F355 as an everyday car <Flame suit on!>
Discussion
Now I'll freely admit that I'm probably not the target Ferrari customer but never the less I am technically in the position to buy a 355. Basically I've got a nice house deposit saved up, but with the property market as it is and interest rates so low I'm thinking, balls to it, 6-9 Months (relatively) depreciation free fun motoring. How realistic is this doing about 5000 miles a year on a 14 mile round trip commute (I'm sure I could drag the return leg out a bit 
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)baptist said:
I wouldnt use mine for an everyday car, but thats not to say you couldnt do it. 2 relatively short journeys a day arent the best for a car like the 355. Not the best way to use a car like the 355, though. 
Far enough to get the car nice and warm though.It will be fine. It has power steering, windscreen wipers, light enough clutch etc. etc.
7 miles, then turned off for 8-12hrs, then another 7 miles, if I'm reading you correctly, is not going to be good for the car. 14 miles each way won't be either really, and will not be presenting the car to you in its best light.
No one knows what the market will be like in 12mths' time. If it's a house deposit you have, I'd keep it in the bank in case an opportunity for a house jumps out at you.
A 355 won't be appreciating in value any time soon, and for the use for which you're noting will upset you more than please you - they are reliable cars BUT must be looked after. Which isn't especially cheap. And they were never designed as city commute cars.
Wait until you have funds that you can afford to lose, and you will enjoy the car much, much more.
No one knows what the market will be like in 12mths' time. If it's a house deposit you have, I'd keep it in the bank in case an opportunity for a house jumps out at you.
A 355 won't be appreciating in value any time soon, and for the use for which you're noting will upset you more than please you - they are reliable cars BUT must be looked after. Which isn't especially cheap. And they were never designed as city commute cars.
Wait until you have funds that you can afford to lose, and you will enjoy the car much, much more.
jdw1234 said:
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Far enough to get the car nice and warm though.
It will be fine. It has power steering, windscreen wipers, light enough clutch etc. etc.
Devil's advocate time...Far enough to get the car nice and warm though.
It will be fine. It has power steering, windscreen wipers, light enough clutch etc. etc.
The clutch isn't *that* light. The throttle can be a pain the arse. They are very wide and sometimes difficult to place in town as a result. The gearbox is lovely when pressing on, but easily becomes tiresome in traffic. They are a pain through traffic calming measures. And they pick up speed all too quickly when you finally get an open stretch which may be speed camera infested. The doors are very wide adding to issues parking. etc etc.
It depends where you're commuting to/from in many respects. But 7-14mls isn't that far.
It's like keeping a greyhound when you live in a built up city centre and just want to walk it daily. Eminently possible, but not necessarily the sensible thing to do.
Murph7355 said:
jdw1234 said:
...
Far enough to get the car nice and warm though.
It will be fine. It has power steering, windscreen wipers, light enough clutch etc. etc.
Devil's advocate time...Far enough to get the car nice and warm though.
It will be fine. It has power steering, windscreen wipers, light enough clutch etc. etc.
The clutch isn't *that* light. The throttle can be a pain the arse. They are very wide and sometimes difficult to place in town as a result. The gearbox is lovely when pressing on, but easily becomes tiresome in traffic. They are a pain through traffic calming measures. And they pick up speed all too quickly when you finally get an open stretch which may be speed camera infested. The doors are very wide adding to issues parking. etc etc.
It depends where you're commuting to/from in many respects. But 7-14mls isn't that far.
It's like keeping a greyhound when you live in a built up city centre and just want to walk it daily. Eminently possible, but not necessarily the sensible thing to do.
I use mine on the weekends and the doors and ground clearance can be annoying.
