I took my F355 Spider to my mechanic today to have a Bradan y pipe installed. He gave me his 91 348 TS to drive home. To be honest, when I was looking for a Ferrari I never even considered the 348. I'm afraid that was largely due to all the stories that it's a "bad" Ferrari, etc. I really liked driving the 348. The steering is so responsive. It feels as if you're really connected to the road. Even though it's not as fast as my F355 the engine seems a bit more torquey which makes it easier to drive. The gearchange was a bit strange to get used to (with the dogleg 1st gear), but really good once you get used to it. I also found that the seats had more lateral support than those on my F355 I think the 348 might be a hidden treasure. I really liked it a lot. So, thumbs up for the 348.
I need to find someone to give me their car to drive home. I would love to drive some other Ferrari's for the day. For now I'm stuck driving my "hidden treasure"
Well done Blulagos, nice compliment!! Sincerely. I drive a 348 and enjoy it just for those reasons. Have driven a 355 and I like the extra power but find the handling and ride to be a bit removed. Ferrari put in the power assist steering and brakes to satisfy complaints that the 348 was too much work to drive. It's a good kind of work to me. Having said that I wouldn't say no to a 355!!!
Both the 348 and the 355 are great cars, but essentially the 355 is an upgraded 348. I personally think the 348 looks better and as far as reliability goes, I don't think there is a significant difference. The 355 offers better performance, but less direct connection with the road. While the 355 may be an upgrade in some areas, the increased cost is not worth the difference. The 360 really offers a step up in design and performance, so if I move to a newer car, it would be a 360 or a 430 if the prices keep dropping. I've owned my 348 for two and a half years and have spent less that $2500 for service. As with any Ferrari, the key is to buy a car with a recent service and records. The 348 is a pure sports car. It has no power steering, it sounds wonderful, the AC is OK, it's quick but not a rocket ship by modern standards, no cruise control and on rough roads it will bounce you around some....PERFECT!
348s are great. There's no doubt that the 348 and 355 are the best value in the Ferrari market. Granted, the 355 takes a bit more $$$$ to bring up to speed, but the beauty is worth it.
Absolutely, well said. I really struggle to think of another F-car I would want to own that is even remotely within the realm of possibility. A manual 360 would be cool, but still a bit refined for my taste, I think. I would have to hit the lottery or become an uber-success in order to obtain something that excites me as much as the 348 and 355.
Sorry for the noob question, but what do you mean that the 355 will take some additional money to get up to speed?
True. But once the know issues are fixed, (headers, guides and stickies) 355s are an amazing ownership experience.
I have been told by a 355 owner who is an engineer that this is fact. Peak torque lower in the rev range was sacrificed for top end power on the 355 vs 348. Does anyone have the torque and power curves for both to compare?
Agreed but... we have recently found a good deal of hidden torque in the 355, bringing the power on strong in the low 3K range and leveling out the playing field a bit. For this reason the 360 came out with variable cam timing, variable intake length, variable exhaust... all in a search to broaden out the torque curve but keep the top end intact. This is a result of the manufacturers always playing the "Top Speed" advertising games... hey, it sells cars I guess. Great for bragging rights BUT... Torque Always Wins Races.... it is what pulls you out of the corner and up the canyon.... and gets you into the rev range where the exhaust scream makes the hair on your neck stand up. Two different cars, two different experiences, both exceptionally good at what they do.
Yes, torque is important, and fun. How did you get this hidden torque in the 355? I'd love to have more, sooner in mine.
Turbonators.... Sorry, I couldnt help myself. When I am able to duplicate it multiple times... then I can talk about it publicly. Until then.... it sure has the owner and ourselves giggling, and looking for more rear tires. We proved it can be done with a stock, emissions compliant engine, with the late heads and 5.2 to boot.
Game, set, match....and this is the simplest, most eloquent and effective way to address such a debate...well done, Mr. Helms
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the earlier 355 2.7 have more hp and torque than the newer 5.2's? All things being equal, the 355 walks away from the 348 at higher RPM/speed, no?
Yup. I don't understand the whole low rpm torque argument. These cars have this cool thing called a transmission with multiple gears (and indeed the 355 even has an extra one), so it's no problem keeping the engine in it's sweet spot power wise - so who cares about the low rpm torque? The only thing I'll point out is that torque by itself is meaningless. Torque at a certain rpm is very meaningful, but we have a term for that called horsepower (torque*rpm/5250). I'll take the engine with more average horsepower every time, no matter what the actual torque value is.
There's no doubt that the 348 and 355 are the best value in the Ferrari market. I agree. Both of these models are great values. As the 360s and 430s drop in price, it may push the 348s and 355s down some, but compared to the huge depreciation on newer Ferraris, the losses are tiny. I figure the owner of a 458 loses $30K to $40K for the first year or two. You can buy a decent 348 for $35K to $40K. Of course if you're spending $300,000 on a car then $30,000 in depreciation is not a big concern for you. But that might keep me up at night!
The big question to ask is ....why does the 308 , 328 have 4 valves...the 355 has 5 valves....and then the 360, 430 went back to the 4 valves ? The 348 is the better engine long term in reliability...the 355 with melted headers is proving to be the more expensive choice.
Actually curious why they went back as well... doubt it was reliability issues as all these things failed post warranty period and the 355 was supposedly very profitable.
