Gav

Is it wise to buy a Ferrari 355 now or are they going to drop significantly in value? I know the Spiders tend to hold value better but what about the others? I've not read a great deal into them and have noticed a few variants, I gather the F1 has the paddle gearbox but what about the Berlinetta and the GTS, how are they different??? Is there a particular model year to look out for due to upgrades etc??

Gav..

RichB

You can get a both a GTS and a Berlinetta with the F1 box as well as the spider.
GTS is targa top, the roof panel comes off, not sure you can store it on board, might go behind the seats...
Buy as late as you can afford IMHO (obviously)

Don't let anyone put you off the F1 gearbox, you must try it yourself, I had a 360 F1 and it was awesome. Never actually drove a manual 360, tried a LHD 355 and it was ok, I just loved the paddles. They improved on the 360 around the 2000 so the 355 won't be as 'modern'

Make sure you buy from a reputable dealer. Get it checked and check for recalls. If you go F1 - make sure you get the clutch wear checked, the computer would tell the dealer at service time and a new clutch can hurt.
Mine was at 92-97% wear when I parted company and the ECU should have been done as a recall but wasn't by the wnaker local main dealer!

Also a main dealer report might tell you if the car is honest, some dealers have been known to run the cars with the speedo disconnected but the ECU still clocks up the miles...

Tyres may not be as bad as you'd think, had a quote for a set of Pzeros around the 6-700 mark.

Fuel hurts

Go to www.ferrarichat.com for better info.

Dealers to try are www.verdi.biz www.khpc.co.uk www.dkeng.co.uk www.rossocorsa.co.uk but do your homework, some don't favour as well as others in customer satisfaction - RC for one! Verdi has a good name.

Insurance was not bad either. Try Liverpool Victoria, I paid £1050 fully comp, no points/claims, garaged class 1 8yrs ncb.

I can't stress enough about doing your homework and buying right. If you smell something fishy, walk away, don't shop with your heart, let you head do the talking!

It looks like the 355s have stabilised, the 360s seem to be still going down with the LHDs in the 50's and early RHDs for 60k. My old one has been for sale for a year though I think still at 70k - A rip off!

Enjoy, you won't forget it!

Adam M

just never work on one because the 355 is riddled with design faults.

I always aspired to own one until i was drastically discouraged by a mechanic friend who now has direct experience of them.

The berlinetta manual is the car for me. ferraris of 355 vintage need an open gate manual. They aren't fast, but the noise is to die for. sadly looking very dated now in my opinion.

I have abandoned my dream of owning one and am now heading towards a 430 as the car I will own one day.

Blow dogs ferrari experience - www.blowdog.com - should give you an indepth account of the ownership experience albeit in his case of a 550.

stilover

From what I've read (rightly or wrongly) the F1 paddle system goes through clutches faster than a manual box. Replacement clutches are meant to be engine out jobs.

New Clutch = Loads of cash
Labour cost = Bucket load of cash.

Read Evo's long term reports on the 550. The amount of money they have spend on it is unreal. Although they do use it quite alot.

marky1

I have a 2003 360 F1, bought second hand. The first owner went through 2 clutches, one at 16,000km, next at 31,000. From what I have read the F1 on the 355 actually seems to last a lot longer, have seen report of 30,000 miles + Have to say though, they are great cars, yes they cost more than your average car to service but I think in the UK now with all the specialists it isn't so bad anymore. Verdi do cam belts now for a fixed price, on the 360 I think they charge about £450. If you buy anything make sure you get a PPI done and that it has a full service history, and comes with all keys and fobs, (2 black, 1 red) Without the Red one you could have expensive probelms.

luke m

i sincerely hope you do more homework than asking a question on sn!!

RichB

why luke? - everyone on here is a certified expert at everything didn't you even know THAT

Gav

Luke - would never part with 45k and do no research

Didnt realise the running costs were so high though. Obviously i thought being a Ferrari they wont be cheap but anything goes wrong and it's a massive bill by all accounts Might wait for the 360's to drop a little more then

Think this one's stunning though CLICKY

chris singleton

Adam, if that mechanic friend of yours is who I think it is, ask him what he thought of the black 355 we encountered a couple of days ago

355 was always my dream car, I'd still love to have one, they look awesome on the road IMHO but will look slightly dated if you pull up at the lights next to a 360

Did anyone see 5th gear a month or two ago, bloke was giving away his 355 if you bought his house
Chris

chris singleton

I second that motion

RichB

I dont reckon the 360s will drop that much more now at the lower end, the 348s being 25-40, the 355s being 35-50 and the 360s being 50-80.
2 years ago a good 2000 360f1 was 76-80k and now there 60-70 but now they've got 20k+ on them... Anything much over 20k and I reckon it becomes much harder to sell, I know someone who had one with 36k and took a right kick in the teeth on it. Mine had 12k, still took a while to sell mind.

slim_boy_fat

How much do you get for a kidney on eBay

mattbeef

that car looks awesome, always had a soft spot for the 355's