drove a ferrari today --- mixed feelings

[tmctguer]

i had my first opportunity to drive a ferrari today. it was a '90 348TS with approx. 50K miles.

i came away from the drive with very mixed feelings about the car.

plusses: great brakes, responsive steering, good positioning of steering wheel, power of motor, sound of motor.

minuses: shifter gate, shifting fluidity, clutch pressure, lack of quality of almost all interior components, gauge placement (especially tachometer).

all in all, i was slightly disappointed in the car. sure, it would smoke either of my porsches. and i assume i would get used to the shifter and clutch. but the 348 is a ferrari i would NOT buy -- even a low mileage example.

i've sat in a testarossa, 308, 328, and a 512 BBi (although none were driven). the 348 was definitely a letdown by comparison.

any comments??? similar OR different experiences?

[andyu911]

I had a chance to drive a 355 couple years ago. Very sweet. It's as easy to drive as a Honda IMHO. Engine sound great. Don't like the shift gate neither, but I think because it's a right-hand copy. It does get a lot of attention though.
Andy
'87 Carrera

[speeder]

I think that a 355 or 360 could be seriously addictive- you get used to the quirks,(such as shift gates), just like you do on a 911. However, if you think that Porsches are an expensive habit, there is definitely another level here. FWIW, Dr. Porsche supposedly loved them.

[falcon]

I drove my brothers 308 a while back and it was a treat. Exhaust humms and when its driven you can say WOW! Step on it and it rockets with control. Great head turner. Notchy shifting, heavy clutch and your legs are slanted to the right due to the wheel well. Handles like a dream. A notch above a carrera, EXCEPT IMO it is not a daily driver AND you should not be taller than 5'9". I'm 5'11" and the seats felt very small. The cockpit was a bit cramped for my taste. The p-car is more my liking. Tune up by a mechanic was $$$$ Timeless body like a p-car. Everyone should at least take a spin in one during their lifetime.

Happy motoring

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Randall
'88 911 Cab

[cim]

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www.angelfire.com/va3/vw

[This message has been edited by cim (edited 10-25-2001).]

[Milu]

348 is not typical. 355 and 360 are both lots nicer. I've heard it said that all Porsche owners aspire to a Ferrari, most that make it go back to Porsches after three months. They are very different beasts. Most Ferrari owners I know only use them, if they use them at all, Sunday mornings for a quick blast and then home, too terrified to ever risk parking them.

[speeder]

I have a friend who just dumped his 996 for a new 360 and he has put 3000 miles on it in first month. He is afraid that he is "driving it too much", killing the resale, etc., because it's true that most of them are 4th or 5th cars and don't get driven much. I told him that he'll probably get hit by a bus tommorow, enjoy life and drive the ***** outta it.

[This message has been edited by speeder (edited 10-26-2001).]

[KTL]

I remember a prof. @ UIUC had a 348tb that always caught my eye while walking to class. Then one day, the following year, the same license plate was now parked on a charcoal 993 C4. "Ooooh, now we're talking" I thought to myself.

Seems to be that the pre-355 cars are a little fragile. The 355 is supposed to be more capable of daily driving. Gotta put up a good chunk of change to obtain a 355!!!


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Kevin
87 Carrera coupe

[adrian jaye]

Adrian tip toes over from the water-cooled crowd, listening in to the conversation....dare he enter, door open's and in he pops......

INteresting thread, the 308 is what I'm aiming at next, Interested what Falcon was saying,

So the pedals are similar to the 11's ie slanting to the right (or left depending LHD or RHD )

If given the choice of buying an 11 or a 308
coming from the point of view of having a s2 44 cab, what would you guy's go for

cheers

[IMONBOOST]

I have driven a 911, 964, 993, 996 and a ferrari 308 quattrovalve. This is not just a test drive, I have driven them on a day to day basis and I must say that there is no base for comparison between the 308 or any of the porsches mentioned above. The 308 simply feel like you are in a race car. The rpms wind up above 7,000 as the engine screams with a high pitch. You must keep the car above 5500 rpm if you want to move fast. Overall I love the car but I wouldn't consider it a daily driver.

