[RubiFan]

Please forgive this newbies ignorance but I do have two questions. I think I already made up my mind but am looking for my Ferrari brethren to give me that warm fuzzy about my pending decision.

First, I am thinking about making my first ever Ferrari purchase and it will be a black/black 1999 F355 F1 Spider with about 29K miles. They are asking $60k. Is that a decent or indecent price. I have done some research but prices seem to be all over the board.

Secondly, I live in a condo unit with indoor garage. It is a good neighborhood and I thought I would just put the cover on and let it be. Are there other owners here who have less than ideal parking situations? Has it been ok so far?

Thank you all and hope to see you on the roads.

[tazandjan]

Welcome to Ferrari Life. Make sure you introduce yourself in Member Intros, which gets a lot more traffic than the Pre-Purchase Help section.

Indoor parking of any kind should be fine for an F355. Never put a cover on a car unless it is really clean, though. Scratches the paint. The F355 alarm system is good enough that it is sometimes difficult for the owners to steal their own car.

The price you quote on the car is actually very reasonable if the car has good service records and passes a pre-purchase inspection by a local expert. F355s require an engine out service every three to five years to change out the cambelts, and that will be relatively expensive. Factor into the price when the last belt change was completed. As an aside, the 30,000 mile service on Ferraris is the big one, informally called a major, but if many of the items on that list have been done on a time schedule instead or previously accomplished, it might not be too bad.

If you go to ferraridatabase.com, you can download F355 owners manuals, the three volume workshop manual, and much miscellaneous F355 tech data. Ferrari Life also has an F355 Buyer's Guide you will find useful.

We have F355 owners who can chime in and provide some more useful information than the general stuff I mentioned.

Welcome and good luck on this becoming your dream Ferrari.

[champagne612]

Rubi

Welcome to Flife

The 355 is one of the best looking Ferrari's ever made - never seen a blk blk any photos?

Price sounds right - just depends how the PPI turns out.

[Boxer]

One thing to consider, if you are going to let the F355 sit for more than a week, it will need to be put on a battery conditioner or the alarm will kill the battery. Is there an outlet you can use in the garage?

[Barry]

RubiFan
Welcome to Ferrari Life. Have you any links to the car in question that you are considering?

[Magnum6464]

Welcome....

Black on Black with 29k miles for $60... I find a little high unless they can prove a full major was just done in the last 6 months -Max a year, with documentation and tools and the interior be in excellent condition.


Do you have pictures?


~

Mario

[Granucci]

Welcome: 355 on of my favs.

The only think I could think of interior with other units [is that the case?] is bumping of doors. Might want to consider a pool noodle with rope and hang between them, and use something from the ceiling to position the car without hitting the nose [or rear if parking backward].

Agree on the covers, unless very clean and soft, they will cause more concern, but that's my take. Have had that issue before.

Quick dust off using a Muguires spot spray might do the trick, but that's almost as bad as some covers.

Get the PPI or at a minimum review ALL the records of what/who did where and especially the 'gaps' issues if any. DO DOWNLOAD our Buyer's guide for some other tips.
welcome to FL.

PS: See, one can be a 'Virgin' more than once

[brettgagnon]

We live in a condo, but really it all depends on your condo. In mine there are multiple Porsches, Maseratis and the like, we are single entrance and secured, so yes I have no issues parking any of our cars there. If you are not as secure than I cannot answer it personally.

Originally Posted by RubiFan

Please forgive this newbies ignorance but I do have two questions. I think I already made up my mind but am looking for my Ferrari brethren to give me that warm fuzzy about my pending decision.

First, I am thinking about making my first ever Ferrari purchase and it will be a black/black 1999 F355 F1 Spider with about 29K miles. They are asking $60k. Is that a decent or indecent price. I have done some research but prices seem to be all over the board.

Secondly, I live in a condo unit with indoor garage. It is a good neighborhood and I thought I would just put the cover on and let it be. Are there other owners here who have less than ideal parking situations? Has it been ok so far?

Thank you all and hope to see you on the roads.

[RubiFan]

Thanks all. You are right I should have started with the pictures. And here they are.

I definitely will do the PPI although they claim the major has been accomplished.

Did take your advice, became a paid member and downloaded the F355 Buyer's Guide.

There is no outlet so I guess I will have to go in and start her up on on the weekends or something.

As for the garage, its not the most secured but at the least the neighborhood is good.

Oh boy, ownership is already becoming stressful and I havent even bought the thing yet

[tazandjan]

RF- Looks nice. Do you get the OEM wheels along with the HREs?

[RubiFan]

Originally Posted by Boxer

One thing to consider, if you are going to let the F355 sit for more than a week, it will need to be put on a battery conditioner or the alarm will kill the battery. Is there an outlet you can use in the garage?

Is that the trickle charger I've heard some have?

[RubiFan]

Originally Posted by Granucci

Welcome: 355 on of my favs.

Agree on the covers, unless very clean and soft, they will cause more concern, but that's my take. Have had that issue before.

But what about that cover that comes with them? The red one stored in the front? Is that soft enough to avoid scratching as well as strong enough to protect?

[tazandjan]

RF- Covers work fine as long as the car is clean. The Ferrari supplied covers are really indoor covers anyway. Any cover will scratch a car pretty badly if the car is dirty. To be real honest, all that will happen to the car parked under cover would be that it gets dusty, just like mine does sitting in the garage. I would just leave it uncovered. The cover is certainly no deterrent to theft or other mischief.

[Boxer]

Originally Posted by RubiFan

Is that the trickle charger I've heard some have?

Yes.

[Barry]

Originally Posted by RubiFan

Is that the trickle charger I've heard some have?

Have a look at this for info...
Battery charging / conditioning

[RubiFan]

Thank you all. I really appreciate you all taking the time to help me out.

[Barry]

Originally Posted by RubiFan

Thank you all. I really appreciate you all taking the time to help me out.

Any closer to a purchase?

[RubiFan]

Originally Posted by Barry

Any closer to a purchase?

Hi Barry,

I have heard so many horror stories that I am not sure any more. I seen where even new models turned out to be money pits. Then I watch the more practical and still high performing porsches and compare it to the ferrari that would require advance planning before each outing - the ferrari that would sit for most of the time while i still make payments on it as it depreciates and I wonder why would I go Ferrari? It is a spiritual-car-war within me.

[tazandjan]

I have owned Ferraris since 1975. I have never had one strand me and have never had a major problem on any of the four cars. You can scare yourself off and if it makes you really nervous, you might be better off with a Corvette or a Porsche. Be advised, though, there is no comparison between those two fine marques and a Ferrari.

[a1exander]

Like with most machines if you look after them they will look after you.
If you are a sympathetic user of the machine it will reward you.

Most performance cars (for that matter most cars) are prone to breakdowns if the owner/user has zero feel.
Now as to the 355 my biased opinion is that it is the best bang for the buck and on the proviso that you look after it (not pamper it) it will afford you much pleasure. Much more than a P car for example.

As to depreciation I guess all of it has happened on a 25 year old car so you should have little if any.

I would propose that you try and attend a Ferrari owners meeting and ask some of the owners to take you for a drive.
You will gain a different perspective once you hear them describe their cars and once you get first hand knowledge of costs from the horses mouth so to speak.

Over 16 years I have owned 3 F cars and every day I exit and enter my house via the garage.
Buy it and enjoy it in good health.