355 vs 360 vs 430 spider

[FunkyMunky71]

Hi All,

I'm looking into buying my first Ferrari. What are the pros and cons of buying a used 355, 360 or F430 spider. I'd like a manual but would be happy with an F1 if the price is right. I'd also like something reliable with the least service costs that I'm not going to lose a bucketload of money on.

I'm living in the Lakes and trying out an F430 in Nero this afternoon, but would love to hear from you who are in the know about F cars and their relative merits and values.

[johnnyreggae]

FunkyMunky71 said:

I'd also like something reliable with the least service costs that I'm not going to lose a bucketload of money

Whilst the 355 may have the looks it a decade older so for the above look at 360 or 430 - there's quite a premium on manual which will increase your possible loss on any price correction

Google Voicey's blog for guides to both - PH did 360 & 355 buying guides a while ago too

Scroll down thro' this section for similar threads

Let us know how you get on

Edited by johnnyreggae on Friday 15th April 09:08

[phib]

Agree 360 or 430, you have to really want a 355 to buy one these days, old tech and potential for higher bills.

Having said that my 355 has cost me less over the last 10 years than my 360 or 430 cost in the three years I owned them !! But that was a while ago.

All I would say is none of them will be cheap to run especially if you buy a bad one to start with, have a good inspection on anything you are going to buy

Nothing worse than buying your dream and getting a £5k- £7.5k bill on the first service !! Seen that happen too many times !!

Phib

[FunkyMunky71]

Thanks for the advice. That all sounds like a good reason to get a dealership car with a warrantee that's just been serviced if you're a bit risk averse like me! I'll let you know how I get on after today's test drive

[Kyodo]

We've had our 360 Modena (F1) for a few years and it's been a delight. It's never going to be the cheapest car too run but it's been far from expensive too. We would've been happy with any of the cars you mention but for us, we set out to buy a F355 but ended up wanting something that felt a little newer (as much as I've always adored the F355…)

Try all of the cars, both F1 and manual, spider and coupe if possible and take your time to find a decent, well looked after car. Hopefully then the ownership experience will be a good one.

Do some homework on the various niggles with each model so you'll know what to expect/avoid. Don't rule out a private purchase but be sure to get an independent inspection. Don't forget the F1 is a manual too - don't get caught up in the hype. It's a Ferrari not an F Car !

[MDL111]

phib said:

Agree 360 or 430, you have to really want a 355 to buy one these days, old tech and potential for higher bills.

Having said that my 355 has cost me less over the last 10 years than my 360 or 430 cost in the three years I owned them !! But that was a while ago.

All I would say is none of them will be cheap to run especially if you buy a bad one to start with, have a good inspection on anything you are going to buy

Nothing worse than buying your dream and getting a £5k- £7.5k bill on the first service !! Seen that happen too many times !!

Phib

I would think about getting a 430 with a Ferrari warranty (I believe possible up until 12 years old) - it is expensive, but will hopefully give you peace of mind.

Replacement of ccb brakes is rather pricey, so also sth to keep in mind (I think early 430s were still steel as standard).

I am not 100% sure but think servicing cost on 430 is a little cheaper than 355/360 (stuff like engine out service required on earlier cars etc), also rather better build quality / electronics throwing fewer fits. Important never to let the battery discharge too much, they hate that - usually the more one drives them the better they perform.

Having said all that, I personally would probably still buy another 355 Berlinetta if I'd buy an 8-cylinder Ferrari - but knowing full well that it will be a lot slower, possibly break down and cost a lot to run - heart over head

Edit: My 355 only broke down once in 2.5 years and 20k miles of mixed driving

[FezSpider]

This will be my 11th year of 355 spider ownership. I do every thing my self on my own car from simple belt changes to full engine rebuild, i would like to think there is nothing i dont know about the 355. Just in parts alone i have bills for £24, 000 that span the 11 years. Not to bad unless you have to add a dealers labour time on top of that, then you might run into tens of thousands of £s on top on that. At least half of my parts bill was just renewing parts as the years go by to stay on top of this fine beast.
It is my opinion as a long standing owner, that as the 355 gets older and its vintage matures....yes like a fine vino rosso , Itt should only be owned by the totally dedicated and fanatical to keep these babys in the beautiful condition the deserve . Shes a highly strung tempermental, potentially high maintenance Italian bicth( my ducati more so ) But she sings like a quartet of horny angels in a way a 430 cant.
But do i still love her after all these years, of course i do
After this years classic lemans i am hitting the alps as i make my way to maranello as i do every year with the old girl. Factory tour this year

