I'm needing some real world advice on 360 ownership please!!
Discussion
Hi all. I'm looking for a new car at the moment, and have yet again been looking through the classifieds at 360s. I've wanted one for years, and since I've been looking at them, I don't think they have dropped in price much over that 7 or 8 year period. Certainly not like the other cars I have had! So financially it's a good decision!
I've seen a nice Spider, with 40k miles on it within my budget, and was sold by Graypaul last year, so I am assuming if it met their standards it must be a good car, right?
My question really is, how useable are they? I'm concerned that the dream car won't remain in the garage for the odd dry Sunday run, and will be used far more often. I'm very aware of the effect of mileage against price, and that doesn't overly concern me, but what is playing on my mind is break downs or things going wrong. Do these cars like being used, or are they definitely meant to be treated with kid gloves (to a degree) ad kept for nice weekend drives now and again. I don't mean commuting, as I work offshore and have 3 weeks off out of every 5, so I would be very tempted to use the car far more often through the day. Runs into town for shopping, visiting friends, just driving it really! Haha.
I would love to own one, but wouldn't like to ruin one! If me using the car fairly regularly over my ownership period, which will probably be at the most a year, then I think I might need to give one a miss, unfortunately! I've read a few impartial buyers guides, and they are very informative, but do keep drumming it into my head that I would be buying a 13/14 year old car. Fact!
I've seen a nice Spider, with 40k miles on it within my budget, and was sold by Graypaul last year, so I am assuming if it met their standards it must be a good car, right?
My question really is, how useable are they? I'm concerned that the dream car won't remain in the garage for the odd dry Sunday run, and will be used far more often. I'm very aware of the effect of mileage against price, and that doesn't overly concern me, but what is playing on my mind is break downs or things going wrong. Do these cars like being used, or are they definitely meant to be treated with kid gloves (to a degree) ad kept for nice weekend drives now and again. I don't mean commuting, as I work offshore and have 3 weeks off out of every 5, so I would be very tempted to use the car far more often through the day. Runs into town for shopping, visiting friends, just driving it really! Haha.
I would love to own one, but wouldn't like to ruin one! If me using the car fairly regularly over my ownership period, which will probably be at the most a year, then I think I might need to give one a miss, unfortunately! I've read a few impartial buyers guides, and they are very informative, but do keep drumming it into my head that I would be buying a 13/14 year old car. Fact!
rash_decision said:
Hi all. I'm looking for a new car at the moment, and have yet again been looking through the classifieds at 360s. I've wanted one for years, and since I've been looking at them, I don't think they have dropped in price much over that 7 or 8 year period. Certainly not like the other cars I have had! So financially it's a good decision!
I've seen a nice Spider, with 40k miles on it within my budget, and was sold by Graypaul last year, so I am assuming if it met their standards it must be a good car, right?
My question really is, how useable are they? I'm concerned that the dream car won't remain in the garage for the odd dry Sunday run, and will be used far more often. I'm very aware of the effect of mileage against price, and that doesn't overly con
ad kept for nice weekend drives now and again. I don't mean commuting, as I work offshore and have 3 weeks off out of every 5, so I would be very tempted to use the car far more often through the day. Runs into town for shopping, visiting friends, just driving it really! Haha.
I would love to own one, but wouldn't like to ruin one! If me using the car fairly regularly over my ownership period, which will probably be at the most a year, then I think I might need to give one a miss, unfortunately! I've read a few impartial buyers guides, and they are very informative, but do keep drumming it into my head that I would be buying a 13/14 year old car. Fact!
I'd agree with you, 360 prices have stayed reasonably level over the past few years. One could argue they have even gone up slightly however I certainly wouldn't think of these cars as investments as there are simply far too many of them. So yes financially speaking it’s by no means a silly decision.I've seen a nice Spider, with 40k miles on it within my budget, and was sold by Graypaul last year, so I am assuming if it met their standards it must be a good car, right?
My question really is, how useable are they? I'm concerned that the dream car won't remain in the garage for the odd dry Sunday run, and will be used far more often. I'm very aware of the effect of mileage against price, and that doesn't overly con
ad kept for nice weekend drives now and again. I don't mean commuting, as I work offshore and have 3 weeks off out of every 5, so I would be very tempted to use the car far more often through the day. Runs into town for shopping, visiting friends, just driving it really! Haha.
