dmac

All of you have excellent points and to each his own. BTW the new Z06 has a shorter overall length than the 997.

I wish that I could get a chance to drive some of the Italian exotics just to have the experience, but certainly nothing I would ever/could ever consider purchasing.

I have been communicating with someone who has been on a waiting list for the Z06 and should get it in the next month or two. He used to race professionally and he offered to let me open it up after he breaks in the engine. Between his skill and the cars reported performance, it should be a fun ride. Despite the fact that it will never have the fit, feel, finish, or service department of much more expensive sport cars, I think that most enthusiasts on this forum can appreciate it for what it is.

wyo996

To me the 911 is a true exotic luxury sports car that is both fun and comfortable (996). But the iceing on the cake is its ease of personalization with modifications. Both exterior and interior mods allows the owner to customize to his or her preferance and still be reliable and reasonably economical. Still we want more speed and handeling and the ZO6 is going to be a benchmark to compare to. I need my all wheel drive in the winter. But I want one of each. Will

nv1271

I find the 996 to be slower and bad value for money, but it is a long term relationship. It has it's own character and you always enjoy driving it. On the other hand the Corvette is faster and great value for money especially the Z06 but not for long term. Its like your wife and an one night stand. The one night stand is great but for a night. In our case the Z06 is great if a friend has it and he let's you track it a couple times. Having said that the new Z06 might be my next car...track car that is.

Doug H

I paid low $ 60k for my 355 with 18k miles, 30k service completed, and valve guide issue resolved or updated ($ 8,000 job). In 6 months, I bet 95 355s will be in the mid $ 50k range due to the high production numbers of the 360 and 430. That is about the price of entrance for a Vette. The Vette may beat it around the track, but the sound and the feel are awesome. IMO, the 355 is a work of art in the looks department.

Why not consider one? You can get up to 96 months on 355s with good credit so your note might even be less than a Vettes. It might be easier to enjoy the experience than you think.

Tbred911

the 355 is one of the best looking ferrari's ever...

dmac

WOW!!! Thanks for the info. I'm going to start looking now. I thought entry points for decent previously owned Ferrari's were in the $130,000+ range. I was trying to stay around $70,000 for a 996 cab and then start the mods, but I think I will at least do some searching for a low mile Ferrari. To be honest, I haven't kept up or educated myself with the models/styles/engines/etc. because I thought they were more than just a stretch for me. Thanks again for the info!

Doug H

It is cool. I just don't care how fast a car is, if it is ugly, I am not driving it. It is not like any of us our race car drivers or speed racer. If only a track car, then I would not care about looks. But I spend about 6 days a year at a track and 359 days a year off the track and all of my cars exceed my driving abilities. The 355 could be 0 - 60 in 6 seconds and I would still love if it sounded the same and felt the same.

Doug H

Patience is key with Ferraris. I paid for four PPIs and looked a long time. People will ask crazy unrealistic prices for them and won't budge. Forget ones with only 5,000 or 6,000 miles and get one that has been driven and had the valve guides updated. Make sure you pay the $ 250 for a PPI and pay for a compression test if the valve guides have not been updated on pre-1998 models.