Is a 355 really worth two 348s??

[cerowe]

I'm looking in a year or so to get my first ferrari. I've had an air-cooled 911 (964) for the last 6 years and I'm looking for something different now.

My natural inclination would be to go for a 355 but I really can't dismiss the 348s because they appear to be such amazing value in comparison.

Despite their stunning looks I've ruled out the 328/308 because they will be too dated on the inside and after coming from a 964 I think I'll be dissapointed with the performance.

I know its subject of much debate and I'm not looking to spark the normal arguments over peoples perceptions on the 348. What I'm really looking for is an understanding of how these cars perform at 9/10ths and whether there's any big difference in servicing costs.
Also, if the 348 is a bit of a handful on the limit, are there any mods to bring it in line with the 355's ability?

If it helps, I'll probably do 2-3k miles per year in all conditions

Many thanks!
Chris

[simonigrale]

PM me and I will give you an unbiased opinion.

I own a 93 348 tb and 2 of my best mates have F355s.

Edited by simonigrale on Friday 2nd October 13:58

[cerowe]

simonigrale said:

PM me and I will give you an unbiased opinion.

I own a 93 348 tb and 2 of my best mates have F355s.

Edited by simonigrale on Friday 2nd October 13:58

Thanks! I've PM'ed you

[bigdavy]

simonigrale said:

PM me and I will give you an unbiased opinion.

I own a 93 348 tb and 2 of my best mates have F355s.

Edited by simonigrale on Friday 2nd October 13:58

No offence intended, but is it a big secret? As someone else who is considering buying my 1st Ferrari & thinking of a 348, i would very much like to hear replies to this question as well.

[richardmancunian]

I guess he does nt want to offend his two best mates!

[Mr_C]

If I could afford to run a 355 Spider I'd buy one tomorrow!

[Cactussed]

Difficult to say really.
For me, the 355 and the 360 are the only 2 Ferrari's with real screaming v8's. So for me, it was worth it for the noise.

Certainly not twice as fast, or twice as good to drive, or twice as reliable etc etc. 348 is a cracking buy...

[ross-456]

bigdavy said:

simonigrale said:

PM me and I will give you an unbiased opinion.

I own a 93 348 tb and 2 of my best mates have F355s.

Edited by simonigrale on Friday 2nd October 13:58

No offence intended, but is it a big secret?

Depends whether you're currently trying to sell your 348 or not


It strikes me that the OP is comparing the bottom end of the 348 mkt with the higer end of the 355 mkt.
My understanding is that good 348's are fetching ~£25k, while equivalent 355's can be had for <£40k.

NB As you'll know, the amount of cash that actually changes hands can be quite different to the advertised price.

[judas]

Cactussed said:

Difficult to say really.
For me, the 355 and the 360 are the only 2 Ferrari's with real screaming v8's. So for me, it was worth it for the noise.

Try listening to a de-catted 348 with a Tubi - you may find you're mistaken

Cactussed said:

Certainly not twice as fast, or twice as good to drive, or twice as reliable etc etc. 348 is a cracking buy...

They certainly are a cracking buy. Before I bought mine I was looking at 355s as well and I prefer the way the 348 drives. Being a hell of a lot cheaper was a big bonus too

[cerowe]

ross-456 said:

It strikes me that the OP is comparing the bottom end of the 348 mkt with the higer end of the 355 mkt.
My understanding is that good 348's are fetching ~£25k, while equivalent 355's can be had for <£40k.

NB As you'll know, the amount of cash that actually changes hands can be quite different to the advertised price.

I was comparing good 348s advertised at £25 with good 355's advertised at £45k and above. I haven't seen any good 355s for less than 40. Ok so its not quite double but near enough...
I guess very few cars sell at asking price especially in the last year or so, but if 355s are selling way below asking, thats something I didn't know. Nice to know from my POV though!

Anyway, its still an enourmous difference for two cars that seem fairly similar and *appear* to be differentiated by a lot of hear-say and not much evidence.

So... I'd still love to hear from anyone that has got experience of driving a 348s / 355s near the limit but with average ability

[Cactussed]

judas said:

Cactussed said:

Difficult to say really.
For me, the 355 and the 360 are the only 2 Ferrari's with real screaming v8's. So for me, it was worth it for the noise.

Try listening to a de-catted 348 with a Tubi - you may find you're mistaken

Cactussed said:

Been in one. Sounded brilliant, but just not the same high end to my mind.