I would love to own one, but wouldn't like to ruin one! If me using the car fairly regularly over my ownership period, which will probably be at the most a year, then I think I might need to give one a miss, unfortunately! I've read a few impartial buyers guides, and they are very informative, but do keep drumming it into my head that I would be buying a 13/14 year old car. Fact!
These cars are very usable however it all comes down to how you feel about using them. I used my 430 spider, my 599 & my Gallardo Superleggera as daily drivers (although they were never my only car so the miles I put on them were never that high) I never had a problem using them day to day. My mother on the other hand has a DB9 which hardly ever gets used. It spends most of its life in the garage on trickle charge. So really it comes down to how often you want to use the car. In my experience with these cars I think the best thing to do is use them! You will get the most value for money when you actually drive it and enjoy it! I loved my 599, I really did to such an extent I will buy another one when I have more space, & I used that every day!
With regards to ruing one, you'd need to be treating it pretty appallingly to actually ruin a modern Ferrari. The thing is the engines are strong in them, so the only things that will deteriorate the more it gets used are going to be cosmetic (obviously excluding consumable parts like any car such as tyres, clutch etc). You will get stone chips, you may curb the odd wheel and maybe wear the leather bolster on the driver’s seat. All of these things can be fixed easily. As long as you stay on top of the mechanical stuff you'll be fine. Mileage isn't a problem whether it's high or low it's the condition of the cars that's important.
If the car was sold by Graypaul last year it may have another year of warranty left on it so check that out. You can add a approved Ferrari warranty on to any car (that passes their inspection) that’s up to 9 years old. If you want peace of mind that avenue might be worth pursuing. There are lots of good specialists out there. I bought my 355 from Nick Cartwright and he was fantastic. The car was stunning, their preparation work they do to these cars is ludicrously extensive & it shows.
If you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask!
Now hurry up and buy one!
I think I'll go and have a look at it on Monday. It's definitely an itch I need to scratch. A couple of friends have had 355s and 360s over the years and they are so special.
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C469331
Does anyone know this car at all?
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C469331
Does anyone know this car at all?
lambo_xx said:
I'd agree with you, 360 prices have stayed reasonably level over the past few years. One could argue they have even gone up slightly however I certainly wouldn't think of these cars as investments as there are simply far too many of them. So yes financially speaking it’s by no means a silly decision.
These cars are very usable however it all comes down to how you feel about using them. I used my 430 spider, my 599 & my Gallardo Superleggera as daily drivers (although they were never my only car so the miles I put on them were never that high) I never had a problem using them day to day. My mother on the other hand has a DB9 which hardly ever gets used. It spends most of its life in the garage on trickle charge. So really it comes down to how often you want to use the car. In my experience with these cars I think the best thing to do is use them! You will get the most value for money when you actually drive it and enjoy it! I loved my 599, I really did to such an extent I will buy another one when I have more space, & I used that every day!
With regards to ruing one, you'd need to be treating it pretty appallingly to actually ruin a modern Ferrari. The thing is the engines are strong in them, so the only things that will deteriorate the more it gets used are going to be cosmetic (obviously excluding consumable parts like any car such as tyres, clutch etc). You will get stone chips, you may curb the odd wheel and maybe wear the leather bolster on the driver’s seat. All of these things can be fixed easily. As long as you stay on top of the mechanical stuff you'll be fine. Mileage isn't a problem whether it's high or low it's the condition of the cars that's important.
If the car was sold by Graypaul last year it may have another year of warranty left on it so check that out. You can add a approved Ferrari warranty on to any car (that passes their inspection) that’s up to 9 years old. If you want peace of mind that avenue might be worth pursuing. There are lots of good specialists out there. I bought my 355 from Nick Cartwright and he was fantastic. The car was stunning, their preparation work they do to these cars is ludicrously extensive & it shows.
If you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask!
Now hurry up and buy one!
Thanks for the informative reply. I'm pretty pernickety with my cars, so condition wouldn't be an issue, and always keep on top of the mechanical side of things to, either on time or in a preventative manner. I'm just worried about things going wrong on an older car and the whole experience being ruined. But it's good to hear from the likes of yourself, who has had first hand experience of the marque, that they are more reliable nowadays. If I had the car for a year I reckon I wouldn't put more than (circa) 5k miles on it.These cars are very usable however it all comes down to how you feel about using them. I used my 430 spider, my 599 & my Gallardo Superleggera as daily drivers (although they were never my only car so the miles I put on them were never that high) I never had a problem using them day to day. My mother on the other hand has a DB9 which hardly ever gets used. It spends most of its life in the garage on trickle charge. So really it comes down to how often you want to use the car. In my experience with these cars I think the best thing to do is use them! You will get the most value for money when you actually drive it and enjoy it! I loved my 599, I really did to such an extent I will buy another one when I have more space, & I used that every day!
