Graham

They are... and so too are 550's and 456's. I would also concede that late model 355's are usuable too in the same way that a GT3 would be usable as a daily. You just need to understand the running costs and plan for them ...
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ben in lj

"Nor the turbo lag. {I haven't driven a new 996 turbo so I'm not sure this statment applies}"

Nope, the 996TT has no perceptable lag whatsoever.

EstesAutoServices

I would urge you to look carefully at the two cars and test drive both of them. As Graham said, since 1995 was the first year for the 355 it will have more reliablilty problems than a newer 355. However, 95 355's have lower gear ratio's(quicker acceleration lower top speed) and different heads(a few more hp) which make the cars quicker than 1996+ 355's. The 996 turbo is a faster car and a different driving experience than the ferrari. The 996 is quieter, shifts easier, handles better due to awd, and easier and cheaper to maintain. My only advice would be to drive both. Some people find the p-car to be to sterile and some find the ferrari to be to flashy and expensive. It all comes down to personal preference

DJ

Hahaha haha ha. Ha ha. Ha. mmm...

That's funny.

Viken

Yeah? The same way a 996 can keep-up with a 360 in the twisties?

Carrera Rod

Graham (or anyone w/Ferrari knowledge). I love P-cars. This is my third. But I also love Ferrari's. I have found that there are some deals to be had with the 355's. I obviously read with interest this thread and I really did not expect p-car lovers to say much positive about Ferrari's.

That being said, can anyone recommend a web board similar to this one for Ferrari's??? I have my eyes on a 99 spider and a 97 355 TB and would like to talk to owners about their experiences.

TIA

Viken

Ferrari web boards out there:
http://www.ferrarichat.com/discus/
http://hobbystage.net/ferrari/board.cgi
http://www.ferraridomain.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi
http://www184.pair.com/cgi-bin/cgiwr...errari/main.pl

pig4bill

It boils down to how you're going to drive it. With only 5100 miles on your current car, it doesn't seem to be a daily driver. A Ferrari is not the best of daily drivers, low clearance makes steep driveways nerve-wracking. A quick stop at the 7-11 attracts way too much attention, as does the drive-up window at McDonald's.

In comparison, a Porsche is really nice transportation, but for pure driving joy, it can't touch a 355. BTW if there's any way you can swing a Spider, you should at least try one out.

Graham

That's true - I used too figure a cosmetic repaint for the nose every 12 months because you WILL grind the bottom of the nose on driveways & sharp inclines, no matter how hard you try not to.

You'll also become the master of the low speed 30/45 degree approach to drivewys (the only way to avoid the scrape). You can get hard plates for the corners to supplement the Ferrari's standard fibeglass/plastic pads.

A small sacrefice for the fun .... but if you want a daily, I still say buy a Porche.

OrisChrono

Guys,

Thanks for all your help. I have however decided to go with a 996TT. Just visiting Ferrari (authorized and unauthorized) dealerships have really scared me away from owning one of them. Firstly the warranties on these cars are no longer available (on 97,96,95 models) and those that are warranty-able will cost $1000 up front and will only cover 1 year.

Furthermore the stupid prices one has to pay for the maintenence (ie 15K service on the F355) is at is $5K. Couple these costs with the insurance bills....

I think the smarter way to go is the 996TT. You get just as much respect, it's faster and it's hell of a lot more dependable.

Anyone care to second these opinions?

Chris Johnson

You've probably made the right choice. I spent some time thinking about getting a used F355 earlier this year, but decided against it given that the closest authorized Ferrari repair center is in Chicago and I'm in Minneapolis. From what I've heard, the repair rate on the F355 is just too high.

I owned a Ferrari 308 about 10 years ago, and it was very reliable, much more so than the F355 seems to be. But it was hard to find people to do competent work on it locally. Not that it should be rocket science or anything -- a really good, methodical, thinking, careful mechanic who had never seen a Ferrari before could easily do it. Heck, some of the parts on it were made by General Motors (e.g. the PVC valves).

I'd still love to own a F355, a Berlinetta with the F1 shifter, please. But that day will have to wait until it makes much more sense. I ordered a 2002 C2 Coupe instead.

As for insurance, I don't think I'd let that worry you. I thought the insurance on my 308 was going to be sky high. It wasn't. Other than the total value of the car and perhaps slightly higher repair costs for parts, there's really nothing to boost the rates up. They almost never get stolen, for example. And except for drunken Hollywood stars, they rarely get wrecked. That may be a part of my living in Minneapolis, though. Anybody up here who would own one would take care of it. Maybe the insurance rates would be more out of line in say southern CA.

Any way, the insurance on my Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo was actually higher than on my Ferrari 308.

Enjoy the Porsche Turbo. It will be a lot of fun, although probably not nearly as much as the F355, and it will be a lot less grief I suspect.

Graham

I think you are probably making the right choice - I think you've got to want the Ferrari, warts & all.

Respect? That I'm not so sure of - you certainly won't get as much 'attention'.

Faster? On paper, sure. Does it really matter?? REALLY? They're both more than 'adequate' for the job. The Ferrari definitely has more soul, excitement and involvement by comparison.

Dependability? No contest. You'll be driving your TT as a dependable daily vehicle. You might get away with it with the Ferrari but, in reality, it would be russian-roulette if you had to depend on it.

In the absence of a convertible TT, I went for the 996 cab and .... no flames now ... a 2002 Z06. To be honest, I bought the Z06 as a track car since GM were giving them away with free money.

Enjoy!

996cab.com

Consider this;

1) Genuine enthusiast stick to one brand or the other.

2) Moneybags buy anything just because.

3) Fez, Lambos, Porkers, Astons & Maz always attract certain types of REAL LIFE drivers/owners.

I was born with Porsche emblem crested on my forehead. I love them, own one and just won't consider anything else. My brother loves Lambos, my wife loves Mercs & Astons and my best friend owns a Fez.

If you must ask which is a better car to buy, buy a Skoda or give your money to charity - sorry but I just can not understand your deliberation.

It is like this;
a) need a sensible everyday sports car - Porsche
b) need a hardcore track day car - Ferrari
c) need to impress - Aston
d) need DEEP exhaust note - Lambo
e) need a shopping trolley - Mercs

Thank you.....have a nice day