Any (ex)Modena owners here? How reliable is it?

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I hear from Ferrari enthusiasts that the 360 Modena is worlds apart in terms of reliability over previous-gen. F-cars. What i'd like to know is, how reliable is it when compared to the NSX? I've been drooling over one for a while now, after seeing a silver barchetta (coupe) zipping right by me on eastbound fwy 134 heading toward DT Glendale 5 months ago. I'm planning to put some moolas aside for one, if and only if the car is almost as reliable as the X. Any previous/current owner here? I'd like to hear your story.

TIA!
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Regards, Bill


[This message has been edited by Zanardi 50 (edited 09 December 2002).]
 
The 360 Modena is certainly a beautiful car, and I hope to own one someday myself. I'd be interested in knowing more about the maintenance costs that come with owning one.

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2001 QuickSilver Corvette Coupe - Not Stock [503 RWHP, 545 RWTQ]

2002 Black Acura 3.2 TL/S

www.RacingFlix.com
 
Yes that's right O-Ace. Schedule maintenance cost is also another issue just as important, if not more, than reliability. What puzzles me is that there are documented problems with the other F-cars, most notably the F355's/348's/308's etc., but I couldn't find anything said from anyone about Modena's. Or perhaps I'm not digging deep enough?
 
Thanks for the link Phoen$x, it was quite informative. Never thought a Brit would choose the NSX over the Modena, esp. from a chap that uses derogatory term to describe people from the land of rising sun.
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I will comment on Ferrari's lack of trim/molding workmanship. My friend and I was at Beverly Hills Ferrari Dealership a month back and saw a BEAAAUTIFUL Red F-50 Coupe from 2 feet away. As good as the overall workmanship goes, I was a bit surprised to find the molding strips around the window/door area rather sub-par for a car of this caliber. Prior to this, I was saying to my friend that the moldings on the NSX isn't quite as good as it could be for an high-profile luxury exotic from Japan (or maybe I'm just being finicky, comparing the NSX's to that of a Rolls-Royce's or Bently's
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). Now after seeing the Ferraris', I'd take that comment about the NSX back!
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My friend has one, and he had one headaching problem his engine. When he started the car, and accelerated hard, there would be a metal-rattling sound from the engine bay (in each gear). The sound would be gone after 5k rpm, but it was very annoying. This problem developed soon after he hit 12k miles (which he said was a high milege for the car??). Surprisingly, his buddy who owns the same car (but euro-spec) developed a similar problem around 8k miles. They both live with that unpleasing rattling sound. The dealer has no clue yet.
 
Most of the points have been made here already, but I'll reitterate them all. I run the sales dept at a high end dealer, and am privlidged enough to get to see and know a lot of cars up close and personal.
The 360 Modena (there is no Barchetta, that is the drop top, or really no top, version of the 550 V12 front engined Ferrari), in either coupe or spider form is an absolutely stunning car in any form. Equip it with a Tubi, and there is no better sounding street car, PERIOD. The quality of workmanship, and over all design of the build of the car (I'm not talking shape here, I'm talking how the car is actually built) is really sh*%ty, to put it mildly. We do a lot of collision repair on theese cars, and when you take them apart, and se how they are built, you gain a whole new veiw on them.
Maintenance is expensive. I'm not certain what your local Ferrari Dearler charges and hour, but Look into it, I'll bet its easily twice what your Acura dealer charges. As for Parts, $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$, and dont expect them to be in stock either.
Reliabilty; Yes, no doubt the 360 is better than the 328, or 348, and even the 355, but come on now F boys, look what your comparing to!! Not even close to the reliability of an NSX.
The last thing is the mileage and depriciation factor. My 91 NSX has 15 k miles on it, and that is extremely low for a 91 NSX, I only know of a few lower. 15 k on a 91 Testarossa is considered average to high miles!!!!!!! The same will hold true, although probably to a lesser degree for the 360. 12 k on even a 99 (the first year) 360 is high!!

All of that negative said, if money was no object, and I had the space to keep them, a 360 would be one of my 20 or so cars. Where does it rank, That would depend on how long it took me to find some of the older cars that I'd rather have. if i could find all of the other cars that I lust for, the 360 would be down closer to 20!!
Keep in mind thats just me. I do stop and look at every 360 i walk by in our shop, and the exhaust note alone is worth ownership!!

