[colonel1961]

Enjoyed them both, but the F355B is my choice between the two...

 

[PrancingHorse70]

In a heart beat 360. She is lighter faster more reliable and cheaper to maintain. Just put my money where my mouth is.

 

[il Capolino]

Not true, if you bought one brand new, now it is currently worth less than half.
:cry3:

My friend this is important, please let me explain your missunderstanding:thumbsup::

1. The car does NOT take away half of your fortune when you let it go.

2. Nor has it taken away half of its value from you from new - YOU took that half and gave it to yourself for your own rejoice in mileage and value added to your life. You have taken that value away from the next owner and it is now your enrichment. You are that much larger!:crowngrin:

 

[champagne612]

Both choices are great :thumbsup:

Welcome to FLife

All Ferrari's are wonderful machines and the greatest one resides in your garage.

 

[tazandjan]

Edger is really fascinated by our responses. He has two posts, the last of which was 28 Aug 2010. Most likely no 355 or 360 for him, but who knows? At least the rest of us were interested in the answers to his question.

 

[lucca brazzi]

355

there is no debate as far as im concerned...the 355 is a much better looking car,,,i have never liked the 360,,,im not sure what kind of drugs they were smoking/sniffing at Pininfarina..but the car looks like shittt.(360 owners please dont take it personaly)..it might have the better motor,,but who cares.it does not look the part one bit !!..the only thing they got right,,was the steering wheel (interior is also nice ),,the only item i dislike about the 355 is the steering wheel,,,whoever designed that,,was also on methanphetamine !!..i have heard that the 430 was what the 360 should have been,,,the 430 is a better looking car...but Pininfarina,,,finally got recovery.,,hence... the 458,,,!!!!! my 328 gets more looks and compliments than any 360 or 430...lol,,,and frankly., like the 355...is what a Ferrari is suppose to look like,one more opinion on the 458,,,the led headlights,,,dont do it for me,(twin - moving HID beams incorporated in each front fender would have been much better ),,other than that,,its no doubt,,a proper Ferrari,,,!! the photos tell the story...

 

[voila]

I had the same conundrum. The 360 is great, the Spider version cuts the car's design lines, in my eyes. I do lik the roof going into the car. The 355 is so much fun and feels like I have more control than the test drives in the 360s, they remind me of the Maserati. The 360, in my humble opinion, is more computerized and doesn't give the control that I want when driving a stick... I'm biased as I went with a the 355, F355 GTS. It's the last truly "hand-built" Ferrari and the design looks better, in my humble opinion.

 

[Sandy Eggo]

After swearing for years that I don't like the 360, I have finally warmed up to it. As a current F355 GTS owner, I actually considered swapping out of it for a gorgeous 360 Spider 6 speed (manual) that I found online last week. I went to see said Spider and while it is really nice, I know I would always regret letting the F355 go. For an extra 20 HP, it's just not worth the $20k to "trade-up".

One of the little things that bugged me about the 6 speed manual on the 360 is how short the throws are through the gate. I know this is probably an advantage but I'd miss the drama of the F355's gate - not to mention the jagged little dogleg for reverse.

 

[champagne612]

The 355 is one very good looking car as is the 360.

But the 355 Spider is one of my favorite Ferrari's - it's one of the few cars with pop up headlights that has aged well.

 

[Boxer]

Long term IMHO, the F355 will be regarded as one of Ferraris most elegant modern designs. Not sure the 360 will make that cut. However the build quality and "usability" on the 360 are in a different league than the F355.

 

[348TBD]

I've had both and prefer the 355 out of the two. Its a bit more rough around the edges which i like!

 

[Ledude]

I have long debated with myself which Ferrari I would purchase if I had to choose between these two. I love the lines of both of these models and I believe they will age very well. To give you more of a picture of what I'm considering, the models will have the following features:

F355 Berlinetta (coupe)

• Rossa Corsa (exterior)
• tan leather (interior)
• 6 speed manual transmission (stick shift)
• fender shields
• no challenge grill
• other: factory cover(s), tools, books, etc.

or

360 Spider (convertible)

• Rossa Corsa (exterior)
• tan leather (interior)
• 6 speed manual transmission (stick shift)
• fender shields
• challenge grill
• modular wheels
• other: factory cover(s), tools, books, etc.

Which one would you recommend? I am also concerned with the average annual maintenance expenses for each model (although, chances are it'll still be less expensive than a woman 👍 hahaha). I do not know what they are, but would greatly appreciate some feedback on this matter. Thanks

Hi there, if you're still looking...here my 2 cents!
Both the 355 and the 360 manuals are awesome cars, but very different. The key question is what you want to do with them and how you intend on driving.
If you're ok with doing A to A, then the beautiful 355 is fine. It has the best sounding exhaust of all, followed by the 360CS.. in my experience, the 355 has many small issues and quite often something goes south while you're on a road trip. hence the A to A thought, implying you have the time to wait for tow truck etc... Then again, if the 355 was well maintained as others point out here, you're in luck, but it can be like a lottery ticket.. in addition, maintenance costs are considerably higher than the 360 where Ferrari designers used some common sense to reduce costs and time of workmen on the car.
If however, you plan on driving harder, get miles on the car, occasional visit to track for a round or two, and most importantly go on extended road trip or just daily drives, the 360 is the way better choice. It has a slightly higher CPG than the 355, but is much stiffer and more reliable. The 360 is the first of th modern Ferraris whereas the 355 was perhaps the last one influenced by the master Enzo.
Also, if you do get the 355, take one without the airbag (not sure if these exist in the US). The mom steering wheel just looks raw and old school (which i like)

Anyhow, good luck with the purchase, you'll enjoy both!

