should I buy 1998 F355 Spider?

I recommend BUY IT!! Then again I am partial to 355's--Now is a good time to buy--prices are low..Searching here will reveal all kinds of info you will need to make a wise purchase--Welcome to the board!!

 

Is it a manual? I wouldn't drive an F1 transmission for a daily driver, you'll wear out your clutches very quickly in town.

But F355's are wonderful cars, so yes, if you can manage it I don't think you'll regret it. Just the usual caveats: PPI, and do your homework on maintenance and running costs.


Onno

 

Buy it......you will love it!!

 

+1

Welcome to Ferrarichat, the F355 would make an excellent DD IMO. Get it checked over before you buy and drive it like you stole it. (with the prices the way they are over there at them moment, you sorta are stealing it)

 

agree

 

I was facing more or less the same dilemma last year. I had considered buying a 355 a couple of years before -- back in 2004 -- but declined to do so because of the dreaded maintenance costs. Every other person I talked to said to me "Ferraris are money pits", "They are unreliable" or "You have not got the faintest idea what can of worms you are opening once you get into Ferrari ownership". So I did not buy a Ferrari back then, but the itching remained present. Then last year, after having consulted FerrariChat and after having received on this forum a lot of absolutely invaluable advice, I bit the bullet. I set out on a quest to find myself a very nice F355 Spider. Having been used to driving air cooled Porsches, this was quite a step in the dark for me.

I checked out about 10 cars. Two at Ferrari dealerships here in Belgium. Those were obviously without faults. The 1999 Spider I checked out at one dealership was extremely nice, Rosso Corsa over black with a Tubi. A great car, but I'd rather have a yellow one. The other dealership car was a 1995 Berlinetta, quite reasonably priced for a dealership car, but it was a 1995 model and the valve guides had not been done. The other cars I investigated were located in southern Engeland. A couple of them at Verdi's, a couple from other sellers. I finally settled for a Giallo Modena Spider with Nero leather. It was a 1998 model available as a trade in from a Porsche dealership in northern France. I bought the car with a 6 month drivetrain warranty and drove it the 300+ miles home without a hitch.

Having driven that many 355s before I made up my mind, made me realize you should not buy the first one you see. A couple of the cars I had test driven really felt awkward. Had I not driven properly sorted 355s, I would not have known if this was normal or not. So my advice is definitely to drive as many cars as possible, even the ones you do not like because of color or mileage. Just drive them to be able to compare. Also the difference between a manual and an F1 car should be experienced in person. I was not in the market for an F1 car, but Karl at Verdi let me drive one of his 355s so equipped. After a couple of minutes I was thrilled with the F1 transmission. In the end, I did not go for an F1 car because the Spider I bought in France turned out to be a manual one.

As to the maintenance costs, these have been minimal so far. I almost had disaster strike when the RH side exhaust manifold cracked merely a week after I had purchased my car. I contacted Ferrari and was quoted 2500 Euros for a new manifold + labor costs. Their estimate was in the area of 3800 Euros + VAT for the job. Not a happy prospect when you have just shelled out quite a bit of money for a toy. Then, once again through FerrariChat, I was guided to QV of London who rebuild the manifolds on an exchange basis. I also found on FerrariChat excellent step-by-step instructions on how to do the job myself. I needed to buy a couple of tools, about 200 Euros in total, but that is not money thrown away. With a bit of tinkering, some swearing and after having spoiled my garage floor with oil (my mistake) I managed to do the job properly myself. Total cost: about 1000 Euros and two Saturdays spent in the garage. Result: a properly rebuilt manifold and a lot of experience gained. This just to demonstrate that, with a bit of common sense, you can do certain jobs yourself. This said, I would not want to undertake a cambelt replacement myself, but it has been done by others in their garage. Anyway, even that major service job can be done for a lot less than what the Ferrari dealer charges. My 355 will be in need of a cambelt change next year, which will probably done by Kent High Performance in Southern England.

