henchpilot

Hey guys, never really posted here but have enjoyed browsing and especially using the search function when a question would arise. I've owned at least one Porsche and at sometimes two over the last 15 years. Porsche 944, 968, 986, 987S, few 996's, and my current 997S. Can't speak higher about each of the P cars I've owned and I truly miss something about each of them, and besides the timing belt slipping on the old 944(which was my fault) they've all been amazingly reliable cars with no huge problems.

With that being said I hope I have not made a mistake in recently purchasing a 2002 Ferrari 360 coupe gated 6speed. I seemed to get the bug looking at F cars about 9 months ago and knowing how much the 360's have depreciated in the last few years with the 430's and 458's most recently I bought a great priced and well serviced one about 3 weeks ago.

Now I've got a hard decision to make. I absolutely love my current Porsche. It's a midnight blue 2005 S with Sports C, full leather, adaptive sport seats, nav etc....its the best car I've ever owned. Both the 997 and the F car are second drivers and I don't know how much I'll regret getting rid of the Porsche. I thought hard about keeping both, I can afford it, but really don't want to baby both cars at the moment. Never had such a hard time deciding to sell a car before........

Any suggestions from anybody that's owned both I'd like to hear it. I love the Ferrari 360 right now but of course it's new to me.

Anybody or know anybody looking for a nice 997 S I posted a link to the autotrader ad.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

eflight

That Ferrari is sweet

Funny thing is that I saw the 911 add looking for my p-car and said "yeah right, selling the 911 cause he got a Ferrari"

Then I saw an old ad , http://pmletter.com/classifieds/2005...1-carrera-c2s/
and just figured it was some kind of scam.

But I kept going back to it and I was very interested until my better half said we already have too many blue cars.

As I guy shopping for cars I would suggest 2 things for the 911 ad. First verify that it has the new IMS bearing, the 2nd hand "the other guy told me" sends up all kinds of red flags. Second, if your CD player will play MP3 then note it in your ad.

If the 911 was guards red it would on its way to my house

GLWS

f1pilota

Great car... 6speed or F1 tanny? Try a Scuderia and you will never drive another car again. If you want a quick free mod look at the exhaust. You will see two vacuum lines,( one on each side) on a valve. Disconnect it and plug the rubber tube. The exhaust will be loud all the time... Sounds great. (unless you like a quiet car.). Only issue I am aware of is the F1 transmission pump. On early cars (355 and 360s) it was prone to over heat and prematurely fail. The are some heat sinks you can add but in my experience none have ever failed. The Ferrari engine on song is music.... No one else touches it in that regard, except the Porsche v10 or the unreleased Acura NSX v-10)... Oh the Pagani sounds good too

f1pilota

Sorry missed the 6 speed bit... Great car you will love it.

henchpilot

LOL about the scam.....I hated saying "I was told" but thats the truth. I have the service records when the trans was pulled under warranty and the previous owner decided to replace the clutch even though it didn't need it, but I have no way of knowing if it does or not.

henchpilot

Thanks for the tip about the exhaust. The stock exhaust is a little quiet at idle.

Mbiondo

plug the rubber tubes as noted above with two golf Tees. Make sure you clamp those hoses in place and don't let them hang, otherwise they'll melt upon coming into contact with the exhaust. Oh, and be ready for orgasmic joy upon hearing the modded sound. We did the same on our F430 F1, and, Wow, quick replacement of our underpants...

Nice car.

henchpilot

Thanks I'm going to make the mod asap.

You guys think I'm priced right to sell on the 997S?

John NY-Naples

I recently had to deal with a similar choice. I bought a F430 Spider in late October 2011 and had to decide whether to keep the 997S. I decided to keep both, and I'm very happy that I did. They (meaning the 430 and the 360) are completely different cars, and you absolutely will miss the 997 if you sell it.

henchpilot

Any side effects from plugging the vacuum hoses....emission insp, etc???

PCC

YOu are not going to be happy when you need to service the F car

Mbiondo

Nope. This mod was actually introduced to us via the authorized dealer themselves. No issue with emission or warranty, etc.

henchpilot

I didn't even test drive a F430 for that reason, and I was stuck on finding a 6 speed and there's so many more 360 out there. I know I'll miss the the 997, but I hardly have enough free time to enjoy one of them.

RonnieTheC

I owned a 2002 6 speed 360 and a 2007 F1 F430. Also a 2009 CS2 6 speed and manny Corvettes, currently a 2010 Grand sport 6 speed. The 6 speed in the Ferrari is crap. It does not compare to the smooth short throw of a Vette or Porsche. I got tired of the F1 in the F430 real quick. it's boring. Finally, as much fun as Ferrari's are to drive and how wonderful they look and sound, in reality, they are not very well made cars. Lot's of expensive repairs. And to buy a Ferrari out of warranty is just nuts. Trust me...I worked for them for a year and a half!

f1pilota

I would disagree, the six speed Ferrari is built on a certain "historical" basis... when you learn to drive it and get it right it makes a lovely "clinking" sound reminiscent of the old cars (GTO, etc). It takes some time but you will understand eventually. Its a personal thing...if you want silky buttery shifting buy an NSX. When you have the opportunity go and drive an F430 Scuderia. Its absolutely intoxicating in both sound and shifting(modded F1 tranny). Probably the last of the real sports cars in my opinion. Its raw, hard hitting and howling. I like it better than the new 458 (twin clutch) although the 458 is prettier. I had a 328 which was poorly made, and I drive an F355 Challenge car. The 355 race car has been fantastic in terms of reliability(believe it or not). I would only suggest to people who are interested in buying a Ferrari to get a 2002+ modern Ferrari. They are very reliable unless you let them sit in a garage. They are more expensive than most but thats because of the smaller numbers of production, etc. Get on Ferrarichat.com the 360 forum can tell you more. Another nice choice and excellent for the money is the 550 Maranello... V12, reliable, torquey and quick. Very elegant under rated car. I think you will be happy... let us know how you actually get on with it! Just drive it, don't let it sit...thats the key.