Nice post. Waiting for the pics as well. Lucky man.

 

mtrain,

Are you worried about maintenance on the 355? Ironically to your recent post, I am starting to get the F-car bug and have always lusted after the 355, but have been scared by some internet maintenance horrors. I understand the engine has to be removed for belt changes (and maybe other "rountine" maintenance items)?

I have read the 360s are much better (remember seeing rennlist legend, Viken, posting here that 360s are as reliable as Porsches). Not sure if that is really true, but wonder if Ferrari made significant leaps between 355 and 360s. However, I also read on FerrariChat.com that 355 owners are akin to 993 owners in their opinions about the Ferrari purity of 355s compared to 360s and 430s.

In any event, congrats and I am jealous. Where are the damn pics!

Rob

 

Please excuse my F-car ignorance but if someone could expand on the 360 to 996 comparison (purity, last of "true", etc.). NOT trying to fuel the 993 vs. 996 thing. Just curious about the F-car. Thanks.

 

I admit to both F-car ignorance and F-car lust.

I'd like to hear an explanation about the F-Car differences/ similarities.

I also need to see pictures!

 

If Ferrari was my thing, I would definitely consider a F355 Berlinetta as my first choice not spider and RED only.
But if I won the lotto, My #1 choice would be F40 hands down! (I'd heard that tune up for F40 costs $40K!!!!!) YIKES.

 

Congrats on the Ferrari. The first one I saw in HKG was a Fly yellow 512, it was 20 years ago, screeming across Magazine Gap Road at about 6:30 one morning. The sight of a Ferrari in one of the last bastions of a free market port is.... AWESOME.

As for your wife....Just remind her that some guys need a wife and a mistress.

 

mtrain,

Really enjoyed the post. Before I took my plunge with project orange, which will be my little piece of 993 RS Cubsport, I thought about a 355. I loved the glamour of Ferraris when I was a young boy and I still thrill to the sound of them any time I hear one on the street, but the 993 experience is more for me. Well I think so. I will have to wait for project orange to be completed and live with The Beast for quite a while to really know.

What a lovely car the 355 must be to experience. Enjoy and please update us with your impressions.

All the best,

 

Congrats - great post! I have often considered the same kind of purchase, so good to hear a first hand experience like yours. There is no replacing the ol' 993, but there is something about a Ferrari. One day maybe...

 

OK enough of this where are the pics

Mike

 

Congrats! That's a very cool car.

Nice post otherwise but as others said, where are the pics?!

 

Still no pics!

 

Good read! I, also, am a fan of the F-cars and when I'm at a point where I can expand my automotive collection, I think I would add a late '80s 308/328. Those are a little more DIY friendly, and affordable than the newer ones. Any color but red - why do all ferrari's have to be red?

 

Ever since I was a kid, I have had the Ferrari "bug" biting at me--I no longer do. Last year I sold my 996 for a 355--I thought I found a very well sorted car (valve guides done, new clutch, hyperflow cats, TUBI, new belts, etc.), so I paid a premium for the car after getting a full PPI. I was not going to be one of those guys who owns a garage queen--I enjoy driving my cars.

Unfortunately, "driving" my 355 3-4 times a week cost me over $12k in repairs over 10 months (cracked manifolds, O2 sensors, very random $1k dollar repairs) and more importantly, it cost me a lot of time and aggravation. It seems that every time something goes wrong with one of the F cars regardless of how trivial (i.e. check engine light) you are going to spend over $1,000--count on it---and remember, this was in a car with an extensive service history and a full PPI!

So, I decided to sell the car and I was looking to upgrade to the more reliable (and relatively mass produced when compared to the 355) 360. I found a nice '03 with 3k miles and full service records for around $140k. Fortunately, I got cold feet and decided to not pull the trigger and back out of the deal---instead, I purchased a '97 993 C4S, a '03 Range Rover (with warranty up to '09) and a beautiful Beck 550--all for the price of one Ferrari--and I can actually drive these cars!

Don't get me wrong, there's probably few better driving experiences than accelerating on a ramp at full throttle at 8k+ rpms with a Ferrari motor singing behind your head--it just comes with the cost of a significant time and money commitment. Worth the experience? Not quite sure, but for now I'll stick with P-cars for a while and save my little Beck 550 for the Sunday drives.

Sorry for the long post, I didn't mean to come off negative--obviously just my opinions! Congratulations and good luck with the Ferrari--we are all very fortunate to have the opportunity to drive and own these cars and make such decisions!

Vivek

 

Yeah, where are the pics.

Here are some real bad pictures of my 993 and my friends 355. When he starts that sucker, it gives me shivers.

 

Here are some pics of my 355: