Ferrari 348

NedKelly

just looking for opinions on this
it might sound completly insane but im looking at bringing a 348 over from the UK before the VRT increases.Ive driven high powered german sportscars for years M3 Boxster ,Boxster S etc and i saw one of these 6 weeks ago and fell in love !!
i cant stretch to a 355 and with the GBP so low and these cars being fairly depreciation proof am i that mad ??

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/FERRARI+348/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146-236,N-4294963281-4294967092/search.action

The reviews of these cars have varied greatly from terrible to amazing . i would be only using it on weekends and have a secure garage so i wouldnt be that dependent on reliablilty
does anyone know anyone that owned one or how good/bad these are

Victor_M

Don't know too much about these myself, prices in the UK seem fairly decent, as is the case with most supercars, buying them is one thing, running them is another, it the only part of the car that doesn't depreciate as they get older. I would ring Charles Hurst or who ever is the authorised dealer in Ireland and ask about the cost of oil and inspection services.

If you feel you can afford it go for it, they are absolutely stunning cars, the Spider would be the one I'd go for, fcuk it, a car like that is going to attractr a huge amount of attention where ever you go so you may as well enjoy it.

ronnie3585

I haven't heard any specific re the 348 but I know a lot of guys who collect cars and the general consensus is that Ferraris, especially the older ones, require a lot of TLC. Your biggest problem and indeed expense will be getting parts and good maintenance. From personal experience, with Porsche, I know that there is no-one in this counrty that really knows their stuff when it comes to older models. A huge amount of the aircooled Porsches in this country have their maintenance done in the UK, I've only really seen 996's and 7's being serviced in this country.

If you can get your hands on a good 348 and you can sort out parts and maintenance then at that price it looks like it will be a nice addition to your garage.

Biro

I know a guy with one of these. His advice was to spend extra on buying the car with only one or two owners, or at least as few as possible with each owner having it a long time. He says most people tend to buy them for a year or 6 months or something, drive the crap out of them, and sell them on for similar money that they bought them for. So you'll end up with 6 owner cars where everyone has had their cut in it before moving it on, rather than a car that was owned and cared for by two careful guys.
There's a Ferrari dealer in Belfast, the only one over here, none in ROI. He had his car up there for a service, had to delay the service and all cause one of the guys was on a refresher training course in Italy, and they still made a bit of a balls of it, and charged over a grand. From now on he does the work himself, he's part of a Ferrari club in England. He bought it from some place that specialises in Ferrari's and supercars over there, and says they're sound and will send him over any part he needs, genuine Ferrari parts. He then fits them himself, things like a clutch.
The key to one of these seems to be to buy a good one, preferably from a specialist who'll help you out with parts, be prepared to do work yourself on it, or a mechanic mate, and keep it garaged. After that, enjoy!

NedKelly

is it true the timing belt has to be done evey 7k miles and its an engine out job circa 2k ?

Biro

NedKelly wrote: »

is it true the timing belt has to be done evey 7k miles and its an engine out job circa 2k ?

That I don't know.

NedKelly

any chance u could find out from ur mate that has one
i would really appriciate it
i heard there was newer timign belt kits that last longer ????

Tropheus

I thought about this myself a few years back and eventually went for a 993. As a previous poster said, they need a lot of TLC and are not as robust as the more modern Ferraris.

If you can maintain it yourself, it will save you lots. However, that may be a problem when you're selling it on.

I'm not aware of any Ferrari specialist in the South so it woul have to go up to Charles Hurst in Belfast who are the NI and ROI dealers. I've also heard mixed reviews about their service. It comes down to how much they know and how much they care about an older car when they're used to servicing much newer and more valuable cars.

AFAIK, belts are 16k miles or every two years, but I stand to be corrected. You're looking at €3k+ for a dealer to do this work as it's an engine out job.

Reviews of the car are also mixed as you said. Handling can be a nightmare. A 355 would be a much better buy if you could afford it.

RobAMerc

I have pondered this idea too a few times - but to be honest the purchase price is the least of you worries.

