348 and weather...
Discussion
I'm in the position where I'm being tempted to thow common sense to the 4 winds and buy a 348. Only problem is I don't have a garage or any other cars.
Would a 348 survive happily being parked outside in all weathers, or would it dissolve into a puddle of sorry red paint in 30 minutes?
Would a 348 survive happily being parked outside in all weathers, or would it dissolve into a puddle of sorry red paint in 30 minutes?
Having owned a number of Ferraris (currently 456) I'm afraid I'd have to say don't bother. It's not so much that the 348 will rust (though it will) more that the electrics will never work properly. For some reason the 348 is particularly bad in this respect, for example, if you want to charge or change the battery you've got 3 hours work ahead of you...
The 355 will survive the ravages of the weather a lot better if you can run to one (bear in mind the maintenance shouldn't be as bad.)
A 328gtb (superb examples at c. £35k) would be a possible alternative. It is, in my view, a better car with a lot more "cuore" although it won't survive the ravages of the weather any better.
Have you considered any alternatives ? A Maserati 3200GT might be worth considering, particularly as mugs like me have absorbed all the depreciation
Alternatively what about a Porsche 993 or a Honda NSX ? Both of these combine supercar performance with a vestige of practicality and will certainly put a smile on your face every time you take them out for a drive. NSXs are down to £25k for an older example and you should find a good choice of 993s at under £40k.
I apologise that this might not be the answer you're looking for, Ferrari ownership is a great experience but you have to accept that they need the kind of care you'd lavish on a classic or a racing car as they get older.
If you do decide to go down the Ferrari route try talking to Foskers (www.foskers.com 07000 355 355) at Brands Hatch, they have the best cars you're likely to see and price them fairly reasonably.
Yours, Jon Dokic
The 355 will survive the ravages of the weather a lot better if you can run to one (bear in mind the maintenance shouldn't be as bad.)
A 328gtb (superb examples at c. £35k) would be a possible alternative. It is, in my view, a better car with a lot more "cuore" although it won't survive the ravages of the weather any better.
Have you considered any alternatives ? A Maserati 3200GT might be worth considering, particularly as mugs like me have absorbed all the depreciation
Alternatively what about a Porsche 993 or a Honda NSX ? Both of these combine supercar performance with a vestige of practicality and will certainly put a smile on your face every time you take them out for a drive. NSXs are down to £25k for an older example and you should find a good choice of 993s at under £40k. I apologise that this might not be the answer you're looking for, Ferrari ownership is a great experience but you have to accept that they need the kind of care you'd lavish on a classic or a racing car as they get older.
If you do decide to go down the Ferrari route try talking to Foskers (www.foskers.com 07000 355 355) at Brands Hatch, they have the best cars you're likely to see and price them fairly reasonably.
Yours, Jon Dokic
Thanks, as I suspected!
I've test driven an NSX and a 911.
Strangely I really didn't feel for the 911 at all, up until I drove it I figured it was _the_ car I wanted.
When I did go for a drive all I could think of was how similar it was to driving a beetle, which I hated!
Loved the NSX, amazing soundtrack. Drove a Maserati Ghibli cup - again great car, but being such a limited edition I went against it on the possibility of horrific costs.
As you say all these cars need their care and attention, but I can appreciate that a 10+ year old Ferrari is going to need more TLC than most.
Summers coming and I need a good sporting machine, pref convertible, pref with more than two seats. Looks like an M3 convertible then. Oh how sensible.
Thanks for the advice,
Rich
I've test driven an NSX and a 911.
Strangely I really didn't feel for the 911 at all, up until I drove it I figured it was _the_ car I wanted.
When I did go for a drive all I could think of was how similar it was to driving a beetle, which I hated!
Loved the NSX, amazing soundtrack. Drove a Maserati Ghibli cup - again great car, but being such a limited edition I went against it on the possibility of horrific costs.
As you say all these cars need their care and attention, but I can appreciate that a 10+ year old Ferrari is going to need more TLC than most.
Summers coming and I need a good sporting machine, pref convertible, pref with more than two seats. Looks like an M3 convertible then. Oh how sensible.
Thanks for the advice,
Rich
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