Stupid idea?

[antonyb]

hi all,

...is a Ferrari 348TS a stupid idea as an everyday car?

Whats the winter drive, reliability, servicing/running costs like?

thanks!

ant

[londonporker]

antonyb said:

hi all, ...is a Ferrari 348TS a stupid idea as an everyday car? Whats the winter drive, reliability, servicing/running costs like? thanks! ant

Any ferrari as an everyday car is a stupid idea, they are built to last 30000 miles tops and are very flimsily put together.I had a Ferrari (512) and it was rubbish, so I brought a 996 and have never looked back.

[bertie]

londonporker said:

Any ferrari as an everyday car is a stupid idea, they are built to last 30000 miles tops and are very flimsily put together.I had a Ferrari (512) and it was rubbish, so I brought a 996 and have never looked back.

..... and I like to talk crap from a very limited perspective and with no data as backup so I bought a much more boring car and now I'm happy.

Cobblers!

I use my 360 everyday and I have far less problems than the ones that sit in a garage 350 days of the year.

I tried a 996 once, nearly nodded off!

[burriana]

bertie said:

londonporker said: Any ferrari as an everyday car is a stupid idea, they are built to last 30000 miles tops and are very flimsily put together.I had a Ferrari (512) and it was rubbish, so I brought a 996 and have never looked back. ..... and I like to talk crap from a very limited perspective and with no data as backup so I bought a much more boring car and now I'm happy. Cobblers!

True .. but don't forget, there are some very stupid people out there who just don't seem to grasp the idea behind PistonHeads

For the benefit of said newcomer - it is about the CARS, not the individual marques.

(though, hang on, if it's who I think it may be from FC - please, once was funny on that thread, don't make a habit of trolling on P.Heads please, the guy asked a genuine question.)

Ok, to answer the question. My 348 Spider has, surprisingly apparently, done just over 34,000 miles, 13,000 by me in the last 12 months including a serious blast down to southern Spain and a pretty hairy PistonHeads EuroHoon last year across Europe and the Alps. It has been fantastic with no problems.

To drive it every day however ... they are not the easiest cars to drive, you cannot switch off and let the car go. You do a short journey each way to work, you will do the car no favours. You do a nice long journey where the car gets warmed up, it will run like a dream, but the service intervals (6250) will get you.

The Ferrari is a great car, but expensive to run as a work hack.

>> Edited by burriana on Thursday 20th October 00:36

[antonyb]

thanks for the initial input.

i am coming from a 3 TVRs - the last without power steering plus being lowered and on stiffened springs... so i'm used to keeping on the ball when driving.

i'm toying with the idea at the moment. i like the thought of it. i will be doing between 40 and 50 miles a day on average with some longer motorway blats in between (although i could possibly get another car for those).

i also have my eye on a 996 (easier life) and a 993 porsche, both of which are far from standard.

am i right in thinking that the 348 is a slightly cheaper car to run (over a 355 for example)?

[kevinday]

My 348TS has covered 75,000 km now (about 47,000 miles), of which I have done nearly 4,000 km in the two months I have owned it. So far zero expenses other than fuel. I do not use it every day though.

[360stimo]

londonporker said:

antonyb said: hi all, ...is a Ferrari 348TS a stupid idea as an everyday car? Whats the winter drive, reliability, servicing/running costs like? thanks! ant Any ferrari as an everyday car is a stupid idea, they are built to last 30000 miles tops and are very flimsily put together.I had a Ferrari (512) and it was rubbish, so I brought a 996 and have never looked back.

Porsche is a better everyday car, granted. But if you have imagination, passion and dont want to be driving the dullest thing on the road (Turbo,GT3, GT3 RS, GT2, CGT excepted) then dont buy a Porsche. I have to say the most boring site in London is a guy in a suit driving a bog standard Porsche think he is the dogs bollox's and looking around to see who is staring at his crap car. NO ONE IS.

You the guy with the bog standard beetle with a GT3 spoiler ?

[nightmare]

come on guys...leave it alone. Im getting really bored with all this.

he made a point, deliberately controversial and you all bite. We're all big, clever and grown up on here and know what's really true and what isnt...So can we leave the next 5 pages of indgination out for once? please?

Anthony. if you've driven TVRs in winter (and not binned them) then you have bugger all to worry about if you ask me! I tend to agree that as long as you're machanically sympthatic in your driving a well used car will be less problem than a garage queen.

A porsche will undoubtedly cost you less to run over the same period as a 348 though...but neither will be anything like cheap

[dj kam]

my two pennies worth, I used to own a 355 and now have a 360.

Any car can be used as a daily drive but you have understand what you’re letting yourself in for. The later models are a lot more in tune with being daily drives, I could quite happily drive my 360 to work and back but I don't because of some of the issues listed below:

• No power steering on the 348

• Lots of mileage really hits the resale prices

• Maintenance is higher than most top marques

• If something does go wrong they are expensive to fix

• The attention the car gets can be a problem; I always have to think about where I'm planning to park when I go out in London

• 348 gearbox is a dog when it's cold

• Really important to get the engine and oil temp up; so short journey's are really a no no.

