Is this $79,000 2003 Ferrari 360 Modena Spider a silver lining? – Jalopnik

With only 32,000 kilometers on the odometer, the current Nice Price or No Dice 360 ​​Modena is surprisingly little used for a normal car, but in Ferrari terms it is reaching middle age. Fortunately, it appears to be well cared for. Let’s see if the price is low enough to worry.

Of course, the Apollo astronauts, who were America’s most daring heroes, all chose Corvettes as their Earthbound adrenaline activators. Because they were federal employees and subject to strict gift card restrictions, they could not accept the ‘Vettes as free from GM. Fortunately, a smart dealer in Florida figured out that a one-dollar-a-year lease would circumvent such restrictions, saving future space fabulists from having to close this piece of Apollo/Corvette lore on a sour note.

The 1972 Chevy Corvette 454 coupe we looked at yesterday cost way more than a dollar and lacked any recognized space racing connections. That said, it appeared to be in good condition and, at $23,999, had a price tag that was tastier than Astronaut ice cream. As such, it rose to a substantial “Nice Price” win of 78%.

Ferraris, on the other hand, tend to travel on rarer terrain, are considerably more exclusive, and tend to be much more expensive. Then YouTube happened. It seems like every Automotive YouTuber worth his plaintive “like, comment, and subscribe” pleas had a 360 Modena on their channel at one point or another. Luckily, Ferrari built almost 18,000 of the V8-powered coupes and spiders, so there’s plenty to go around.

There is no evidence that this is the case Ferrari 360 Modena Spider from 2003 has appeared in every ad-supported streaming video. Admittedly, the subtle silver metallic over a dark gray leather cabin and black top may not be as camera-friendly as a watch-hungry YouTuber would like. For the rest of us, though, it comes across as elegant and less flashy than a more flamboyant color combination might.

Under that glass sits the Tipo F131 all-alloy V8. For the deets, that’s a 3586cc DOHC flat-plane crankmill that produces a factory-claimed 395 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque, and can scream all the way to an 8,500-rpm redline. According to the ad, this Spider has only 31,100 kilometers on the odometer and had a major service, including the timing belts, less than 1,000 kilometers ago.

Behind the red devil of an engine sits the F1 six-speed automatic manual transmission, designed in collaboration with and built by Graziano Trasmissioni. Given that part of the expected joy of Ferrari ownership is rowing through the gears via a gated shifter, the powerlessness implied by the small transmission lever on this car’s center tunnel may prove disappointing. That could be mitigated by the realization that the F1 box can shift faster than any individual and that there are aftermarket manual gearbox kits available for any Ferrari owner who refuses to believe that.

It’s starting to fall a bit in the cabin. The Daytona stripe seats appear to be in good condition, but elsewhere some of the leather needs attention. Most noticeably, both the passenger airbag cover and the door armrest on that side show signs of shrinkage. It appears that the electrical switches for the door actuators also need to be adjusted or replaced, and although this is not clearly visible in the photos, almost all of these cars suffer from sticky button syndrome.

Finally, the paint on the hard tonneau behind the roll bars indicates that the top may have been there too long, or that the edge of the PPF is showing dirt intrusion. Either way, it would benefit from some spit and polish. On the plus side, the seller states that the car comes with a clean Carfax, all factory manuals, and most importantly, all factory tools. The title is clear and to date this is a two-owner car. It should be noted that the car, although offered in Phoenix, Arizona, carries California license plates with 2017 tags, so it is questionable how old all the photos from the ad could be, or where the car is located.

What do you think of this 360 for that kind of money? Does that seem like a fair deal to get into a Ferrari that probably won’t immediately destroy your bank account? Or has YouTube ruined this one for you, requiring a much lower entry point into the car?

You decide!

Nice prize or no dice:

Phoenix, Ariz., Craigslistor go here when the ad disappears.

Help me with a nice prize or no dice. Contact me at robemslie@gmail.com and send a fixed price tip. Don’t forget to include your comment handle.