Darth Paul said:
haworthlloyd1 said:
it would become a bit more tired quicker eg miles and bodywork and interior so it may depreciate more than a looked after one
why can't you just get a cheap run around too for say 5k and keep the 355 as your pride and joy
I did consider keeping the E36 as it's relatively worthless to anyone but me. Hmm I might reconsider and go back to the cheap and useable performance idea of a STI. Mind you the way I'm feeling at the moment my mood is saying fwhy can't you just get a cheap run around too for say 5k and keep the 355 as your pride and joy
k it, get a Ferrari, I'm doing bugger all else at the moment!I use a wrx PPP for every day (140 miles to and from work) which is easy going and have the 355 as a 4th car for fun, I certainly couldnt use it every day
it is too wide to go in parking spaces and with the width of the doors you need alot of space around it to get in and out
however the killer to me is speed humps mine just wont go over half of them even with the titanium sliders. We have had to turn round several times just beceause it wont go over them
It drives me mad
it is too wide to go in parking spaces and with the width of the doors you need alot of space around it to get in and out
however the killer to me is speed humps mine just wont go over half of them even with the titanium sliders. We have had to turn round several times just beceause it wont go over them
It drives me mad
As I said in another one of these threads I answered a while back, I think the 355 (or any other 'dream car') would become very tiresome and, quite frankly, down-right annoying if used as a daily hack. Like most, I used mine purely as a fair weather weekend toy... felt great to look forward to the weekends and wheel the 355 out for a good blast and get the adreanlin pumping. After I'd got it out of my system though, it was great to climb back into my E38 7-series and waft along with Classic FM on the radio. When you're driving to work and back, or driving to Sainsbury's to get the shopping, your mind isn't really on the enjoyment of driving... you just need the car to get you there in safety and comfort. Little things that lend the 355 character would annoy the hell outta me on a daily basis if I didn't have another car whose sole purpose was to provide me with a 'mode of transportation'. Let alone the constant worry of parking the 355 in a car park and wondering if some muppet is going to reverse into it or open their car door into the side of it. Oh, then there's the whole advertising to the world (and all of your colleagues and boss) that you drive a Ferrari... had you thought about that? Unfortunately, it's a fact of life that some people get jealous and resentful. There's nothing like Ferrari ownership to find-out who your friends are! There are entire threads that have been dedicated to the Ferrari 'ownership experience'. Something to think about.
PS. Hope you're still enjoying my old car baptist!
Cheers,
Ian.
PS. Hope you're still enjoying my old car baptist!
Cheers,
Ian.
Edited by ian_uk1975 on Sunday 28th December 13:06
Darth Paul said:
Darth Paul said:
haworthlloyd1 said:
it would become a bit more tired quicker eg miles and bodywork and interior so it may depreciate more than a looked after one
why can't you just get a cheap run around too for say 5k and keep the 355 as your pride and joy
I did consider keeping the E36 as it's relatively worthless to anyone but me. Hmm I might reconsider and go back to the cheap and useable performance idea of a STI. Mind you the way I'm feeling at the moment my mood is saying fwhy can't you just get a cheap run around too for say 5k and keep the 355 as your pride and joy
k it, get a Ferrari, I'm doing bugger all else at the moment!k that was a st line!Just hated it. Parked it in my drive and went back to using my Smart car!
Buy a 355/360.... and then buy a Smart car as your daily s
tter!Well I have only had my 355 a year and cant really see me selling it. just adding to it.
Having looked at about 20-25 before buying mine there are some ropey ones out there even from dealers.
If I had bought a cheap one I could have easily spent 15-20k getting them up to spec. There were alot of tired ones out there that had not been cared for or had been clocked !!!
I suspect they are still selling and people must still be buying them as there are new owners constantly poping up on here to talk about their new purchase.
As for two years to sell all I can summise was that either it was the wrong price (at the time), the wrong colour or not in great condition.
No offince intended but they have been selling and reselling well for years
Having looked at about 20-25 before buying mine there are some ropey ones out there even from dealers.
If I had bought a cheap one I could have easily spent 15-20k getting them up to spec. There were alot of tired ones out there that had not been cared for or had been clocked !!!
I suspect they are still selling and people must still be buying them as there are new owners constantly poping up on here to talk about their new purchase.
As for two years to sell all I can summise was that either it was the wrong price (at the time), the wrong colour or not in great condition.
No offince intended but they have been selling and reselling well for years
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