With regards to ruing one, you'd need to be treating it pretty appallingly to actually ruin a modern Ferrari. The thing is the engines are strong in them, so the only things that will deteriorate the more it gets used are going to be cosmetic (obviously excluding consumable parts like any car such as tyres, clutch etc). You will get stone chips, you may curb the odd wheel and maybe wear the leather bolster on the driver’s seat. All of these things can be fixed easily. As long as you stay on top of the mechanical stuff you'll be fine. Mileage isn't a problem whether it's high or low it's the condition of the cars that's important.
If the car was sold by Graypaul last year it may have another year of warranty left on it so check that out. You can add a approved Ferrari warranty on to any car (that passes their inspection) that’s up to 9 years old. If you want peace of mind that avenue might be worth pursuing. There are lots of good specialists out there. I bought my 355 from Nick Cartwright and he was fantastic. The car was stunning, their preparation work they do to these cars is ludicrously extensive & it shows.
If you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask!
Now hurry up and buy one!
I have a work in progress buying guide here.
I also do monthly price analysis - see here for 360 prices.
This car has been in my data since November when it was offered at £41,950. It dropped to £41,250 in December where it has stuck to today.
As to the price, the average asking price for a car with 40k on the clock is £44,268. Take some away for the colour and add a little back for the lack of roof and on the face of it it looks well priced.
What is the service history like?
EDIT: Typo on price
I also do monthly price analysis - see here for 360 prices.
This car has been in my data since November when it was offered at £41,950. It dropped to £41,250 in December where it has stuck to today.
As to the price, the average asking price for a car with 40k on the clock is £44,268. Take some away for the colour and add a little back for the lack of roof and on the face of it it looks well priced.
What is the service history like?
EDIT: Typo on price
Edited by voicey on Saturday 29th March 18:49
voicey said:
I have a work in progress buying guide here.
I also do monthly price analysis - see here for 360 prices.
This car has been in my data since November when it was offered at £14,950. It dropped to £41,250 in December where it has stuck to today.
As to the price, the average asking price for a car with 40k on the clock is £44,268. Take some away for the colour and add a little back for the lack of roof and on the face of it it looks well priced.
What is the service history like?
Thanks for your reply. I read your guide and it was very informative and helped my understanding of the car in general, rather than just 'wanting a Ferrari', per se!I also do monthly price analysis - see here for 360 prices.
This car has been in my data since November when it was offered at £14,950. It dropped to £41,250 in December where it has stuck to today.
As to the price, the average asking price for a car with 40k on the clock is £44,268. Take some away for the colour and add a little back for the lack of roof and on the face of it it looks well priced.
What is the service history like?
I haven't seen the service history, but have been assured it's full and comprehensive, and again, with it coming through Graypaul as an approved car, can only assume this to be correct.
Are there any common problems with the roof that could be checked during a viewing?
rash_decision said:
Are there any common problems with the roof that could be checked during a viewing?
Cycle it several times when looking at the car. Listen carefully for contact noises and look for evidence of contact on the corners of the cover that the roof sits underneath when the roof is down. Also check the "ears" that open and close by the hoops.Check the fabric carefully for tears - a certain amount of creasing is inevitable but there shouldn't be any damage.
Check how the side windows seal against the roof - they should be up nice and tight.
Stop the roof part way and take a look at the condition of the cables under the two "arms" that rest on the engine cover.
Check the tension of the cables that keep the fabric taught.
Slippydiff said:
voicey said:
I have a work in progress buying guide here.
I also do monthly price analysis - see here for 360 prices.
This car has been in my data since November when it was offered at £14,950. It dropped to £41,250 in December where it has stuck to today.
As to the price, the average asking price for a car with 40k on the clock is £44,268. Take some away for the colour and add a little back for the lack of roof and on the face of it it looks well priced.
What is the service history like?
I'd say it's cheap car at £15K. Might even take a punt at it myself at that kind of money I also do monthly price analysis - see here for 360 prices.
