rknebel

hi,

I have a 2004 GT3 right now Speed yellow. Great car. love it. I have always had a itch for a ferrari thought and found this one. http://www.raycoeuro.com/html/02Ferr...llow/index.htm

I be curious from people who drove both whether i would be dissappointed and also on the price of the ferrari.

thanks
Rick

Mr Michael B

The 360 will give you chills to drive, but the GT3 outperforms it in every measure.

Price wise it looks to be in the ballpark if not a tad on the high side.

Best way to do it it to have both breeds.

Crazy Canuck

Frayed had a 996 GT3, went to a 360 Modena, got rid of it, and now has a 997 GT3.

Search his posts. I think he wrote a comparo awhile back.

zicoramone

Rick:
Your car will do 7:55 around Nordschleife. The best time for the Ferrari 360 Modena was 8:09. Is that enough?

PTEC

Definitely only buy a car based up on the time it takes to lap the nordschleife.

khaug

Definitely only buy a car based up on the time it takes to lap the nordschleife.

Well said!

LuisGT3

If you want attention, the Ferrari is better. If you want performance, the GT3 is way better.

john0719

If F430 maybe......360, not worth it IMO.

zicoramone

I'm not stupid. This was just a way to say that both cars are significantly different in performance. Dah.

zicoramone

Ha! now we are getting somewhere. You are right.

...and for the record, the 430 will lap Nordschleife in 7:55 ( )

doc2s

drive the 360 and see which one you will be more enjoyable to YOU.

Blacksport350

Having lived with one for 2 years, I can tell you that the reliability issues and service costs get old really fast. Not to mention that I was always worried that I would break something, with the GT3, I was only worried that it would break me!

Another issue was all the negative attention with the Ferrari, getting it spat on when it was parked, etc. The GT3 would either blend in as just another Porsche, or get compliments from the people that know what it is.

That being said, the 355 is one of the most sensual modern Ferrari bodies, the 360 is ho-hum, and the 430 is a mechanical masterpiece. I would consider a 430 if I could buy it new, drive it for 12-18 months, and flip it before I had to pay for service. If you can take new delivery of a recent model, you can basically own these cars for free.

Mikelly

What are "YOU" going to use the car for? You want it just to have it? Buy it.

I was looking at Ferraris when I bought my 996TT. I love the car I have, and the reason to buy it was a cost/maintenance decision... Make the choice based on your needs and wants... Not that of a bunch WWW text opinions of others...

Mike

PTEC

I'm sure you're not but I was just poking fun. I just laugh when people compare cars based solely upon ring times. If you want to do that then you should be driving a new Z06.

I don't own a GT3 but I've been behind the wheel of many so maybe the car has lost its edge with me. I've only driven a 360 once, and to me it was magic.

azcarguy

I have to agree with the statement above. Although I have not owned a GT3, I have had the opportunity to drive one and have owned other Porsches (993,911s) so my opinion, while a slight departure from those of the longer term GT3 owners is based on the choice your making and the reason for it.

Some people, myself among them find Ferrari to be a marquee that carries a certain soul in comparison to other brands. My history with the brand goes back to childhood when I saw my first F-car and I carried the obsession with me until I was able to obtain my first F-car (355 Spider) which I promised to keep until I moved into the next one (360) and so on. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate other brands, quite the contrary. I spread my madness across many brands of cars and motorcycles and enjoy each and every one of them for what they are.

All of that said I have to disagree with the comments by Blacksport350 regarding the reliability, and associated costs and the "public reaction" so to speak.

reliability - Having owned Ferraris for the better part of the last 4 years I have never had a situation where the car didn't start or failed to get me where I needed to go. The difference between myself and some other owners is that I drive my cars regularly, meaning at least 2 times a week if not more. I do not believe in the garage queen mentality and will drive any car I ever own no matter the rarity or purchase price!

Costs - A Ferrari is not a Toyota and therefore will have a relative cost structure associated with its maintenance. I owned my 355 spider and the 993 at the same time and found the costs associated with the actual maintenance of both vehicles to be very similar. I did not have to complete the engine out service on the F-car during that time period but did have the clutch slave, clutch, valve cover seals, plugs,wires and dist belts done on the 993 and the bill was $4K which would be about the same as an engine out belt change on the 355. And before anyone suggests that it cost $12K to complete a 30K service on a 355 let me say loud and clear "you are being ripped off" because its just not the case and the old adage "a fool and his money are soon parted" definitely applies here. It's also worth reiterating that the more a Ferrari is driven (aggressively) the better they run. My 360 has 42K miles on it and runs much stronger than many I have seen and driven. It also leaks less and has higher compression! And also contrary to popular belief F-cars do not melt in the rain

And as far as people spitting on your car or inflicting other kinds of damage it's been my experience that this is based more on the owner/driver and his or her actions than it is the actions and appearance of the vehicle. Those that typically drive like idiots, take multiple parking spots or drive with general disregard for others. Granted if you drive a bright shiny red/yellow/black exotic of any kind you will receive a bit more attention but I find that the majority of it is positive and if there are signs of malicious intent I try to diffuse them with a light hearted comment or a simple acknowledgement of how lucky I feel to be in a position where I can own one of these machines. I also find that it’s a great way to bring people closer to the hobby, a prime example of this occurred right after I bought the 360 in Portland. I was driving home (Arizona) and had to stop for gas in a number of small towns and I was unaware that you're unable to pump your own gas in Oregon and so while refueling I had many people come up to me saying they had never seen a Ferrari in person, only in magazines or on T.V. . I let them sit in the car and answered any questions they had and they were very appreciative. I am not an overly public person but do enjoy the automotive hobby so this is simply a part of that hobby and that's ok with me. So if you don't like the attention buy a Buick.

All of that said choose the car that best suits your needs and wants and more importantly the one that fuels the passions that you have in relation to the automotive hobby that we all appear to enjoy. My .02 ....get both