Ferrari Mailing List: Re: 355 exhaust manifolds or thoughts on buying one...

[Dennis Liu (BigHeadDennis]

IMHO:

1.  Yes, several owners have replaced the manifold more than once.  Yes,
they can be repaired - one company in the UK does that.  Others opt for Tubi
manifolds.  PITA?  Yes, but at least they can be replaced while the engine
is still in place.  Others never experience this problem.  Ferrari has never
addressed this problem.

2.  A much bigger concern is the exhaust valve guide issue.  The valve
problem lays in excessive wear of the exhaust valve guides. Lots of theories
and info on this topic, suffice it to say that it exists on '95, '96, '97
and even some '98 cars. Can be very expensive to fix, but sometimes people
spend a lot of time on a full engine out major service with a valve job when
a carbon-build up is actually the root cause of the problem (resulting in
poor leakdown/compression test results). 

3.  Yes, the 355 *is* a significantly better car than the 348.  It's more
comfortable for taller people, the seats are a LOT more comfortable, you
have more power, and the 6-speed is nicer.  The 348 has better feel through
the steering (manual, not power), and arguably, the exhaust note sounds
better.  Both have their share of electrical gremlins, much of it stemming
from alternators getting too hot and dying from charging almost-dead
batteries.  The 348 climate control is a nightmare.  The 355 interior is
notorious for the rubberized plastic stuff turning to goop.  Both suffer
from leather shrinkage issues.  Bottom line, the 348 has an undeservedly
rough reputation, from a reliability standpoint.  I don't know that it's any
more unreliable than the 355, which is no paragon of virtue.  But the 355 is
a heckuva lot faster!  :-)

Vty,

--Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Britt2Asa [at] aol.com [mailto:Britt2Asa [at] aol.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2006 1:56 PM
To: Dennis Liu
Cc: The FerrariList
Subject: [Ferrari] 355 exhaust manifolds or thoughts on buying one...

Well, the cheque arrived for the 328GTS from the insurance company so I have
to put that behind me and start looking for another car. Now here in the UK
it is a real buyers market for all things Ferraris....prices are really low
and with winter coming (which is when nobody buys) I would guess prices will
be even lower in two months if people want to sell their car.

I have played with the idea of getting a very late 348 (there is a 1996
registered 348 spider near me for sale with only 8000 miles for the same
money I got for my 328) (and yes it is probably one of the last ones made
and wasn't first registered until january 1996). It seems however that if I
spring for another £5-£7k I can get a 355 with about 30k miles.

So - what are your opinions - is the 355 a much better car than the 348? 
Should I get a very low miles 348 instead or is the 355 that much better?  I
plan on getting a 6spd and either a GTS or a spider, lhd.

After driving the 328 to 60000 miles and having a 21 year old car its going
to be nice to have a much newer Ferrari!

Thoughts on the cars and a real question - Are the replacement factory
manifolds for the 355 better made or do they crack as well? Has anyone
replaced them more than once on their own car? Just wondering whether
Ferrari ever bothered to redesign the part (probably not)...

BR in the UK
1986 328GTS (LHD 89,940km) Died August 19, 2006 Shrewsbury UK 1980 400i (RHD
72,000 miles)
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