Hope this helps, would also suggest ringing a good independent for further advice.

[antonyb]

nightmare said:

Anthony. if you've driven TVRs in winter (and not binned them) then you have bugger all to worry about if you ask me! I tend to agree that as long as you're machanically sympthatic in your driving a well used car will be less problem than a garage queen. A porsche will undoubtedly cost you less to run over the same period as a 348 though...but neither will be anything like cheap

i realise they wont be cheap to run, but then when you add on depreciation my TVRs have been very expensive to run too, (probably because i keep changing them).

my concern is that i want a car that i dont have to be overly precious with. dont get me wrong i look after my cars extremely well, thay always get what they need, but i dont want to worry about leaks, driving into a hedgerow everytime it rains hard, having to cover it every night... etc.

i could well be talking myself into a porsche here(?)

[guydw]

so long as you can afford it I can't see why you can't use a 348 every day. I bet it's cheaper than my Cerb was.

Obviously Porsches are excellent for everyday use - that'll be why there are so many out there - so if you like it go for it.

for me personally, a 348 would be much more of an occasion every time you use it ... why not get something else, cheap (an A class say?) that you can use to share the load, so you maybe use the 348 3 days a week, that way you reduce the costs a bit, reduce the impact of depreciation (although imho if that's what worries you then stay away from most sports cars...).

Having never run a 348, I don't actually know what the running costs are, but I bet they're not too far away from TVR (so long as you use an indie) and I bet they're less than the Cerb was .....

[angelis]

antonyb said:

...is a Ferrari 348TS a stupid idea as an everyday car?

It's not the type of car you can drive everyday. Just take it to Tesco and you'll understand. But they should be driven regularly as you will have less problems. Plus, the TS is prone to leaking around the roof seals.

A friend of mine has one as his only car, but he takes public transport to work.

antonyb said:

Whats the winter drive, reliability, servicing/running costs like?

I personally would'nt drive it in the snow. No traction control or electronic gizmo's on the car.

There are a lot of dogs out there that should be avoided. Mechanically they are quite strong, although very expensive to repair if they break.

Prices of some parts will kill you. eg: Drivers side windscreen wiper without the rubber bit: £330 plus VAT.

Big service is at 30,000 miles where the engine is (at some garages) taken out to access the cambelt. That can cost £1,000's My next 6,000 miles service will cost me about £550...IF nothing goes wrong!!!!

In summary.....it's the best car I've ever owned or driven. It gives me a buzz everytime I sit in it. If you can afford it....get it.

[angelis]

burriana said:

(though, hang on, if it's who I think it may be from FC - please, once was funny on that thread, don't make a habit of trolling on P.Heads please, the guy asked a genuine question.)

Surprisingly....it's not me!

[burriana]

angelis said:

burriana said: (though, hang on, if it's who I think it may be from FC - please, once was funny on that thread, don't make a habit of trolling on P.Heads please, the guy asked a genuine question.) Surprisingly....it's not me!

No, I know it's not you Sy

I came from a TVR, and the Ferrari is leagues ahead. I have driven my 348 in rain and snow. No probs at all. The Porsches are great every day super cars and a lot easier to drive, but the Ferrari will give you that sense of occasion every time you get behind the wheel.

[thong]

londonporker said:

antonyb said: hi all, ...is a Ferrari 348TS a stupid idea as an everyday car? Whats the winter drive, reliability, servicing/running costs like? thanks! ant Any ferrari as an everyday car is a stupid idea, they are built to last 30000 miles tops and are very flimsily put together.I had a Ferrari (512) and it was rubbish, so I brought a 996 and have never looked back.

sorry but you dont know how wrong you are.

[nigelo]

>Thong

You're right but why bother replying to LondonPlonker, an obvious troll both here and on the TVR section. Reference to his "Dad's" car on another thread gives the game away somewhat.

More to the point, if he really used to have a Ferrari, he would hardly refer to it as a "512" since there are several very different models - BB, TR and LM (competition) to name but 3. Nor would he make such stupid claims as the engines being good for only 30k miles - I needn't state the obvious so I won't.

hth

[hazy]

Ferraris nor TVR's for that matter are not ideal daily hacks. I pretty much dread driving my 355 in the rain, grip is woefully lacking. Porsche IS the ideal daily driver but dull as dish water.

My advice is buy a 348 and keep a couple of grand by to buy a runabout.

[steve f]

londonporker said:

antonyb said: hi all, ...is a Ferrari 348TS a stupid idea as an everyday car? Whats the winter drive, reliability, servicing/running costs like? thanks! ant Any ferrari as an everyday car is a stupid idea, they are built to last 30000 miles tops and are very flimsily put together.I had a Ferrari (512) and it was rubbish, so I brought a 996 and have never looked back.

why do all 996 owners wish that they had bought a 993 ????????

[burriana]

It was the last true air-cooled Porsche.

Also there have been a few instances of the engines having problems on the 996, but when you launch a new engine there are bound to be teething probs. Still stonking cars and my mate's 996TT DMS is like a bloody rocket, accelerate from 150mph and it still pushes you back in the seat.