Buying a 360 with miles

I know cars well over 100K. Maintenance happens along the way but they are good for a long time.

 

Yes when they sit

 

The typicalMileage between 10-40k is irrelevant. The focus needs to be primarily on maintenance history.
A lot of parts start failing on cars 15yrs and over, and if fluids and regular replacement/scheduled parts are not performed, you are looking at issues.
I can cite a couple standard problems:
-failing heat xchanger due to poor part design but also a result of insufficient coolant change. Outcome is failed transmission
-ABS failure due to insufficient brake fluid change/bleed
-F1 pump failure. Lack of Fluid replacement
-Fluid pumps not replaced( plastic top cracks due to poor material selection).

A car that sits for years without being driven and has 10k can be a bigger time bomb, than 40k with all service performed on schedule.
You really need to do your homework on all the car history before buying.....



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Don’t worry about miles , I have 121km less issues than my bimmer. There are some good deals to be had on cars with miles. Service history good and has miles equals less issues. In my search every low mile car had more issues then high mile ones .

 

It's not the mileage. As others have pointed out, it's the maintenance--- and more importantly a car that has been driven at least once or twice a week at operating temps. Don't take anyone's word for work that was supposedly done. Hard copies by the seller and sometimes even the PO are the only proof you have that you can count on.

It has been widely recognized that Ferrari turned the corner when they built the 360 as a reliable car that could be driven regularly. When I was looking to buy my 360 I saw cars that were low mileage and were in terrible shape cosmetically and had had a ton of various "failures". Others were high mileage and "unloved". And while I myself was not looking at cars with over 25K miles, there are plenty of folks here that have 360s with over 50K miles that are meticulously maintained and their cosmetic appearance belies their mileage.

There is no recipe for the perfect 360. They are 20+ year old used cars. They will need attention and if one has had the proper care, they are wonderful cars that most times don't cost any more to repair than a 5 year old Lexus, Mercedes, etc. out of warranty.

It's important to realize that a spider will need more maintenance as the top and mechanism gets older. FWIW

 

Check out this thread too:


Yet another high mileage / reliability thread
https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/index.php?threads/Yet-another-high-mileage---reliability-thread.621234/


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67k miles on mine as of this weekend. No CELs. No issues running, original intercooler, drive on weekend, park during week and drive next week.

It's not a 348. That fiat era **** is done. I dare say my 360 is as reliable as my Boxster and has less issues with this mileage. They are 20 years old so plastic will be getting weak. Think door locks, bushings, etc. It's not the miles, its the age of the car. Just like any Porsche of the same age IMHO.

 

I agree. I bought a 13,000 mile 360 MT a three years ago. Failed heat exchanger, failed AC hoses, old date code tires needing replacement, and both fuel pumps all in the first three months. I’ve had the car three years now and nothing but routine maintenance. Love driving it.

 

I have an old mechanic friend that told me the reason these cars fail is the same reason you see boats and motorcycles fail. Lack of use. He told me you never hear about a fishing boat engine failing because it's in constant use and because the captain's livelihood depends on it, meticulously maintained, where recreational boats get used maybe a few times a month, or often less often.

When I bought my 430, I specifically looked for the combination of obviously loved, and high miles. I didn't care if it was maintained in a ferrari service shop, they are terrible. I would not blink an eye buying a car near the 100k mark as long as it's been taken car of, and the price reflected the mileage. I've said this lots of times, all the failures you hear about on here happen regardless of how low the mileage is. Engines are made to run, and if oil is changed the wear parts slowly do their job of being sacrificed and can then be replaced after many many miles.

 

My car only has 18k miles on it and would seem to be in the danger zone with a lack of use over the years. According to Carfax, the odo clocked pretty constantly up to the last six years where only 1,000 miles accumulated and the last owner only put on 700 in two years. I've run up over 1,000 in eight months of ownership and it runs pretty good. I've had some little niggling issues and have changed out the COP's and a brake light switch. So far, seems to light up everytime and run. I'm getting close to a clutch, a major expensive job, and headers, which I'll do proactively when I do the clutch. The previous owner plunked down a bunch of money getting the various bits in the suspension, motor, and transmission mounts done so it feels nice and tight. Good tires too, only two years old.

So a low mile car can also be a good purchase if it is used regularly. I'd run away from a car with 8k miles and original tires.

 

I agree with everything you said but I'll add 2 caveats

1) I would not buy a 20 year old car with less than 30k miles, unless it was going to be a show car. I only buy cars to drive.
2) Research the model and year of the car you're looking at and make sure all the preventative maintenance of known failures has been taken care of. Example of this on the 430s is the exhaust headers. Every model and year have their "issues" that should have been addressed by now. Again, another sign that the previous owner cares enough to take care of the car.

My dad would always look to see if all 4 of the tire stem covers were present during a walk around. I remember asking him why he cared about such a small thing and he said "if that guy cares enough to make sure something this small is right, there's a good chance he cares about the big stuff"

 

To add, I would look for a car with as few previous owners that you can. Any 360 that has had 7 or 8 owners or more, in my mind, can be indicative of folks that want to drive the hell out of the car and dump it before they have to pay the piper. IMO anyone who has owned a Ferrari for more than 5 years probably has the mindset that they need to take care of stuff--- and respect and enjoy the car for the long run.

 

It's all about maintenance.
My '99 Modena has 24K miles and is totally reliable every time I drive it. I have records from day one on the car.
Several years ago I had a 308QV with 60K miles on it. Never had problems with the car.... was as reliable as my wife's Mercedes 300D.
As stated, a car that has been sitting will require considerable money to make right. Don't let the odometer scare you away from the right car.