Wow, very sexy!

 

Very hot! Still one of my dream cars... even if it is over a decade old...

Question on the Viper. I have been looking at the 96-99 Vipers. You mention you need a rebuild on your engine again. Are they problematic? From what I have been reading they are pretty good... but just curious about your comment.

 

Wow, nice pickup G.

 

Sweet.

More pics please.

 

G$, nice pickup.

So what happened to the Viper? You just built it about a year ago.

Also guessing the SRT8 is gone, or is it still in the stable.

I am jealous. Hopefully we get down there to see it. I call a ride if we do.

BTW is the Roisson(sp) still on deck or has the F car usurped its place?

Congrats man.

 

Junior-the Viper motors are actually very stout-especially the 96-99 motors as they all have forged internalls. The motors from 00-02 don't have the forged internals are lovingly called the "creampuffs".

My original build has been faulty from the start (eats oil like nothing else), so I am only rebuilding it because of the negligence of the first machine shop. It's now at the premier central US machine shop so it should be gravy from here.

PMP-still have the Jeep; it's too much fun to get rid of (as my license plate says, it's a Flying Box).

The Rossion is still next on deck. I have a local friend that is contemplating selling his, so i'm holding out to see if I can grab it. He's done a lot of little work to it and it's stellar.

Whenever y'all are down this way, give me a shout and we'll take the F car for a spin!

 

so jealous, so so jealous. I would love to own an F car someday but I know its not a reality for me. The 355 was the first one I ever saw back when I was like 12. Since then I have driven a red 360 and 430. Have never seen a dark blue F before but damn it is sexy. congrats for sure.

 

How did I miss this thread?

NICE!!!!!!!!!! Awesome car dude!!!

 

congrats!

 

awesome u have good taste sir

 

Yeah, I've been targeting the 96-99 specifically b/c of the forged internals.

Thanks for the info. I actually saw a '96 with 18k miles for ~$31k at the Food Lion Auto Fair this weekend here in Charlotte. It was in mint condition, but from what I've seen online, priced kind of high. I'm sure cash would have talked... but I'm not ready just yet. Need a new house first .

Thanks again for the reply. Enjoy the Ferrari

 

Junior-if you need any help at all-just shoot me a PM and we can talk. I'm always up for car shopping (even if it's online) on someone else's dime

As an update to this thread, the one major variable we were afraid of with this car was the cats (they are original and are a known issue) . . . which are failing The car went in today and we should have it back next week with shiny new Fabspeed cats.

 

Beautiful F car man! The F355 is easily one of my favorite cars of all time, they sound simply amazing with an aftermarket exhaust.

 

wow congrats, that thing is gorgeous

 

wow man sweet ride! Congrats!

 

How the hell did I miss this thread?!?


@ Ferrari...

 

LoL holy thread revival Batman...

 

Wow, he bought a Ferrari.

 

you must be bored. tired of watching videos of the Heat.

 

nice ride

 

you sir FAIL!

 

It has the added bonus of turning into a robot, so, ummm, guys, don't expect to see Yumcha for a few more days.

 

Nice ride, what a sweet car man.

 

Ah, found this thread! I remember when you posted it many years ago. Happy to resurrect it.

Just curious if you still own it, and what ownership has been like for a 355? With NSX prices up up and away, there is now some 355s priced at common ground. Which begs the question - what does it cost to run (clearly the opposite experience over an NSX)?

I am hearing engine-out maintenance every 5 years, although some say that is moreso for the 348 and not the 355. Roughly $5k-$10k every 15k miles. Although, maybe as a super low mileage summer weekend car, it may somewhat manageable?

 

Funny, I was thinking about this thread the other day as well. I remember his garage build and of course the cars.

He does seem to log on every 6 months or so... so you may have a shot at getting an answer

 

Makes me curious on the running costs, even though I'm nowhere close to in the market for an exotic of any sort.
My neighbor has a 355 F1 Spider & a 348 Spider, but I've never inquired about what it costs to keep them going.

