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Car Forum / Ferrari Cars / July 2005Help, me again. Thinking about buying a 355
I should first point out that I drive a newer C5 Vette. I love it and the power & control that it provides. Acceleration & lateral G's are impressive. But, I am considering trading up (down ?) to a used Ferrari. I have found a 1995 355 spider with 20 Some thousand miles on it here in Michigan. About $10-15,000 more than the 328 I was looking at. @ $55,000. So this cost would be about $ 70,000. It is mint, well cared for and documented. There still may be room to bargain on the price. I expect that maintenance costs are more costly than 328s. However, do the costs make the car a non logical choice ? I make a comfortable living but I am not rich by any standard. I Still have a mortgage, vehicle payments and work needed on the house like most other people. Im aware of the fact that most any Ferrari needs a 15,000 and 30,000 mile tune up. How much do those cost ? What other tune-ups may it need in between those mileage slots ? I think the 355 styling is beautiful and I am falling in love with this car. I have also read about some 355s catching on fire. Something to do with the manifold heat and fuel lines being too close. What other problmes does this car have ? Cracked Heads ? Are these incidents occuring from days at the track or everyday normal driving ? My dream of owning a Ferrari is soooooooo close its nerve racking. Any repsonses would be greatly appreciated. Especially from 355 owners. Thanks in advance, Jeff P.S. Oh yeah, what with this toolkit that is mentioned in every Ferrari ad ? > I should first point out that I drive a newer C5 Vette. I love it and the > power & control that it provides. Acceleration & lateral G's are [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > So this cost would be about $ 70,000. It is mint, well cared for and > documented. There still may be room to bargain on the price. Indeed. Spiders are more expensive, but it's a 1995 car. > I expect that maintenance costs are more costly than 328s. However, do the > costs make the car a non logical choice ? I make a comfortable living but I > am not rich by any standard. Nor am I, but still I've been able to own and maintain an F355 for 3 1/2 years now. > Im aware of the fact that most any Ferrari needs a 15,000 and 30,000 mile > tune up. How much do those cost ? An arm and a leg. The 40,000 km (I'm in continental Europe) service cost me 7,500 euros. This included the "normal" service (changing cam belts), but also replacing part of the clutch. > What other tune-ups may it need in between those mileage slots ? Yearly oil change, and minor service every 10,000 km. These cost around 1,000 euros. > I think the 355 styling is beautiful and I am falling in love with this car. > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Are these incidents occuring from days at the track or everyday normal > driving ? Never had any major problem with mine, only some small but costly glitches, like this A/C control panel I must change for 800 euros (remember that any part is Ferrari branded, which means it's friggin expensive). I know a guy who blew his engine, due to rod supports which broke. It happened on the road, but I know he had been using his car on quite a lot of club events / track days. The garage told me they had heard of similar problems with other F355s. The F355 engine is obviously pushed to its limits: 5-valve/cylinder, red line at 8,700 rpm, max power at 8,500 rpm... This is where the pleasure comes from, but also where the risks come from. > My dream of owning a Ferrari is soooooooo close its nerve racking. Kind of compulsive, isn't it? > Any repsonses would be greatly appreciated. Especially from 355 owners. Every dollar/euro/rupee is worth it. I still quiver every time I start and rev this engine, and drive this beauty. An investment you should consider is a new exhaust (e.g. Tubistyle). An F355 makes a wonderful sound, but with a sports exhaust it becomes totally addictive.  SignatureJ.C. >I have also read about some 355s catching on fire. Something to do with the >manifold heat and fuel lines being too close. The fires appear to be related to improper reconnection or replacement of the fuel lines after a belt service. >What other problmes does this car have ? Cracked Heads ? Heard of that, don't know of that. Someone hear mentioned cracked headers, but that may be a.s apocryphal as substantive as well. - The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. - Albert Einstein >>I have also read about some 355s catching on fire. Something to do with >>the [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Someone hear mentioned cracked headers, but that may be a.s apocryphal > as substantive as well. More likely blown headers - and they do. In order to make the headers run nice & hot to improve the gas flow Ferrari manufactured the headers out of quite light weight tubing & then encased them in a heatshield stuffed with some kind of wadding. Seems they made the tubing just a tad too light cos it has a habit of blowing through - particularly on the middle two pipes on each bank. Early signs of a blown header are a fine white dust all over the engine bay as the wadding gets blown out from within the heatshield. Price of one new header is (I believe) about £1200 (call it $2100). Our friends at QV London are