Hello, I am considering a 348 or a F355 as my first Ferrari and first real exotic car. I believe that one of these will be my first because of the gated manual shifter and old sports car feel. I love how the F355 looks and I love the fact that is has more HP than the 348. However, I am a little concerned about the maintenance of the car. Also, I should point out that the engine out services are not what I am referring too. What I am speaking of is the exhaust headers, valve guides, etc. does the 348 have the same issues as the 355? And is the 355 really as bad as people make it out to be on the internet reliability wise or are people just over exaggerating?
I'll do the post this time. Topics have been discussed on the forum at great length. They are google-able. Here is the last week thread: https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/would-you-describe-the-f355-as-fragile.635827/ On this forum you will find people that love these cars. There's a good reason for that.
everything bad you've ever heard has happened, that's true, the issue is it doesn't happen to every car so in the end it comes down to a gamble in terms of how good is the car you got and how well was it maintained. I suspect that's true of most high-end or exotic type vehicles however. range rovers and other case I know guys with old range rovers 150,000 miles and range rovers and never had a problem and yet others can't keep them on the road for more than 5,000 miles at a time according to what I read at least. .plenty of cars bought by folks out here problem free for 10 years lots of miles driven hard. .plenty of cars out here that were bought and had problems and issues some expensive like new engine. .Plenty of horror stories. .Plenty of raging success. .Plenty of maintenance nightmares (almost always a result of PO neglect and abuse compounded catching up). .Plenty of cars costing nothing but tires over 5 years. .Plenty of 15k mile cars. .Plenty of 80k+ mile cars It's all over the place it just depends. Always do compression and leak down, have a pre-purchase inspection done. That's the big thing. Auctions are riskier as a result. Sent using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Yes, very very fragile. They are so delicate that they are extremely rare and values are going to the moon! You ought to invest now! Reasonable prices include anywhere from 200k to 400k for a clean example. This is how stonks work, right? Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
when it comes to the 355 i describe it this way - wld you pay an extra $90 a month to drive a 355? hells yes. engine out service is $7,5000 and you need one every 84 months unless you are driving 8k miles a year which almost no one does. $90 a month is all it is. valves are the Achilles heal. find a car that has had them done or buy a car that hasnt but factor in that 15k to 20k into the price. headers - hey its a ferrari. the 355 is the epitome of the ferrari ownership experience. so much fun on the road, has the right smells, the right noises, the clank-clank like no other...and we havent even commented on the timeless look. effing homerun. i dont have a 348 so i will not opine. https://www.instagram.com/p/CHlh8B2lFUF/ sorry, the 355 makes me emotional.
Only thing worth adding is that there is a huge, huge difference in ownership experience if you can competently do some of your own mechanical work vs having to take it to a shop for every little thing. If I had to be a checkbook mechanic, I wouldn't own one, because they are simply not as reliable as a Camry (they're also 100X more fun than a Camry). Most all of the problems at this point have durable, better than factory solutions, so a lot of things you only need to fix once.
I have driven both extensively, I own a 348 (Euro Spec) with a KSG exhaust, no cats, aftermarket air intake system. The 355 does not actually feel that much faster than my 348, not enough to make me want to go out and sell my 348 to get a 355. I like the styling of both cars, I prefer the front end of the 348, I think the rear end of the 355 is beautiful, but both in their own rights hold iconic levels of styling, I can't say which one is "better", I guess its the one you have!! Don't let the slightly more 355 power be a deciding factor, its about the overall driving experience. Hustling in a 348 and 355 have equally incredible driving experiences, the 355 however is more compliant at lower cruising speeds, round town driving and so forth, but you would expect that with the adaptive suspension, 348 feels a little more "race car" at lower speeds, but that certainly is no problem for me. What you need to consider is how much you want to spend and what condition you want to go for. Are you a DIY guy? If so a 348 might be the better option, they are easier to work on (I do all my own maintenance), I look after my friends 355 as well, and I can tell you I work on that 355 way more than my 348. Its never anything particularly serious, there have been no valve failures, no cracking headers or any of those other horror stories, but more electronic issues, niggling annoying things, for example, there is a miss-fire at the moment I need to sort, I changed the plugs, the problem went away but returned, so we now look at the next weakest link. But really, I would say due to the 348's relative simplicity, its the better DIY'er car. But it totally depends on what you're prepared to take on. I did my major on my 348 a year ago now, and I have not had one single issue with it since. They are very reliable cars if you stay on top of everything. Anyway there are a few thoughts that came to mind.
I’m looking to purchase a 348 I know and heard about the “problems” and “horror story’s” associated with this vehicle and it doesn’t worry me at all as long as the car didn’t have a big accident or frame damage remember Enzo Ferrari pass away in 1988 and no one knew if the company was going to last and with the EPA and OBD regulations getting tighter most if not all European auto manufacturers switch from Bosch k-jetronic fuel injection too the electronica fuel injection so to say things might where definitely changing for Ferrari so problems should be expected it’s a big change As models years move on and Ferrari “got their game plan” the cars got a lot better but for me I really want a “ Enzo car” meaning a model build while Enzo was alive but as we can see the market is driving these cars prices way up so a 348 is the closest one for me plus I luv the look I wouldn’t mind a 308/328 either But all cars have their problems don’t be scared of something that might happen just no it will do if or when it does happen it won’t be as bad buy the car do the services needed to enjoy it and stay on top of problems if you are mechanically incline you can fix it yourself Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
In the classified thread for its sale I reviewed my experience with my 355 over 4 years, and all repairs: https://ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/1997-f355-spider-manual-63k-mi.597845/