Ferraris are designed to be highly strung and temperamental and thats exactly what I imagine they are.

I'm considering a 993 myself - much more practical and though expensive to fix - I bet a whole lot less troublesome too.

Still though - wouldn't you just love it !

alpina

348's are an ecellent choice but only as long as you do your homework!! and most importantly are aware of what needs to be done to it, too often they are driven past scheduled maintenance which can de quite costly in the long run.
Cam belts on early cars (upto 92) should be changed every two years, a92~every 3 years.
Clutches are expensive the early type (an AP unit) can only be sourced through Ferrari and costs about £1, 100 pounds sterling, the later clutch is about £650.
Best practice is to get everything at once,(I know easy said) belts, clutch, CAT sensors, leaks, window seals known to perish so have a good check here
Don't worry too much about a little leak from the cam box, its quite usual,lot of big engine older cars suffer from this & not worth spending the cash to rectify.
Cared for 348s are known to be pretty reliable, (again the right car with an honest history)
Front battery models appear to be a favourite with enthusiasts, remember no power steering here which makes you work to achieve desired responses.

Remember buying one is often the cheapest part, so pay as much as you possibly can for a good one!

Just as a sideline, the Honda NSX gets thrown around quite a bit as a worthwhile competitor.

Mac 3

I had the spider version of one of these on holidays in Vegas a few years ago. I thought twould be quicker but I think the US versions probably have different emmisions systems which might zap the power. Build quality was a little fragile but I suppose twas a rental.

Still and all, everyone loves the prancing horse. pic of thee rented one below.



Regarding running one here, I suppose servicing would be the biggest stumbling block. RS autos in Limerick are fairly handly with all things Italian, have seen a 355 there more than once.

NedKelly

would u really bring a ferrari to limerick !!!
cheers for the advice lads

alpina

There's already 3/4 around, I think?

Smoggy

three quatres of one - I can believe that - they haven't robbed the rest

tdc

Go for it I say, and if you can try to get a 2 owner car rather than a 6. Be prepared for servicing and maintenance costs which will be a lot higher than boxter/m3's.

bazz26

NedKelly wrote: »

would u really bring a ferrari to limerick !!!
cheers for the advice lads

Your grand, the scumbags down here are not interested in anything of that age..:pac:

Since the Celtic Tiger, standards have raised.

tdc

Ned go to www.clubscuderia.com they're a UK based Ferrari owners/enthusiast site. you will get a lot more info there than you will here.

NedKelly

yellow or red ???
i was showing my GF the yellow spider version last night and she was horrified
no way should would get in it !!!!

unkel

Red!

ronnie3585

NedKelly wrote: »

yellow or red ???
i was showing my GF the yellow spider version last night and she was horrified
no way should would get in it !!!!

Yea, the yellow is a bit fruity(even for a Ferrari) - has to be red.

Running Bing

ronnie3585 wrote: »

Yea, the yellow is a bit fruity(even for a Ferrari) - has to be red.

How apt that Blondie should be playing as I spotted this thread:D


Seriously mate go for it, how many people can say they drive a Ferrari ffs.


Yes its gonna require attention and care but with a car like that its almost like a hobbie on the side and I think it would be a pleasure to look after it tbh.


Running costs probably wouldnt be unmanageable either if its only used at weekends and like you say they dont depreciate like bricks at that age so you probably wouldnt get hurt to bad.


Just dont get it in yellow. Personally if I was going for one I would go for the black, looks stunning:cool:

NedKelly

last question lads
do you think it would be a mare to sell on ?

unkel

NedKelly wrote: »

last question lads
do you think it would be a mare to sell on ?

Selling this countries favourite cars like Toyota Corollas or Nissan Micras is very difficult at the moment. Forget about selling any other car, to be brutally honest

ronnie3585

NedKelly wrote: »

last question lads
do you think it would be a mare to sell on ?

In this country, with a stagnant second hand market, general economic downturn, soaring petrol prices, highly strung car, difficult to find maintenance and parts for and it could be yellow - realistically, it looks like it would be difficult to sell here or in the UK.