Adrian's 355 musings

[A348W]

Should give a bit of an update.

Not much happening this year; just some local events; normal continental trips will resume next year!

Two interesting things have happened
1) Prices have gone nuts and as a result my insurance premium has gone up. But investigating that I found that most all main stream companies do not provide diminished value protection. With the value of 355s not something Im going to skimp
on so have gone with Lockton again.

2) Ive always had a bit of gas smell; and sat on the parade lap at Silverstone it was particularly smelly; and Giles noticed, so cant have that. I looked to replace the valves and charcoal filter in the evap system. The valve is available but at £139, for what in reality is a £2 part. I opted for the valve from a 5.2, which is £8, part 174594; noting Superformance list it for the 2.7 and 5.2; and the shop manual list them with the same pressure spec! Seems to have sorted the problem; but Ive only done a few miles. Taking it to Silverstone for the F1 next weekend so will know more then.

Some pics below including inside charcol filter.

 

[Nosevi]

I've been with Lockton since I got my car. I'll go with a cheap option with my daily drivers but with the 348 I want to know I can do things like specify where any repair will be made which most insurance companies will quibble about when you tell them it'll have to be a Ferrari approved bodyshop.

Re prices I've noticed the same and have had to up my insurance every year for the past few years. Looking on both PH and Autotrader the bottom of the 348 market seems to be £70k, average £80K, top £90k (with, imo, a slightly optimistic £100k asking for one car). When I bought my car the cheapest 348s out there were more like £17k-£19K.

It just seems to be 355 and older cars though. I'd probably get some change swapping the 348 for a 360 now and cars like a 612 or the lower end of the 430 or Californias could be a straight swap which seems a bit nuts. 456s are now relatively 'cheap' compared to a 348 and extremely so compared to a 355.

I wonder why the 355/348/328/308 have out-paced the newer cars so much. Perhaps the fact far newer cars (as in the past few years and I'm not talking Ferraris) don't have quite the same involvement when driving so when people get out of their every day car with all it's driver aids and electronics they want the exact opposite for a weekend toy? Not sure but I didn't see the day 348s would be being advertised higher than 360s.

That said year on year it seems the 348 gets more attention when I go out in it. And it's not generally people of my generation, it's teenagers. Maybe they do have taste afterall ..........

 

[Mike01606]

Should give a bit of an update.

Not much happening this year; just some local events; normal continental trips will resume next year!

Two interesting things have happened
1) Prices have gone nuts and as a result my insurance premium has gone up. But investigating that I found that most all main stream companies do not provide diminished value protection. With the value of 355s not something Im going to skimp
on so have gone with Lockton again.

2) Ive always had a bit of gas smell; and sat on the parade lap at Silverstone it was particularly smelly; and Giles noticed, so cant have that. I looked to replace the valves and charcoal filter in the evap system. The valve is available but at £139, for what in reality is a £2 part. I opted for the valve from a 5.2, which is £8, part 174594; noting Superformance list it for the 2.7 and 5.2; and the shop manual list them with the same pressure spec! Seems to have sorted the problem; but Ive only done a few miles. Taking it to Silverstone for the F1 next weekend so will know more then.

Some pics below including inside charcol filter.

Hopefully bump into each other at Silverstone. We’ll be between Vale and start line over the weekend. Come and say hi if you’re passing

 

[A348W]

I've been with Lockton since I got my car. I'll go with a cheap option with my daily drivers but with the 348 I want to know I can do things like specify where any repair will be made which most insurance companies will quibble about when you tell them it'll have to be a Ferrari approved bodyshop.

Re prices I've noticed the same and have had to up my insurance every year for the past few years. Looking on both PH and Autotrader the bottom of the 348 market seems to be £70k, average £80K, top £90k (with, imo, a slightly optimistic £100k asking for one car). When I bought my car the cheapest 348s out there were more like £17k-£19K.

It just seems to be 355 and older cars though. I'd probably get some change swapping the 348 for a 360 now and cars like a 612 or the lower end of the 430 or Californias could be a straight swap which seems a bit nuts. 456s are now relatively 'cheap' compared to a 348 and extremely so compared to a 355.

