F-Car Madness; ASK AWAY; F355 & NSX in garage

Took this at C&C meet recently:

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05011994 said:
Had a 1991 NSX for 7 years prior to the owning and F355 Berlinetta for the last 2 years. I have not had many issues with either car, the maintenance is more expensive on the Ferrari, the engine out major service is only required every 5 years, not every 3. I drive my cars hard (both visited the track more than once), not used for cruising or putting them in front of restaurants and both proved to be reliable.

The Ferrari is considerably more fun for me to drive, but if you asked was it worth the difference in price and maintenance, I would be hard pressed to give you an answer. Issues with F355 are as follows: headers will go bad for all years, valve guides have gone bad on all years (including some 1999s), cats will go bad and interiors will get sticky. Good news is some of these fixes are not only permanent, but provide upgraded performance. I went with Tubi header, hyper flow cats and Tubi muffler, valve guides had been replaced on my car. Much debate on what is the best year, 1995 is OBD1, and has 5 hp more, some bugs worked out on later years. Key to owning the Ferrari is having a great independent mechanic close by, the dealerships are not that great, at least out here in the Rocky Mountain region, but we have one of the best independents in the country. Cost of service as well as quality of service is superior with independents such as Scuderia Rampante, Brian Crall and Eugenios. As mentioned previously it is difficult to beat the engine note in an F355, but it sounds better from the outside than the inside, opposite of the NSX which sounded great from the inside). Inusrance is not bad on the Ferrari about $1,000 per year, similar to what my NSX ran

The NSX was a great car and I truly enjoyed it, it handled great, was super reliable and was rare. The only issues I had were that the engine note did not stir me enough (made the mistake of putting a B&B exhaust on and it only made it boomy) and it could have used a bit more power (I live at 7,300 feet high, so the altitude robs both of these cars of considerable power). Exterior fit and finish were superior to the Ferrari, interior materials we inferior as it relates to quality (tough to beat the Connelly leather in a Ferrari) but much more durable and far less maintenance than the Ferrari.

Neither of these cars are much fun for me to take out and leave anywhere, I was always paranoid someone was going to mess with either of them, I truly enjoy taking my wife's S2000 out, we can enjoy dinner out and not worry about the car.

The only way to really determine which is for you is to:

1) Drive them both and determine which one really makes you smile
2) Determine which one your budget or tolerance for expenses is on an ongoing basis, if a big bill hitting you unexpected will do to you financially and emotionally.

I can say that while I do miss the NSX and loved having it, I will probably never let go of the F355.
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Sometimes simplier cars like the S2000 or a Boxter S or M3 E46 Convertible makes more sense:wink:

What I like about the 95's is the double air box, less Emission's related devices and if im not mistaken no golden valves so 25% failure rate. The Connelly leather is pretty delicate, unlike the nappa leather of the Nsx and the shrinkage issues are for cars resting in hot & humid climates.
 
SWIFTVISION said:
Yes, the NSX is the ultimate dude car.
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You know what.... Guys might be more into the engineering or rareness (is that a word?) of the car. But I have yet to pick up a girl where I don't get a "holy shit, what a beautiful car". But I didn't buy the car for that so.......

It really sounds like the best thing about a Ferrari is the sound. Just like with a Harley. Everyone talks about the sound. But it probably doesn't sound that cool when it WON'T START! The GT-One on my NSX is close enough. If I ever go more exotic (expensive) than the NSX, I'll probably go Lambo. The Murciélago is pretty damn sexy.

And what's up with that "laptimes" link? Everything else I've ever seen has the stock NSX faster than the stock 355. :confused:
 
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From F chat
I just spoke to the seller. He says Title is salvage from long time ago, the car smokes (he says white smoke), mechanic says valve guides, says he changed the headers but the smoke is still present, body is straight, interior needs a little work no leather shrinkage but the driver chair is loose maybe needs tightening. Top has a tear from an attempted steal. Power top not functioning. Car drivable now but makes funny noise from engine. I asked him if price is negotiable, he says yes

Here is my assessment’s
Valve guides, engine overhaul, and $20000 :eek:
Top canvas= $1500
Top mechanics= $10000 :eek:
Small chips on bumper = $1500
Miscellaneous leather fixing and cleanning = $3000
Missing misc accessories (boot cover, car cover, tools) $2000

Now you tell me if it's a bargain or not.
 
