1996 Ferrari F355 GTS 5.7 V8 from North America

Summary:

3 Words... Oh My God

Faults:

Maintenance is extremely expensive.

I have had to have the exhaust replaced because the car hit bottom and tore a hole in the exhaust I assume.

Tires don't last long on a ferrari.

Targa top leaks.

General Comments:

This car is amazingly fast. Once you pass 3000 RPM this car begins to scream like a banshee.

The F355 GTS with the Targa Top gives you all of the advantages of a convertible with the convenience of a hard top.

The 6 speed manual shift gate is hard to get used to, but once you do, you'll never go back to conventional.

The fast and the furious didn't give the 355 its due justice.. I would love to see a Toyota Supra even try to come near this car in performance.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd August, 2004

4th Aug 2004, 01:27

F355 with a 5.7 V8? Hmmm.

28th Mar 2005, 16:53

If you are comparing the F355 to the Supra in the movie Fast and the Furious... you don't know much about Supras. The highly modified Supra from the movie would have torn the Ferrari a new one.

Before you judge what I am saying, visit www.suprastore.com and see for yourself just how fast and powerful some modified Toyota Supras can be. But yes... the Ferrari F355 would beat a stock Toyota Supra Twin Turbo.

If you would like all the stats of the car from the Fast and the Furious movie, visit: http://www.rsportscars.com/toyota/1994-toyota-supra-fast-and-furious/

20th Feb 2007, 06:41

Actually the Ferrari in the fast and furious is a 348 spider not a 355 as you can tell by the front bumper lights. (the directors own car!)

Which means it would be a little bit closer to standard Supra performance and since the one used in the movie is not that tuned, the race is quite realistic.

The supra has air filter, exhaust and boost conroller.

If they had fully tuned all the cars on the movie they would have gone way way over budget.

4th Mar 2008, 04:29

Ferrari or Toyota... Hmmmmm... Wonder which I would rather have?!?

1996 Ferrari F355 Berlinetta 3.5 V8 gasoline from Switzerland

Summary:

Fantastic engine, fantastic handling, fantastic looks. Expensive to service, but immense fun

Faults:

One exhaust valve spring broke at 26000 Km (fortunately, no damage to the valve or piston).

Exhaust manifold both cracked, awaiting replacement (very common problem on 355s).

Battery charge does not last more than 1 week if the car remains unused.

General Comments:

The F355 is one of the best handling cars in the world, it's immense fun dispatching Porsches, Nissan Skylines and other more common machines into the weeds, as they desperately try to keep up on winding mountain roads. However, it requires considerable skill to take the 355 to 100% of its limits, due to its mid-engined layout and sharp steering response.

Comfort has proved surprisingly good on long journeys, and fuel consumption is rather good (15 to 25 mpg depending on driving style). The trunk is large enough for two people's items for a short holiday.

The straight line performance, however, did not impress me so much: the engine has little torque below 5000 rpm, and to expect slingshot acceleration it's always necessary to keep it revving very high. Other cars like the new Maserati Spyder 4200 or the Porsche 996 Turbo deliver a massive punch from 2000 rpm onwards; the F355 always requires high engine speeds, which can make it a less relaxed drive if you are looking for instance, BMW M5-dispatching mid-range performance.

I was unlucky with a valve spring breaking soon after buying the car, hence the low reliability rating; however, it's performed faultlessly ever since.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th February, 2002

24th Feb 2006, 21:25

How could anyone compare a Skyline with a Ferrari. Who cares if the skyline has 550hp...you can't use it anywhere except a race track. The noise, the experience of driving a F355 is completely different and it looks a little better as well.

25th Feb 2006, 13:33

But it doesn't look as good as a Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis or the beautiful Lincoln Town Car.

7th Oct 2006, 18:50

A F355 is a real gem of a car. I have owned a Nissan, but prefer my F355 as it is a car that puts a smile on your face even when you're not driving it!! The Nissan was good, but the Ferrari is great.

21st Nov 2006, 09:56

What is so impressive about a Nissan Skyline? Never heard about or seen one in U.S. but found one on the internet. It looks like just an average car with less than 300 hp.

Am I missing something?

21st Nov 2006, 13:49

Yes you are missing a lot.

21st Nov 2006, 14:54

Skyline v Ferrari 355? Hmmm.

Well at least the Skyline should usually start!

But when the team of mechanics have finally got your 355 absolutely right, it is like being part of a work of art.

The Skyline will thrill you, but give you nausea, whereas the 355 will inspire you to feel that you have done something special.

Chalk and cheese.

Like comparing a Riva speedboat to a 1000hp powerboat, you will remember the feeling of emotion that Ferrari gave you for a long time.

Other mentalist-tuned Japanese cars will come and go.

31st Aug 2007, 04:53

I have a 1992 Acura NSX now. It won best of show at NSXPO 2003,out of 115 other NSX's.completely stock. Costs about 40k.Almost nothing to maintain. I am thinking about doubling my costs to buy a 355. How bad, really is the upkeep? Should I do it? Thanks.

22nd Oct 2007, 20:01

Hi

I have never owned a Ferrari F355 before, but I am seriosly thinking about getting one, can any one tell me what I should look out for and why are they so cheap second hand??

Also what are the running cost involved?