Ferrari decision help, 348 or another 911?
Discussion
Hi, my first post on here!
I've just sold my 911 after 4 years and want to own a ferrari next! My budget leaves me with a couple of choices, a 308 or a 348? I like the thought of a 348 and have checked the insurance which is good.
I have to say after the Porka which was very reliable and I worked on it myself I'm scared to buy a Ferrari, should I be? Are they unreliable?
The car is just a toy and the only thing it must do is make me smile, which is why I am leaning to a 348. Obviosly I will need to keep up the service history so am happy not to work on the car myself this time (i am a garage manager, VW)
Scared but excited about the ferrari, should I take the plunge? Oh, I could borrow abit and have a F355!
Decision, Decisions, Decision, any help?
Cheers
Jay
I've just sold my 911 after 4 years and want to own a ferrari next! My budget leaves me with a couple of choices, a 308 or a 348? I like the thought of a 348 and have checked the insurance which is good.
I have to say after the Porka which was very reliable and I worked on it myself I'm scared to buy a Ferrari, should I be? Are they unreliable?
The car is just a toy and the only thing it must do is make me smile, which is why I am leaning to a 348. Obviosly I will need to keep up the service history so am happy not to work on the car myself this time (i am a garage manager, VW)
Scared but excited about the ferrari, should I take the plunge? Oh, I could borrow abit and have a F355!
Decision, Decisions, Decision, any help?
Cheers
Jay
Having owned a 328 & 308 in the past I had always looked at buying a 348. However after having an addition to the family I needed a car with back seats!!! Hence the purchase of a 993. I love the car however for me it lacks the passion of the ferrari!!! I think your either a porsche or ferrari person...
If your in the market for a 348 always go for the post 92 model which has the battery located at the front of the car,the later single plate clutch, improved suspension & the upgrade ignition system. These cars are as reliable as any others & with correct servicing should have no major issues. You can also source parts that will not break the bank!!
Plus a ferrari turns more heads than a Porsche!!!
If your in the market for a 348 always go for the post 92 model which has the battery located at the front of the car,the later single plate clutch, improved suspension & the upgrade ignition system. These cars are as reliable as any others & with correct servicing should have no major issues. You can also source parts that will not break the bank!!
Plus a ferrari turns more heads than a Porsche!!!
I was looking at a number of cars (Boxster S, 996, Noble M12 etc) before taking the plunge and buying a 348 and I'm happy I made the right choice. Like you the car is only really a weekend toy and I'm happy to get my hands dirty on occasions. So far in 1000miles the only problem I've had is the dreaded alternator warning light. However thanks to the info on www.the348.com I was able to remove the alternator, strip it down, fit a new voltage regulator and put it all back together in circa 3 hours. Total cost £33 + VAT for an uprated regulator which should now cure the problem once and for all (standard Ferrari part is pants apparently!)
From what I can tell, the biggest problem with the Fezza will be electrical niggles, the majority of which will be fairly cheap / easy to fix. Definitely go for the 92 onwards model however as mentioned its had a number of wiring improvements.
Buy the Fezza, you wont regret it, after fixing the alternator yesterday I took her for a blast with the roof off and spent the majority of the time with a big silly grin on my face, something the porker's just didn't do for me.......
From what I can tell, the biggest problem with the Fezza will be electrical niggles, the majority of which will be fairly cheap / easy to fix. Definitely go for the 92 onwards model however as mentioned its had a number of wiring improvements.
Buy the Fezza, you wont regret it, after fixing the alternator yesterday I took her for a blast with the roof off and spent the majority of the time with a big silly grin on my face, something the porker's just didn't do for me.......
A chum of mine who knows the Ferrari F1 mechanics was talking to the chief engineer who worked on the 348 and was categorically told NOT to buy one ! I won't repeat his comments, but my chum now runs a 911 ;-)
Get a 355 or if you want real style get a Maserati. Sooooo much more street cred than a 911 or Ferrari, much more exclusive and people will think you're cool :-)
Get a 355 or if you want real style get a Maserati. Sooooo much more street cred than a 911 or Ferrari, much more exclusive and people will think you're cool :-)
I am doing very nearly the same thing!