[paulmnz]

I went through this in Nov and ended up with a 430.

being an evolution of the 360, its a very well sorted car with a couple of known issues - the ball joints at the front and the exhaust manifold and brackets.
I bought one because the F355 had a few possible 'known issues' which where quite expensive to sort - rust on the buttresses for example. They are a beautiful thing, but I bought my car for euro trips and occasional trackdays. The 430 seemed the best 'value' being not hugely more expensive than a 360 but having the benefit of an extra 80-odd BHP, the e-diff, a more advanced gearbox (F1) and using chains rather than timing belts.

EVO magazine did a comparison of the 308, 348, 355, 360, 430 and 458 a while back:
http://www.evo.co.uk/ferrari/458/12164/ferrari-458...

Worth a read to get a reasonable comparison of how they drive back-to-back

I bought mine privately - gives you the opportunity for the previous owner to take you out in it and see how it's been looked after - get it inspected by an expert if you need to, there are plenty of people who can do this for you including voicey. The guy that owned mine adored the car. service history doesn't really tell me anything about how a car was looked after other than they took it in to the dealer occasionally. My advice would be to buy a car that has been owned by the current owner for an extended period, doesn't really matter how many owners its had, but I'd want to buy from someone who has had it for a few years. my car is a 2007 with two previous owners.

I have a different view on the ferrari warranty - I have the documents for the ferrari power warranty and it's basically only useful if the car has a really catastrophic failure, most of the more basic things that go wrong aren't covered - you might find a 3rd party warranty is better. I decided not to bother and keep some money aside for big bills. I would recommend finding a good Indy or a smaller ferrari dealership where you can get to know the mechanics and trust them.

Any of the three are pretty special cars - as others have said, buy a good one and you should be fine!

[Kyodo]

MDL111 said:

I am not 100% sure but think servicing cost on 430 is a little cheaper than 355/360 (stuff like engine out service required on earlier cars etc)

Just to clarify for the OP, the F430 has timing chains, the F355 requires engine removal for its belts where the 360 has an access panel making the three yearly belt change relatively inexpensive. The F430 saves a few £ when compared to the above in that respect.

[Frrair]

I had a look at 355 & 360 five years ago..... and bought a 360.

It was just a better drive which was why I bought it..

Coming from an old air cooled 911 it was refreshing it wasn't rattling and coughing all the time, the old 911 felt 'special' just because it was so different to my previous cars but in hindsight it was different just because it felt old and if I am 100% honest I never felt comfortable whizzing around in a very old Porsche design that didn't consider crumple zones and air bags for me as the perhaps over keen driver... let alone when I had my kids in the car.

My time with the Ferrari has been great but is now coming to an end, five years is the longest I have ever owned a car but there are so many other cars I want to own so I guess it would be an opportunity lost not to try the others. This may be a decision I regret but my 360, which is a proper old school manual, will be going up for sale soon.

Drop me a line if interested.

Cheers
Ed

[FunkyMunky71]

Thanks for all the informative comments everyone. I took and F430 Spider out for a drive today from Stratton in Wilmslow. It was an enlightening experience. I wasn't quite sure about the car as we set off from the dealership with me in the passenger seat. It wasn't warm and was clonking and knocking on the rough roads, and the interior looked really handmade and quite 90s for a 2007 car. Then I got in the driver's seat and set off, admittedly with a bit of trepidation having just given the accelerator a good blat as I got in! As the drive went on I became more comfortable and the car seemed to shrink around me and start revealing a real sense of character. I was only in normal driving mode but really enjoyed the experience and the few chances I got to open it up a bit too about 5000rpm gave me a taste of the soundtrack available. The only thing I found a bit off was the F1 gearbox, but I'd just got out of a PDK Boxster S so am used to that now. Having said that I started to enjoy the surge, shift, surge of the car in auto, and know the changes on the paddles speed up a bit when you change modes.

One question for those in the know is how much difference is there between 08 and 07 models with wiring etc. The salesman either didn't know of any serious revisions or fobbed me off, or there actually aren't any differences?