 

[Granucci]

Never heard of a 355 without an airbag but I may just be ignorant.
I have owned neither. My first drive was a 355 spider F1.
Having been through the Ferrari game I agree with Boxer's takes.
I would suggest the 360 stick.
However, my now recommendation is, go up a few bucks to a 430 and you'll be glad you did. The chain belt is one sole reason to never regret your decision.
Until our 599, I/we (we had his' and her's at the same time) was ALWAYS a trip where part of our driving responsibly was a brain portion feeling the engine's nuances. Ya' that should be a part of the concern but our experience was making sure if things went south we had a plan. Have been towed many times and some were bummers when a trip or event was in play: happened at least four/six times. 360 less issues. And to be clear, we always performed maintenance but a rep Ferrari mech. Things... happen in Ferraris.

Unless your mated to the older responsibility of 'classis' looks (responsibility means money) I would choose a newer best of the model vehicle.
The 355 experience regardless of entry cost WILL be more expensive, by far, than even the early 360s. The 430 might be a few $k entry more but less over time.
The idea you are also doing the engine out belt, water pump, or other front end issues on a 355 is, well 'ok' if you are truly a gearhead: we've done many engine outs on American cars but simply choose to skip the Ferraris. YMMV. we applaud those that do and perhaps that's you.
But if not, choose newer. in our opinion.

PS: depreciation?! Pffft. At their bottom end the tend to again go back up in price after a few years. Drive the heck out of them and they are happy. Otherwise thing truly go wrong. NEVER understood those that have queens.
Even those that own $30 million plus examples RACE THEM. it's not about disposable income, it's about enjoying what should be the attraction, driving it.
Want to save money? Don't buy an exotic unless it's a priceless one.
Jim Glickenhouse (sic) said it best: "saving your car for the next buyer is like saving your lover for the next person. Why?"

 

[jorgegutierrez7]

I have long debated with myself which Ferrari I would purchase if I had to choose between these two. I love the lines of both of these models and I believe they will age very well. To give you more of a picture of what I'm considering, the models will have the following features:

F355 Berlinetta (coupe)

• Rossa Corsa (exterior)
• tan leather (interior)
• 6 speed manual transmission (stick shift)
• fender shields
• no challenge grill
• other: factory cover(s), tools, books, etc.

or

360 Spider (convertible)

• Rossa Corsa (exterior)
• tan leather (interior)
• 6 speed manual transmission (stick shift)
• fender shields
• challenge grill
• modular wheels
• other: factory cover(s), tools, books, etc.

Which one would you recommend? I am also concerned with the average annual maintenance expenses for each model (although, chances are it'll still be less expensive than a woman 👍 hahaha). I do not know what they are, but would greatly appreciate some feedback on this matter. Thanks

360 ALL THE WAY. LOVE THE BODY STYLE SINCE I HEAVILY STARTED BEING INTO CARS

 

[Boxer]

Never heard of a 355 without an airbag but I may just be ignorant.
I have owned neither. My first drive was a 355 spider F1.
Having been through the Ferrari game I agree with Boxer's takes.
I would suggest the 360 stick.
However, my now recommendation is, go up a few bucks to a 430 and you'll be glad you did. The chain belt is one sole reason to never regret your decision.
Until our 599, I/we (we had his' and her's at the same time) was ALWAYS a trip where part of our driving responsibly was a brain portion feeling the engine's nuances. Ya' that should be a part of the concern but our experience was making sure if things went south we had a plan. Have been towed many times and some were bummers when a trip or event was in play: happened at least four/six times. 360 less issues. And to be clear, we always performed maintenance but a rep Ferrari mech. Things... happen in Ferraris.

Unless your mated to the older responsibility of 'classis' looks (responsibility means money) I would choose a newer best of the model vehicle.
The 355 experience regardless of entry cost WILL be more expensive, by far, than even the early 360s. The 430 might be a few $k entry more but less over time.
The idea you are also doing the engine out belt, water pump, or other front end issues on a 355 is, well 'ok' if you are truly a gearhead: we've done many engine outs on American cars but simply choose to skip the Ferraris. YMMV. we applaud those that do and perhaps that's you.
But if not, choose newer. in our opinion.

PS: depreciation?! Pffft. At their bottom end the tend to again go back up in price after a few years. Drive the heck out of them and they are happy. Otherwise thing truly go wrong. NEVER understood those that have queens.
Even those that own $30 million plus examples RACE THEM. it's not about disposable income, it's about enjoying what should be the attraction, driving it.
Want to save money? Don't buy an exotic unless it's a priceless one.
Jim Glickenhouse (sic) said it best: "saving your car for the next buyer is like saving your lover for the next person. Why?"

On the F355s and airbags, mine did not have one. It was a early European car.