I went from a TVR Griff 500 to a Ferrari 348 Spider ... the difference was incredible, another league completely and a fantastic car. I did 13k miles in the first year I had it including a trip down to Nerja in southern Spain and one of the Pistonheads Megahoons across Europe and the Alps.
I simply cannot describe how much I miss that car.
I sold it because I mistakenly thought i needed to release some cash ... and bought an '88 Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera.
This car was an absolute peach (pics of both are in my profile). I did a couple of V.Maxes, and the Megahoon down to Monaco last september. It never missed a beat and has confirmed in my view that the 911 is the best all round sports car in the world.
I am now back to a Griff 500, which is ok ... but I am fooling myself. It is going up for sale this week so that I can go back to a Ferrari 348.
I don't think there is a car that can have such an effect as a Ferrari. Every time you sit behind the wheel all that racing heritage and history washes over you. You will go to the garage just to look at it.
To me, the 348 v 355 debate is purely subjective. I love the baby testarossa looks of the 348. The "snappy on the limit" comments are made without thought that hardly anyone would get anywhere near that limit anyway! trust me, the handling is brilliant.
Costs? £600 - £800 a service, unless you need the belts changing which is £1500 at a respected indie every 3 years or 24-30k miles depending how cautious you are.
New clutch cost me £700. Nothing else went wrong. Oh, if it hasn't got one budget £2k for Tubi exhaust ... you WILL want one ... No, I mean it, you REALLY WILL
Any questions, feel free to drop me an email via my profile
I went from a TVR Griff 500 to a Ferrari 348 Spider ... the difference was incredible, another league completely and a fantastic car. I did 13k miles in the first year I had it including a trip down to Nerja in southern Spain and one of the Pistonheads Megahoons across Europe and the Alps.
I simply cannot describe how much I miss that car.
I sold it because I mistakenly thought i needed to release some cash ... and bought an '88 Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera.
This car was an absolute peach (pics of both are in my profile). I did a couple of V.Maxes, and the Megahoon down to Monaco last september. It never missed a beat and has confirmed in my view that the 911 is the best all round sports car in the world.
I am now back to a Griff 500, which is ok ... but I am fooling myself. It is going up for sale this week so that I can go back to a Ferrari 348.
I don't think there is a car that can have such an effect as a Ferrari. Every time you sit behind the wheel all that racing heritage and history washes over you. You will go to the garage just to look at it.
To me, the 348 v 355 debate is purely subjective. I love the baby testarossa looks of the 348. The "snappy on the limit" comments are made without thought that hardly anyone would get anywhere near that limit anyway! trust me, the handling is brilliant.
Costs? £600 - £800 a service, unless you need the belts changing which is £1500 at a respected indie every 3 years or 24-30k miles depending how cautious you are.
New clutch cost me £700. Nothing else went wrong. Oh, if it hasn't got one budget £2k for Tubi exhaust ... you WILL want one ... No, I mean it, you REALLY WILL
Any questions, feel free to drop me an email via my profile
OK - another 348 question......
I'm kinda trying to decide between a 328 and a 348, now both cars have their points, and both are equally desirable in their own way.
They also seem to be similarly priced (for a decent one).
What do people think about future value ?
My feeling is that the 328 is already becoming considered a classic, and should hold its value. Maybe sometime in the future it may appreciate slowly. The 348, I feel is less likely to hold its value as well.
Does this sound right ?
I'm kinda trying to decide between a 328 and a 348, now both cars have their points, and both are equally desirable in their own way.
They also seem to be similarly priced (for a decent one).
What do people think about future value ?
My feeling is that the 328 is already becoming considered a classic, and should hold its value. Maybe sometime in the future it may appreciate slowly. The 348, I feel is less likely to hold its value as well.
Does this sound right ?
Cant see 348s dropping in value, I can see 328s rising in value though as some would say they are prettier and values are on the floor at the minute, there are a few bits and bobs that are now unavailable for 328s (fog lamp on the n/s for one thing) bare that in mind, and make sure whatever you buy is inspected by a marque specilaist
jonny 4200gt said:
A chum of mine who knows the Ferrari F1 mechanics was talking to the chief engineer who worked on the 348 and was categorically told NOT to buy one ! I won't repeat his comments, but my chum now runs a 911 ;-)
Why??? You can't post comments like that without giving details.
