355 vs 360

If you love both cars then its an easy decision IMHO, the 355 hands down.

I recently bought a 95 355GTB and couldnt be happier with my choice. The 355 has alot of depreciation already in it when I bought. I paid 76.5k for mine. As opposed to 170k+ for a 360 GTB. I personally think its a no brainer. I like value per $$ in most things I buy and i think the 355 Berlinetta's are a great buy right now. Even more so the 95's IF you can find one that has had the valve guides replaced as well as a few other known problems taken care off.

Apart from the money issue I also like the styling much better of the 355 which I think is stunning especially in the yellow Berlinetta . No disrespect to 360 owners but the rounded styling does not do anything for me and it doesnt scream Ferrari like some of the older models. No doubt the 360 has a plusher interior and slightly better performance but not enough to justify an extra 100k IMO. Of course you will have better warranties etc! with a new 360 and that is worth something.

But if money's no object just go drive em' both and buy on gut feel. Either way you wont be dissapointed. Good luck. Let us know what you decide.

If you love both cars then its an easy decision IMHO, the 355 hands down.

I recently bought a 95 355GTB and couldnt be happier with my choice. The 355 has alot of depreciation already in it when I bought. I paid 76.5k for mine. As opposed to 170k+ for a 360 GTB. I personally think its a no brainer. I like value per $$ in most things I buy and i think the 355 Berlinetta's are a great buy right now. Even more so the 95's IF you can find one that has had the valve guides replaced as well as a few other known problems taken care off.

Apart from the money issue I also like the styling much better of the 355 which I think is stunning especially in the yellow Berlinetta . No disrespect to 360 owners but the rounded styling does not do anything for me and it doesnt scream Ferrari like some of the older models. No doubt the 360 has a plusher interior and slightly better performance but not enough to justify an extra 100k IMO. Of course you will have better warranties etc! with a new 360 and that is worth something.

But if money's no object just go drive em' both and buy on gut feel. Either way you wont be dissapointed. Good luck. Let us know what you decide.

Dj Dirk said:

welcome phatdiablo

adelaide has good wheater right?
that would be an easy choice for me then
a 355 Spider

and if you ever decide togo for a V12 wich isn't a ferrari
then take a Murcie or a Vanquish

Click to expand...

DJ Dirk i think we will get on just right, a murcie or vanquish is exactly what i would love to own. adelaide is at the bottom of australia in the south which means we have reasonable weather very sunny in the summer and balmy bright winters not too many rainy days.

i think i will opt for a f355. red over tan with the stick not F1 as i have spoken to various people and through this site have found out the 355 f1 has many problems.

i would like the one with the roof panel that is removable not the full convertable i believe this is the GTS. i also found the local dealer for ferraris in adelaide www.prestigeformula.com.au (<<<- Enzo please use in dealers database.) i hope to go there in the next week or so and see the cars up close.

a further queston to you guys. if the dealer has only one car that suits my requirements and has full books and service history is it advised to buy it. OR did you guys test drive more than one of the same model. i have heard that its not too easy to testdrive these machines. im just curious if you bought the first one you drove????

Cheers
-Pete

I don't think you could ever get disappointed by a 355, it's a fantastic car. Stunning noise
There is a little although not outstanding difference in overall performance between the 355 and the 360, but I would not make this a criterion for decision.
F1 vs stick, matter of preference AND usage purpose.
Esthetics of the 360 are more controversial than the 355, and the 360 is not available as a GTS. Interior of the 360 is more modern, but there are still a few questionable design 'features' such the silver console, aircon controls and door speaker housings which look plain cheap.

Things to remember though is that:
- the 355 still has a few seminal reliability issues, such as the exhaust manifolds, C pillar base cracks or valve guides
- the 355 is more expensive to maintain as the 4y timing belts change requires the engine to be taken out while the 360 doesn't, significant difference in labour costs.

Now, one may argue that you can pay a lot of maintenance on a 355 with the depreciation budget of a 360.

If you want just want to own a Ferrari, then get the F355 with manual gearbox. It's the best value for money Ferrari. If you want a Ferrari to drive and you enjoy fast driving, then go for the 360 Modena F1. There's no car that's as enjoyable as the 360 Modena.

I know, I owned a 328GTS, an F355 and a 360 Modena all at the same time. So I do take them out one after the other during the weekend, so I do get to experience and compare them back-to-back, so I know what I'm talking about.

I love to drive more than to own a car. So when a certain car gets rave reviews in all the car magazines, it is time for me to try it out. I sold the 328 GTS and replaced it with a Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R. I then sold the F355 and replaced it with a Porsche GT3. So I had a few weekend cars to play around with. Sold the R34 and got a BMW X-5 4.4. Sold that too last year. Will be selling my Modena soon as my 360 Challenge Stradale will arrive in March. I'm a car nut.

So if you love to drive, get the 360 Modena. If you just want to own a Ferrari, get the F355.

BTW 99% of the Ferraris sold in Japan are LHD. It's the status symbol in Japan to have exotic cars in LHD. But Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and Indonesia are all RHD. But for import into Australia, the Aussie authorities insist on Australian specs, so it's difficut and expensive (to comply) for used cars to be imported into Australia.