Hey I am looking as soon as I can learn to be an educated ferrari buyer and have the funding to get a Ferrari. I have only been in a 355 and a 360 when the cars have been really pushed I have been inside the 550 and 456, started them up and hear the engine but never really driven them. From my impressions, the 355 sounded louder (may be because it was a spyder) and the 360 seemed more civilized but much quicker on the highway, especially like 60-130 very quickly. From 0-60 I didnt feel as much difference between both, also note that the 360 was F1.

Anyways the real question is what ferrari is a good buy in the 100K price range (plus or minus could be $80,000 or 115,000)?

I have seen many 355's in 70-90k, 456's in 80-120k, and 550's in 110-150k( the $110,000 was a 97). Which one of these would you recommend getting. I love the styling on all of them, and while I think the 355 is one the most beaustiful ferraris, i fear its starting to llok old. Now I know 355 run very strongly with proper maintenance and are cheaper to mantain then v12, I really fell in love when I heard the V12 in the 550 and 456 rev up. Should I worry about reliability on these?

I have seen 99-01 456 all with about 16k miles or less range from about 90-110K, are these good buy because they seem like a lot of car for the money, or will I pay for it later with maintenca/problems?
Should I then wait until I can gather enough money for a Maranello? Is it really worth the extra money and wait for me until I can get one?
Or should I try to find a clean 355, which i know are more reliable, plus there is more selection in the used car market to find one thats right?

PS The reason I am not considering the 360 is becuase the cheapest clean example was a 99 for about 140K, way too much of a stretch financialy for me.

Does anyone have experience with any of these, and do you think I would take a depreciation hit in like 2-4 years, or have they already depreciated the most part and will not depreciate much?

Do you think 360 prices are going to fall to around 100K when there are a lot of 430's in the road?

 

I think you need to do alot more research on the different model numbers and what they mean. Each of the three models you note are completely different types of cars, not different vintages of the same platform.

Plenty of info on the Ferrari North America site relative to specs and performance of past models. V8 vs V12, front engine vs mid engine, performance gains from model to model.

Buying a Ferrar is not about how to best spend every last bleeding dollar you can scrape together just to show others you have one. I have the financial means to purchase a new 430 for example, but am currently most satisfied with my '88 328GTS for my own personal set of reasons. You need to figure out your set of wants/desires and then figure out which car (ultimately may not even be a Ferrari) fits the bill.

No question, Ferrar has panache. But don't buy one for the hood badge only. You will find your way.

check out Ferrarichat.com. tons of info and good people there.

 

i agaree with 2kuhl too.

these car choices are all over the place. also, remeber that asking prices for f-cars are radically different than the selling prices in many cases. a couple of things to consider:

1. check out ferrarichat.com for a wealth of informaton. do a search on each prospective car (you may spend weeks doing this). buying a ferrari is a process not an event. enjoy the hunt and don't jump. that may cost deep 5 figures if you have to repair an abused car.

2. there is no substitute for seat time in these cars under a variety of conditions.

3. the 355 requires engine out belt changes. the 550 and 360 don't.

4. i'd be hard pressed to pay near 6 digits for a 456.

5. consider getting some forza mags on model specific reviews.

6. you can buy a 550 in the low 100s depending on miles

7. don't get a euro car or grey market car -- too many potential pitfalls.

this should keep you going for a while. it is not unusual to see people taking 6 months to find the right one after they know exactly what they are looking for.

good luck and keep us posted.

 

gabf1, why would you be hard pressed to pay near 6 digits for a 456?

 

Adaiz; You have a PM

 

well, i'm considering one, so i want to keep price low . i think these cars are way underappreciated and a tremendous value. i think that this car has kind of been left behind with the 360/430 and 550/575. i like the understate lines of this car a lot and it is a 12 cyl. car.

 

550s are going for great prices these days.

 

How does reliability compare between the 456 and the 550?
I know 456 95-98 had much more glitches such as windows and elctrical components than 99-03, I read the review on edmunds on the 550 and it seems pretty good quality. I know these two are very different, but they are similar in the sense that they share interior parts, the maintenace on both is pretty much equally as expensive since they are both v12, however a 550 is more of real ferrari in terms of performance. I am just thinking if 550's are more reliable they might end up costing the same after a couple of years of ownership, since I have heard that bills on fixing a 456 are horrible, especially if your automatic transmission goes(which is supposively fairly common) it would cost about $20,000 to replace. However I read an article by an owner of a 360CS and 456 in Jan 05 issue of Autocar and he spoke great about both, especially how reliable the 456 was as opposed to its reputation. By the way 2kuhl, thanks for sending me to ferrarichat.com, I learned a lot in the past day, more importantly I learned how much more I need to learn before I can be ready to even consider making an offer on a Fcar.

Do you think that getting one of these Certified through ferrari for a warranty @ $3000 a year is a good call, anyone have nay experience with their warranty coverage? At least if the car is certified?can be certified I know it has been kept up to date in maintenance through an authorized ferrari dealer/mechanic, becuase otherwise they will not certify it and they will not sell you the warranty.

 

My dad owned a 456 then traded it for a 550
456 had a lot of bugs - I think most were fixed with the GT

 

Valv issues with 1995 355s too. a 1997 or 1998 is prob the best way to go. The cars were made to be DRIVEN. The work better and lasts longer that way. If you plan on pampering her in your garage, make sure you have bunch of cash for maintenance.