I've talked to one of the top Ferarri specialists in the UK and he told me the 348 is a better car to buy than a 355 as there is less to go wrong and the 348 has the stronger engine.
Early 348's had problems due in part to rushed production, but the later ones were sorted and in the intervening years so have the earlier ones where most owners have made the necessary upgrades.
Looking after the 348 is'nt that hard either. A competent mechanic can take the engine out quite easily. It ain't rocket science.
I've driven 911's and there's no contest. The 348 is more of a fun car and an event everytime you drive it.
The 355 is not that much faster in real terms. On a small Airfield circuit it was actually .07 seconds faster than a 355. Both driven and timed by the same person. On a larger track the 355 will outgun the 348 on the straights.
Tricky handling??? I've driven it on track days including Brands hatch in the rain and done airfield days at north weald and never had any problems with the handling.
The 348 is an awesome car. Hard to find good examples now as there are many dogs and clocked ones floating about, but that's the same with 355's as well.
Better to get a good 348 than a bad 355.
Great car, fabulous car.....can't wait to get mine back.
www.fgear.tv/videos/348GTBnw/348GTBnw.html
And chasing a 355 on a trackday. The 355 just pulls away on the straights...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnH88aXEUG4
jonny 4200gt said:
Get a 355 or if you want real style get a Maserati. Sooooo much more street cred than a 911 or Ferrari, much more exclusive and people will think you're cool :-)
yeah right...........
Only reason Masers are more exclusive is because no one buys them.
By the way...i like 911's and Masers..
Edited by angelis on Monday 21st May 19:16
To echo Burriana and Angelis's comments: don't listen to the doomsayers - the 348 is a fantastic car I've come close to buying a Porsche several times (including Burriana's!) but I just couldn't get excited enough to drop the cash on one (sorry Al!). They're superb cars no doubt, but they push very different buttons to a Ferrari.
When I had my Tuscan I thought that was special, but the Ferrari is a whole new level. And yes, I have spent far longer standing in the garage just looking at the 348 than I ever did with the Tuscan
Compared to the other cars I've had it's head and shoulders above them all - the driving experience is sublime. The unassisted steering is hard work at slow speed (manoeuvring/parking) but lightens up once you're moving and provides excellent feedback. It's wonderfully crisp around the bends and just grips - I am far from finding its limits thus far. And then there's the noise. Oh yes, there's nothing like a Ferrari soundtrack. I don't have a Tubi on mine (yet!) but it does have a sports exhaust and it truly is
As my wife keeps saying, JFDI!
I've come close to buying a Porsche several times (including Burriana's!) but I just couldn't get excited enough to drop the cash on one (sorry Al!). They're superb cars no doubt, but they push very different buttons to a Ferrari. When I had my Tuscan I thought that was special, but the Ferrari is a whole new level. And yes, I have spent far longer standing in the garage just looking at the 348 than I ever did with the Tuscan
Compared to the other cars I've had it's head and shoulders above them all - the driving experience is sublime. The unassisted steering is hard work at slow speed (manoeuvring/parking) but lightens up once you're moving and provides excellent feedback. It's wonderfully crisp around the bends and just grips - I am far from finding its limits thus far. And then there's the noise. Oh yes, there's nothing like a Ferrari soundtrack. I don't have a Tubi on mine (yet!) but it does have a sports exhaust and it truly is
As my wife keeps saying, JFDI!
burriana said:
I am doing very nearly the same thing!
Blimey Al, you in competition with Judas for who can have a car for the shortest time
burriana said:
You will go to the garage just to look at it.
Oh
, you suddenly realise whilst having dinner and a glass of wine that you have a Ferrari in the garage and everything gets dropped, keys get found, garage gets opened and you just stand and look at the flowing lines and stupidly fat rear tyres and you still can't believe it! Then the next day you drive it
Ace-T
And
JFDI Hey guys, thanks for all the info, I'm so sad that i had a look at the videos and have been thinking it is time I took the plunge. My 911 is sold and should be going in about a week, just taking the plate off, then its Ferrari hunting time.
Knowing me it will take ooh, about a week for me to find one, I don't like pissing about.
If I decide I don't like it I can always get another 911 in the future but I'm sure once the Ferrari bug has me, that will be it
Being in the Motor trade I don't like paying top money on cars but may have to make an exception for this one.
