JM993

Agreed. The 355 was a substantial improvement over the 348.

Cheers,
Joe

nile13

Joe, that is precisely _not_ what I'm saying. Robin is _not_ the foremost authority on F-cars. Nor on 993s.

What I'm saying that he's absolutely uniquely qualified to _compare_ the two. And, probably, is teh foremost authority in that respect - comparison of the two in regards to maintenance and repairs. Which was teh original question in this thread.

Hope we're on the same page on this If not, we'll just simply stick to our own opinions. But if you do know someone specific, I'd like to know who they are as I'm still stupidly thinking of an F-car and fighting myself as to why I should not own one at least once in my life.

nile13

BTW, about costs (I've been thinking about it for the last week). There's a very nice CL600 Bi-turbo in classifieds. It's 2003, has a year of warranty left, 61K miles and asking price of $21K. From what appears an upstanding Rennlister who took good care of it.

Now, this was a $129K car in 2003. Let's see. Without gas, insurance, repairs or maintenance costs included, that is $1.77 a mile in depreciation alone. Ouch! I don't think Ferraries depreciate much more than that. However, we consider a CL600 everyday car in that respect.

Just thinkin' out loud here. A round trip from Boston to NYC would cost $750 in a new one. Again, not including gas, etc.

Tuscany964

From what I've heard speaking to owners reliability was greatly improved from the 360 on, to the extent that most owners describe the 360 as bulletproof. Prior to that there were all sorts of minor and major issues. Which is a shame because I've always loved 355's. Never liked 348's in any way.

JM993

Mike,

Unfortunately, I'm on the opposite coast from you and am not familar with F and P car mechanics on the east coast. If I were you, I'd just focus on a Ferrari tech as you've been around 993s long enough that they are a known quantity. You want someone who sees these cars on a regular basis. I did this back in 1998 when I was considering a 964/965/993/348. The technican I spoke with was familar with both marques and was very willing to share on the subject.

Generally speaking, Porsche parts are expensive, but robust. Ferrari parts, on the other hand, are extremely expensive and not as robust. The 355 and 348 will require an engine out service regularly. The damn water pump for these cars last time I checked was nearly four figures! Also, labor costs for Ferrari work will be significantly higher given the extra services required and the lack of Ferrari's foresight in making the car reasonably easy to service. (In other words, some of Ferrari's designs are plain stupid).

However, if one services everything on their own car, as I do, I don't see Ferrari ownership - especially as a fun car - as a big deal. Otherwise, be prepared to write a lot of checks. Now that I have a lift in my garage, I would consider a 355 (the last pretty F-car IMHO) to go with my 993, however, I can't see buying one of these over a 997GT3. And that's always been the rub for me with Ferraris. For the money there always seems to be a better Porsche

Cheers,
Joe

JasonF

I cross-shopped F355's before buying my Cayman S (similar price point - although the depreciation curve on a Cayman will be steeper). After spending several hours on the Fchat boards I was prepared for the inevitable "gotchas" that could run several thousand dollars. What scared me away from the 355 was an hour spent at my local Ferrari dealer, where the GM (who couldn't have been nicer), warned me to have "at least" $10,000 in my back pocket at all times for cracked headers, shrinking dash leather, sticky interior bits that need refinishing, etc, etc...

The guys over on Fchat endure these issues with impressive stoicism since the ownership experience is worth it to them. I will own an F-car someday, but it will probably be an F430 or 575 - cars with a reputation for reliability. But I must say, the 355 is the best looking modern sports car I've ever seen.

A good 360 will still run $90-100k, and so it's not a good comparison with an NA 993. IMHO, I would rather own a 993 than a 348 - but that's just me.

David993S

I'll chime in here as I currently own both a 993S and a 360 F1 Modena. If you search some of my previous posts I gave a fairly detailed description of costs, reliability, quality, etc. on the 993 vs the 360. But to summarize, you will find the cost of ownership to be more expensive for the 360 vs a 993. Let's face it, 993's are ultra reliable at very reasonable maintenance costs. The 360 (and the 360 is less expensive to maintain than the 348 or 355) is just as reliable as a Porsche but it will cost you more to maintain.

I've put over 44,000 miles on my '99 360 and it has proven to be just as reliable as any Porsche I've owned (I've owned 6 911's and 3 Ferraris). The key with a Ferrari is making sure it has documented service and that it's relatively up to date service.....kind of the same as with a 911. There are lots of wild stories on the internet about how expensive and unreliable Ferraris are and I'm sure they are mostly posted by people that have never even riden in one much less owned one.

If you have some specific questions, please feel free to PM me and I'll give you any info you need.

Cheers.

serval

Gentlemen,

I took the time (about 2.5 hrs, yes) to read the link posted by vjd3. It was wonderful! It describes the well written account of a true car romantic, who purchases an F355 to enjoy it for 1 year with the express purpose of recouping his initial investment.

He also wrote a book about the experience, which to be honest I will probably end up buying if available, for no other reason that I find cars and our reactions to them fascinating.

I will be rounding up the figures, but the jist of it is that he purchased a solid well documented car for around $74,000 (plus tax I presume), drove it for around 3500 miles, put another $12,000 or so in maintenance and then sold it for $49,000 through the same dealer. So the final tally is about $37,000 loss or roughly $11.00 per mile.

As I am reading this (and again - well written), what really amazes me is his ability to rationalize through almost any expense no matter how sudden or unwarranted.

I had the distinct impression that his mind developed a survival mechanism against a huge cash loss by effecting a complete disconnect from the reality he was facing, reaching such a level of mysticism that mechanical failures a sine qua non part of the Ferrari ownership experience. Amazing!

Meanwhile his faithfull 964, judged a distant second to the 355, despite being by his own admission a better track car, was relegated to a shed in the backyard, from where it probably emerged come spring in perfect working order. Go figure.

Mark in Baltimore

I completely agree with Mike/nile13. Although Robin may not be an accredited professional of either Ferraris or Porsches, my gosh, is there anyone else on this board who is more qualified to answer the OP's questions or who has torn down both models more than Robin??? If so, I'd love for that person to step forward. And, if not, Robin comes a very, very close second.

CROME

I HAVE F355 daily driver
like a go cart,tubi exhaust,F1,challenger grill etc
cheaper to maintain than a 993
east acess to the clutch,don't have to remove the engine
dry sump
348 gear box I've heard not so strong

IXLR8

Nope, but you might take the advice of an Italian, who lives in Italy and owned his own car business there. He told me, "Ferraris are nice to look at, but if you want a sports car that works, buy a Porsche". So I did.

Ever see a high mileage Ferrari? Ever wonder why?

jaa1

lol... you must be doing everything yourself, and getting the parts for free, major service on F355 is 8-15k from an indy, and 10-20k from dealer..

ohh,, and 6k worth of parts if the main cylinder goes out on the spyder top..

ginch

Wow!! How did you mount a challenger grill to a Ferrari????

David993S

Missed my post above?

David993S

Pure nonsense. Ferraris will last just as long as a Porsche. I personally know of two other 360's with over 100K miles - running strong like new.