Ferrari 360 (Modena, Spider and Challenge Stradale) buying guide

The Modena coupe came first, in 1999. The Spider followed in 2000 and no targa was offered. Hagerty and Magneto say the two sold in roughly equal numbers, so you can be choosy about either. Power is quoted between 390 and 395bhp depending on the guide. Gearboxes are a six-speed manual or the F1 paddleshift, and fewer than 30 percent of buyers chose the manual when new.

Magneto and Hagerty agree that the manual Modena is the best standard 360 and the most prized, with manual hard-tops the most desirable of the regular cars. One specialist quoted by Magneto would take a low-mileage, late manual Modena, yet doubted manuals justify a £15,000 premium over an F1 car. Ferrari revised the F1 control settings in 2003 to smooth the shifts, and that update can be fitted to earlier cars, so ask what a given car has.

The Challenge Stradale is the ultimate 360 in Magneto's and Hagerty's view: 420bhp, carbon-ceramic brake discs, 19-inch alloys and an F1-only gearbox. It can be up to 110kg lighter than the Modena if the low-mass options were ticked, and it is much sharper on track. Hagerty adds that the standard car delivers nearly all of its thrills and is simpler to maintain. For most buyers that settles it, and the used Challenge Stradale listings are for those who want the track car.

Most of these are known, fixable and well documented, so the question is whether a car has been looked after.

Cam variator failure

Early cars suffered failing cam variators, and cars built before 2001 should have been fixed under a recall. Separately, CarChecker's checklist says Service Campaign 97 covers engine numbers below 60796 and that skipping it can lead to serious engine damage.

F1 hydraulics

The F1 actuators can leak or fail with age, and a failing pump relay can burn out the pump. Rough or slow shifts are the warning sign.

Suspension ball joints

Ball joints are a weakness, and knocking over bumps means they are due. Rear tie rods and tie-rod ends wear too. Hill Engineering sells upgraded joints.

Exhaust manifold cracks

Cracked manifolds occur on the 360, though Hagerty and ferrarimodena.com say less than on the 355.

Engine mounts

Autocar says vibration from the flat-plane crank can crack the engine mountings after around 20,000 miles.

Manual gearbox wear

Worn linkages can make second to third difficult, and damaged transmission mounts can cause crunching shifts. Both point to a manual car that has had a hard life.

Body corrosion

The aluminum bodywork can still corrode. Look for bubbling around the windscreen frame, the side repeaters and the nose.

Spider roof and trim

Spider roof rams can leak fluid. The soft-touch coating on switches turns sticky and peels, though it can be refinished.

Running a 360 takes planning. Oil changes are due every 6000 miles or annually, and the cambelt is done every three years, or three to five years by another account. It is reached through a rear bulkhead panel, so the engine does not have to come out, per Magneto, Hagerty and Autocar.

Wear items add up. Clutches last up to 30,000 miles by one account, or 20,000 on a manual and 15,000 on an F1 by another, and ferrarimodena.com puts a replacement at about £1300 (a UK figure). It also suggests about £1600 to replace all four ball joints. For a total budget, one specialist suggests £6000 over three years, while another guide suggests £2000 per year.

For most buyers, a late, low-mileage manual Modena or a Spider with full records is the car to find. The F1 car is fine if its actuators, pump and clutch check out and the 2003 software update is fitted. Choose the Challenge Stradale only if you want the track-focused car and accept the extra upkeep. Start with the Modena listings or the Spider listings, and check the Modena price guide and the F430 guide for the next model up.

Skip any car without cambelt history or proof of recall work, and be wary of early cars that may predate the variator fix. Insist on a specialist inspection, a clutch readout on F1 cars and a main dealer recall check by chassis number.