Ferrari Mailing List: Re: 355 Advice

(continued)

and you'd have to have the resources to troll around to all the 
Ferrari shops looking for road kill

At 12:27 PM 7/29/2008, David Thursby wrote:

Definitely not. At that price, there are too many people with the 
resources to fix it themselves who grab the car quickly. The number 
of cars isn't high enough yet to have them floating around in the 
likes of craigslist. They'll get there eventually though. I think 
that a good 355 is going to be very hard to find in a few years. 
Much like a truly good 308 is hard to find now.
cdatte [at] spawar.navy.mil wrote:

not too visible then ?
At 12:07 PM 7/29/2008, David Thursby wrote:

Sad to say, but mostly from distraught customers and shops that have
just broken the news to their now-distraught customers....
Dave
cdatte [at] spawar.navy.mil wrote:

> never seen 355's advertised with blown engines, where did you see them ?

>

> At 11:32 AM 7/29/2008, David Thursby wrote:

>> In addition to what Charles says below, 355s with "high" mileage

>> (>80,000km) are showing a tendency for the rings to eat through the too

>> thin Nikasil coating on the liners, with a complete and very expensive

>> engine rebuild being required. This is brought on prematurely if some

>> clot has wired open the exhaust bypass valve. These valves also tend to

>> rattle as they wear. Not an issue other than it can get annoying.

>>

>> The F1 hydraulic pumps were a bad design, and they tend to fail too

>> often for a $10,000 part. The 360 improved the design by separating the

>> pump from the control unit. If you do have an F1 car that blows the

>> pump, it is possible to retrofit a 360 pump unit. They're only $1000....

>>

>> As someone in the Ferrari parts business I know that the average amount

>> spent by 355 owners is more than double that of any other model. Don't

>> get me wrong - I used to have a 355 (1995 Berlinetta, black/black) and

>> it was the best car I have ever owned. I just know they are the most

>> expensive Ferrari to keep on the road.

>>

>> If you can do mechanical work yourself, then get one with a blown

>> engine. You'll spend the same money getting it back together as you will

>> getting a going car "right" that hasn't had any of the engine issues

>> addressed. The difference is you'll know it's done right, and the car

>> will have cost you significantly less to buy in the first place. In the

>> US, 355s with blown engines are available for the high 20's and low

>> 30's. Allow another 20K for the rebuild if you do most of the work

>> yourself, and you'll have a great 355 for ~50K.

>>

>> Would I buy another one? Yes, but with a blown engine, and when family

>> finances permit.

>>

>> Dave

>>

>> Charles Perry wrote:

>> > Pierre -

>> >

>> > I have a 98 F355 spider which I've owned since 2002. I love the

>> car, but

>> > have had all but one of the 355's famous issues and one that was my

>> own

>> > fault. Overall it is a great car, but like all Ferraris, some

>> > development work was left to the owners. Knowing the issues will help

>> > you see how much previous owners have done and how much you may

>> have to

>> > do.

>> >

>> > 1995 cars are slightly more powerful than newer units due to the

>> change

>> > in Bosch fuel injection systems that started in 1996. Some early cars

>> > have had problems with valve guides wearing prematurely, which

>> causes a

>> > variety of problems. I don't think anyone has ever pinned down a

>> year or

>> > VIN range where this occurred, and there are some people with early

>> cars

>> > who have never had the problem and some people with later cars that

>> had

>> > it. We all strongly recommend a pre-purchase inspection (PPI), and

>> it is

>> > worth the extra money to pay for compression and leakdown tests to

>> look

>> > for this problem.

>> >

>> > 355s also have a habit of melting their exhaust manifolds. They are

>> made

>> > out of a cheap, thin steel and some have postulated that if the

>> > catalytic converters get clogged, the additional heat burns the the

>> > manifold. The manifolds can be replaced, rebuilt with better

>> materials,

>> > or upgraded to higher end versions like Tubi. I would recommend one of

>> > the two later options if your car hasn't already had the issue fixed.

>> > Fixing cost is $1500-$3000 depending on solution.

