I guy I work with did that on a trip to Vegas recently. The first one was a red 355, it was in good shape and he and his wife had a great day with it. So he went back a few days later to the same place and rented another 355, a yellow one (I note this as a caution: beware of rental yellow 355's in LV). It had very low miles but was absolutely, thoroughly trashed. Stuttered when accelerating and was so far out of alignment it wouldn't hardly stay on the road. They ended up giving half his rent back. He said, "I truly felt sorry for the poor car."

 

Alice's??

 

Way back when, a guy I know bought a 308; his Dad was a huge Porsche fan but a really dominating father. Son had 911s (he was in his 20s or so) and, in an act of rebellion, traded for a 308.
6 months later, he was back to Porsche; said the 308 was uncomfortable, relatively slow, and a maintenance nightmare.
Sometimes Dads are right.

 

Not sure how many of those responding have actually owned both Porsche and Ferrari and are speaking from a basis of fact or experience, but since I own both, I'll chime in.

First, I'm an absolute dyed-in-the-wool Porsche guy and have owned 911's for 30+ years starting with a '72T and progressing thru a 79SC, an 84 Carrera, and 84 Turbo-Look coupe, an 87 Carrera to my current 97 C2S. I'll keep my
C2S forever and until I'm too old and feeble to drive. But I've also been a Ferrari owner for 20+ years having owned an 85 308GTSi, an 86 328 and my current 360 F1 Modena. I owned my 308 and the 87 Carrera at the same time, and now the 360 and the C2S together. So let's talk about some of the factors:

MAINTENANCE: There are some universal truths that have been posted here: 1) Ferrari's are definitely more maintenance intensive than a 911, and that maintenance is more expensive and frequent than on a 911 (although it seems like things are getting a little pricy on 993's lately) and 2) 911's are just about bullet-proof, but my experience with the Ferraris is the same.......they have been incredibly reliable. Had I not maintained them properly, I may have had a different experience. Unfortunately, there are quite a number of f-cars for sale out there where the owner could afford to buy a Ferrari but couldn't afford to maintain it - those are the cars to avoid, or be prepared to spend big $ to bring it up to an acceptable standard. We all know 911's can be neglected too, but it seems as if the consequences are more dire on a Ferrari.

RELIABILITY: I will disagree slightly with the general consensus in this thread in that I found my 308 and the 328 to both be just a reliable as any of the 911's I've owned; and I was surprised by that as I was expecting a temperamental, high-strung sports car. They were both great drivers and I put lots of miles on them both. In fact, I had more trouble with my '87 Carrera than with either the 308 or 328, but that's certainly an exception and not the norm. My 360 now has 39,7xx miles and it has been absolutely reliable in every respect (but it has been expensive to maintain). My C2S has about 36,xxx miles and has also been ultra reliable, as you all would expect.

FIT & FINISH: Again, I find the fit of the three Ferraris to be equal to any of my 911's. Maybe I got lucky, but the paint, build quality, finish, etc. was actually better on the three Ferraris than on most of my 911's, including when I compare the fit/finish of the 360 to the 993. It's just a fact: the paint on the 360 is superior the 993, which I still find hard to believe. The interior quality on both cars is about equal as is the overall build quality.

PERFORMANCE: Here's where things get interesting as there's no "one statement fits all". My Carreras were definitely quicker than either my 308 or 328. However, the 360 is in a different league from the 993 - sorry, but it's just a fact.

"FEELING": Again, things get very subjective here. Every 911 I've owned has felt like an old friend, fits like a glove and delivers exactly what you expect from a 911....and that's all good. The Ferraris deliver a whole different and unique experience, even with the 308 and 328 that don't perform as well as a 911. There is definitely a different "feel" when you're sitting behind the wheel. There's just something about a Ferrari that isn't present in a Porsche. Perhaps it's the Teutonic German vs. the passionate Italian approach to engineering. I found both the 308 and 328 to be very comfortable on long-ish trips, and I find my 360 to be more comfortable than the 993. And the sound of that 3.6 liter V8 with a Tubi muffler is absolute heaven at 8500 rpm. I love my 993 (which has RSR mufflers, btw) but it just doesn't compare to the sound of a modern V8 Ferrari.

SUMMARY: Both cars are spectacular in their own ways. They are similar enough that people always compare them, but different enough that they really are two different approaches to building a sports car. Bottom line: I love my C2S and wouldn't get rid of it for anything. I don't think I'll ever replace it with any other Porsche - it's perfect. The 360?....... I may replace it........with another Ferrari. I don't care for the looks of the 430 even though it's superior to a 360 in most every way. I think I might try a 575 Maranello as I'd like to have a front engine V12, and then we're talking a sports car vs. a GT car - again, two different things.

Thanks for your indulgence. I had fun with this as my 2nd post

Cheers

 

It's a restaurant at the intersection of Hwy 35 and 84 in Northern CA.
The food is nasty but nice gathering place for bikes.

 

It's also slow. Very very slow.

 

Nice writeup Dave, thanks for posting with first hand info. Confirming most of my suspicions and surprising on a couple, notably build quality on the older F-cars. Kind of agree with you on 360 over 430 as well. 430's probably the better car but the 360 looks better, particularly from the rear.

 

Great writeup Dave. I appreciate your comments based on first hand experience, rather than hearsay. As Tim said, it confirms my perceptions of the two different marques. And I agree with you on the sound of the modern Ferrari V8. A good friend of mine took me out in his 360, and there's nothing on the road (street-legal, that is) that can touch the sound of that engine!

 

Good to get some facts from Dave. The only comment I would make is that my understanding is that Ferrari owners get next to raped on the cost of parts and I have a friend who paid a small fortune when something went with the F1 trany on his 355. Subjectively, they have an alure which is unbeatable. Or maybe that should read "had". What I love about my narrow bodied 993 is exactly that. A sports car to me should be relatively compact and light. And we are so moving away from that these days. Current and late model Ferraris are as wide as trucks and the 12 cylinder models as heavy. I have to admit to having never driven any (and I would dearly love to) but I can't see how you can throw one around narrow roads with that girth. Just my 2 cents.... oh but that sound, that sound...............just heavenly.

 

I would sure love a 612 Scag. for road trips

 

Dave: Thanks for a very informative post from first-hand experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the read. Happy motoring in whichever set of wheels you are using. - Glenn

 

If you're caving in then I'll take a new 599 with fitted luggage for a cross country jaunt.......

 

The 308 was the directors choice as Selleck had something else he wanted, but in the end bought one as his personal car (and one for each of the cast) and drove the Ferrari only on the set. Can you guess what this car was?

 

Total shot in the dark but, 928?

 

Reading Dave993s post - reminds of the 'I have 2 sons, they are different from one another, and I love them both' feelings I have.
Nice that you have 2 such wonderful cars.
At 1 point I had a 1986 911 cab and a 1997 928 - and I loved them both.