[Partsman@PDX]

Well as of today I own a Porsche 993 and have always Loved the style and sound of a Ferrari. After driving a 456GT and a Mondial I am Itching for one even more. I am considering selling my 993 adding some dough and getting myself into a 355 or a 550 perhaps.
I have a few questions.

1. Has anyone here made that transition before? 911 to ferrari?
2. How is the reliability compared to a Porsche?
3. What is easier to work on yourself 355 or 550?
4. What would you buy 355 or 550 if you had the choice and why?

Thanks alot for any advice givin!

[Granucci]

Originally Posted by Partsman@PDX

Well as of today I own a Porsche 993 and have always Loved the style and sound of a Ferrari. After driving a 456GT and a Mondial I am Itching for one even more. I am considering selling my 993 adding some dough and getting myself into a 355 or a 550 perhaps.
I have a few questions.

1. Has anyone here made that transition before? 911 to ferrari?
2. How is the reliability compared to a Porsche?
3. What is easier to work on yourself 355 or 550?
4. What would you buy 355 or 550 if you had the choice and why?

Thanks alot for any advice givin!

1: Yes
2: Not as to a Porsche, but, there are many vars there....also, What year 911?
3: Depends, but the maint. on a well sorted, either model is easily the 550 over the 355
4: They are different experiences in terms of cornering and torque etc.

550 is a big torque car, large car, heavier car, and not as nimble as the 355..I would absolutely choose the 355 for mountain cornering, but would love the GTish experience of the 550

Looks, both beauties for their representations.

And I'm a great fan, now, of the 12 cylinder models.

Maintenance yearly, on a sorted car will be less on the 550...by far.

[wetpet]

1. pretty much everyone that owns a ferrari.
2. much less reliable and more expensive to fix.
3. 550
4. the 355 and 550 are very different cars. sort of like, but not exactly the same as a 911/panamera. all the same reasons.

ps. if you want "reliability" and to work on the car yourself, i would consider looking at the 328. then you can keep your speedlines!

Originally Posted by Partsman@PDX

Well as of today I own a Porsche 993 and have always Loved the style and sound of a Ferrari. After driving a 456GT and a Mondial I am Itching for one even more. I am considering selling my 993 adding some dough and getting myself into a 355 or a 550 perhaps.
I have a few questions.

1. Has anyone here made that transition before? 911 to ferrari?
2. How is the reliability compared to a Porsche?
3. What is easier to work on yourself 355 or 550?
4. What would you buy 355 or 550 if you had the choice and why?

Thanks alot for any advice givin!

[Dermot]

I actually did make that transition about 10 years ago - From a guards red 911 (993) to a silver 355B..

Lessons learnt - From a -ve perspective: Its not a daily driver (Unlike the 911) yes I know some people use them like this but I'm not sure why you would want to have a Ferrari as a daily driver mainly because its expensive to fix (My first bill was $12k when my Cats developed holes and the car needed a belt change) also it will attract a lot of attention (Are u ok with that?)

From a +ve perspective - Its a Ferrari! (Do I need to say more) Its way more enjoyable to drive then almost any other car on the road (inc a porsche BTW) and you may well fall in love with it which is more then can be said for most other cars :-)

If u want a kart like feel (More Porsche like I guess) go for a F355, if you want more comfort for touring etc (With bags of power) go for the 550.

Last thought: Owning a Ferrari is not for the faint of heart, its more about passion then logic - Theres really little way to justify it financially vs. a porsche so if your heart tells you Ferrari just enjoy the experience (The good and the bad) -- This forum is an amazing resource of talent and experience for you to draw on before and after you purchase, so feel free to ask!

[Boxer]

Originally Posted by Dermot

I actually did make that transition about 10 years ago - From a guards red 911 (993) to a silver 355B..

Lessons learnt - From a -ve perspective: Its not a daily driver (Unlike the 911) yes I know some people use them like this but I'm not sure why you would want to have a Ferrari as a daily driver mainly because its expensive to fix (My first bill was $12k when my Cats developed holes and the car needed a belt change) also it will attract a lot of attention (Are u ok with that?)

From a +ve perspective - Its a Ferrari! (Do I need to say more) Its way more enjoyable to drive then almost any other car on the road (inc a porsche BTW) and you may well fall in love with it which is more then can be said for most other cars :-)

If u want a kart like feel (More Porsche like I guess) go for a F355, if you want more comfort for touring etc (With bags of power) go for the 550.

Last thought: Owning a Ferrari is not for the faint of heart, its more about passion then logic - Theres really little way to justify it financially vs. a porsche so if your heart tells you Ferrari just enjoy the experience (The good and the bad) -- This forum is an amazing resource of talent and experience for you to draw on before and after you purchase, so feel free to ask!

+1, also went from a red 911 (993) to a red F355 GTS (1st Ferrari). Also owned an 550 a few years ago and have an 575 now. Both have been bullet proof.......which the F355 definitely was not.

[Partsman@PDX]

I see so clearly a 550 is probably a better starter Ferrari because of the maintanace/Service.

I currently own a 96' 911 C2.

[Jimmy Chen Shiba DDS]

Originally Posted by Partsman@PDX

I see so clearly a 550 is probably a better starter Ferrari because of the maintanace/Service.

I currently own a 96' 911 C2.

From a pragmatic standpoint, that may be the logical choice. Additional comment is that you may or may not like the "switch" from a rear, flat six to a front V12, at the least, the two are quite different in driving feel and purpose. Good luck with your decision. w/ smiles Jimmy

[Dermot]

Originally Posted by Partsman@PDX

I see so clearly a 550 is probably a better starter Ferrari because of the maintanace/Service.

I currently own a 96' 911 C2.

Yup, 550 is an amazing car at an amazing price rt now - Just make sure u get a fully documented service history and that the major service has been done recently (I'd recommend within the last 12 months - These services are expensive and need to be done every 3 years so u really don't want to have to pay out for the major just after you bought the car (I have a folder of receipts for my 550 that have been accumulated over that last 10 years, that is worth a lot to the next buyer who can see all the right work has been done by Ferrari certified garages/mechanics)

Dermot

[Dermot]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Chen Shiba DDS

From a pragmatic standpoint, that may be the logical choice. Additional comment is that you may or may not like the "switch" from a rear, flat six to a front V12, at the least, the two are quite different in driving feel and purpose. Good luck with your decision. w/ smiles Jimmy

Jimmys got a great point, the pull vs. push sensation and handling are really different so you should try both before deciding - The 550 also has a lot of bonnet length to accommodate that amazing V12 so parking "face in" needs to be done with some care to avoid tears :-(

[Need4Spd]

Read these before you decide.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=198430

http://www.oneyearwithaferrari.com/

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/sho...nance+cost+360

[Boxer]

Suggest you take a look at the Buyers Guides:

http://www.ferrarilife.com/library/guides.php

[Jimmy Chen Shiba DDS]

Gosh ...so many suggestions, so many things to consider,...but that's part of the fun. w/ smiles Jimmy

[Andrew]

Everyone here has chimed in excellent advice. As this is your first I'd also consider looking at a 360. The car is very solid and a great starter Ferrari.

Welcome to FerrariLife, let us know how your search goes.

[Dermot]

Originally Posted by Andrew

Everyone here has chimed in excellent advice. As this is your first I'd also consider looking at a 360. The car is very solid and a great starter Ferrari.

Welcome to FerrariLife, let us know how your search goes.

Thats a good point Andrew, 36O coupes are a very good price right now and should be more reliable - The other point I was going to make on the 355 is to stay clear of the F1 option if possible. I drove the F1 on the 355 (Which was introduced right at the end of the 355's build cycle) and because it was the first generation F1 it was very slow to operate and not very rewarding - So in my opinion, go for a stick shift if you are getting a 355.

[ECSofVirginia]

Unless you get a PERFECTLY sorted F355, you'll most likely feel a bit sour about Ferrari ownership if you buy one of these as your first. I have a client that's been searing for a F355 for 6 months, every one of them has some sort of "baggage" no one wants to admit to. They're also one of the more expensive of the modern cars for service/maintanence, and not "hobbiest" friendly.
I agree that buying any V8 before or after the F355 will be a much more enjoyable introduction. The 550 is a remarkably pleasant and fast car to drive, also very reasonably priced. Much easier to service thus making the costs more reasonable also.

[Boxer]

Originally Posted by Dermot

Thats a good point Andrew, 36O coupes are a very good price right now and should be more reliable - The other point I was going to make on the 355 is to stay clear of the F1 option if possible. I drove the F1 on the 355 (Which was introduced right at the end of the 355's build cycle) and because it was the first generation F1 it was very slow to operate and not very rewarding - So in my opinion, go for a stick shift if you are getting a 355.

+1 having owned both a F355 and a 360, the 360 will be a lot less pain to own.

[Granucci]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Chen Shiba DDS

From a pragmatic standpoint, that may be the logical choice. Additional comment is that you may or may not like the "switch" from a rear, flat six to a front V12, at the least, the two are quite different in driving feel and purpose. Good luck with your decision. w/ smiles Jimmy

He'll LOVE IT, he can always get a rear-ender, er, Porsche. But the 12 will make a different person of him

OP< go out and drive one!!!! you'll fall in love...

[Jimmy Chen Shiba DDS]

Originally Posted by Granucci

He'll LOVE IT, he can always get a rear-ender, er, Porsche. But the 12 will make a different person of him

OP< go out and drive one!!!! you'll fall in love...

I have no doubt that V12 would be thoroughly appreciiated. The intent was simply to mention the difference between the two. As a sidenote to support Porsche et al, far too many owners do not understand the full potentials (fun and thrill) of Porsches simply because they (including myself) drive for daily drive mode, instead of bringing out the true potentials of Porsches for excitement.

Back to the main theme, yes, V12 would be a great experience. w/ smiles Jimmy

[Need4Spd]

Originally Posted by Andrew

Everyone here has chimed in excellent advice. As this is your first I'd also consider looking at a 360. The car is very solid and a great starter Ferrari.

Welcome to FerrariLife, let us know how your search goes.

FWIW, I went with a 360 after looking at a number of 355s and taking the advice of a local independent. The 355 is a beautiful car, classically Pininfarina, and it is smaller, which is a plus for narrow backroads. But engine-out procedures are required for a number of "routine" services, whereas the same services can be performed on a 360 with the engine still in the car. No small wonder service can cost 2x as much as a result. Despite its larger size, 360s are lighter than 355s and have a few more HP, so they are marginally quicker. On the other hand, the gap in price between the two, while shrinking, can pay for quite a few services.

[Boxer]

Build quality on the 360 is much better than the F355.