355 lover gets first 430 F1 ride. WOWWW!!

sounds like you had a good time. I guess you need to get a ride in a 488 next. the jump will likely just as mind blowing.

 

LOL. I remember that feeling. My first ride in an F1F430 was an eye-opener. I had no idea cars did that. Immediately knew that was what I was going to get.

Similar reaction to...my first...uh ...girl. My first mag dump on a full auto weapon...

Life is about this kind of stuff.

 

Yes but yours sounds better than a stock F430

 

F430's are Bada$$ cars! Timeless good looks....

 

It will be my next car !

 

You won't miss 355 high-pitch sound with F430 with S-Line exhaust

 

get into a 430 sell the 355 you wil not regret it.ive gone from 355 to 360 and now 430 .in a 430 i would only go with f1,if there were choice of same car one manual and one f1 i would go with the f1.so much car for the money for what there selling for now adays

 

Spent the weekend test driving an F1 430 that I ended up buying. I can feel an immediate improvement over my 02 360 in...
shift speed and clutch engagement
horse power
low end torque
overall handling

these cars have improved so much over the years and iterations.

 

Owner of a F-430 spider last 6 months

Yes car is fast compared to 355 and 360, but car is missing about 90HP to be truly a full on experience. Highly recommend getting full race exhaust with headers, free flow cats and exhaust, plus adding the high flow air intakes, all this will add close to 80HP

The 458 is faster still but something about it takes away from the drivers experience almost seem detached is what the common phrase is.

In the end really it's up to personal choice and what you prefer.

In coming weeks I will write a full on driving experience with the F-430 comparison against a Diablo Roadster and Lotus Esprit V8 TT

 

Had a 355 manual spider for 6 years . Loved every minute . (Except cam belt changes) . Didn't want to sell. Most beautiful car in the world, period. Still miss it.

Bought a 430 F1spider. Was like going from industrial era railways to bullet trains. Tech. Development . Electronics. Life in a whole different way.

Summary Love both. Depends on your definition of love I guess

 

ive had a diablo vt and sv and 03 .5 esprit v8 tt and loved the diablos and esprit .esprit and 430 lack torque where diablo doesnt.imo u cant compare a 430 to diablo but can compare to esprit and 430 is for sure the better car.for the $ 430 is a bargain .i do miss my diablo and want to get one again

 

I have only driven a 430 and a 360 and the latter was only for a test drive. The 430 is a great car. But so is the 360. IMO the 355 is one of the best looking cars of all.

I don't even want to drive a 458.

 

I went from a 355 right to the 430. I took a 430 out for a spin and I was sold. It's 100+ hp jump over the 355 and you can really feel it. It actually scared me a bit!
Do I miss my 355? A bit. I miss the sound and the go-kart feel but that's about it. I don't miss the "maintenance whore" aspect of the 355, especially the one I had. One issue after another. I would say go for it. Personally I am one for leaving the exhaust stock as it sounds amazing. The only thing I would recommend is a remote exhaust bypass valve controller. This way you can make the car wail at 4000 rpm and let everyone know your coming!

 

I went backwards from a 360 to 355 spider and loving it- wanted to take the speed down a notch and was also looking for a little change of experience- I can have fun at relatively lower speeds with the 355 as the 360 is starting to get "too capable" to push on the street without going too fast, and also realized I really wanted a convertible for the weekend toy vs. coupe 360 (coupe 360 has AMAZING lines by the way). Both different cars and I'd love to have a 360 AND 355 The 355 definitely sounds wonderful with tubi/hyperflow/convertible top down...

I'd imagine a 430 is only more tempting to go very fast in with the extra power over a 360 .. I have driven a 430 (not at speed) and I have also driven a 458 on two occassions, one occasion was at a high rate of speed (the owner was following in my 360 and wanted me to keep passing him on an early morning run on a wide open highway to hear what his 458 sounded like at full song- I obliged about 4-5 times as he kept waving for me to do it again ). All of these cars are great for different reasons.

A warning however: If you are someone who is easily tempted and/or has low willpower, do not drive a 458 The dual clutch tranny blows away any F1 (although the owner of the 458 liked the more crude and fast push he got in the back with the agressive shifting of his 16M- the one car he had that I never got to drive and really wanted to).

The 458 is an amazing car, and in some ways more interesting/desireable to me than the 488, but I digress...

 

drove the 458 spider and now im hooked that will be my next ride

 

The 430 really screwed me up. Now I'm thinking 997.1 tt for the speed of 430 and refinement. Just can't get funds for 430 yet. In the end, I'm lucky to just be in the game. Maybe keep 355 and hope it gains another 5k or 8k in next few years to get a bit closer to 430. Enjoying reading all of the comments on the 430 so far