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Do it Eddie :D:tongue:

ediddynsx said:
From F chat
I just spoke to the seller. He says Title is salvage from long time ago, the car smokes (he says white smoke), mechanic says valve guides, says he changed the headers but the smoke is still present, body is straight, interior needs a little work no leather shrinkage but the driver chair is loose maybe needs tightening. Top has a tear from an attempted steal. Power top not functioning. Car drivable now but makes funny noise from engine. I asked him if price is negotiable, he says yes

Here is my assessment’s
Valve guides, engine overhaul, and $20000 :eek:
Top canvas= $1500
Top mechanics= $10000 :eek:
Small chips on bumper = $1500
Miscellaneous leather fixing and cleanning = $3000
Missing misc accessories (boot cover, car cover, tools) $2000

Now you tell me if it's a bargain or not.
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osugrad97 said:
The 355 is WAY hotter IMHO.
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I would have to disagree. It's a hard call. Ferrari has the pedigree so that would influence others. IMO, the front of the NSX is better looking than the F355 and overall the NSX is better looking. As far as power, sound and prestige goes, that's a different story, not as subjective.
 
N Spec said:
I would have to disagree. It's a hard call. Ferrari has the pedigree so that would influence others. IMO, the front of the NSX is better looking than the F355 and overall the NSX is better looking. As far as power, sound and prestige goes, that's a different story, not as subjective.
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+1

IMO the NSX front end is sculpted better than the 355...flows better I think.

The 355 is too busy around the bottom.
 
ISONSX said:
I've been considering crossing over to the f-car dark side for some time now but my research and discussions all center on exactly what you have said - 360 is light years ahead in dependability, maintenance and costs, and overall build quality but you can't beat the 355 exhaust note with a tubi. Also as you mentioned, the nsx is half the price for a nice low mileage car vs. a minimum 100k for a decent used 360. I'm having a hard time spending another 50k or more when i could have the nsx and maybe a 600 hp Viper or Cobra. Having said this, I will own one before I die, but will have to be a 360 or newer. The NSX remains the perfect daily driver supercar for me (although mine's a garage queen).
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LOL, Me and this guy must be brothers!!

Except I'm leaning more towards the Gallardo and my X is not a Garage queen, my Esprit is.
 
usafdarkhorse said:
+1

IMO the NSX front end is sculpted better than the 355...flows better I think.

The 355 is too busy around the bottom.
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-1

I think the 355 is one of the most beautiful cars ever designed, yes better than the NSX.
 
drtruong said:
It is very informative. Does anyone have any experience with Lambo?
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yes, they are pieces of shit too
better than Ferrari, but thats not saying much
2 years, around 11k miles and about 20k spent on fixing stupid shit already
drove it hard a few weeks ago and cracked the rotors.
for 4 new rotors and pads the dealer wants over $10,000!!!!
fock that!!! found damn near (withing 4mm inside radius) rotors (no hats) for $300 each rotor and slotted instead of drilled so they wont crack again!!
15k service coming up, thats atleast 5k
clutch should last 15-20k miles, thats another 8k

5 years with the NSX and no problems
I <3 is so
just wish it was faster, stiffer, and sounded better


theres just something about the Italian passionit beotch that just cant make me get rid of it though :(
 
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I may be wacky but to me the 355 looks better in the spyder or cabrio version,with the top stowed of course.
 
Dan Ciezniewzki said:
yes, they are pieces of shit too
better than Ferrari, but thats not saying much
2 years, around 11k miles and about 20k spent on fixing stupid shit already
drove it hard a few weeks ago and cracked the rotors.
for 4 new rotors and pads the dealer wants over $10,000!!!!
fock that!!! found damn near (withing 4mm inside radius) rotors (no hats) for $300 each rotor and slotted instead of drilled so they wont crack again!!
15k service coming up, thats atleast 5k
clutch should last 15-20k miles, thats another 8k

5 years with the NSX and no problems
I <3 is so
just wish it was faster, stiffer, and sounded better


theres just something about the Italian passionit beotch that just cant make me get rid of it though :(
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For NSX
Faster- just get sc or turbo
stiffer- get JRZ suspension
sound- that is subjective (taitec gt lightweight, GT-ROM, Gruppe M, GT-One)

The Lambo does turns heads though.....my understanding is that all the new lambos are pretty much trouble free since Audi took over on them and much more maintenance friendly.....talking with some Gallardo owners etc....

I can't say much for the Murci though......my friends younger brother 2005 Murci Spyder just caught on fire while driving and burned to the ground last week. That car was a garage queen too.....:eek:

Calvin- No thank you to the 355....the 360 or gallardo will be my next choice.
 

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