355: New Worlds of Technical Woe

The new, five-valve 355 series was offered from 1995 to 1999. It was a vast improvement, though teething troubles were extensive. In mid-1998, the 355 became the first road car to feature an F1 shifter, but early models suffer high-pressure pump and selector problems. If the parts can be found, expect to spend about $11,000 if you need to repair yours.


1995 Ferrari F355
The 355 Spyder power top can be a problem, since the windows must automatically drop, the seats must move forward, the car must be in neutral, the doors must be closed and the emergency brake must be on for it to work. If you’re over 6′2″ you may find yourself impaled on the steering wheel as the seat goes forward. Top problems can easily run up a long-out-of-warranty $5,000 repair bill.

355s often have faulty exhaust manifolds and valve guides that wear rapidly. An exhaust manifold replacement costs $3,000, plus $1,000 labor. But drive your 355 with a lean cylinder and you can face a $25,000 engine meltdown. Major engine work requires an engine-out service, which starts at $5,000.

360: Solving the Service Nightmare

The 360 Berlinetta was introduced in 1999 as the first V8 Ferrari with a three-year warranty, an indication of Ferrari’s faith in it. The 360 is a modern supercar with torque and power, improved braking, handling, and more interior room. Introduced in 2001, the 360 Spyder’s top comes from the company that makes Mercedes and BMW tops.

Breaking with tradition, the 360 can be serviced with the engine in place, thanks to a removable panel behind the seats. Early Spyders had to have the top mechanism removed for engine access, a problem resolved by cutting access holes behind the seats.

^^^^^^^^^^^^ Since I'm no Ferrari guy - let alone "expert" (at anything!) - I got involved doing a little research. I'm OLD - I can't remember details and I remembered that the sales guy told me there was a major difference beginning with one model --- I thought that was the 430.... but it was the 360.


Not having to remove the motor to do stuff is pretty major!

Right, Staying with the older style clutch and 6 speed makes it less prone to the problems associated with the F1 style shifter, clutch and sensors etc. With that being said, the motor must be removed to do a lot of service! I have a good friend that works as a service writer at an high end service garage. Dedicated and factory trained Lambo and Ferrari techs. He has guys always asking him if they know of anybody that wants to buy 308, 328, 348 and 355's AFTER they have had service work done, (mostly clutches) and the bill comes in at 8-10k! The low cost of entry, (nice examples of the models listed above can be had for around $50k), are very attractive to a person looking at new Corvette's etc. The owners crap when they have to pick the car up or stop in to get an estimate! Neat cars, but don't kid yourself, One has to pay to play! On the other hand, I have a friend that just bought an 2003 911 Carrera with 21k on the odo for $38k. Those are pretty bullet proof vehicles.

Darren

Good info Darren!


I'm just going to say this about the expensive repairs.... I'm trying to add "perspective" here is all.

I have some pretty expensive cars... S63AMG - Porsche Cayenne Turbo - Audi R8 Spyder....Range Rover... and owning a used Ferrari scares ME!


Not because I couldn't pay the bill -- or keep the car perfect... but because the repairs / expenses would exceed the cost of the purchase with just 3 or 4 "incidents". That just doesn't make any sense to me.

I think a guy is "smarter" buying a newer version and making payments than he is buying a pre 360 and getting caught in the repair cycle. That becomes one of those toilet bowls of "Well... we just spent X fixing X1... so I might as well go ahead and fix X2 now..." Then X3 comes along... and you've had the car 3 years and driven a whopping 10,000 miles? OMG!

Sounds like protouring. :lol:

It does!


:lol:


I think I've been in this "bowl" a few times.... :wow:

Oh man if I had Greg Weld money, I'd burn mine. LOL

Ron Tonkin Grand Tourismo in Portland is the oldest Ferrari dealer.
I think I saw a California in the showroom last time I drove by.

If I had Greg Weld money Id go for this one....Scroll down to post #14:

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/car-...-scuderia.html

What kind of car is that?

Ok. So the 360 was my favorite one for a long time untill I had one for 3 weeks. Fast and fun to drive, handles really well but thats if your driving it for 100 miles or less. The ride starts to kill you after a 100 miles. The maintenance is outrageous and is in the $12-$15k range. You cant really drive it like its supposed to be driven. If you want to buy something really fast and fun that wont totally kill the pocket book, look into a Nissan GTR. No issues, really fast and drives excellent. I was working on one for a week and took it out to Sears Point road corse and killed everything out there. I also drove it to SEMA in 2010 and it didn't kill my back.

It's a Pagani Zonda http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagani_Zonda and http://www.pagani.com/it/default.aspx