2003 Ferrari 360

Spider Convertible

8 Cylinder 3.6 Liter

Manual

zffyt53a230133845

Clear

Gasoline

Air Conditioning

I really thought I would never sell my Ferrari 360 Spider--Isabella. The newer Ferrari's don't light my fire as much as the 360 does, and they are at least $150K more, so I'm not likely to trade up. So I assumed this was it for me--I'd have this for as long as I drive a car. and why not--it's fantastic. But I also never planned on moving to a smaller house in Hood River and changing my lifestyle to be even more physically active. But I did. Not only does the new house only have a small garage, but the Ferrari just doesn't fit the lifestyle. It just wouldn't look good with a windsurf or Standup surf board rack on it. And I walk or bicycle everywhere here unless I'm getting in the water. So Isabella has to go. The 360 is a drivers car, especially this one. I ordered it with a six speed manual transmission and the carbon fiber "racing" seats, and I got them in the wide configuration. I'm a big guy--6'2" and 250 pounds. I like the way they feel and they are ideal for big guys. The stock Ferrari seats are too narrow and the bolsters hit your leg too high. I didn't do anything silly like put five point belts on the car--it's for the street. These are by far the most comfortable Ferrari seats I've ever tried. Way better than those in my 355. The best thing about this car has been it's drivability. The 355 was harsh and the interior was unsophisticated, Ferrari really took a step forward with the 360 Spider, and built a car you could drive every day. And I did. It was my daily driver from the day I bought it. I could hardly stay out of it. So much so that it cut deeply into my motorcycle riding time. But what a fun car. I think they went too far traction management with the cars after the 360. When you turn off the traction control on the 360 keeping the car going generally straight is pretty much up to you, with the later Ferraris it feels like you're still on a leash. If you're considering buying this car you need to know how I took care of it. Pretty simple, it was garaged all winter and I drove it in a spirited but rational manner for the rest of the year. I NEVER abuse cars. Any car. I'm both a former pro mechanic and an amateur race car driver, so I have a lot of mechanical sympathy. I drive street cars in a spirited but conservative manner. I don't use the clutch as a brake, I don't flog engines or crunch gears, I don't bang shifts, I don't sidestep the clutch. I do enjoy spirited driving. I did a couple of track days, but I didn't abuse the car there either. No need to. It's lots fun inside it's handling and performance envelope, but it is NOT a race car. I have race cars for racing. It has had every service and oil change on time. This car has just had it's 30K cam belt change less than a hundred miles and a few weeks ago. While the work was being done I had every update done and the clutch changed. The clutch and flywheel was still fine, but it was making a little bit of noise on release, so I had the clutch replaced. All upgrades have been done (such as the tensioner update) and the car is ready for trouble-free enjoyment. While we were at it I had every aspect of the car checked out and anything marginal replaced, including cam cover seals that showed a slight seepage of oil. The final bill was substantial, but you can rest assured that the car is in perfect condition. All work was done at Ron Tonkin Gran Turisimo in Portland. The service manager is well acquainted with this car and can give it a perfectly clean bill of health. It's never been in an accident other than a truck backing into the headlight in a parking lot when the car had less than five hundred miles on it. Of course the headlight was replaced. Cosmetically it's close to perfect. It has had a transparent bra since new, and there are a couple of stone cuts in the plastic material low on the nose (the paint underneath is untouched). There are some scrapes in the black plastic under the nose from speed bumps or bad parking lot ramps. The 360 is way better than the 355 was for nose overhang, but it can still grind. One wheel has a little curb rash. You can see it in the pictures if you look really close. Easily touched up next time you change the tires. The car is completely stock, including the exhaust. I think the stock exhaust sounds great. It has the premium Ferrari radio with CD changer and bass woofers. It also has the Ferrari battery tender/charger, a full set of factory car covers, all keys and transmitters including the all-important red transmitter. Manuals, tool kit, and the tire inflator kit. This is a great car, well broken in so it's smooth, supple and proven, but with every element in fine condition. You'll love her as much as I do. On Jul-31-10 at 22:33:26 PDT, seller added the following information: Why is the market for Ferraris so strange these days? The 430 spiders are selling for twice the price of the 360s, even though most knowledgeable people consider the 360 to be at least an equal car, and many (me included) consider 360s superior. I don't get it, but it sure presents an opportunity for people to own a great Ferrari cheaply. I'd wait for the market to get rational, but I hate to see a fine car sit, and my Portland house, where the car is stored, is on the market. Some included items I forgot to mention--the price includes a factory red car cover with seat and steering wheel storage covers as well. The most recent service was extremely complete--I had decided to keep the car forever (or at least until I kick). If anyone wants to see that detailed I can add it. It came to about $15K in parts and labor. Most of the replacement items were not necessary, and no one in their right mind would do all that to a car they were selling, but I just wanted it perfect, and then I decided to sell it. Oh, well.