This car has been in my data since November when it was offered at £14,950. It dropped to £41,250 in December where it has stuck to today.
As to the price, the average asking price for a car with 40k on the clock is £44,268. Take some away for the colour and add a little back for the lack of roof and on the face of it it looks well priced.
What is the service history like?
A chap I know has run two 360s as daily drivers (not at the same time), both were generally reliable except the roof on the spider started to tear and the clutch also went a bit unexpectedly, but the car did have a fair few miles on.
I am close to Grimaldi engineering and they reckon the 360 is very reasonable to run, as far as a mid engines Italian supercar ever will be
I am close to Grimaldi engineering and they reckon the 360 is very reasonable to run, as far as a mid engines Italian supercar ever will be
I reckon they are well engineered and good for purpose, I personally would only buy and indeed have bought manual, they are so simple to repair/service, well unless of course you have a major problem which is very unlikely.
If you search 360 engine failures you wont find much at all unlike Porsche, that should tell you everything. and I believe much more reliable on clutches than F1. I am on a budget with my 360 and have to be careful, but manual 360 with history and bought from a good source Walkersport Etc and you will not find to many problems.
I do not like being in the hands of dealers with regard to high technology. Also why are you only looking to keep it for a year? Mike
If you search 360 engine failures you wont find much at all unlike Porsche, that should tell you everything. and I believe much more reliable on clutches than F1. I am on a budget with my 360 and have to be careful, but manual 360 with history and bought from a good source Walkersport Etc and you will not find to many problems.
I do not like being in the hands of dealers with regard to high technology. Also why are you only looking to keep it for a year? Mike
I had a 360 spider for about three years. Other than a couple of ball joints replacing, it ran with just straight servicing costs. Used Grimaldi who was very reasonable and did a fab job. It's a very useable modern car and I could see it easily being used as a daily driver (although I didn't).
Mike Brown said:
... and I believe much more reliable on clutches than F1. I am on a budget with my 360 and have to be careful, but manual 360 with history and bought from a good source Walkersport Etc and you will not find to many problems...
I wouldn't necessarily agree about the F1 comment. I can't comment on the early cars however my 360 (2003 f1) is very good. Clutch wear is dependent on driving style. If driven properly clutches can last a long long time!Real life eh?
Well I have just bought one 2 weeks ago, and wondered at the time whether it was the craziest thing i'd ever done. We have just moved into a project house in Sept and I have other things I could have/should have spent the money on, like a new kitchen or bathroom and windows. Using Man Maths principles, I worked out that over a two year period I should break even, so with all things considered, it was a no brainer financially as long as there were no catastrophic failures. I was even factoring in a little appreciation due to it being a Manual car and rarer as a result. (would be interested in views on what it's worth).
She a 1999 Grigio Alloy, Scuro Blue leather, Modena, Manual car with 37k on the clock and refurbed alloys in Grigio Silverstone. I have every servicing receipt, MOT, 2 keys and fobs(no red), all manuals and tools. She has extended leather, titanium silver brake calipers, and an upgraded Alpine radio, but is standard apart from that. She has now had 5 owners, though she was sold 3 times between 2012 and 2013 with the previous owner to me only keeping her for 3 months after an impulsive purchase, as he then switched to a 4 seat Maserati!
I already have a polar silver 993 turbo i've had for 7 years that's a keeper, but there's something about the Ferrari mid engined 2 seater cars that has always appealed to me at a visceral level. The 355 is such a pretty car, and would match the 993 from an era perspective, but researching the ownership proposition led me to the 360 modena as it seemed to be a landmark in terms of engineering and offers lower ownership costs with a chance of slight appreciation.
I really wanted a manual car, but they are very rare so I widened the search and subsequently missed out on an Argento F1 car a month ago at Hamilton Grays. I was gutted and gave up looking, thinking i'd focus on the house, to my wife's relief! Then a couple of weeks later I received a call from Andrew Hamilton @ Hamilton Grays, who said that a car had come up, but the deal had to be done in 3 days. I hacked over to Wimbledon and dealt direct with seller who was switching to a Maserati. It was the right car at the right price(thanks Aldous Voice) and sometimes in life you just have to jump in with both feet so I snapped it up and was a little in shock as I drove home in what was now my Ferrari 360.
Needless to say, the missus was even more "shocked" than me.