 

My wife's partner at work has a 488. I don't ask what it costs to drive, but he is coming the realization that he literally never drives it.

 

I think the newer ones are a lot cheaper on the wallet than the older ones. The 360 was pretty good and the 430 was supposed to be quite reliable (relatively speaking) compared to the 355 due to the change to a timing chain and removing the need for engine out services.

 

Looking at putting together a future budget for a weekend targa purchase in the next few years. Especially tracking car trends, as some depreciate and others, well, don't.

Started at 997 911 targas, then nsxs, now I'm seeing F1 355 YouTube videos...and it just seems like such a very special special car that could be obtainable.

E30 M3 also has a special place in my heart. But like the NSX, the car has shot up in value to the point it doesn't make sense. A clean S2K also may be a fall back.

anyway back to the 355

 

The 355 is one of my favorite Ferraris. After that street chase in "The Rock", I've just loved that thing. I've been watching them as well and they have fallen into range. Problem is the maintenance. Like SamDoe said.. dropping the engine to do work (like the timing chain) makes what would be a routine-type service cost quite a bit. I find it tough to accept dropping as much a 1/4 of the price of the car on one service. I know you have to pay to play, but I keep thinking that is where I draw the line...

 

^^ agreed.

My train of thought (which is not a safe train of thought), is if you were to drive, 100-200 miles a month, 7 months of the year, lets say 1,500 miles a year for a seasonal weekend car. Let's even round up to 2,000 a year. If the engine out maintenance is $10k every 15k miles, thats about 8 years of mileage. Even if you were to cap it at 5 year increments, it's not terrible. But that's just a "on paper" analysis, which is probably best case scenario. You could also rent a pretty nice car at the track on a regular basis without ownership risk under a similar analysis, so....

 

Shouldn't have looked at how much they're going for..... 3 NSXs within 100 miles that are 10-15k cheaper than a F355.

 

I don't intend to jump all over OP's thread, but he hasn't updated in a while and I have some relevant knowledge on the F355 because I know several people with one.

First the F355 is without a doubt, one of the most beautiful cars ever made. I was probably one of the 10 people who bought a copy of Ferrari F355 Challenge for the Sega Dreamcast and it has been a dream of mine ever since.

But unless I become fabulously wealthy, I can't see myself ever owning an F355. I do have real plans of getting a 360 or 430 as a ten year goal. The F355's maintenance is too much. These cars break just from sitting, so thinking you can get away with not driving it much is false security.

IMO, if you're seriously considering owning an exotic, go for a 911 Turbo. It has been loads of fun and the driving experience is unlike anything else. It isn't as pretty as the F355 but it is great entry into the world of exotics.

 

It's not just mileage, it's also time. I think it's 15k or 5 years (maybe 3?) or something like that. I had looked into it as prices dropped because it would be awesome to own a F355 and they look, for lack of a better term, fucking sweet...but the cost to keep them running is intense and unless you have deep pockets (at which point, just buy a 458 or 488) and an undying love for the 355...I'd stick to a 911 turbo as was said.

 

There's no disagreeing the 911 is a safer bet.

 

An F360 has been one of my favorites for a long time, especially a 360CS
Likely a long time before that's a possibility for me, and even then, I'm more likely to buy an Elise or Exige.

Looks like 360s can be had from around 70-120k. 1 360CS listed 220 miles from Houston for 330k

 

Easier said than done, but if you can keep enough liquid assets around, buy a Ferrari in the next recession. They are toys and get liquidated quickly. I remember in 2008 a 360 Modena was around $40,000 - $50,000. Now they are double that...

 

I think JR garage or something like that made a maintance video on YouTube, insanely expensive.

 

lol @ Grayson having a car for more than 3 months. Rule of thumb, if you have to ask how the maintenance is, you can't afford it.

 

i hate that saying. So anyone who could afford it should throw away their money carelessly into the unknown? if someone wasnt regimented enough, chances are they won't be around too long to make those types of purchases.

Anyway, I digress...