F355 engine lifespan

I cannot comment on the engine lifespan issue. It would depend almost as much on how its been maintained and driven as the mileage. I do however know of a 1996 F355 Berlinetta 6 speed manual available with 50k km's in Perth if you are interested. Private message me for more details.

 

Fairly regular question eg this thread and one linked in it http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355-sponsored-bradan/483406-355-high-mile-thread.html - lots of buying advice in this section and in the sticky at top

 

a high mileage one can even last longer, all depending on how the engine has been treated.

I know owners who drive their Ferrari almost daily and never redline. But...
I also know people with very low mileage Ferraris who drive very occasionally for very short spins. They take the car out of the garage and go flat out within a minute the car has been started. also, these low mileage cars get their engine oil changed only every 2 or 3 years if not longer.

So mileage says nothing about the state of the engine.

 

Mines got 80K its fine, well maintained and hasn't had an issue in the few years i have owned it. Some higher K cars sometimes tend to have all or most issues sorted

 

+348

 

73K miles and going strong. Headers and guides were done at 60k by previous owner.

 

Just tried and it won't let me, says you cannot accept private messages. See if you can get access to send messages and then shoot me a mail. If you struggle you can let me know your email and I'll email you details.

 

70k miles and still chirps 2nd gear hard in sport mode.

Mine was very well maintained and came with a binder of receipts.

 

There seems to be a bit of a myth about Ferrari engines (especially on the older models), that they are somehow a bit fragile, need a complete rebuild once they hit 50K miles, are unreliable, are super hi-tech and should not be touched by anyone other than a factory trained mechanic etc., etc.

The truth is, providing they are serviced correctly and not abused, Ferrari engines are very robust and should see 100K miles without batting an eyelid! (Okay, some engines such as the early 355 engines can have issues with things such as valve guides, but on the whole they're pretty much bullet proof if looked after correctly).

Another truth is, the actual engineering that goes into a Ferrari engine is actually pretty basic car engineering! - There is nothing inside a Ferrari engine that would baffle the average car mechanic! (Just look at how many owners do their own engine work on their own cars - How many are Ferrari trained mechanics?)

A big part of why some Ferraris end up with engine issues at low mileage is because their first owners simply didn't care about them! - They were just a trophy to show off with and so were raced around from cold straight to their red lines, with no sympathetic warm up first.

And some were put into storage for long periods of time and never started or driven for years on end so their seals and gaskets dried out resulting in engine issues (when I bought My 348, the Ferrari specialist told Me: "Where possible, try to drive it at least once a week - Ferraris are always at their best when they are used regularly. They don't like sitting around doing nothing - They were designed to be driven, not just looked at!" ).

The biggest reasons why older Ferraris don't seem to have high mileage isn't due to a lack of reliability though, it's due to:

1) Most cars now being weekend toys that are rarely used, depending on circumstances, plans and weather.

And:

2) A large proportion of owners being too worried about putting mileage on them due to the effect it will have on the cars resale value.

 

Mileage is a good indication. Abuse can happen on either end of the spectrum. So two equally treated engines (abused or cared for) the lower mileage example is preferable.

 

Along with mileage, I believe production year is important as well. I have casually noticed over the past 14 years or so that 1995 and 1996 are more often seen in dealerships or independent shops getting top end or complete overhauls, than later years.

Before everyone jumps all over me on that statement, I realize there are always exceptions, but I have seen far more 95 and 96 355s getting top end or complete overhauls than 97, 98 or 99s.

 

If you want to buy a car to show, get the lowest mileage.

If you want to buy a car to drive, get one with moderate miles and a thick stack of maintenance records. This is likely to be the most mechanically sound car.

I have heard of F355s with 100+k miles (that's 162k km, mate), right here on Fchat. Some "highest mileage" contests have surfaced in the past two years that I have been a member. Would any guilty parties like to chime in?

Again, the right maintenance and a history of owner attention to detail is the primary factor.

 

I bought my high-miler with over $110k worth of receipts since new. It runs great, and I paid less than half of what a 15-20k mile car sells for now of the exact same spec.

At this point, the motor could grenade and I would be far ahead with a full rebuild/upgrade.

All depends on what you want out of your experience. I prefer to drive my cars regularly...maybe when I'm 50+ and not driving much I'll gravitate towards lower mileage examples.

 

This is what I would do if I could do it over again.

 

Remember that if your buying in your area. Holy****.

Oil is cheap in the states but you really never know how an engine has been treated. I dont care if you have paperwork thats easy to forge.