Porsche 993 v 993 turbo S v 355 Berlinetta

[h-meister]

Hello

I was keen to get some feedback from those in the know about why I could justify walking into Ferrari world from Porsche, and particularly the 355 model.

I saw a 355 yesterday that had 7 owners and noted a cambelt service at 46,000 miles was £1,500. That seems like a regular thing if you're a Ferrari owner e.g a Porsche 993 clutch would generally never be replaced at less than 40,000 miles yet this seems to be a standard issue for the Ferrari models older than the year 2000.

I love the Ferrari marque and have studied them since the age of 17 when a 308GTB was in vogue.

Can someone highlight to me the major pros & cons of the 355? I think Clarkson said it was the car he rated above everything else a decade ago.

cheers
KHR

[ferrarispider]

You know you realy should go to tis ferrari forum dude www.fcars.co.uk There you will find most of us UK based ferrari owners and the answrs to all your questions.
I personaly have alot of expereance with both 993 and 355 though a spider. Due to my cars sparing partner being a nice yellow 993TT There is not alot in the power of the cars due mainly to mine being chipped. The 993 brakes alot better and the 4WD is a big bonus for safe driving, but the 355 will gets its arse out easly. Dont worry about 355 clutches, these are so cheep and will take you only two hours to change. I have wrote a very good "how to" on fcars.co.uk and you will find alot more tec write ups there. There can be issues with manifolds burning through and some valve guides. But at 46K miles mine has never had these problems so its not all of them as a rule.
Oh yea the ferrari wins the 993 hands down on the atention stakes....easly Even though the 993 is bright yellow its just no match. Great cars both of them.
Here is a picture and a couple of videos of us on the road together.http://s115.photobucket.com/albums/n2

http://s115.photobucket.com/albums/n2

http://s115.photobucket.com/albums/n2

Edited by ferrarispider on Sunday 10th September 17:10

[h-meister]

Is it me, or does the 355 sound like a rampant chainsaw compared to the 993TT?

I'd get it for the sound alone!

cheers

[AdvocatusDiaboli]

Excellent question....has been bubbling in my brain too! 993 tt or 355 GTB? Hearts says 355, head screaming 993 tt! Similar budget, same performance... thought the 993 is probably slightly quicker?

[jasonh]

h-meister said:

Hello

I was keen to get some feedback from those in the know about why I could justify walking into Ferrari world from Porsche, and particularly the 355 model.

I saw a 355 yesterday that had 7 owners and noted a cambelt service at 46,000 miles was £1,500. That seems like a regular thing if you're a Ferrari owner e.g a Porsche 993 clutch would generally never be replaced at less than 40,000 miles yet this seems to be a standard issue for the Ferrari models older than the year 2000.

I love the Ferrari marque and have studied them since the age of 17 when a 308GTB was in vogue.

Can someone highlight to me the major pros & cons of the 355? I think Clarkson said it was the car he rated above everything else a decade ago.

cheers
KHR

where did you see this 355?
is it a GTB at Verdis?
Red/Black?

personally not a dilemma, 355 every time.
Sense of occasion to sit in the thing, never mind drive it.

Wonderful cars, Porsche doesn't even register on the desirability scale next to Ferrari.
Don't get me wrong, Porsche are great cars, fantastically engineered, very fast, very capable...but would I want one - no

[crikeymikey]

355 is a lovely drive, no question. Engine's in the right place so it doesn't punish mistakes quite as badly as the 993. The older 911's still did that horrible "floaty" thing at speed, which always unsettled me. Porsche's heritage is a match for Ferrari though.

993 Turbo has a much more neutral chassis than the 355, and slightly more idiot proof compared to the stock 993 (guess which I prefer? ). For the "anytime, any place, any where" experience, the Turbo is pretty much unbeatable IMO.

I think your heart is already telling you to buy a Fezza though. So my advice is follow your heart, and do a lot of research on the 355. A good one will make you feel 10 years old again, and a bad one... well, let's not go there!