Here’s the summary of another year’s ownership of a F355. You may want to catch up on previous episodes:
The eighth year they say is bronze
It’s been a long time between posts but the reason for that is that there’s not been much to report. Let’s cover the major items and then I’ll share some more thoughts at the end.
Costs
The total that was spent on the car for the year was around $9,400. The majority of that was the annual service and the cost of insurance. These two items combined were over 50% of the total costs for the year.
This December will be a major service for the car, with the engine out for the belt change, a new clutch, springs, exhausts and a few other things. All up, it is probably going to be a pretty hefty bill but it is stuff that needs doing and isn’t a surprise, so we’ll see what December brings on that front.
Travel
The car is now not far off the 90,000 kilometre mark. My guess is that sometime in January 2021 it will cross this barrier. I’ve managed to maintain the typical annual kilometres, even the face of the lockdowns that have occurred this year. There was a period about 6 weeks where I didn’t drive the car all due to restrictions. However, some longer drives have apparently made up for that!
Low Points
No major ones this year. Was a shock when I received a letter from my insurance company telling me that their business model had changed and they couldn’t cover me any more. Luckily, I was able to lean on contacts from the Club to find a broker who could help me out and get all that squared away. A tiny bit of bottom clenching until that was all sorted.
I’ve had the odd ‘slow-down’ light appear briefly on the dash, but that has typically been after hitting a bump on the road. Normal stuff.
No major new paint chips or body issues to report. The leather on the driver side seat appears to be wearing a little thin. However, that is expected and something to add to the refurbishment list down the track.
The major low point has simply been the restrictions due to lock downs. This has meant less events and therefore less driving. Hopefully, next years brings improvement on that score.
High Points
Another year of effectively problem free motoring. Enjoyed the Bathurst 12 hours again, with a merry crew of other drivers, but man was it hot this year! Ouchee. Never like standing the car out in 40+ degree C temperatures. But like me, it survived. The drive to and from Bathurst is always very, very enjoyable. Can’t wait to get out there again next year. Just can’t beat the feeling of driving through the country side on a beautiful day in an F355!
Value
The value hasn’t moved much from what I can see. A good F355, manual, red, etc will still set you back around AU$ 250K – 280K it seems. I note there are lots of yellow, blue, black, etc cars out there but red ones are still somewhat rare.
Summary
Given the constraints of lockdown this year, I have no complaints. The car is still magic to drive and I look forward to the experience each and every week.
The big thing that is coming will be the annual service, were the car will have lots done. Luckily, things are quieter this year so it should be easier to accomplish.
Hopefully, I can allocate more time to update this blog more regularly. I kind of fell out of the practice, given the lack of things to write about. However, with things hopefully looking up and the upcoming work on the car, there’ll be more to write about.
Love the F355 
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