Steve



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Steve
89 325is "snowmobile"
91 NSX
01 MDX
02 M3 SMG

"automotive indulgence"
www.thelastdetail.com
 
The 360 Spider I drove felt very tight, the interior was well done and the quality was inline with my NSX.

However, the F1 tranny has had problems since he got it. When we were driving, the tranny light lit up.. we had to stop on the Interstate, put the car in reverse, drive backwards for 30ft.. then the light went off and we kept driving... ??? He has already sent it to ferrari of dallas once and they couldn't find anything wrong.
 
I've now had my 360F1 for exactly two years and my NSX for over five years. The 360 has been trouble free (7K miles) except for an updated F1 computer installed under warranty; it's the closest street car I've driven to my 90's race cars. While the NSX sometimes feels like a bus compared to it, I still have it because it is a wonderful car in its own way.
 
Originally posted by bboxer:
While the NSX sometimes feels like a bus compared to it

How does the NSX feel like a Bus?? I drove both cars and the 360 to me feels like a bigger car.
 
My business colleague has had few problems with his 360 Modena, but he did have the tranny (6 speed, not F1) seize up on him on while driving on the freeway. I never did find out what was the cause.

I'll bet he was glad that he kept his NSX as his daily driver when that happened...it seems that Ferrari repairs take quite a bit of time.

Side-by-side with the NSX, the 360 certainly LOOKS like the bigger car...but I haven't driven one yet to know how it feels. Gotta work on my coworker!
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--akira3D
'00 Acura NSX-T (red/black), '97 Honda Civic HX (black), '01 Lexus IS300 (black/black)
"Reality is better than the dream..."

akira3d.com/nsx

[This message has been edited by akira3d (edited 09 December 2002).]
 
Originally posted by bboxer:
I've now had my 360F1 for exactly two years and my NSX for over five years. The 360 has been trouble free (7K miles) except for an updated F1 computer installed under warranty; it's the closest street car I've driven to my 90's race cars. While the NSX sometimes feels like a bus compared to it, I still have it because it is a wonderful car in its own way.

bboxer, post some pics so the rest of us can salivate.

I've also got some thoughts on the issue, and will post them later this evening, when I've got a little more time.

Regards.
 
Originally posted by bboxer:
I've now had my 360F1 for exactly two years and my NSX for over five years. The 360 has been trouble free (7K miles) except for an updated F1 computer installed under warranty; it's the closest street car I've driven to my 90's race cars. While the NSX sometimes feels like a bus compared to it, I still have it because it is a wonderful car in its own way.

BBboxer,

i live right over here in the South Bay area. I would love to see your NSX and especially your Modena. I have a 91 NSX and would like to take both pics of the cars together.
 
Originally posted by NSXaholic:
I've also got some thoughts on the issue, and will post them later this evening, when I've got a little more time.

Regards.

I'd like to echo, and amplify, some of the excellent thoughts that have been brought up so far on the issue of the 360. What (little) I know has come from the fact that I was seriously considering a 360 Modena Coupe, and have test driven about five of them (but have decided to hold off).

First: Aesthetic appeal and cachet
The verdict is still out on the 360, even amongst the F-Car owners. While a significant number love the sleek and ultra-aerodynamic look of the 360, a number of opponents have been vocal about it's design, with the main fault being it's ultra-wide appearance (both front and back). Those who criticize that the 360 has lost the "Ferrari appeal" are usually the same people that embrace its predecessor, the 355.

However, a Ferrari is still a Ferrari, and few carry the name better than the 360. When you add in the name cachet, it becomes obvious that the 360 is a head turner wherever it goes. Not only has it got the styling and the unmistakeable prancing horse, but the sound of an F-car engine has rarely been duplicated in other high-end machines. As beautiful as the raw sound is, Steve rightly points out that the Tubi exhaust is a wonderful addition (hard to think you can improve on "perfect," but you can), especially at when the car is at idle.