>> >

>> > 355s have the rubbery coating on many interior surfaces (door pulls,

>> > switch trim, AC vent trim, steering console surround, emergency brake

>> > surround, center console) which turns to a disgusting sticky goo over

>> > time. No idea what triggers it - some have postulated sun exposure or

>> > cleaning chemicals. Solutions are to replace the items ($$$), or to

>> > chemically strip them down to plain plastic ($), or to upgrade them to

>> > something like carbon fiber ($$$).

>> >

>> > 355s tend to have shrinkage in the dash leather over time, usually

>> > starting with the airbag cover on the passenger side, and then the

>> > instrument cluster. Leather wear on the driver's bolster is common, as

>> > is road rash on the door intakes and behind the wheels where the body

>> > work sticks out. This is cosmetic, so you may not care but it can be a

>> > negotiating point if your car has the issue.

>> >

>> > You mentioned a berlinetta, so I won't bore you with the

>> convertible top

>> > issues on a spider.

>> >

>> > Routine maintenance isn't bad except for the 30k/5 year service where

>> > the engine is pulled to do the timing belts. This is crucial and it is

>> > urgent that you respect the time limit - not just the mileage limit

>> like

>> > all salesman will tell you is fine. I did drag my service out to 6

>> > years, and I did break a timing belt, and I paid a painful engine

>> > rebuild price as a result. My fault, but don't skimp on scheduled

>> > maintenance as it only gets more expensive if you wait. This service

>> > will run you anywhere from $3500 with a good independent mechanic and

>> > minimal replacement to $8-10k from a dealer with "while we're in

>> there"

>> > stuff.

>> >

>> > Transmission is a personal choice. This was the debut of the F1 paddle

>> > shift. Some love it, some don't. It is an early system, so certainly

>> > slower and more clunky than current systems with potentially high

>> repair

>> > bills for things like the F1 hydraulic pump or actuators. I bought the

>> > 6-speed because I like the involvement and because I believe it

>> will be

>> > easier/cheaper to service over the long run, but try both if you can.

>> >

>> > As Clyde says, prices are low on these. I see most Berlinetta's

>> offered

>> > in the $60k-$70k range and depending on the dealer or owner, it is not

>> > unusual to get 10-30% off asking prices depending on how crazy the

>> > offerer priced it to begin with. As a general rule, aftermarket

>> > equipment devalues a Ferrari, so if your car has a big stereo or phat

>> > chromed rims or some such thing, negotiate against that, even if you

>> > like them.

>> >

>> > My insurance in the states is about $800/year under a collector car

>> > policy with generous useage limits.

>> >

>> > I don't want to scare you off as these are really fun cars (any

>> > Ferrari), but they are very much NOT Lexus/Toyota as far as build

>> > quality and reliability, so the more you go in eyes open, the more

>> > enjoyable your Ferrari experience will be. There are huge assets here

>> > and at www.ferrarichat.com if you want to investigate further, or I

>> > would be happy to talk to you further.

>> >

>> > Most important shopping tip is what Clyde already told you - buy with

>> > your head, not with your heart. It's easy to get carried away with a

>> > gleaming Ferrari in front of you, but if the car doesn't have

>> > maintenance records and obvious signs of previous care (original

>> books,

>> > tools, etc), then wait. There is always another car, especially with

>> > modern Ferraris.

>> >

>> > Good luck!

>> >

>> > -- charles

>> > -- 98 F355 Spider

>> > -- 87 Testarossa

>> > -- 99 Diablo

>> >

>> >

>> > -----Original Message-----

>> > From: bouaze pierre [mailto:pbouaze [at] hotmail.com]

>> > Sent: Tuesday, July 29, 2008 10:12 AM

>> > To: Charles Perry

>> > Cc: The FerrariList

>> > Subject: Re: [Ferrari] Ferrari Digest, Vol 24, Issue 38

>> >

>> >

>> > hello all,

>> >

>> > I am looking to buy a ferrari 355 berlinetta, pref a 98 or 99 in the

>> > next year. Can anyone help with general info (insurance, service

>> > schedule, etc)  for a first time ferrari buyer??? just want to do some

>> > research before i lose my virginity. Any info is appreciated

>> >

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>> >

>>

>>

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Re: 355 Advice	<– Date –> <– Thread –>
From: cdatte (cdattespawar.navy.mil)
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:27:38 -0700 (PDT)