My neighbor has a 360 coupe with about 40,000 miles, black and looks good except for the swirl marks in the paint from the previous owner. The guy we both hire to detail our cars gave me a compliment, saying he'd much rather have my NSX than the 360. I never seriously considered a 360, but I think it's a nice looking car. Who has one?
2003 NSX vs. 2004 Ferrari 360 coupe
- Thread starter oldnews
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I always wanted one, but maintenance scarred me away. They say have $10k a year set aside for maintenance and problems.
The only thing the 360 has on the NSX is the sound. OMG...I do like the sound. Oh...and I forgot...to the F people...the prestige.
wait a little longer, prices are still coming down on 360s
I think the 360 is one of the greatest looking and sounding cars ever (agree the 355 sounds better though). The son of a gentleman that lives down the street from me has one and comes by from time to time. I'm in awe when I see it. I sat with a guy that had a blue one a year ago and he explained about some plastic fuel tank plugs that cost him $600 for the pair. He stated don't buy less than a 430 if you want to keep the maintenance at least remotely in check. I drove one of those and would take my NSX all day long.
I am driving a 458 for a few laps next weekend. Excited to See how that feels. For me the NSX is never leaving the stable. I would like an F car one day too though. Something about the mystique...
I am driving a 458 for a few laps next weekend. Excited to See how that feels. For me the NSX is never leaving the stable. I would like an F car one day too though. Something about the mystique...
That's funny, this guy has had his 360 out very few times in the last 4 years. He's a younger guy who's not wealthy, I think it's the cost of maintenance which keeps him from driving it. It's a black car, I believe he wishes he were Batman.
Am looking forward to what you report back, primarily about the cockpit feel and driving position vs. an NSX...first impressions about what immediately strikes you as being better/same/worse...and then exiting impressions after some seat time and whether the "mystique" caused any initial negative impressions to suddenly matter much less or become amplified for such a high profile car. Experiencing & hearing about differences in cockpit feel, sound, view & sightlines, ergonomics, features, etc. from car to car is always interesting to me, personally.
Too bad it's not dating in college and in our 20's where we could investigate "the mystique" of certain types and try them on for size for a while...once you were lucky enough to get on the qualified buyer's list, you could then break the lease at virtually any time if good first impressions turned sour or if depreciation kicked in alarmingly faster than anticipated...and they'd go off and resell themselves...
Andy, your metaphors never fail to make me laugh
I did a track experience thing in an F430, and it just plain sucked. Not sure how much was the car itself, or the terrible condition it was in. definitely wasn't an accurate representation of a well maintained car.
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Source One had one last summer. Brian could give you a laundry lists of why the NSX is a much better car. We all knew that anyway 
14 years / 29 NSX's WELL over 400,000 Miles traveled and never been left broken down or had a failure stranding me.
1 months / 1 360 Less than 3 miles traveled - Broken down - Towed in - $800 later back on the road and sold.
As far as I know the new owner of the car has had ok luck with it. He is an ex-NSX owner.
Sound - Fcar
Power - Fcar unless NSX is boosted
Interior - NSX
Exterior - NSX
Quality - NSX
Fanboys - Fcar
Cost of ownership - NSX
Truthfully, I do not see what the big draw is unless you just want to mark it off of a bucket list. That is what I did. And I'm glad I am back to NSX's.
1 months / 1 360 Less than 3 miles traveled - Broken down - Towed in - $800 later back on the road and sold.
As far as I know the new owner of the car has had ok luck with it. He is an ex-NSX owner.
Sound - Fcar
Power - Fcar unless NSX is boosted
Interior - NSX
Exterior - NSX
Quality - NSX
Fanboys - Fcar
Cost of ownership - NSX
Truthfully, I do not see what the big draw is unless you just want to mark it off of a bucket list. That is what I did. And I'm glad I am back to NSX's.
The Acura test team went out and bought a Ferrari 458 Italia to use as a test car against the new NSX. It broke down on its way from the dealership...
The agent I bought my NSX from also had a 360 coupe for sale (can't remember the year). His said that the 360 was fun for about 30 minutes. After that it got a bit tiresome, particularly the noise. After thirty minutes he said you needed earplugs or a supply of ASA. Car stereos in a 360 are useful when the car is parked! His final comment was that if he was going some place far and wanted to have a high probability of arriving, he would take the NSX.
My college roommate had several Alfa's. Lord knows how many times we had to get out and push those things! Sounds like F-cars are just really expensive versions.
Disappointing to hear. Having never driven an F car yet, they still carry a bit of a halo effect for me, where I just assume that driving one is a sublime experience if the car's otherwise been well taken care of. A co-worker owned a 10+ year old 308 or 328 when I was at Ford in the early 90's. He'd bring it to work occasionally, it'd look like Magnum PI was in the office that day. Stood out like a sore thumb in a good way and looked fantastic in the lot. He said driving it carried little enjoyment and was pretty much like driving a truck. Heavy steering, big bulky shifter, stiff suspension. Fun to own & look at, not fun to drive.