Overall, I came away really impressed, but also wishing I could afford a 458 having sat in one! Then again, the Boxster S was a very smooth and comfortable ride home. Maybe I should get a F430 Coupe and keep the Boxster S for the DD!

[Kyodo]

I'd say the Coupe to go with your Boxster is a great combo! We have a Boxster S (986 model) to go with our Modena and they're about the best two seat daily driver ever made

If the car you drove was badly knocking it probably needs a ball joint or two - a weak area for the 360/F430.

[garym3m5]

paulmnz said:

I went through this in Nov and ended up with a 430.

being an evolution of the 360, its a very well sorted car with a couple of known issues - the ball joints at the front and the exhaust manifold and brackets.
I bought one because the F355 had a few possible 'known issues' which where quite expensive to sort - rust on the buttresses for example. They are a beautiful thing, but I bought my car for euro trips and occasional trackdays. The 430 seemed the best 'value' being not hugely more expensive than a 360 but having the benefit of an extra 80-odd BHP, the e-diff, a more advanced gearbox (F1) and using chains rather than timing belts.

EVO magazine did a comparison of the 308, 348, 355, 360, 430 and 458 a while back:
http://www.evo.co.uk/ferrari/458/12164/ferrari-458...

Worth a read to get a reasonable comparison of how they drive back-to-back

I bought mine privately - gives you the opportunity for the previous owner to take you out in it and see how it's been looked after - get it inspected by an expert if you need to, there are plenty of people who can do this for you including voicey. The guy that owned mine adored the car. service history doesn't really tell me anything about how a car was looked after other than they took it in to the dealer occasionally. My advice would be to buy a car that has been owned by the current owner for an extended period, doesn't really matter how many owners its had, but I'd want to buy from someone who has had it for a few years. my car is a 2007 with two previous owners.

I have a different view on the ferrari warranty - I have the documents for the ferrari power warranty and it's basically only useful if the car has a really catastrophic failure, most of the more basic things that go wrong aren't covered - you might find a 3rd party warranty is better. I decided not to bother and keep some money aside for big bills. I would recommend finding a good Indy or a smaller ferrari dealership where you can get to know the mechanics and trust them.

Any of the three are pretty special cars - as others have said, buy a good one and you should be fine!

Again my view and experience of Ferrari factory warranty on a F430 is different. Regardless of what the small print said, everything that went 'wrong" with my car was replaced without even having to ask. I.e. Manifolds replaced for a third time on eight year old car. Even though no advisories on MOT the dealer said a little play in front upper and lower ball joints-replaced under warranty without me even having to ask. Had a couple of electrical warnings diagnosed as needing a replacement battery. All paid for by Ferrari factory warranty within 24 months of purchase. Dealership even resprayed an area of corrosion around rear light free of charge 15 months into ownership. I don't think any non factory backed would have paid for any of these items which I think could have cost me c£8-9k.
Am sure all in all I paid a small premium for buying from main dealer, but my experience is that the peace of mind for me of having a factory backed car has been worth it. Hence, when I ended it trading it in to the same dealer for a 458.

Oh and the 430 was a wonderful weekend toy but I wouldn't want to use it for a commute only car so really recommend it to compliment your Porsche.

Edited by garym3m5 on Saturday 16th April 11:07

[MDL111]

garym3m5 said:

paulmnz said:

I went through this in Nov and ended up with a 430.

being an evolution of the 360, its a very well sorted car with a couple of known issues - the ball joints at the front and the exhaust manifold and brackets.
I bought one because the F355 had a few possible 'known issues' which where quite expensive to sort - rust on the buttresses for example. They are a beautiful thing, but I bought my car for euro trips and occasional trackdays. The 430 seemed the best 'value' being not hugely more expensive than a 360 but having the benefit of an extra 80-odd BHP, the e-diff, a more advanced gearbox (F1) and using chains rather than timing belts.

EVO magazine did a comparison of the 308, 348, 355, 360, 430 and 458 a while back:
http://www.evo.co.uk/ferrari/458/12164/ferrari-458...

Worth a read to get a reasonable comparison of how they drive back-to-back

I bought mine privately - gives you the opportunity for the previous owner to take you out in it and see how it's been looked after - get it inspected by an expert if you need to, there are plenty of people who can do this for you including voicey. The guy that owned mine adored the car. service history doesn't really tell me anything about how a car was looked after other than they took it in to the dealer occasionally. My advice would be to buy a car that has been owned by the current owner for an extended period, doesn't really matter how many owners its had, but I'd want to buy from someone who has had it for a few years. my car is a 2007 with two previous owners.