So how has F355 ownership been for a newbie? I must say: absolutely splendid. The car is an absolute joy to drive. In my own experience, the 355 is a car that still gives exhilirating driving experiences in the "classic" sense, yet provides ample contemporary comfort. I am not going to claim it is a car that is usable on a daily basis. IMHO the 355 is something you should enjoy as a toy, something to take out on a sunny day, enjoy like there is no tomorrow and then tuck away for the next occasion. But then again, that is just me. I am making this statement because I use a Porsche 993 Turbo as a daily driver. Comparing both cars is a religious exercise that has been done on this forum a number of times before, so I am not going to repeat what has been said. Bottom line is that if you buy the 355 with the intention to use it as a big boy's toy, there are lots of worse choices to make. I would not use it as a daily driver, but I do not know what your driving habits are.

As to driving in the rain, I have not really got a clue. I only take mine out on dry days. The only time I got caught in a rain shower was when returning from the Ferrari Owners' Days at Spa Francorchamps. That was on the freeway and I did not do anything silly. The top seals remained dry and I did not see any water leak into the car. This said, I had an awful lot of work cleaning the car after that.

FerrariChat is arguably the best source of information available on the Internet. From the top of my hat, here are some weak point about the 355.
Valve guides: do a search in the forums and you'll come up with more posts than you can throw a stick at
Cracked exhaust manifolds: not a really big problem but it can be used to bargain the price down. Just be sure the car has not been driven a lot with a cracked manifold, as this could lead to valve wear.
Wobbly trim around A/C panel. Apparently this is more a problem in hot climates (like yours) than over here
...

This list is far from complete and I am too much a newbie to give you more advice than this. There is a lot of valuable information on the forum and with the individual members. Do a bit of research and you will be properly armed to do your purchase.

Regards,
Rik Gruwez

 

I am not going to claim it is a car that is usable on a daily basis. IMHO the 355 is something you should enjoy as a toy, something to take out on a sunny day, enjoy like there is no tomorrow and then tuck away for the next occasion. But then again, that is just me. I am making this statement because I use a Porsche 993 Turbo as a daily driver. Comparing both cars is a religious exercise that has been done on this forum a number of times before, so I am not going to repeat what has been said. Bottom line is that if you buy the 355 with the intention to use it as a big boy's toy, there are lots of worse choices to make. I would not use it as a daily driver, but I do not know what your driving habits are.




If you are moving from a Saleen I can tell you that you will be in for a change. The individual above is telling you exactly what you need to know. They are fantastic cars and I reccomend having one.....

But keep in mind the same posters on here have a consensus going that it costs $1.00 or more to drive....I would say may than that, if not now than it will be as the car ages....

One mistake on your PPI, one mistake of buying it from someone that was performing "owner maintenance" without a clue, and you will spend more on headers and guides than you will an entire engine for the Mustang.

I am not discouraging you, I'm just setting the record straight. There are three cars total between myself and a local friend (all 355's all different years), between those three they have all needed, engines, headers, guides you name it....We expect that these problems are behind us for a while but each day is a new day and each season brings new problems. It is a love hate relationship with me.....

Keep in mind that many folks, myself included do there own maintenance....Even in my case it is sometimes worthwhile to ship it to service centers as I simply do not have the time to fix toys and I am better served spending my time earning money.

If you are short on time expect to pay, if you are short on skill, expect to pay.....Not trying to scare you but sometimes self assessment of your situation will serve you better than finding a sorted car...

This thing is no Saleen...It won't start EVERY time you turn the key...(figure of speech)


That being said, NOTHING compares when its running right...Thats why these girls are still around!

Good luck, and one last note, keep the Saleen AND by the 355, problem solved!


My .02

 

This said, I believe a properly sorted and maintained 355 should start every time you turn the key. The old adagio Use them or lose them also holds for Ferraris. I use mine sparingly but try to exercise it at least once every month. In winter this is not always possible, though. Hooking the cars up to a decent trickle charger avoids disappointments when the time is there to give the horse the spurs.

Exactly! Whenever I drive mine I cannot prevent myself having a grin from one ear to the other. Driving top down with the V8 howling in your neck is simply divine. Very, very few cars can match this. Definitely not at this price level.

 

Boy, the weasel didn't spell correctly on a few occasions...WHEW

I was tired from working on it all day