348 or 355 as a first ferrari and why?

Brian · 04-11-2012, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredptbr

Thanks guys, valuable info. As far as doing things myself, that's out of the question.. I don't have the knowledge nor the time to spend on a car.
The power steering is certainly something to consider, since you can't always be on the open road, and sometimes you will be in stop and go traffic. I think comfort has to be a part of the overall driving experience.. Lets face it i'm not gonna race the damb thing.lol. So I'm not looking for the tightest handling or stiffest suspention. Only joy rides to melt the stress away..
Great comparison with the Mini, that gives me a good idea already...
But you guys are right, got to drive them to make up my mind...

What everyone chooses to ignore or just does not know is that the power steering was chosen to make the cars handle better. The power steering allowed them to not only provide a faster ratio rack but also give the cars a more aggressive suspension geometry. Both would have made the non power cars steering effort unacceptably high.

If power steering in the 355 reduced the cars or drivers capability in any way why were all the Challenge cars equipped with it? Those were purpose built race cars. Parking effort was hardly a consideration.

My advice would be to buy a 360. The 348 and 355 are more costly to operate and have never been as reliable.

julianlarives · 04-11-2012, 12:35 PM

Hallo Fred,

if you could be interested I'm proposing an F355 F1 GTS Cabrio and a 512 Testarossa, owning to the noble Visconti dinasty of Milan, Italy.

With your budget we could sell you both.

Thanks for your attention and hope an interest.

Regards,
Marco

lucca brazzi · 04-11-2012, 05:08 PM

i had the opprtunity to drive a 355 GTS a while back,, i also was curious about how the power steering would feel , compared to my 328, and it wasnt bad at all, ,i was impressed by the cars excellent mechanical grip,and of course,its hard pressed to find a Ferrari with such a savage, F1 exhaust sound , when it comes to that scream,,its hard to beat, I have also been considering a 355. I myself would rather not have power steering,one F Car guy said that some early 95 s actually came delivered with a non power rack and pinion steering set up,,if thats the case,and money is no object , maybe you can swap out the steering gear for the non power unit,.or maybe disconnect the power steering pump,,if thats possible ( and while your at it, get rid of the insanely ugly airbag steering wheel ). I would definitely recommend driving one, i think you would be very suprised at the feel and feedback . When i took my drive in it,i was on my infamous palos verdes canyon road and was able to do some nice cornering with it .I would also stay away from the F1 gearbox..i believe this was Ferraris first try at a paddle shifted road car and have heard on numerous occasions that they have been lots of trouble,,but then again,as i have said many times,who wants a Ferrari with paddles LOL ..good luck , Brett PS..the 355 is the last car to look like a design from PininFarina , up until of course the 458. when it comes to a mid mounted machine .

Markp · 04-11-2012, 06:40 PM

It's a trivial thing to depower most power steering racks. If that's what you are looking for.

04-11-2012, 10:53 PM

If you are thinking of buying a 355 this thread might be useful (also has other links in the comments section)

PH Buying Guide: Ferrari F355

The 355 is a stunning looking car. I was thinking of buying one myself, before deciding that it was too similar in concept/age to my 993.

One thing I would say, is that running costs are not cheap. I did see a few and was surprised by how big the invoices were. And there are some known, relatively expensive problems.

Perhaps it is just me, but I didn't like the spider because the windscreen is much lower than the GTB and GTS and it felt like my head was poking out of the top of the car (and the top of the windscreen was getting in the way of my vision). But others don't seem to have a problem.

Definitely worth driving the 348, 355 and a 360 too if you can (I had a very enjoyable drive in a 360 spider last year).

Good luck and let us know what you buy.

04-11-2012, 05:08 PM	#23
lucca brazzi Owner Join Date: Jun 2011 Ferrari Life Posts: 635	355 i had the opprtunity to drive a 355 GTS a while back,, i also was curious about how the power steering would feel , compared to my 328, and it wasnt bad at all, ,i was impressed by the cars excellent mechanical grip,and of course,its hard pressed to find a Ferrari with such a savage, F1 exhaust sound , when it comes to that scream,,its hard to beat, I have also been considering a 355. I myself would rather not have power steering,one F Car guy said that some early 95 s actually came delivered with a non power rack and pinion steering set up,,if thats the case,and money is no object , maybe you can swap out the steering gear for the non power unit,.or maybe disconnect the power steering pump,,if thats possible ( and while your at it, get rid of the insanely ugly airbag steering wheel ). I would definitely recommend driving one, i think you would be very suprised at the feel and feedback . When i took my drive in it,i was on my infamous palos verdes canyon road and was able to do some nice cornering with it .I would also stay away from the F1 gearbox..i believe this was Ferraris first try at a paddle shifted road car and have heard on numerous occasions that they have been lots of trouble,,but then again,as i have said many times,who wants a Ferrari with paddles LOL ..good luck , Brett PS..the 355 is the last car to look like a design from PininFarina , up until of course the 458. when it comes to a mid mounted machine . Attached Images Last edited by lucca brazzi; 04-11-2012 at 05:24 PM.

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04-11-2012, 12:35 PM	#22
julianlarives Join Date: Apr 2012 Ferrari Life Posts: 2	Hallo Fred, if you could be interested I'm proposing an F355 F1 GTS Cabrio and a 512 Testarossa, owning to the noble Visconti dinasty of Milan, Italy. With your budget we could sell you both. Thanks for your attention and hope an interest. Regards, Marco

04-11-2012, 06:40 PM	#24
Markp Owner Join Date: Mar 2012 Ferrari Life Posts: 109	It's a trivial thing to depower most power steering racks. If that's what you are looking for.

04-11-2012, 10:53 PM	#25
Schnellmann Guest Ferrari Life Posts: n/a	If you are thinking of buying a 355 this thread might be useful (also has other links in the comments section) PH Buying Guide: Ferrari F355 The 355 is a stunning looking car. I was thinking of buying one myself, before deciding that it was too similar in concept/age to my 993. One thing I would say, is that running costs are not cheap. I did see a few and was surprised by how big the invoices were. And there are some known, relatively expensive problems. Perhaps it is just me, but I didn't like the spider because the windscreen is much lower than the GTB and GTS and it felt like my head was poking out of the top of the car (and the top of the windscreen was getting in the way of my vision). But others don't seem to have a problem. Definitely worth driving the 348, 355 and a 360 too if you can (I had a very enjoyable drive in a 360 spider last year). Good luck and let us know what you buy.