catches his eye (and it's less $ to run) great, but to me, one of the worst things you can do is remove all the emotion out of a Ferrari purchase. If you do that, odds are, you'll end up with a Porsche

This isn't a 'yolo' recommendation, this is reflective of seeing a fair number of people compromise and buy something that they ultimately didn't want, but had rationalized to themselves or were talked into. These people knew what they wanted, ignored it, and wasted their hard-earned savings in a different way.

Better to take your time, do your research, find the best (sorted out) 355 you can, and budget for maintenance. I've known a couple guys who could barely afford their Ferrari and sometimes the car needed to sit for a while so they could save up for a service - but they were satisfied because it was the one they always wanted and they knew what they signed up for. I'm sure there's a metaphor buried in here somewhere.

 

I have never dreamed of owning any car (though I have owned close to 500 of them). They are machines nothing more, but OP lets think logically (since I don't have any emotional attachment to a machine), I don't know your financial situation, but most retirees don't usually want to add expenses to their budgets, they usually try and spend less with less money coming in. Maybe you are well set up, if so good for you. I have seen both sides of the coin (an older Ferrari needing 23K worth of work done in 60 days), and an older Ferrari that needed less than $500.00 in a year of ownership. Problem is there is no way to know for sure which one you are buying (and no one here could either). Which is why for most people a 4C, 911, Gran Turismo are just as good choices (the 4C is a far better car than anyone mentioned in this thread), and they are less to maintain. The C8 is as well and in 4 years (I think no one else picked up on that part of your post), you should be able to pick up a low mileage CPO one for a very good price. I plan to do that as well, and I'm not on a budget and retirement for me will come at my funeral. Good luck, and what you were told is mostly correct, you cannot use almost ( maybe a Miata or that little Subaru thingy) any modern sports car to its real potential on the road. Road conditions, well probably everyone on this site has a car with at least one rim that is bent, and they probably don't even know it.

 

If you DIY then that opens a world of possibilities. If you could put a few more $$$ down you may want to find a nice manual 360 spider. Much more DIY friendly than a 355..which you could still DIY but keep in mind you will be removing the engine every few years.

 

Regarding Corvettes in this conversation, I had to pick up my girlfriends (now wife) father at LAX. I had 2 vehicle choices, a 98 Tacoma with 130k miles or a newer vette with 11k on it.

To be safe I took the Vette and it broke right in the middle of all the terminals. Should have taken the Tacoma. On a positive side the Vette was bought (new) at a great price and sold 3 years later for 4K less than I paid for it.

 

If you can afford the maintenance, then a 355 is a gorgeous car. Maybe look into F430s or a Cali-30.

 

At 75K you can have a good selection of 360s which IMO have potentially less maintenance issues than the beautiful 355.
75K also puts you into the lower end of California's which theoretically would have the least issues and be a "modern" car.
A bit more than 75K perhaps negotiable;
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=538311495&zip=76001&referrer=/cars-for-sale/searchresults.xhtml?zip=76001&sortBy=derivedpriceASC&incremental=all&firstRecord=0&marketExtension=include&modelCodeList=FERCALIF&makeCodeList=FER&searchRadius=0&isNewSearch=true&numRecords=25&firstRecord=0&modelCodeList=FERCALIF&makeCodeList=FER&searchRadius=0&makeCode1=FER&modelCode1=FERCALIF&clickType=listing

Personally I'd add perhaps 20K more and get a nice 360 manual shift.
Those have appreciation potential and could possibly be "free" over the time you own it = you get all your money back when sold.

Also IMO your first (or last) Ferrari should be red