Second: Reliability.
While the reliability has improved considerably from generations past (the 348 is particularly known for it's upkeep issues), there are still numerous problems with the 360. The problems I have read about relate to engine lights, fuel hoses, and other engine/mechanical issues (not so much on interior design/trim issues -- although Steve notes that general workmanship is quite poor). I guess a similar analogy to the types of problems are to when Porsche introduced the 996 C2 in 1999 -- the same irritating, but fixable issues that surfaced with the 996 are the sames ones that surface with the 360 from time-to-time. The only difference is that the 360 problems are still there three years after the car has been introduced, and more importantly, dealers -- at times -- don't know how to fix them.

The problems are only exacerbated when you move to the F1 Transmission. There have been numerous posts on the Ferrari Enthusiast Website related to F1 transmissions not engaging, or getting stuck in a particular gear. For all hype, then, there seem to be significant headaches associated with the F1 transmission, so be forewarned (plus real guys drive stick, right!!).

Third: Maintenance
This is what really caused me to defer my purchase, and the issues relate to the second point above, plus what others have raised.

Not only does the 360 have the tendancy to run unreliable at times, but fixing it is a daunting task -- both in time and money. Authorized dealers are spaced far apart (although, believe it or not there are a couple in the Chicagoland area), and the fixes are expensive. Major repairs -- or even major services, like a timing belt change -- can easily run you into the high single digits. Plus, just think how much fun would it be to get $275.00 oil changes?!?

So, bottom line: amazing car, but still plauged with Ferrari problems -- albeit to a lesser extent than previous cars. The good news is that prices are dropping rapidly on these babies ('99's can be had for around $125K and '00's for around $140 -- don't remind yourself that you could get 4 '91 NSX's for that), but be wary of significant depreciation as the economy continues to remain weak, and there are rumors that Ferrari will be introducing the makeover to its entry-level car soon -- the Ferrari 420.

Of course, if you've been shorting tech stocks since March 2001, and you've got some Dead Presidents to play around with, I wouldn't dream of having any other machine. A truly amazing Italian thoroghbread.

This was a fun thread, so just wanted to post my thoughts.

Ohh, let me also post some pics (since we are on "Off Topic"): a couple of 360's and then one of the 355, so you can make your own decision about which one is stylistically superior.

Charcoal%20Grey%202002%20--%20Rear%20Left.jpg


Black-Tan%20On%20Street%20-%204.jpg


Pearl%20Blue%20GTS%20F1%20-%20Front%20Left.jpg


Regards.

[This message has been edited by NSXaholic (edited 10 December 2002).]
 
My opinion stylistically:

360 vs 355 coupe: 355 is better looking

360 spider vs 355 spider: 360 is better looking.
 
Originally posted by NetViper:
My opinion stylistically:

360 vs 355 coupe: 355 is better looking

360 spider vs 355 spider: 360 is better looking.

I couldn't agree more there.

On the Exhaust note subject, I simply can't comprehend how someone might think the 360 sounds good stock. It's subjective I agree, but to ME, the stock 360 exhaust sounds like a dud compared to what I felt it should have been. The F355 has the best V8 ferrari noise I've heard. However, yes, a tubi on a 360 does sound quite magical, and it's amazing how much it does for the note of the tail.

Mechanically, the 360 SHOULD be more reliable than a 355, but I have seen too many of them up on racks and especially F1 trannies taken apart for this that or the other reason. I used to love the idea of the 360, sionce it harkened back to the 250 LM in ways, but since am growing colder to it's look. Mainly because of it's size. It's a large car...as wide as if not wider than a Testarossa. Although from the rear angle the tail has been tapered enough to hide it's proportions, which in turn make it look less...welll...for lack of a better word...EXOTIC.

blah...that's my banter on it anyway.



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There's been an enormous amount of statements made about the 360, its looks, performance, reliability...etc. It's good because F meant the car to be controversial. The strongest statements, especially the negative ones are made by people who do NOT own a 360. I and 4-5 of my buddies all have 360F1. We meet often, drive the canyons and book the track for a day or two. We drive them often but not every day. We're all very happy and near trouble-free after 1-3 years of ownership. I just let go of my 575 order after a thorough comparison with the 360. It's the best street car I've ever owned.
 
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