Someone has a F355 Spider for sale. I think it could be bought for a good price. Is it a decent convertible with anywhere near reasonable reliability etc. !!!

 

Yup...my buddy had a 355 coupe and loved it. Not much torque but once you get above 5K rpm...that sucker pulllllled!!! He didn't have any real issues with it. Drove the crap out of and sold it for $58K last year. Check ferrarichat for more info.

 

I had one... how many miles does it have. most important is to check the obvious- the clutch.
I would take it to a ferrari authorized dealership, pay $200 and get it checked out. when was the last maintenance and what was it. one can find that spending $1500 each time is standard.

 

I have one. Like it, but not sure I love it. Kind of back and forth. Looking to trade it for a 360 very soon.

Issues to check are:

Valve guides (mid 98 and earlier)
manifolds or headers
cats
interior trim pieces bubble and are expensive

Service within 3 years. Engine out can run a low of $ 5k to around $ 7k.

Obviously, get a PPI. I had four 355s fail PPIs (came back with $ 10k or more in repairs). I was willing to put around $ 5k in one, but not willing to go over $ 10k. All four cars needing $ 10k or more ran fine and one needed at least $ 15k and perhaps $ 20k according to Ferrari of Atlanta.

I would not get a 355 with an F1. I have a manual. The F1 is better though on 360s and especially the 430s.

The car is fun to drive and sounds great. Really different experience than a Porsche, but the 355 is mechanically not near the level of a 996 TT. It maybe more fun to drive the TT, but then again it may be just part of the feeling cool thing, the sound and the attention it garners. They are great second or third cars.

I picked up mine (1995) with 18k and fresh 30k service for low $ 60s. It is red with tan.

I would not pay over $ 80k for a 355. The 1999s going for over $ 100k are not logical. In my opinion, the technology is not worth it and you can get a comparable 1995 or 1996 sorted for $ 75k or less. 360 coupes are coming down in price and the 360 and there are much better ways to spend $ 100k on a car or a combination of cars. The 360s are definitely superior in every category, except perhaps looks which is subjective.

 

1998 model spider, It has just over 7500 miles. It just had the belt service done. The color is titanium. I think it could be bought for $88,000. Is that a good price? I know it will not be as fast as my TT[keeping the TT] but I would like a convertible. What do you think?

 

My friend has a 1999, has around 21k on it, no problems so far except some dash shrinkage. Make sure to always do a PPI, and look for signs of wear on interior. Usally how an owner treats his car inside is how he treats it in general. I have seen some near perfect 1995's. Most of all I would stay clear of garage queens, a car that is driven is much better IMO.

 

Titanium may be more difficult to resell. I would also prefer one with more miles.

$ 88 K sounds like a good price if serviced and it is either after the serial number for the valve guide issue or has valve guide issue resolved. Otherwise, you are potentially talking another $ 15k possibly just to be able to drive and enjoy the car. Make sure you ask for a leak down or compression test if the car does not have new valve guides. The Ferrari dealer will know which test you need and it is like another $ 150. That $ 150 saved me from buying cars needing an $ 8k repair.

There was a 1998 Titanium with about same milege for around that price back when I was looking 6 months ago. In fact, I have the records on the car the dealer sent me. I think the dealer was in Houston. Could be mistaking about location. The records are at my office.

I have also seen near perfect "looking" 1995s that drove nice, but failed the heck out of PPIs. Also, people tend to dump them right before the engine out service is due. People will tell you you can get it done for $ 4,500 or whatever, but it seems like everyone ends up paying more like $ 6k to $ 8k for the service and that service has to be done regardless of miles.

Our Porsches are just dirt cheap compared to these cars. If you get lucky and take your time, you can get a good one. Then you also get a bad one made during the same month and it will drain you. There is little uniformity in the hand builts.

 

I had a 1999 355 spider in 6spd. It was a very fun car to drive, more fun to me than any porsche i have owned. Wasn't the fastest car but with the top down it was so much fun!
I had a TDF blue one with tan leather, bought with 900 miles for $155k and sold it with 4300 miles for $159k!
I owned it during the warranty period and was concerned how many little things broke on the car. I decided this wasn't something I wanted to have without a warranty.

 

If one did not want a Ferrari red or yellow f355 spider, what other colors have good resale? I gather Titanium would not have good resale.

 

Pozzi Blue/Rosso Corsa/Nero Daytona/*yellow* are probley the most desirable.

 

I was same at first. I really wanted a tdf blue or Nart blue. I settled on red because I had so many cars fail PPIs and found a great deal on a red one in perfect condition. Red is easiest to resell. If not worried about getting stuck with it or taking a few months to unload, get the titanium.

For titanium, I would try and get it for about $ 80k if needing a service any time soon and checked out on PPI. If had service real recently, I would go as high as $ 85 provided the car checked out and did not need tires or anything which is very unlikely.

I am now looking at blue 360s and my next Ferrari will be blue. TDF is awesome, but in some lights a little too purple for me. I am thinking Nart Blue with Blue and tan daytonnas, shields and modulars.

If you are even thinking about going $ 90k, a 360 coupe may be attainable for $ 90k within the next 6 months or when winter gets here. If have to have drop top and not willing to go over $ 100k, the 355 spider will be a blast as a back up to the TT.

 

We service them regularly and my guys here are factory trained.
If you need more info call the shop..
Would be happy to help.

 

Fabryce, what would you say would be the best year 355 which is priced within reason. I was considering a pre owned one but was concerned about the whole maintanence deal costing into the thousands.

 

If I were to ever buy a 355 it'd have to be silver, they look BEAUTIFUL in silver.

 

i would only buy a 355 in red/tan. just my .02