Faults:

No service problems yet. This is my second 360. The first was a black/ black coup. Ran like a monster - no problems at all in one year of very hard driving.

General Comments:

This is my second 360. That says a lot. This one is a red/tan spider. I currently own a 2000 Porsche C2 cabriolet which is a great car, but feels like a high performance Toyota. The Ferrari feels like a track car. Very fast, very immediate feedback to driver input, goes right where you put it. The Porsche on the other hand feels more like you aim it and hope it goes there. There is a delay on turn in where you kind of wait for the rear to come into line... the Ferrari has NO delay at all. You better be good if you drive this car hard... it is going right where you aim it!

The two Lambos I owned (1989 Countach and 1999 Diablo) drew lots of attention and were both very fast. Not great driving cars. As far as driving a car that feels like a REAL race car, the 360 is HANDS DOWN the closest thing you can drive on the road.

General Comments:

I can certainly call this a perfect Ferrari. Whether this is good or bad you'll decide.

The engine just couldn't be any better. One day I'll find myself getting married with it. The engineering is supreme and just anything else you can think of is super.

Still, this is the small Ferrari.

I own 6 Ferrari's, of them this and my 550 Maranello are the newest.

The Maranello is a greater joy to ride around the town, no doubt. Its bigger and has better comfort in my opinion.

Its performance is certainly better, easily reaching 250 KPH in fourth great.

Its torque is magnificent and I've measured 0-100 in reasonably less than 5 seconds.

I use the 360 Modena for everyday use as it is a more practical car.

Nonetheless, its performance is staggering and that amazing 3.5L engine delivers a haunting 400 BPH.

The gear is excellent, but my advise is get the spyder if you can.

As an everyday car I wanted the one with the hardtop, but if you plan to use another car for everyday use get the spyder, it's a killer!

The brakes are also awesome and handling is almost as good as the Maranello's.

However, V8 is V8, and if you're used to Modena's (the city) marvousless V12's it may take time to adjust to the different feeling. For me, anyhow, it wasn't a hard blow.

Last, but not least, if you plan to have one Ferrari only (not recommended) - make sure it is the 512BB, only then think of anything else.

Faults:

There was a mysterious glitch with the alarm that came and went for a while. Pulling the fuse and resetting the system seemed to cure that.

The throw out bearing for the clutch seized up. Apparently, the part was defective from the factory. However, the dealer did an amazing job repairing it in record time. I should be more upset about this, but for some reason I'm not.

Eats tires like a 5 year old eats candy. Perhaps to be expected though, since I drive it as Enzo intended.

Everybody, and I mean everybody, wants to look, ride, ask questions, race, talk, take pictures, follow you, wave, ask for a date, propose, etc, etc, etc... Only bad when the car next to you swerves close to get a better look!

General Comments:

The 360 Spider is truly an amazing vehicle. I was lucky enough to get a very early spot on the order list, and got one of the first delivered in North America early this summer. Yahoo!

I believe Ferrari has finally gotten it all right with this one -- the 360 is far above and beyond any other I have owned/driven in terms of reliability, styling, ergonomics (very important to me), functionality, and sheer driving excitement.

It is sheer joy to drive. The car's limits are far above mine, although it encourages me to push them higher. The sound? Glorious! I love to hear the engine rev, as the variable intakes, variable timing, and variable exhaust tracks kick in. Simply glorious!

The level of technology is stunning. Traction control, stability control, all sorts of funky engine tricks, amazing aerodynamics, etc, etc... And all of it's functional and transparent. No unnessecary geegaws and gizmos, just pure driving machine.

I should also mention the top, which is a work of art. Press the button, and it works, every time, no questions asked. A world apart from the 355, which was balky, sticky, and an all around pain.

And, not only does it go like a spotty butt ape, the 360 is actually relatively practical, for a super car. The cabin is roomy, the trunk is big enough for a decent amount of stuff, and it's comfortable enough to drive for hours at a time. A 700 mile, 7 hour (you do the math) road trip proved that point quite well.

True, cost of ownership is high. Gas, tires, insurance, and all the rest cost plenty, and I'm sure post warranty repairs will, too. Not to sound like I'm snotty and rich, but if you can afford the car in the first place, the incidentals aren't that big a deal.

And to all you number comparers out there -- I don't want to hear it. I know various things will outrun, out accelerate, out price, out skidpad, whatever. There must be something about being female that shifts your focus away from the 1/10th's of a second and all that other silliness. Hahaha!

In short, as Ferris said, "If you have the means, I highly recommend you pick one up."