repairing & remanufacturing 355 headers with slightly heavier guage tube faster than you can say boo to a goose. Last time I was in there they were just loading another 5 pairs onto the van to go off & get the treatment. I believe they then sell them for around £450 a side (call it $800). There have been other issues of 355 engines with head problems and a few that have thrown rods etc but these have mostly beeen "well used & abused". I. thanks for taking the time to reply >>>I have also read about some 355s catching on fire. Something to do with >>>the [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > > I. I've owned & maintained my '95 F355 for 5.5yrs now. I've been thru annual oil changes (~$300 USD), brakes (~$800 for rear only), rear wheel bearing (~$1100 including installation), 15K service (~$6K), new catalyst due to cracked header (~$1500 -- Ferrari covered the new header), a set of tires (~$1100), rear shocks & CV boot covers (~$4K), etc. All of that being said, I consider the $/mile driven that I've spent to be a bargain. If properly maintained, 355's are fairly bullet-proof. I've tracked mine many times & never had any issues (maybe I'm just not pushing it enough!). The 328's a beautiful car & would make an excellent choice. Personally, I'd go ahead & spring for the 355. Just be sure & verify the maintenance records. Oh yeah, the toolkit is simply that -- a toolkit that comes in the "trunk". Not much to it really, but important to have. Good luck with your quest/purchase. Regards, James > I should first point out that I drive a newer C5 Vette. I love it and the > power & control that it provides. Acceleration & lateral G's are [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > > P.S. Oh yeah, what with this toolkit that is mentioned in every Ferrari ad ? Thanks for the info. Tires and oil change prices are kindof expected. Brakes high but I understand. But 15K over 5 years sounds quite expensive. Wheel bearing Catalyst Header Shocks CV boot covers Is this normal for Ferrari upkeep ? Perhaps the 328 does make more sense for me now. How many miles per year are you putting on your 355 ? Thanks Again Jeff > I've owned & maintained my '95 F355 for 5.5yrs now. I've been thru annual > oil changes (~$300 USD), brakes (~$800 for rear only), rear wheel bearing [quoted text clipped - 66 lines] >> ad > ? Back in the 1960s - '70s, car magazines reported that most Ferrari owners did their own work on the cars. I owned a Sunbeam Talbot convertible (drop head) coupe, a very souped up Triumph TR3, and two Jaguars in that time. I did everything except crankshaft grinding on them. As a result, maintenance costs were no more than an ordinary family car. I'm surprised that no one on this group seems to be doing this. I am almost 65 years old now, and still do not think in terms of having dealers, or service garages work on my vehicles! Steve R. > I've owned & maintained my '95 F355 for 5.5yrs now. I've been thru annual > oil changes (~$300 USD), brakes (~$800 for rear only), rear wheel bearing [quoted text clipped - 66 lines] >> ad > ? >Back in the 1960s - '70s, car magazines reported that most Ferrari owners >did their own work on the cars. I owned a Sunbeam Talbot convertible (drop [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >do not think in terms of having dealers, or service garages work on my >vehicles! Well, not quite the same thing but a one-man dealer who I've known for a while and who counts about a third of his turnover as Ferraris had an F40 in his warehouse a while back that I was drooling over. He showed me that he had pulled the camshafts out of the engine because he wasn't happy that the new cam belt seemed to be wearing more on one side than the other. I'm not sure why he had pulled the camshafts out, as I can't see what that would have to do with it, but in any event, he's certainly a braver man than I am. SignatureDan. > Back in the 1960s - '70s, car magazines reported that most Ferrari owners > did their own work on the cars. I owned a Sunbeam Talbot convertible (drop [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > now, and still do not think in terms of having dealers, or service garages > work on my vehicles! Quite a lot of Ferrari owners do do their own maintenance. Plenty of people who frequent Ferrarichat.com do everything right upto pulling their own engines on 348s, 355s & Testarossas for major servives. A lot of what you can do also depends on the facilities you have. Life would be much easier if I had a double width garage with a lift in it! I don't so I end up working outside for most of the time which tends to mean I can only work on dry days & on jobs that don't take too long. It takes over half an hour just to get the thing up in the air onto stands with the wheels off and a similar length of time to get it down again. I'm not sure I'd go as far as trying to pull an engine myself (and to be honest its hardly ever necessary on a 328) but I'm starting to do more & more of it. Basic stuff like the maintaining the brakes & fluid changes etc are easily do-able on the 328 & just maybe in 2 years time I'll have a go at the cambelts. I've done it on a number of other engines before (including a B5 Passat which entails pulling half the front of the car apart). The main problem is always getting the information to be sure you are doing the right things but there is plenty of help about. There are (of course) some special tools needed from time to time as well. The consequences of getting something wrong with something like a cambelt change are, of course pretty hideous though! rgds I. Cam belt would be the least of my worries! You just make sure that the timing marks are aligned. Install the belt. Recheck the timing marks. Then with spark plugs out, pull the engine over 1 full revolution by hand (don't pull on the timing belt to do this). If no valves bump into a piston, you are OK. The last stage is not needed by an experienced mechanic, but I have seen people install belts with the timing 180 degrees out! Steve R. >> Back in the 1960s - '70s, car magazines reported that most Ferrari owners >> did their own work on the cars. I owned a Sunbeam Talbot convertible [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > > I. I should have mentioned, make sure number one piston is on top dead centre, before following the procedure below! Steve R. > Cam belt would be the least of my worries! You just make sure that the > timing marks are aligned. Install the belt. Recheck the timing marks. Then [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] >> >> I. "James" <giallo355@austin.rr.com> wrote in message news:... > I've owned & maintained my '95 F355 for 5.5yrs now. I've been thru annual > oil changes (~$300 USD), brakes (~$800 for rear only), rear wheel bearing > (~$1100 including installation), 15K service (~$6K), new catalyst due to > cracked header (~$1500 -- Ferrari covered the new header), a set of tires > (~$1100), rear shocks & CV boot covers (~$4K), etc. All of that being said, > I consider the $/mile driven that I've spent to be a bargain. If properly > maintained, 355's are fairly bullet-proof. I've tracked mine many times & > never had any issues (maybe I'm just not pushing it enough!). > > The 328's a beautiful car & would make an excellent choice. Personally, I'd > go ahead & spring for the 355. Just be sure & verify the maintenance > records. > > Oh yeah, the toolkit is simply that -- a toolkit that comes in the "trunk". > Not much to it really, but important to have. > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > <Nikola Tesla> wrote in message news:kJidnUNoMP3f-yffRVn-rg@comcast.com... > > I should first point out that I drive a newer C5 Vette. I love it and the > > power & control that it provides. Acceleration & lateral G's are > > impressive. But, I am considering trading up (down ?) to a used Ferrari. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > > > I expect that maintenance costs are more costly than 328s. However, do the > > costs make the car a non logical choice ? I make a comfortable living but > I > > am not rich by any standard. I Still have a mortgage, vehicle payments > and > > work needed on the house like most other people. > > > > Im aware of the fact that most any Ferrari needs a 15,000 and 30,000 mil e > > tune up. How much do those cost ? > > What other tune-ups may it need in between those mileage slots ? [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > > > P.S. Oh yeah, what with this toolkit that is mentioned in every Ferrari ad > ? The 355 is expensive to maintain. The price on this one is a little low. Do not by a 355 of this year, or before 97 without concrete receipts that the valve sliders have been replaced. This can be a $12K-$19K service. This is a well know problem with this model. If you are just starting in Ferrari, a 328 is the place to start. Check carfax, you must see the cars records, and if possible contact the service agencies for an opinion. You must engage and independent Ferrari mechanic to check out any Ferrari. Ensure all the books, the jack, spare and toolkit are included. These are very expensive if you have to get them yourself. The 328 should cost approx $5000 for a 15K service, and approx 1200-1500 for a 3K service. Ensure the clutch is good. They often need replacing in the 25 - 35K mileage range. Especially is the previous owner has had it on the track.. Good Luck. Keep Looking. One last tip, if you state requires Smog, ensure the car meets the stats.. >I should first point out that I drive a newer C5 Vette. I love it and the >power & control that it provides. Acceleration & lateral G's are [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > P.S. Oh yeah, what with this toolkit that is mentioned in every Ferrari ad > ? Thanks for your reply. I did find a 328 GTS that I am now pursuing. I hope it works out. Im nervous and excited...... About to find out if replacing the newer C5 with an older 328 is worth it...... > The 355 is expensive to maintain. The price on this one is a little low. > Do not by a 355 of this year, or before 97 without concrete receipts that [quoted text clipped - 58 lines] >> P.S. Oh yeah, what with this toolkit that is mentioned in every Ferrari >> ad ? > The 355 is expensive to maintain. The price on this one is a little low. > Do not by a 355 of this year, or before 97 without concrete receipts that [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > One last tip, if you state requires Smog, ensure the car meets the stats.. Christine, Christine ... where have you been all these years? Show yourself, woman! One girl in this NG is not enough. M Signature"Sendai eyes are notorious for depth-perception defects and warranty hassles, among other things."
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