I wonder why the 355/348/328/308 have out-paced the newer cars so much. Perhaps the fact far newer cars (as in the past few years and I'm not talking Ferraris) don't have quite the same involvement when driving so when people get out of their every day car with all it's driver aids and electronics they want the exact opposite for a weekend toy? Not sure but I didn't see the day 348s would be being advertised higher than 360s.

That said year on year it seems the 348 gets more attention when I go out in it. And it's not generally people of my generation, it's teenagers. Maybe they do have taste afterall ..........

All the modern stuff is the same; “magnolia”, there are only so many ways you can dress an ipad up; and who actually wants google ai in their car?

I think current period people are pushing back against the nanny state aids etc on cars; I know a few people who have traded new cars in to get a circa 4 year old as the drivers aids were so annoying.

whilst love of the classics follows the generations; I think current trend has a bit more about it!

haven driven a few modern ferraris; they dont tempt me; even if i could afford one; and with the prices of 355; Im
not far off! Unless the right 430 spyder, manual comes along; this will do me nicely at the moment.

 

[Nosevi]

whilst love of the classics follows the generations; I think current trend has a bit more about it!

I think it has, as I say it's teenagers who really seem to like the 348 when I'm out and about these days. They seem to love the side strakes, pop up lights, open gated gear shift.

It seems car companies tell us what we want and politicians tell us what we can have, yet neither is actually what the next generation really would like given the choice.

 

[Silver360]

It’s getting the connection, the 5 speed dog leg and zero nannies or other electrotwackery.
The lack of inbuilt obsolete computers . Folks are experiencing annoying stuff with there daily’s that dealers only can fix a great costs . People buying newer Porsches and McClarens just nod at the sales guy pretending to understand terms like “ torque vectoring “ and “ rear wheel steering “ and cry at the desk of the “ service advisor “ when they are told it will cost this and that to get it through its MOT without that dash light etc etc .

Also performance wise it’s all an elusion in real every day roads riddled with dash cams ( grassing you up ) speed cameras, bumps and other traffic calming = you can’t use 0 to 60 in 4 secs , you can’t use 200 mph top speed .
You get bored with flappy paddles and endless configuration of drive systems , 4 WD to spread the power and nannies equally to cut the power if the computers deem you have asked too much of the car .

Ferraris are rare all of them and the older esp pre OB1 ( circa 95 ) as simple as a wheel barrow.

So the pre 95 s have it wether M 3 s , 993 s , Intergrales , and of course 348 s .

Additionally not mentioned there’s the physicality……older cars are tiny . My 348 occupies less garage space than my 987.2 . The 981 boxster is a few cm longer and even wider for Christ sake Porsche reposed to improve the ride so enlarged the thing chasing a longer wheel base for the ride down town .

The 348 is more angular so appears to the eye a larger car than the boxster but it isn’t as the porkers curve hide the size .

I went for a ride in my mates 488 , first thoughts felt composed suspension wise like a 5 series bimmer .
As said urban area so couldn’t really “ get it going “, hardly any engine sound .
He apologised for the sound and we waited to get up to T+P s then with paddles changed down a couple of gears in an attempt to hear the engine …..not impressed was me . His radio was on all the time and he couldn’t ( had the car 6 months ) figure out via the steering wheel controls how to mute it or turn the vol down . Again too clever all the tech .
Has to keep forking out for the warranty and main dealer services .

He’s not exactly putting miles on it as it under the Ferrari milage curse and he’s worried about the CCB s replacement bill ( not covered under warranty) , It’s his first F car . It’s wide too a big car . So needs to forward plan where to park it on any trips out .

It ( F car ) needs to look gorgeous, so talking Pininfarina modals , drive nice so talking less electrotwackery, and carry as low as possible maintenance risk …….so no CCB , Complex suspension and turbo arrangements.
Certainly no EV bits like the 296 …..296 values let’s not go there , just park that ps .