I'm thinking of a car purchase. I really love the Ferrari F355. I would probably get a 97 or 98 and pay $75K+ My major concern is repairing the damn thing if something should go wrong. My next though it a New or slightly used 911. What do you guys think?

I think I'd be happy with both cars, but my heart does belong to the Ferrari. I know I would hate the car if I had to spend 15k on repair within the first year or two. Will the Porsche make forget about the F355, a rather old car in ccontrast. Any feedback would be helpful, especially from Porsche owners who also own Ferraris or from someone in my same situation.

Thanks!

 

F355 is an incredible car, but for $75,000 you can get a 993 Twin Turbo that will send that car to the graveyard. Add about $5,000 on moderate modifications and you will be sending everything else to the graveyard too. And theres 1-2 Porsche dealers and mechanics in every city. Good luck finding a competent Ferrari wrench in your area.

Just answer this: whens the last time you saw a 150,000 mile Ferrari.

Exactly.

 

I have a Ferrari 328 GTS and my Dad has a F355 Spyder. First - for $75K you'll have a hard time finding a clean, well documented 355. There are plenty that have been ridden hard and put away wet - so you have to be pretty careful. Also, plan about $6500 for the belt service [which dealers are now recommending every 3 years - although we still do the previously recommended 5 years] and about $2K for routine yearly servicings. Now, with that said, the F355 is an awesome car. Very different beast when compared to a 911. First is the sound. Ferrari's are definitely not quiet machines and the 355 has to be one of the best sounding cars out there - but for everyday driving it's a bit too much, in my opinion. The Porsche is much more refined [an automobile] and the Ferrari is raw [a racecar]. If your heart is set on a Ferrari [as mine was] I'd say get a 328 or go all the way to the 360. The 328 and 360 are much cheaper to service. The belt service cannot be done with the engine in the car on the 348 or 355 - which dramatically increases expense. Since they drop the engine - generally the clutch is done at the same time - again increasing expense. The 348s are priced these days such that the service expenses are helped by the much lower acquisition cost. However, they are not as loved by Ferrari purists for their cheaper build quality. Personally, I think they are great cars and you can find some pretty decent ones for a reasonable $$$.

In terms of reliability, if taken care of the Ferrari is every bit as reliable as the Porsche - it does cost more to upkeep. I do know of several people with high mileage Ferrari's, but compared to Porsche - it's more a numbers thing than anything else. There are generally 6000-10,000 total V8 Ferrari's built in a model build cycle [5-6 years] vs I believe close to 20,000 911s per year - so naturally, there are more Porsches out there and and thus you see more higher mileage cars.

With all the above, I am actually looking to sell my 328 and get a 911. I really like the new 997s - a bit more classic and I just don't drive the Ferrari enough [it's still very high profile even though it's a 17 year old vehicle]. The Porsche is more understated. It's a car you can drive to the office or take to dinner without too much fuss.

My recommendation is figure out what you want to do with it first, then decide on the car. If it's a toy - I would tell say - go for the Ferrari. I would suggest, however, you budget at least $100K for a very clean, low mileage F355 Spyder. Well kept, low-mileage, well documented Ferrari's [even older ones like the 308s and 328s] command a premium to market. Of course, you can buy a whole lot of Porsche for $100K and it'll cost a whole lot less to keep around.

Just my $0.02. You can e-mail me if you'd some more insights.

 

75,000 for one toy is more than I'd spend.. BUT.. if I had it.. I'd buy a Ferrari if I really was not going to drive it much.. maybe thats because I 've had Porsches for ever and always wanted a Ferrari...

my 2 cents... I'd spend 75-80 grand like this

33,000-37,000 ferrari 308 gtsi or 20-27,000 for a porsche 911
17,000 for a cool Harley. V rod, or a softail duece
14,000-20,000 on a cool vintage, wood runabout speedboat
4,000-6,000 on a jet ski
3,000-5000 on a dirt bike

save the rest for maintenace, insurance and gas....

For my money.... it's having ALL the toys and getting some jollys on each ... not just THE BEST ONE of one toy with all your eggs in one basket....

this way.. you can constantly be seaching for a new toy to replace one or the other... another vital part of "the game"

greg