GTP Cool Wall: 1994-1999 Ferrari 355

[Dennisch]

including a £1300 oil change.

Jack car up.
Remove drain plug.
Let oil drain away.
Put plug back in place.
Refill with oil.

1300 credits evaporated.



For a ****** high maintenance car.



Let's talk the ridiculous timing belt replacement interval and the costs.

All these things made me despise Ferrari.
So much money for what is basically a fragile piece of crap.

I love how this one looks, but unless it is an V12 with an 60's design (some exceptions are out there) it does nothing but boil my blood.

Seriously uncool.

 

[GTRacer22]

Let's not get into the clutch replacements...

 

[ildd]

Cool, because it has the older Ferrari appeal and was made before Ferrari's became solely a status symbol.

 

[Beeblebrox237]

Where did I say about the actual cost of buying an old F355?

Right here:

the ability of buying one for the same price as a mid-range 5-Series BMW

And here:

Low enough for anyone with ability to buy two Ford Focuses.

And, if you are stupid enough to buy one in bad condition, there are some available on Mobile.de for less than 50,000€, and I'm pretty sure that with some searching you can find one for around 45k€ which is easily less than two Ford Focuses.

So what? I've already established that comparing it to a Focus or a 5 series is absurd because the cost to keep it running will be an order of magnitude greater.

The actual cost will obviously be higher, but there are people who won't realise this before they have bought the car as an impulse-purchase, even if they can only actually buy the car itself and even that rather badly, and that's one of the biggest reasons these cars are so uncool.

I don't know about you, but I don't think people are going to buy a Ferrari without finding out what they cost to run. At the very least, they'll have to find an insurance policy for it, and they'll find out that they can't drive it very many miles per year. Not only that, but the people with that kind of money to blow on a thoughtless purchase aren't going to go searching for a 20 year old Italian car with reliability issues; they'll buy a Porsche Boxster. People don't spend 50 grand mindlessly unless they're very wealthy, in which case it's irrelevant.

Again, I haven't said, it is cheap. I've said things about the price of the car twice though, which is the reason why some of them are left in hands of people who can't really afford any of the things you mentioned.

And for people who think they're rich enough. I don't believe that the "look I have an extra 50k, I think I can afford a Ferrari" situation will never happen with these.

You keep mentioning this hypothetical situation that supposedly plagues owners of this car. Citation needed.

 

[Tornado]

Jack car up.
Remove drain plug.
Let oil drain away.
Put plug back in place.
Refill with oil.

1300 credits evaporated.



For a ****** high maintenance car.



Let's talk the ridiculous timing belt replacement interval and the costs.

You can ask your friend TC to do it for some beer, but Higgins might not like it.

 

[Legro]

Right here:
And here:

Okay, my wording may have been bit off. I should have said, where did I talk about anything else than the cost of gaining an F355 to your possession.

So what? I've already established that comparing it to a Focus or a 5 series is absurd because the cost to keep it running will be an order of magnitude greater.

55k€ is 55k€, even if the other 55,000€ includes 55,000km and the other 55,000€ includes 55km. If I was comparing the cost of keeping the car on road with same mileage as a 5-Series with the price of buying the car included, that would be absurd, especially as I've never heard of anyone who has bought an old Ferrari to be driven the same way as a 5-Series.

I don't know about you, but I don't think people are going to buy a Ferrari without finding out what they cost to run. At the very least, they'll have to find an insurance policy for it, and they'll find out that they can't drive it very many miles per year. Not only that, but the people with that kind of money to blow on a thoughtless purchase aren't going to go searching for a 20 year old Italian car with reliability issues; they'll buy a Porsche Boxster. People don't spend 50 grand mindlessly unless they're very wealthy, in which case it's irrelevant.

I'm not sure if you understand the concept of what happens when you give an idiot a large amount of money in short period of time. If someone wants a supercar that's a Ferrari for 60,000, I don't see how they would end up with a Boxter, If they have far less money, then maybe, but then they wouldn't be looking for F355 very long anyway.

The fact is, you don't need to be obnoxiously rich to drive an F355, but people will think the driver is obnoxiously rich, because it's a Ferrari.

 

[McLaren]

High, high cool. Back when Ferrari started trying to produce solid cars again & got their act together.

Manual w/ gated shifter = Automatic SZ.

Plus, it sounds amazing and is from when having a Ferrari wasn't a status symbol...

Ferraris have near always been status symbols. The 80's completely cemented that.

 

[GTRacer22]

Ferraris have near always been status symbols. The 80's completely cemented that.

True, but much less back then than it is now.

 

[McLaren]

True, but much less back then than it is now.

Find that somewhat hard to believe with Magnum P.I. & Miami Vice really pushing the idea of Ferraris as owned by wealthy, good-looking folks. Not taking into account that the Testarossa was quite essentially, the defining 80's car with the Countach; people who owned either one definitely showed they had money.

 

[GT Pro]

To me the 355 perfectly conjures up memories of playing racing car simulators at arcades. Also, the shiny gated shifter is sex, and oh-so 90s supercar.

 

[TexRex]

During that production period? I'd take the 456. Boy racer V8 Ferraris didn't do it for me then and don't do it for me now. High Meh.

 

[Grandea GTR]

Loved the car, hated the game. SZ.

 

[mustafur]

The Coolest of the Entry level Mid engine Ferraris.

 

[McLaren]

During that production period? I'd take the 456. Boy racer V8 Ferraris didn't do it for me then and don't do it for me now. High Meh.

Very rarely do I see anyone pick the 456 over any of the mid-90's models. Even over the 550?

Curious question.

 

[TexRex]

Very rarely do I see anyone pick the 456 over any of the mid-90's models. Even over the 550?

Curious question.

I'm a sucker for Ferrari* 2+2s since driving a 400i.

 

[Heldenzeit]

Very high cool. High strung 5-valve per cylinder V8 screams. First Ferrari I ever rode in. Main problem with these are the header/catalytic converter setup are problematic and can crack. They are about $4000-6000/side just for the parts. I liked working on these at the shop, easy to drive, not too hard to work on. Although tricky, you can change timing belts with the engine in. I'd search for a 360 before a 355 if I was in the market however.

Oil change is a pain.
1. Remove undertrays.
2. Remove oil. Marked "olio", not "cambio". Also remove oil from dry sump tank.
3. Remove filter. This is on the top of the engine, so be careful not to spill.
4. Replace filter and drain plugs. Be wary of copper washer, it needs to be replaced.
5. Reinstall undertrays.
6. Start filling dry sump oil container about 8 quarts. Takes about 11 quarts total.
7. Start engine, warm up until oil temp gauge reaches resting place. This is how you know the oil thermostat has opened.
8. Check dry sump container, will usually have to fill another quart or two.

Oil usually comes out milky, as they sit around a lot and collect moisture. No worries.

 

[synchromesh]

After Enzo had passed away Ferraris had lost their true heart. However, the 355 looks like something Enzo would have built. Sub zero

 

[D.Kadettdriver]

The 355 is (unlike older Ferraris) not yet a collectors item that's never driven, however it's already too old to be owned by the "wanted a supercar but don't really know how to handle it, and will eventually crash in some stupid self-inflicted accident" crowd.

Cool.