Well, my ~10 year adventure with Ferrari's has has some ups & downs.  Here's a brief history:

The 348 years....

In late '97, I was able to convince my wife that I needed to upgrade from my '70 Plymouth AAR Cuda to an Italian car.  I came across a white/tan '92 348tb with about ~11K miles for a "reasonable" price.  "Reasonable" is in quotes as I've learned that one must recalibrate their definition of "reasonable" when dealing with any aspect (purchase, maintenance, etc.) of a Ferrari.  All in all it was a decent car over the ~2.5yrs that I owned it. I put about 7K miles on it, many at the track (TWS - Texas World Speedway). During this time, I was also "fortunate" enough to pay for tires, several oil changes, timing belt change, ECU replacement, and, unfortunately, some bodywork to the front valence.  They say that Ferrari's have low ground clearance.  I proved that this car, with ~5 inches of ground clearance, was incapable of clearing an ~6" diameter stone at ~40 mph.  Very unpleasant sound...

Highlights:  Popped my Ferrari cherry with this car.
Lowlights:  Electrical system "gremlins", unstable at high speeds (140mph) & somewhat underpowered.  Also, Ferrari's just shouldn't be painted white...

The 355 years...

In early '00, I came across a yellow/black '95 F355 with ~9.6K miles on the odometer while getting my 348 serviced at the dealership.  This was a fantastic example with the carbon fiber racing seats.  I simply had to have it!  My wife was in a similar disposition regarding having another child. The deal was made right there in my saleman's office -- I got the car (traded-in the 348) AND another son out of the deal (that's what I call a "win - win")!  During the 7yrs that I owned it I put about ~12K miles on the odometer.  As with the 348, many of these were logged at TWS whilst chasing-down 360's & such.  I had the pleasure of shelling out $$$ for numerous oil changes, 2 sets of Pirelli's, timing belts, CV joint boots, shocks, brakes, etc.  This was not the worst of it, however...

It still pains me to speak of this, but, I'm finding this somewhat theraputic... On a fateful Friday afternoon, August 13, 2004, I attempted a U-turn on a roadway near my house.  For whatever reason, a VW Jetta decided to magically appear as I was ~halfway thru my U-turn.  The resulting sights & sounds were the most unpleasant yet.  In retrospect, no one was injured and the car only suffered cosmetic damage to the front valence, right fender & hood (bonnet) damage.  Nevertheless, my insurance company & I shelled-out an enormous sum
of $$$ to Ferraro of Houston for repairs.  When it returned to home, after ~6 months, it was better than new!  I must say, if you ever "aerodynamically alter" your Ferrari, FoH has a first-class repair facility.

Highlights:  Absolutely stunning design.  Gorgeous body-lines that look quite modern (until it sits next to a 360 or 430).  385 beautiful ponies with a fantastic 6spd.  Stable up to ~175mph (I seemed to have lost my "attachments"  after hitting that mark on the speedo...).  Letting my middle son's cub scout troop climb all over it.

Lowlights:  See paragraph above.  Oh yeah, maintenance costs and feeling like a "fish in a fish bowl" while driving a fly yellow car.  Sitting in the passenger's seat at ~140mph at TWS with my 18yr old son at the wheel...

The 360 years...uh, months...

After owning the 355 for ~7yrs, I was beginning to tire of it (the grass is always greener...) and it would often go weeks without being driven.  Such a fine automobile should be exercised regularly, so I decided it was time for it to find a new home.  In Mar'07 I located a meticulously maintained 6-spd yellow/black '00 360 with ~19K miles.  As with the 355 years ago, a simple test-drive and hearing that lovely Tubi had me drooling.  After some haggling with the dealer (it had been on their lot for several months --  advantage: me), we were able to reach an amenable trade-in for mine & purchase price for theirs.  In the ~3 months since buying it, I've already clocked ~2K miles on the odo.  I simply can't avoid driving it with the windows down to hear it.  Only word of caution - 3rd gear and a fully-depressed throttle should only be attempted while in a straight line unless one is wearing Depends!

Highlights:  Absolutely everything about it.
Lowlights:  None yet.

Well, that's my "brief" history with this fabulous marque.  I must say that I've been quite fortunate to own these wonderful machines over the years. Hopefully I will be able to do so for many years to come.

James (aka, giallo355)