Manual 360 Spider

[barriejames]

Hi all

After 3 years with my manual gen 1 v10 R8 Spyder I am thinking about a 360 Spider. Yes I know it older tech and slower, but it has more drama and i've always wanted one. However its a lot more money for what is likely a lesser drivers car but obviously has more kerb appeal. My question is if you were going to sink 70k of you hard earned into a car right now would a sub 20k mile 360 Spider be a safe a place as any? And for those that know, how does it compare with a 430 F1 box (which I guess are still old tech and jerky)? Never driven either and I am a 2k a year April to October user for the special car!! So winter use etc and no fast use, so performance etc not an issue.

[Lee Jones Jnr]

barriejames said:

Hi all

After 3 years with my manual gen 1 v10 R8 Spyder I am thinking about a 360 Spider. Yes I know it older tech and slower, but it has more drama and i've always wanted one. However its a lot more money for what is likely a lesser drivers car but obviously has more kerb appeal. My question is if you were going to sink 70k of you hard earned into a car right now would a sub 20k mile 360 Spider be a safe a place as any? And for those that know, how does it compare with a 430 F1 box (which I guess are still old tech and jerky)? Never driven either and I am a 2k a year April to October user for the special car!! So winter use etc and no fast use, so performance etc not an issue.

You sound like a California would suit you better if you can make do without a manual box

Edited by Lee Jones Jnr on Sunday 10th May 16:54

[johnnyreggae]

Focus on the right car not the mileage - its quite possible a 40-60000 mile car would suit - cost less and depreciate less as no low mileage premium

[ANOpax]

johnnyreggae said:

Focus on the right car not the mileage - its quite possible a 40-60000 mile car would suit - cost less and depreciate less as no low mileage premium

This ^^^^^

And just to add, F1 boxes are not jerky if you know how to drive them.

[alephnull]

Whether it has done 20k miles or 50k, it will have some refreshing required. Keep back some £ to do suspension bushes and drop links etc. I think my car probably needs a spring & damper refresh, as it has been 20 years now and these things deteriorate with age. What you need to remember, is a well looked after car will feel much nicer than something a little less loved, so test drive one with a fat folder of recent bills including a suspension refresh. It won't feel as modern as the R8 - I test drove a gen 1 R8 before I got my 360, and I thought the R8 was comfortable, well made and super smooth...but it wasn't a Ferrari, and it wasn't as raw.

I wouldn't buy a 360 as an investment, I bought mine to drive. I can't imagine when I'm 85 I will wish I drove it less so I saved on the resale value. Screw the residuals and drive the wheels off it.

[barriejames]

Thanks for the replies this far. I will review all this but will probably look at a part ex deal as I cannot be doing with people messing me about or worse if I advertise my car, so will most likely be buying off trade. One thing also is would you still get a PPI done from a more reputable dealer?

[alephnull]

Yes 100%, and I'd recommend AV Engineering.

[orangeLP400]

I have a little collection and my 360 F1 is one of my favorites.

I would never suggest to anyone to buy a car as an investment but it seems that if you buy what you like, as I have done over many years, they seem to hold their value. But it's really about the joy of owning/driving.... sometimes just knowing what's in your garage makes you smile even on a bad day.

But I will stick my neck out here and say a 360 is a very very good choice. Most importantly it's the best looking modern era Ferrari and this is where I am normally ahead of the curve ( yes I know you all have your opinions and all your reasons, but in this field I am always right!)

It has something of the sultry curvationness of older Ferraris and is an antidote to all the slashes and holes and hard curves in modern cars which will soon go out of fashion ( yes I know you have your contrary opinions .....but just trust me and you will one day be happy you did) and in value terms its hard to beat.

The F1 gearbox ( I did upgrade the ECU on mine) is really rather good and stunning on a twisty road where it allows you to concentrate on driving/steering although I am no racing driver.

I do think its fair to say it can get a bit painful in traffic or when reversing but the slick change when you are pushing on is a delight.

I would understand anyone going for a manual especially if it's your only weekend car but I think the manual "thing" is a bit overplayed and the F1 box really does allow you to change so much faster than using a stick shift especially, I find ,when changing down for a corner when its just amazing and the sound is worthy of being in a Puccini opera.

I do have to say I am not biased here as I do own another manual Ferrari and I do buy into that click clack sound that makes you feel like a proper driver but in the 360 I think its no bad thing.

With 400bhp and a light aluminium chassis and an almost bullet proof engine ( so its seems) and the glass engine cover and all that nice leather and some great modernish tech but no silly stuff, it makes a great package.

Who knows what will happen to prices in the future but I reckon if you buy one ( and they are sort of under the radar at present) and hold onto it, it will give you a lot of fun and if you have to sell may even turn a nice little profit which will impress the missus. Why anyone would buy an new M3 for far more money, and suffer the depreciation, is beyond me. Or even an original M3 oops I have upset the massive BMW fan base!

Everyone should own a Ferrari at least once on your life and a 360 is a peach.

[wormski]

I've had a manual 360 for 6 years. Other cars have come and gone but i don't think i'll ever sell the 360. I got a 'high milage' example at 36k and have added about 1000 miles per year since. I've had more capable cars if you want to go fast but i like the noise of the 360 and somehow every drive feels an event even if there's traffic or i'm just on a pootle.

[K50 DEL]

I've had my manual 360 spider for 7 years now, it's a LHD car that I originally bought as a daily when I lived in Dubai but shipped back to the UK when I came home in 2015.

The car's now done 16k miles and bar a few teething issues at the beginning (I bought a car that had been part of a collection rather than one that had actually been used) it's been bulletproof.

I've had it maintained by Christian Lewis and AV and kept up the 3yr belt changes, preventative maintenance etc but most of all I've enjoyed the ownership of a very special car.

I think the most special moment was driving from Dubai into Oman the same car followed me for a few hours, got to the hotel and a young lad emerged from the car, his Dad had gone hours out of their way just so the little lad could get up close to the car, he'd never seen a Ferrari before. I suspect the photos Dad took of him sitting in it will have pride of place somewhere...... it's a car to make dreams come true.

I post on this thread because this year (or perhaps next) I feel the time is right to move on (I can only have one weekend car and there are so many others I'd like to own) and a manual R8 spider is very much on the list..... If you do make the change, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the differences.

[dereksharpuk]

I have had a manual 360 Modena, a manual 360 Spider, a manual 430 Spider and 2 manual 430 Spiders. If funds are tight , I would go for a manual 360 Spider. Brilliant car and great sound. Almost the same price is an F1 430, which however is a niice car and one gets used to the F1 box. True, not as good as PDK or the 458, but OK. If you do a lot of in-town driving, the clutch has a short life (7000 miles?). Perhaps you should try all? As someone said, condition is everything. Either will hold its value.