The car has had 2 major repairs, one was a head job $7,000, the other was an engine tare down $19,000.

Has anyone changed their minds? keep in mind this is in Puerto Rico (Cheap labor)

[Jim T]

The 4 valve 308 is ok, the 2 valve 308's, esp. the US CIS cars, are total dogs.

[bfranklin]

Except for the early 2 valve carbed 308, especially the lighter fiberglass ones

Brad

[autobonrun]

The Porsche may still outrun the Ferrari. Really depends on the driver. I raced a Ferrari through Houston and had to constantly wait on him because he couldn't hit the gates on his shifts. Boy was he pissed.

I did have an opportunity to drive a Lotus Esprit turbo and it was very impressive; especially the handling. The suspension was unbelievable. I did not like the shifter position however. My arm got tired because it sat up so high in relationship to the seat position.

[rattlsnak]

Ive ridden in a F-40 around Road Atlanta. It was BADASS!!!!!!!!

[Jim T]

The '76 - 79 US carb'd 308s are better than the 80-82 CIS 2 valves, but even those carb'd 308s would be handily spanked by an SC or Carrera.

There are Ferraris, then there are the 2 valve 308 and Mondials. Sure, they have the prancing horse on the hood, but they are a big time low point. The 90 hp 924 equivalent of the Ferrari line.

[falcon]

I should clarify my earlier post. For a normal seat setting a person about 5'9'' would fit pretty well. I guess italian are smaller. However you can get a 6'+ person in the seat by moving the seat rail such that the back of the seat hits the rear cabin wall. You can gain about 6 inches of space normally reserved for the targa top. Check out the old series of "magnum PI" on TV. Tom Sellect is a tall actor. They just shoved the seat back to "fit him in" Of course there is no place to put the targa. The top does not collapse. I guess the babe next to you can hold it for you. The slanting of your legs is much worse in the ferrari. With the very heavy clutch ones does not need to go to the gym....at least for the left leg. After driving around a bit your leg will be sore and weak. But who cares! It's a ferrari and I'll be glad to jump in another one if I had the chance. I would have to have a major increase in dineros to think about getting a ferrari (pass on the modial or dino) Original parts are pricey since the production for the vehicles were low and all the owners keep up their vehicles. If you get one, makes sure every part is accounted for or you may not be able to find the part without opening your wallet. My brother was missing the AC, he shelled out 4K to get a used (but correct) one. I'm not familiar enough with an S2 944 but the if the 308 is one of the doggiest ones... for 30K or so I be smiling. The ferraris are a different breed of car. IMO its fast but its a nice touring car that's used on the "really" nice days. It takes time to shift but its an "experience" to shift the chrome gates. You can feel and hear the power. Imagine the exhaust note that actually sings different notes to you at different RPMs. Sort of like a harley experience except not as raw. I only drove a 308, I would not mind a porsche and a ferrari in the same stable. Thanks for taking me back to yesteryear. I'm now going to ebay to check out the various f-cars.

Happy motoring!



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Randall
'88 911 Cab

[motion]

Randall,

Here's my drool stop:

http://www.newportautosport.com/

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Let's Roll!
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-Richard
'84 Carrera Cabriolet
'74 911 Widebody 3.6 Project
My Porsches

[pwd72s]

The Yellow Maranello looks great. Alas, I'm 6'3". Money? Oh, that too...always these little problems.

[tobluforu]

I too was driven in f-50. Just plain luck being in the right place at the right time. Only a cruise around town. About 5 miles, 1st and second gear, a little of third. Something i will never forget though! The power it had in first taking off was amazing. Hitting second at what seemed like 60mph was a rush. The sound was incredible. I was smiling for a week.

[5axis]

I think the F car falls onto my maybe/someday list. For a long time a Porsche was that way too, so there is still hope. BTW a friend had a 348 spyder and I loved passing him with the turbo cab. He went and bought a Diablo SV and way overshot my performance budget. Maybe someday??

david 89 turbo cab