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This is why, the 458 is on my bucketlist and as the previous models are just quite not there yet considering all things except power and sound.
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after owning both, the nsx is a far better vehicle. one thing that isnt listed here about owning the 360 is that it is now, essentially, 4 generations old. What this leads to is basically you getting ignored/laughed at on by any newer ferrari owner, or made to look like a poser/wanna-be. the NSX being a halo car keeps this from happening and the gap between it and the new one wont really compromise it either.
And the most interesting thing to me about the 360, was how big visually it changes depending on where ur looking at it. from the front it almost looked comically small to me while the rear made it seem huge and 430ish size
And the most interesting thing to me about the 360, was how big visually it changes depending on where ur looking at it. from the front it almost looked comically small to me while the rear made it seem huge and 430ish size
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Ha!...that's my neighbor. Pretty sure he likes being seen in it when it's running.
New member to the forum, but I have searched information on here for years. I am a long time car guy. Many thanks to all that have posted such useful information. I talked my father into buying a 97 NSX targa around 1999 or so. He has driven it a total of about 2500 miles. It currently has 22k on it. I assume that since I made him buy the NSX instead of the Camaro he was looking at, I get to do all the work on the NSX for him. Good for me as it has only needed fluids changed.
Right now it is in my garage with a turn signal that will not cancel. Where am I going with all this? Well, I have a 96 F355. I know the NSX whipped up on the Ferrari 348 and sent the Fcar engineers back to the drawing board for the F355. I remember those days, and that was why I steered him to the NSX when he was looking for a new sports car.....to own but not drive!
I haven't driven the NSX for years and not at all since I bought the F355. Once I get his signal sorted out (looking like a new cancel switch assembly), I want to take it for a spin and see how they compare back to back. I have a sneaky suspicion that I will like many aspects of the NSX over the Fcar. That is going to hurt.
Right now it is in my garage with a turn signal that will not cancel. Where am I going with all this? Well, I have a 96 F355. I know the NSX whipped up on the Ferrari 348 and sent the Fcar engineers back to the drawing board for the F355. I remember those days, and that was why I steered him to the NSX when he was looking for a new sports car.....to own but not drive!
I haven't driven the NSX for years and not at all since I bought the F355. Once I get his signal sorted out (looking like a new cancel switch assembly), I want to take it for a spin and see how they compare back to back. I have a sneaky suspicion that I will like many aspects of the NSX over the Fcar. That is going to hurt.
look forward to the comparison. also,the nsx is way overdue for a timing belt,and probably all hoses, if that hasn't been done
Welcome to the forum and I look forward to your thoughts.
I wouldn't worry too much though as there are a few people who have gone from NSX to 355 and never bothered looking back. Some of it may depend on just how intense you want your car experience to be. A NSX is muted in many ways compared to a Ferrari and that can be good (for someone like me) or bad depending on what you are looking to get out of your ownership experience. Both are fine machines though and I would say it would be unfair to unilaterally judge one to be better or worse than the other.
With that said, where the NSX shines over a Ferrari is prolonged use. I suspect that after a quick ride in each that the 355 will dazzle you a lot more than the NSX. Drive each for a month though and that is where the polished usability of the NSX will likely get your appreciation. That of course though is just my two cents.
Wow...that sounds like the makings for a really fun and cohesive group of owners.
What's next, threads on googly & non-googly F-cars at F-chat.com?
I had the opportunity to drive a Ferrari 458 last year while in Maranello. I have to say that I was quite smitten. I found it to be very comfortable and the cockpit and view from it reminded me a bit of the NSX. Obviously the the layout of the instruments is quite different, especially since virtually all of the controls on the 458 are on the steering wheel--even the turn signals. I believe it's a fair bit larger than the NSX but I didn't feel like it was. Felt small and wrapped around me as an extension of my arms and legs. The handling was sharp and flat and the power was linear and exhilarating. I had always sworn off paddle shifted cars but the one in the Ferrari worked so seamlessly and immediately that I hardly missed the clutch pedal. The purpose of the trip that I was on was to pick up a new BMW M4. After spending a thousand miles in that--many of which were as fast as I had ever driven a car, and the time spent in the Ferrari, my NSX felt slow. Time and memory has faded somewhat since then and my NSX is starting to feel fast again, but the sound and sheer joy I experienced in the 458 will never be forgotten.
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Wow...that sounds like the makings for a really fun and cohesive group of owners.
What's next, threads on googly & non-googly F-cars at F-chat.com?
lol it jus comes with that territory of vehicle, theres like 4 types of ferrari owners in my opinion:
1) collectors
2) enthusiasts
3) its an accessory to their income
4) midlife crisis/wanabe sugar daddies
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