[Taximan1]

I have decided I would like to own a 355. I have always liked the style of this car, and they are now at a price point. Which is tough to pass up.

Here are my questions.
-Is there 1 particular model year I should stay away from, Or lean specifically toward? Obviously price is an issue, but speaking from a mechanical perspective only..

-What Trans. is most reliable? I would prefer manual. But would rather not worry about doing a clutch job during my ownership.

-Driveability. How do they drive? Being this is a car that most owners will not allow "test drives". I have not had the opportunity to drive this car yet?

My goal is to buy the car right, keep it for 1-2 years, keep the depreciation/expenses to a minimum, and sell.. I'm looking for a nice example, no paintwork, no stories. What do you all see these cars doing as far as depreciation goes?

While I am new to these, the one thing that has kept me from owning one. Is of course the maintinence.. I would like to find a 355 in the 20-40k mile range, that is up to date on services.. I Just can't see paying top dollar for a super low mileage car(under 10k), since I will be driving it anyway..Obviously if I can find a low mileage car realistically priced, that would be great also. I have one located now with 40k miles on it. Price is nearly a give away. All sunny day mileage. Should I be concerened?

PS - Now to really throw a wrench into things . I would "consider" a 360 or 512TR... However, I believe the 360's will continue to depreciate. and the 512TR I was worried about service issues.. So, I kind of ruled them out. However, Any Opinions on those two?

 

[Ferrari328GT]

355

I have worked on, and really enjoy F355s. With a Tubi exhaust, they sound like Formula 1 cars, even when you drive them slowly. All you want to do is go through the gears, slow down and do it again. I'm sure you have read other threads about maintanance items like exhaust manifolds, valve guides, and catalytic converters, so I won't go into detail here. I have also written that I would stay away from the spiders. I love top-down cars, but the power top mechanism is more complicated than the space shuttle. Too many things to screw up. I'd go for the GTS, which gives you that open air feeling without all that expensive machinery. -Steve

 

[BANANA]

When i was looking to buy a 355 i remember specialists telling me to avoid early 95/96 cars because they suffered from problems. can't remember what. so i bought a 98 model f355 spider. i've had it 2 years with no problems at all. my car is not garaged, and is used every chance i get. i hear the f1 transmission in the 355 is not reliable. and is not a smooth transmission. i havent driven an f1 car so i'm just going on what ppl have told me. don't worry about the clutch issue i'm sure its cheaper to change the clutch on a manual car than changing the f1 clutches which do wear out. in my opinion most ferraris have had paint at some point. ferraris are like any car. their paint is not made in heaven. the youngest 355 you will find would be a 2000 model and its bound to have had some paint. if its done to a high standard than thats no problem at all. fit a capristo exhaust on it. in my opinion its the best sounding by far. if you can stretch to a 360 well buy that. i just bought a 360 spider and its a much better car than the 355. better built too. and more comfortable to drive. and faster.

 

[williamtaylor]

Suggest you take a look at our F355 Buyers Guide. It can be downloaded from:

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