Over the next couple of weeks, she will head over to Shiltech for new belts, a service and a front balljoint or two (a known weakness due to a poor design). The rear bumper could also do with a repaint at some point due to stonechip rash.
What I love:-
How she looks side on, utterly utterly beautiful and I can just stand and stare appreciating the Pininfarina lines and curves
The sounds and sensation of accelerating through the gears, redlining in each with a screaming V8 behind your ears, I can see why Vicki Butler-Henderson gets so "excited"
For a big wide car she feels well balanced and very responsive
Looking at that V8 through the rear glass cover
The classic aluminium shifter and gate
The way the engine barks on first start-up
The standard daytona manual seats are excellent, and the cabin leather absolutely top quality.
The cabin is a very very nice place to be and well put together with no rattles, or squeeks from the interior (once i'd removed the coins that had fallen behind the aluminium door trims).
What's not so good:-
Ball joints are made of butter, or more accurately mild steel with a chrome plate... guess what happens when you get a little salt and water in them. (hill engineering make a good living from correcting Ferrari's engineering mistakes)
Due to relatively low volumes I think, Ferrari parts prices are horrendous for wear and tear items like wheel bearings(new hub!), clutches, anything really
Stone chips are the enemy with some parts of the car subject to alarming attack unless protected
Its not possible to switch the AC compressor off independantly with out losing all heating!!!
Rear visibility not great
So all in all, its been absolutely fantastic so far, and I would say JUST DO IT, you only live once!
king_kenny
(yes i'm a liverpool fan)
Well I have just bought one 2 weeks ago, and wondered at the time whether it was the craziest thing i'd ever done. We have just moved into a project house in Sept and I have other things I could have/should have spent the money on, like a new kitchen or bathroom and windows. Using Man Maths principles, I worked out that over a two year period I should break even, so with all things considered, it was a no brainer financially as long as there were no catastrophic failures. I was even factoring in a little appreciation due to it being a Manual car and rarer as a result. (would be interested in views on what it's worth).
She a 1999 Grigio Alloy, Scuro Blue leather, Modena, Manual car with 37k on the clock and refurbed alloys in Grigio Silverstone. I have every servicing receipt, MOT, 2 keys and fobs(no red), all manuals and tools. She has extended leather, titanium silver brake calipers, and an upgraded Alpine radio, but is standard apart from that. She has now had 5 owners, though she was sold 3 times between 2012 and 2013 with the previous owner to me only keeping her for 3 months after an impulsive purchase, as he then switched to a 4 seat Maserati!
I already have a polar silver 993 turbo i've had for 7 years that's a keeper, but there's something about the Ferrari mid engined 2 seater cars that has always appealed to me at a visceral level. The 355 is such a pretty car, and would match the 993 from an era perspective, but researching the ownership proposition led me to the 360 modena as it seemed to be a landmark in terms of engineering and offers lower ownership costs with a chance of slight appreciation.
I really wanted a manual car, but they are very rare so I widened the search and subsequently missed out on an Argento F1 car a month ago at Hamilton Grays. I was gutted and gave up looking, thinking i'd focus on the house, to my wife's relief! Then a couple of weeks later I received a call from Andrew Hamilton @ Hamilton Grays, who said that a car had come up, but the deal had to be done in 3 days. I hacked over to Wimbledon and dealt direct with seller who was switching to a Maserati. It was the right car at the right price(thanks Aldous Voice) and sometimes in life you just have to jump in with both feet so I snapped it up and was a little in shock as I drove home in what was now my Ferrari 360.
Needless to say, the missus was even more "shocked" than me.
Over the next couple of weeks, she will head over to Shiltech for new belts, a service and a front balljoint or two (a known weakness due to a poor design). The rear bumper could also do with a repaint at some point due to stonechip rash.
What I love:-
How she looks side on, utterly utterly beautiful and I can just stand and stare appreciating the Pininfarina lines and curves
The sounds and sensation of accelerating through the gears, redlining in each with a screaming V8 behind your ears, I can see why Vicki Butler-Henderson gets so "excited"
For a big wide car she feels well balanced and very responsive
Looking at that V8 through the rear glass cover
The classic aluminium shifter and gate
The way the engine barks on first start-up
The standard daytona manual seats are excellent, and the cabin leather absolutely top quality.
The cabin is a very very nice place to be and well put together with no rattles, or squeeks from the interior (once i'd removed the coins that had fallen behind the aluminium door trims).