Edited by Cactussed on Friday 2nd October 16:20

[ross-456]

cerowe said:

ross-456 said:

It strikes me that the OP is comparing the bottom end of the 348 mkt with the higer end of the 355 mkt.
My understanding is that good 348's are fetching ~£25k, while equivalent 355's can be had for <£40k.

NB As you'll know, the amount of cash that actually changes hands can be quite different to the advertised price.

Anyway, its still an enourmous difference for two cars that seem fairly similar and *appear* to be differentiated by a lot of hear-say and not much evidence.

In that case you need to do what I did and drive both, then make your own mind up.

Good luck with the search.

[The Milfman]

cerowe said:

.....good 355's advertised at £45k and above. I haven't seen any good 355s for less than 40.

I am surprised at this, although it was 3 months ago when I bought I found some very untidy cars and some with very poor history up for more than £40k. And as a contrast some of the best cars I looked at were mid to low 30s. Some are priced sensibly/realistically and some are not.

For me it had to be a 355 but everyone's different, am sure you won't be disappointed with either. Happy hunting!

[cerowe]

The Milfman said:

cerowe said:

.....good 355's advertised at £45k and above. I haven't seen any good 355s for less than 40.

I am surprised at this, although it was 3 months ago when I bought I found some very untidy cars and some with very poor history up for more than £40k. And as a contrast some of the best cars I looked at were mid to low 30s. Some are priced sensibly/realistically and some are not.

For me it had to be a 355 but everyone's different, am sure you won't be disappointed with either. Happy hunting!

Well I must admit I haven't actually been to see any yet. I plan to get a good idea of what I need to look for first (other that aesthetics). On the basis of what you've said I definitely won't rule out any cheaper cars

[cerowe]

ross-456 said:

In that case you need to do what I did and drive both, then make your own mind up.

Good luck with the search.

I will indeed. However, I'm hardly going to be testing the car at its limits unless ferrari owners and dealers are a particularly carefree breed! Hence my wanting to know what these are like when driven hard. (I don't intend to buy one of these to polish and look at).
The only thing that puts me off the 348 is a few stories that they can break loose very quickly compared to the 355. Mind you having come from owning a Porsche for 6 years perhaps I shouldn't be so worried

[Jonty355]

YES

Edited by Jonty355 on Friday 2nd October 19:49

[simonigrale]

No Big secret - just emailed chris with my views on ownership over the past year and 8000 miles.

5.2 Motronic 355s are no quicker than my car - I can't speak for other 348s.

If you pay near 30k for a good 348 you'll be happy.

I agree the 355 does sound better and is easier to drive but it depends what you want out of your car.

All in all I personally think a 355 is better but it all depends on your budget and remember most people haven't spent enough time in a good, late 348 to understand the car properly.

My car is advertised to keep the Mrs happy but I probably wouldn't sell it to be honest.

[anonymous-user]

test drive both and see how you feel

[burriana]

Jonty355 said:

YES

And that is precisely why people tend to email people privately, to avoid stupid nonsensical comments like that.

Please tell us Jonty why exactly you think a good 355 is worth £25k more than a good 348?

The 355 is a better car technically, it is slightly faster, but in real everyday driving you would be hard to tell, and they may have a slightly better suspension set up than the earlier 348s.

Similar age and mileage are they twice the car though? No, of course not.

The 348s are more raw than the 355. To some people this is desirable. I'm one of them. The 355 is by all accounts the easier car to drive daily. Again, to me this wasn't really a factor.

Handling on the limit? I am probably an average ability performance car driver. I do drive it very enthusiastically on fairly regular occasions and I can promise you that, bar doing something really stupid, you will reach your limit way before a 348 reaches its.

I try to be objective in these comparisons as both the 48 and 55 are great cars. I can say though, I had a 348 Spider and now own a Berlinetta. I also had an air-cooled 911 in between the two.

If you said to me "you're going on a Dawn Raid tomorrow over the Wolds and North Yorkshire Moors - which do you want to take, your old 911 Carrera or the Ferrari?" I would have to say, the 911. If you asked me which I wanted in sat my garage from an overall ownership point of view? It would be (and is) the Ferrari.

So in summary… the 355 is a logical progression from the 348 and if I had to put a figure on it, may be 20-25% better, not 100%.

Hope this is of some help

[simonigrale]

And you've owned 2 348s so your sum up is perfect.

Its always the non owners that know everything ?

my mate who has a 355 berlinetta drove my 348 and his sum up was:

" it feels like a track version of mine "

Not " mine is loads better "

Again - It depends what you want out of a car.