Can't wait!
Cheers
jay
Knowing me it will take ooh, about a week for me to find one, I don't like pissing about.
If I decide I don't like it I can always get another 911 in the future but I'm sure once the Ferrari bug has me, that will be it
Being in the Motor trade I don't like paying top money on cars but may have to make an exception for this one.
Can't wait!
Cheers
jay
The 348 is a great car huh? Here is a list of the woes that befell mine:-
After 1,000 miles the alternator failed the day before Le Mans and it took two weeks to source and fit a replacement
The oil pipe near the bulkhead came off because at the factory the clip was put the wrong side of the olive and so with nothing to retain it it just slipped off. A new engine was called for at 2,000 miles.
Both sets of strakes in the doors cracked and were replaced
At speed the door mirrors pulled away from the door seals creating susbstantial wind noise. Ferrari replaced the plastic triangular mounting points with aluminium ones.
The car leaked water when parked up, always around the targa top. This was an endemic problem and Ferrari had new seals made in Canada to solve the problem.
The car got very light at speed and Ferrari fitted an aftermarket lip spoiler to cure the problem.
The air conditioning system provides very little cool air for the driver on RHD cars.
My list of technichal problems went on and on but the most dangerous part about a 348 is the roadholding and it took me two years to finally get to the bottom of the problem. Quite simply the chassis is too weak and at breakaway the chassis flexes up to an inch. I even got a racing driver to try and get it to handle at Donington and he lost it big time. A very dangerous car in extremis.
However, the most laughable part of the 348 was what happened when the battery went flat and here, quite frankly, you are better off having one of the earlier cars with the battery in the rear. Picture the scene; you've left your pride and joy in the garage during the winter and the alarm has flattened the battery so you push the car outside to get some jump leads on it. Ah, but first you have to get out the jack and take off the NS front wheel to get at the battery. Now, with cables attached, you gingerly turn the key making sure that you do not touch the accelerator at all. It starts, you take off the cables, replace the wheel and go indoors for 20 minutes for a coffee leaving the car ticking over outside. All this so the mixture control computers can reset.
OK, your pride and joy is now operational, but your next trip is straight to the dealership where they will spend an hour or two taking the dashboard apart to restart your aircon which, after a flat battery, no longer works.
If you still want to buy a 348 after reading all that, all without a word of a lie, then you are a masochist. The happiest moment with my 348 came near Bordeaux when we encountered a 200 yd slick of diesel on a bend. This is all I have left of the worst sports car I have ever owned.
After 1,000 miles the alternator failed the day before Le Mans and it took two weeks to source and fit a replacement
The oil pipe near the bulkhead came off because at the factory the clip was put the wrong side of the olive and so with nothing to retain it it just slipped off. A new engine was called for at 2,000 miles.
Both sets of strakes in the doors cracked and were replaced
At speed the door mirrors pulled away from the door seals creating susbstantial wind noise. Ferrari replaced the plastic triangular mounting points with aluminium ones.
The car leaked water when parked up, always around the targa top. This was an endemic problem and Ferrari had new seals made in Canada to solve the problem.
The car got very light at speed and Ferrari fitted an aftermarket lip spoiler to cure the problem.
The air conditioning system provides very little cool air for the driver on RHD cars.
My list of technichal problems went on and on but the most dangerous part about a 348 is the roadholding and it took me two years to finally get to the bottom of the problem. Quite simply the chassis is too weak and at breakaway the chassis flexes up to an inch. I even got a racing driver to try and get it to handle at Donington and he lost it big time. A very dangerous car in extremis.
However, the most laughable part of the 348 was what happened when the battery went flat and here, quite frankly, you are better off having one of the earlier cars with the battery in the rear. Picture the scene; you've left your pride and joy in the garage during the winter and the alarm has flattened the battery so you push the car outside to get some jump leads on it. Ah, but first you have to get out the jack and take off the NS front wheel to get at the battery. Now, with cables attached, you gingerly turn the key making sure that you do not touch the accelerator at all. It starts, you take off the cables, replace the wheel and go indoors for 20 minutes for a coffee leaving the car ticking over outside. All this so the mixture control computers can reset.