What's not so good:-
Ball joints are made of butter, or more accurately mild steel with a chrome plate... guess what happens when you get a little salt and water in them. (hill engineering make a good living from correcting Ferrari's engineering mistakes)
Due to relatively low volumes I think, Ferrari parts prices are horrendous for wear and tear items like wheel bearings(new hub!), clutches, anything really
Stone chips are the enemy with some parts of the car subject to alarming attack unless protected
Its not possible to switch the AC compressor off independantly with out losing all heating!!!
Rear visibility not great
So all in all, its been absolutely fantastic so far, and I would say JUST DO IT, you only live once!
king_kenny
(yes i'm a liverpool fan)
Real life eh?
Well I have just bought one 2 weeks ago, and wondered at the time whether it was the craziest thing i'd ever done. We have just moved into a project house in Sept and I have other things I could have/should have spent the money on, like a new kitchen or bathroom and windows. Using Man Maths principles, I worked out that over a two year period I should break even, so with all things considered, it was a no brainer financially as long as there were no catastrophic failures. I was even factoring in a little appreciation due to it being a Manual car and rarer as a result. (would be interested in views on what it's worth).
She a 1999 Grigio Alloy, Scuro Blue leather, Modena, Manual car with 37k on the clock and refurbed alloys in Grigio Silverstone. I have every servicing receipt, MOT, 2 keys and fobs(no red), all manuals and tools. She has extended leather, titanium silver brake calipers, and an upgraded Alpine radio, but is standard apart from that. She has now had 5 owners, though she was sold 3 times between 2012 and 2013 with the previous owner to me only keeping her for 3 months after an impulsive purchase, as he then switched to a 4 seat Maserati!
I already have a polar silver 993 turbo i've had for 7 years that's a keeper, but there's something about the Ferrari mid engined 2 seater cars that has always appealed to me at a visceral level. The 355 is such a pretty car, and would match the 993 from an era perspective, but researching the ownership proposition led me to the 360 modena as it seemed to be a landmark in terms of engineering and offers lower ownership costs with a chance of slight appreciation.
I really wanted a manual car, but they are very rare so I widened the search and subsequently missed out on an Argento F1 car a month ago at Hamilton Grays. I was gutted and gave up looking, thinking i'd focus on the house, to my wife's relief! Then a couple of weeks later I received a call from Andrew Hamilton @ Hamilton Grays, who said that a car had come up, but the deal had to be done in 3 days. I hacked over to Wimbledon and dealt direct with seller who was switching to a Maserati. It was the right car at the right price(thanks Aldous Voice) and sometimes in life you just have to jump in with both feet so I snapped it up and was a little in shock as I drove home in what was now my Ferrari 360.
Needless to say, the missus was even more "shocked" than me.
Over the next couple of weeks, she will head over to Shiltech for new belts, a service and a front balljoint or two (a known weakness due to a poor design). The rear bumper could also do with a repaint at some point due to stonechip rash.
What I love:-
How she looks side on, utterly utterly beautiful and I can just stand and stare appreciating the Pininfarina lines and curves
The sounds and sensation of accelerating through the gears, redlining in each with a screaming V8 behind your ears, I can see why Vicki Butler-Henderson gets so "excited"
For a big wide car she feels well balanced and very responsive
Looking at that V8 through the rear glass cover
The classic aluminium shifter and gate
The way the engine barks on first start-up
The standard daytona manual seats are excellent, and the cabin leather absolutely top quality.
The cabin is a very very nice place to be and well put together with no rattles, or squeeks from the interior (once i'd removed the coins that had fallen behind the aluminium door trims).
What's not so good:-
Ball joints are made of butter, or more accurately mild steel with a chrome plate... guess what happens when you get a little salt and water in them. (hill engineering make a good living from correcting Ferrari's engineering mistakes)
Due to relatively low volumes I think, Ferrari parts prices are horrendous for wear and tear items like wheel bearings(new hub!), clutches, anything really
Stone chips are the enemy with some parts of the car subject to alarming attack unless protected
Its not possible to switch the AC compressor off independantly with out losing all heating!!!
Rear visibility not great
So all in all, its been absolutely fantastic so far, and I would say JUST DO IT, you only live once!
king_kenny
(yes i'm a liverpool fan)
Reply to Topic bookmark watch
Spot on!!!!
