1998 f355 problems?

Read the archives. There is a lot of info on headers, etc. Lot of dealers like to say that the problems were only with the early cars and are non-existent on the newer (1997+) cars. But that is bs.

 

98's had bronze valve guides up until a certain build number - 23569????? - that was fairly late in the run, I believe. Do a search.
IIRC there were a few connecting rod problems with the 97-98s.
I'd be more worried about headers and those problems are not specific to the '98s.

Just wait. Some one far more knowledgeable than me will eventually chip in...

 

Spider? Berlinetta?

Headers will need to be replaced, search 355 Headers and settle in for plenty of reading.

Sticky interior, easy fix, search 285ferrari and sticky and you will find your man, or PM 285ferrari

Valve guides may become a problem, search 355 valve guides......heaps and heaps of talk about that one....

Spider top can sometimes cause problems, I have found mine to be reliable and that might have something to do with it being used every 1-2 weeks, hydraulic fluid needs topping up every now and again.

Berlinetta buttress seams crack, search buttress seams and you will find that answers, easy to rectify but will need attention every3-4 years.

Stick around here and you will soon learn lots about the 355, but the most important thing to remember is its a fantastic car and the Internet has a way of making issues seem greater than the really are.....

 

Gran

I have a Spider and absolutely love it.
He will enjoy it beyond expectation.
Go for it m8

 

+1

I have owned a Berlinetta and currently own a Spider, in some ways the Berlinetta is a better looking car, the Spider is far more fun.

Plenty of reading to do here to full in time, and when you get board search for the 355 picture thread, that is awesome!!!

 

Its funny that im reading this post now becuase this last weekend me and a friend of mine were checking this car out that is also a 98 355 Spider that just came in the Dealership in Melbourne Florida. After test driving and looking around the car with the mechanic and another friend that has good knowledge about second hand Ferrari's we encountered that there was an oil leak through the engine. We didn't know if it was something very serious but it sure was something that needed attention. mileage was 11,288 miles. I also keep hearing about the Spider top opening/closing problems. Last but not least the H-VAC panels were kind of rippled.

 

The car we looked at is in this website, the inventory of Mercedes Benz of Melbourne. There is only one F355 Spider on the list.
http://www.mbmelbourne.com/ebiz-used.htm