I have a different view on the ferrari warranty - I have the documents for the ferrari power warranty and it's basically only useful if the car has a really catastrophic failure, most of the more basic things that go wrong aren't covered - you might find a 3rd party warranty is better. I decided not to bother and keep some money aside for big bills. I would recommend finding a good Indy or a smaller ferrari dealership where you can get to know the mechanics and trust them.

Any of the three are pretty special cars - as others have said, buy a good one and you should be fine!

Again my view and experience of Ferrari factory warranty on a F430 is different. Regardless of what the small print said, everything that went 'wrong" with my car was replaced without even having to ask. I.e. Manifolds replaced for a third time on eight year old car. Even though no advisories on MOT the dealer said a little play in front upper and lower ball joints-replaced under warranty without me even having to ask. Had a couple of electrical warnings diagnosed as needing a replacement battery. All paid for by Ferrari factory warranty within 24 months of purchase. Dealership even resprayed an area of corrosion around rear light free of charge 15 months into ownership. I don't think any non factory backed would have paid for any of these items which I think could have cost me c£8-9k.
Am sure all in all I paid a small premium for buying from main dealer, but my experience is that the peace of mind for me of having a factory backed car has been worth it. Hence, when I ended it trading it in to the same dealer for a 458.

Oh and the 430 was a wonderful weekend toy but I wouldn't want to use it for a commute only car so really recommend it to compliment your Porsche.

Edited by garym3m5 on Saturday 16th April 11:07

so far I have not claimed anything material on the warranty, although they had to diagnose a few electrical gremlins (at probably 150 Euros an hour that is also already money).

It did not cover my broken parking sensor, which annoyed me a bit as I think it was already broken at purchase. I had to buy a new stronger battery as the standard one seemingly was not strong enough causing some of the elec gremlins.

I mainly bought the warranty for peace of mind if sth like the engine or gearbox goes wrong. Paying a few k a year for various things is normal on a Ferrari (heck my insurance is >5k pa), but having to pay for a replacement box or engine would be a serious financial dent that I can't afford - risk averse/helps me sleep easier

[fastandcurious]

I currently own a really nice low mileage 360 spider manual and i'm considering swapping for a 430 spider. I favour manual but have never driven the F1 version. Apart from the rarity and extra cost in the current market of the manual cars, are they really that much better to drive than the F1. Is the F1 gearbox reliable in normal use, does it eat clutches and does it feel clunky by modern standards. I'd like to gauge opinions before I go out and drive one.

[johnnyreggae]

fastandcurious said:

Is the F1 gearbox reliable in normal use, does it eat clutches and does it feel clunky by modern standards.

Consensus seems to be yes/no/yes

[FunkyMunky71]

Liking this one having driven its stablemate. Might have to book a drive in this car. I did find the footwell a bit tight so what's it like in a manual with 3 pedals?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

[FunkyMunky71]

Also wondering about the difference between Daytona seats and standard seats. The car I drove had Daytona which I found a bit too narrow for my shoulders. The one above was much more comfortable and doesn't have Daytonas to the best of my knowledge. Any help on this is welcome.

[paulmnz]

FunkyMunky71 said:

Liking this one having driven its stablemate. Might have to book a drive in this car. I did find the footwell a bit tight so what's it like in a manual with 3 pedals?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

Seems strong money for a car with few desirable options... but if you like the spec, it seems very tidy/well cared for.

[paulmnz]

FunkyMunky71 said:

Also wondering about the difference between Daytona seats and standard seats. The car I drove had Daytona which I found a bit too narrow for my shoulders. The one above was much more comfortable and doesn't have Daytonas to the best of my knowledge. Any help on this is welcome.

pretty sure the only difference between the 'daytona' and 'standard' seats is the design of the leather in the middle sections - the Daytona looks like the seats in the... urrr Daytona... from the 70's. There were options for electric/heated vs non which may also be part of the Daytona spec I'm not sure. what you really want are the 'race' seats which are lovely carbon fibre jobs and very comfortable. I've done a 8hr stint in my car with the carbon seats and they are among the most comfortable seats I've sat in. They could do with a little more upper body support for track work, so although they look 'racy' they aren't really proper racing seats but a good compromise.