Well I have just bought one 2 weeks ago, and wondered at the time whether it was the craziest thing i'd ever done. We have just moved into a project house in Sept and I have other things I could have/should have spent the money on, like a new kitchen or bathroom and windows. Using Man Maths principles, I worked out that over a two year period I should break even, so with all things considered, it was a no brainer financially as long as there were no catastrophic failures. I was even factoring in a little appreciation due to it being a Manual car and rarer as a result. (would be interested in views on what it's worth).
She a 1999 Grigio Alloy, Scuro Blue leather, Modena, Manual car with 37k on the clock and refurbed alloys in Grigio Silverstone. I have every servicing receipt, MOT, 2 keys and fobs(no red), all manuals and tools. She has extended leather, titanium silver brake calipers, and an upgraded Alpine radio, but is standard apart from that. She has now had 5 owners, though she was sold 3 times between 2012 and 2013 with the previous owner to me only keeping her for 3 months after an impulsive purchase, as he then switched to a 4 seat Maserati!
I already have a polar silver 993 turbo i've had for 7 years that's a keeper, but there's something about the Ferrari mid engined 2 seater cars that has always appealed to me at a visceral level. The 355 is such a pretty car, and would match the 993 from an era perspective, but researching the ownership proposition led me to the 360 modena as it seemed to be a landmark in terms of engineering and offers lower ownership costs with a chance of slight appreciation.
I really wanted a manual car, but they are very rare so I widened the search and subsequently missed out on an Argento F1 car a month ago at Hamilton Grays. I was gutted and gave up looking, thinking i'd focus on the house, to my wife's relief! Then a couple of weeks later I received a call from Andrew Hamilton @ Hamilton Grays, who said that a car had come up, but the deal had to be done in 3 days. I hacked over to Wimbledon and dealt direct with seller who was switching to a Maserati. It was the right car at the right price(thanks Aldous Voice) and sometimes in life you just have to jump in with both feet so I snapped it up and was a little in shock as I drove home in what was now my Ferrari 360.
Needless to say, the missus was even more "shocked" than me.
Over the next couple of weeks, she will head over to Shiltech for new belts, a service and a front balljoint or two (a known weakness due to a poor design). The rear bumper could also do with a repaint at some point due to stonechip rash.
What I love:-
How she looks side on, utterly utterly beautiful and I can just stand and stare appreciating the Pininfarina lines and curves
The sounds and sensation of accelerating through the gears, redlining in each with a screaming V8 behind your ears, I can see why Vicki Butler-Henderson gets so "excited"
For a big wide car she feels well balanced and very responsive
Looking at that V8 through the rear glass cover
The classic aluminium shifter and gate
The way the engine barks on first start-up
The standard daytona manual seats are excellent, and the cabin leather absolutely top quality.
The cabin is a very very nice place to be and well put together with no rattles, or squeeks from the interior (once i'd removed the coins that had fallen behind the aluminium door trims).
What's not so good:-
Ball joints are made of butter, or more accurately mild steel with a chrome plate... guess what happens when you get a little salt and water in them. (hill engineering make a good living from correcting Ferrari's engineering mistakes)
Due to relatively low volumes I think, Ferrari parts prices are horrendous for wear and tear items like wheel bearings(new hub!), clutches, anything really
Stone chips are the enemy with some parts of the car subject to alarming attack unless protected
Its not possible to switch the AC compressor off independantly with out losing all heating!!!
Rear visibility not great
So all in all, its been absolutely fantastic so far, and I would say JUST DO IT, you only live once!
king_kenny
(yes i'm a liverpool fan)
Reply to Topic bookmark watch
Spot on!!!!
agree with all the points raised. like most "Sports cars" they are not cheap to run or maybe Im unlucky and the 3 friends of mine that have run ferraris. Go in eyes open and remember what you dont lose in depreciation doesnt mean you wont have repair bills.
mines just out from having ball joints
my clutch is being done and for some reason hasnt quite lasted as long as the first clutch the car had - (manual gearbox) and as such there are reasonable costs associated (although not in the league of expense of Murclielago clutches) its still a sizeable amount.
355 is a lovely car but i can speak from experiences about them and for sure they are prone to more issues/ repair bills. Beleive me this wont make up the difference for appreciation because they made plenty of them...
Still not convinced the 360 corners as safely or as predictably as the 355 nor does it sound as good as the 355. Thankfully a loud sports exhaust goes a little way to assuage / releave the anguish.
There is nothing else for the money that delivers this experience.
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