OK, your pride and joy is now operational, but your next trip is straight to the dealership where they will spend an hour or two taking the dashboard apart to restart your aircon which, after a flat battery, no longer works.
If you still want to buy a 348 after reading all that, all without a word of a lie, then you are a masochist. The happiest moment with my 348 came near Bordeaux when we encountered a 200 yd slick of diesel on a bend. This is all I have left of the worst sports car I have ever owned.
Edited by lowdrag on Tuesday 22 May 07:55
Wow, you certainly bought a lemon there! Out of interest what was the chassis number? H reg would be a 90' build would it not?. I certainly haven't had any of the problems you describe but mine is a 92'tb LHD that gets used regularly so some of the issues you mention are N/A.
Edit: BTW, there is a large terminal in the engine comparment (on battery-in-front models) specifically to connect a charger or leads - there is no need to take off the wheel unless you need to actually remove the battery.
Edit: BTW, there is a large terminal in the engine comparment (on battery-in-front models) specifically to connect a charger or leads - there is no need to take off the wheel unless you need to actually remove the battery.
Edited by chrisx666 on Tuesday 22 May 08:16
lowdrag said:
... that he sadly didn't have much luck with his 348
Ok, so that's one bad first hand experience out of all the great.
We won't get on to how many people have had issues with 911s. In even the greatest of cars, you get good and you get bad. Fortunately, in most the good far far outnumbers the bad.
I let a lot of people drive mine round Bruntingthorpe and they all loved it
edited to add a pic just for the hell of it!
Edited by burriana on Tuesday 22 May 08:32
Yes I must say the worst car I have had was a 348. The build quality was very poor IMO.
Agree with above comment the A/C was rubbish mine got replaced twice in 18 mths but was still useless.
Door catches failed seat back broke (no I am not a porker)bits of trim came off.
The roof seals more than useless when you washed the car you could only use a damp sponge around the roof as the water poured in not covered by power warranty and seals from Ferrari very expensive.
Various oil leaks.
In 18mths the car was at the main dealers more than it was with me.
The stack of invoices that came with the car showed that the previous owner had also had no luck gearbox rebuild at cost of £15k being one of them.
The car had full Ferrari service history and I got 12 mths Power warranty from Graypaul.
My F355GTS was very different had it for 4 years (longest ever kept a car) and was very reliable, build IMO much better nothing certainly fell off or came lose and only normal servicing items done. One failure a lamba probe.
Agree with above comment the A/C was rubbish mine got replaced twice in 18 mths but was still useless.
Door catches failed seat back broke (no I am not a porker)bits of trim came off.
The roof seals more than useless when you washed the car you could only use a damp sponge around the roof as the water poured in not covered by power warranty and seals from Ferrari very expensive.
Various oil leaks.
In 18mths the car was at the main dealers more than it was with me.
The stack of invoices that came with the car showed that the previous owner had also had no luck gearbox rebuild at cost of £15k being one of them.
The car had full Ferrari service history and I got 12 mths Power warranty from Graypaul.
My F355GTS was very different had it for 4 years (longest ever kept a car) and was very reliable, build IMO much better nothing certainly fell off or came lose and only normal servicing items done. One failure a lamba probe.
The 348 seems to reside at one extreme or the other. The styling is a 'love it or hate it' affair and some people have awful experiences with their cars while others have little or no problems whatsoever. Early cars were known to flex quite a bit - so much so that the removable roof sometimes popped out of the 'TS' variant, but the car was improved during its development cycle and many people on Club Scuderia and F-Chat will tell you that their 348s are wonderful and without any more issues than you'd expect on any other supercar. The basic rule with a 348 is talk to lots of owners, do lots of research and buy with your head, not your heart. There are good 348s out there if you know how to find them.
If you were to go down the pre-348 route I'd personally go for a 328 over a 308. Many argue that the 308 is prettier (though the 328 is hardly unattractive) but the 328, having been built upon the foundations laid by the 308's development cycle, is probably the the most reliable and easy to run Ferrari out there.
If you were to go down the pre-348 route I'd personally go for a 328 over a 308. Many argue that the 308 is prettier (though the 328 is hardly unattractive) but the 328, having been built upon the foundations laid by the 308's development cycle, is probably the the most reliable and easy to run Ferrari out there.
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