Cars We Drive!

[bawlin]



Switching topics. Would buying a Ferrari 360 for 80K or so be a terrible idea?

I would be so scared of the damn thing breaking every time I took it for a drive.

There's a bunch of videos on Youtube recently of people buying 360's. Gives you an idea of what it's like to live with one.

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[VIDEO]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn7GMZdCb0M[/VIDEO]

 

[mbaum]

I would be so scared of the damn thing breaking every time I took it for a drive.

There's a bunch of videos on Youtube recently of people buying 360's. Gives you an idea of what it's like to live with one.

Let's be realistic though. You should buy those only as a toy, so likely as your third or fourth car. Taking them out for fun, not your daily commute on the I-10 in traffic.

There are a few Ferrari rules:

• If you cannot afford the maintenance costs/ regular service intervals, you cannot afford the car (But, at your own risk, you can go cheaper here and there is tons of info out there how/ why)
• Buy one with low mileage and verified service history. Preferably with major service just completed
• Don't buy the ones from racer boys, track days, etc.
• Buy in the best cosmetic condition - no crash history, no nada
• Yes, they can be impractical (Ride height, space, etc.) but come on, it is a Ferrari. Frankly, from the 355 on, Ferrari made quantum leaps in terms of build quality and reliability. So there should not be many issues with a well maintained one
• Be content at your local club meets to get slightly looked down upon - as you do not have the latest and greatest or a vintage one (But you should so not care about that)

Plenty of those around as they made so many and a lot where bought more as a status symbol than anything else.

Mike

 

[sonick]

This is a timely article: http://carbuying.jalopnik.com/heres...ource=jalopnik_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

 

[HRoi]

I think the sweet spot between reliability/maintenance cost and affordability is currently the F430. But the 360 isn't so bad. Just don't expect to kill newer BMW's or muscle cars from a stoplight.

 

[jbarwick]

mmmm 360 CS exhaust note

 

[mbaum]

I think the sweet spot between reliability/maintenance cost and affordability is currently the F430. But the 360 isn't so bad. Just don't expect to kill newer BMW's or muscle cars from a stoplight.

Agree - that would be my choice as it is also the last one with a manual. I'd wait a year or two as they still seem to depreciate. Apart from the better built car/ better engine (Increased torque should probably make a bigger impact than gained hp), it is also the slightly better looking one - Though both are pretty darn cool driving experiences … if they are not red.

You are probably right on the stoplight reference with the increasing his these days but the overall experience should make more than up for it. But why not the 996TT for that money? Probably the most thrilling car for $-per-hp you can get.

Mike

 

[akatsuki]



Agree - that would be my choice as it is also the last one with a manual. I'd wait a year or two as they still seem to depreciate. Apart from the better built car/ better engine (Increased torque should probably make a bigger impact than gained hp), it is also the slightly better looking one - Though both are pretty darn cool driving experiences … if they are not red.

You are probably right on the stoplight reference with the increasing his these days but the overall experience should make more than up for it. But why not the 996TT for that money? Probably the most thrilling car for $-per-hp you can get.

Mike

No 986/996 Porsche's for me: (1) Major reason - IMS failures are too common; (2) Minor reason - Omelet headlights.

The alternative to me would be a 2009+ 997 turbo since they moved to DFI and got rid of the IMS issue entirely.

I think the Ferrari is out anyway, not enough street clearance to avoid scraping.

 

[HRoi]

IMO the 997TT is a better choice than the 996TT for the same reason as F430 > 360. Sweet spot between performance, modernity, reliability and price. But either are tunable to super high HP if that's your bag.

The 996 is also the only 911 generation that I strongly dislike. Shouldn't be a factor to anyone other than me, but bears mentioning

 

[jet]

Dislike 996TTs but always had a soft spot for heavily modded ones with full techart kits.

 

[otc]

The classics without the whale tale are still my favorite.

If I had a garage, I would buy one as a "daily" driver (since I don't need to drive to work, I can deal with a car like that without worrying that it is always 100% working Monday morning)

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

not my style but nice looking Vettes

 

[GreenFrog]

That grill looks straight up silly. Looks like the design was just painted on.

Wheels are hideous.

 

[bawlin]

Is there a wheel as versatile as the BBS LM? I can't think of another wheel that looks as good on a car built in the 80's as it does on one built almost 30 years later.

edit: may as well add the other generations of the M3...

 

[HRoi]

I won't argue too much against you, since one of my cars is on LM's, but maybe the good old five star is more versatile/timeless

 

[jet]

LMs my favorite rims of all time. Moronic modders love putting dumb red caps on them though.