Better Value - Cali or F430

Two Very different animals, if the 430 isn't a Spider VERY different.
But IMHO the Cali is listed high at this point, and are still dropping. The nice 430s have been stable for 3 years now and counting.
Cheers

 

I think you have to consider what you're likely to do with the car. Are you looking for a sports car, GT or both? I wanted my Ferrari to be a GT that both my wife and I can enjoy drives in the country with the top down. Therefore, I went with newer car with fewer miles, an '11 Cali. Resale value was not a priority for me.

If I wanted a sports car with occasional track usage, I'd probably get an F430 or 360 in the price ranges you quoted.

If it was a mixed usage scenario- track, GT, road trips, DD, etc. I would go for the Cali.

If the top consideration is value retention, then likely the F430 since the Cali has more depreciation to go, being newer.

Good luck in the hunt...T

 

How many miles will you put on these cars before you would sell?

 

I agree with Tom, it will depend on what you are looking for. I had a 430 spider and loved it. I love my Cali even more. I was looking for a GT though not a pure sports car. If you want a great GT you can go to dinner with the wife and cruise around town and open it up when you have the urge, then the Cali is for you. More comfortable, better electronics, smoother DCT. If you want more of a pure sports car, I'd go with the 430. The values on 430's have, for the most part, become stable. The Cali is slowly approaching it but has a little more to go in my opinion. Drive both if you can and then make up your mind. You'll know right away after your test drive. Good luck and post back with your decision!

 

Quickly eyeballing F430's on cars.com, it seems that the delta between 30K mile and 20K mile cars is about $20 K or so...T

 

unless you care about comfort, 430 all day, every day.

 

Great point to consider if your buying used.

 

yeh - the 430 is a ton of fun and will make you grin whether you are at 30 or 130 mph. The cali is more refined and more of a GT so depends what you are looking to do with it. Cali is more usable and practical - dohangs is spot on.

 

agree with the above. I rented a Cali for a couple days and own a F430... F430 is much better to drive but the Cali is better day to day car.

f430 suspension is quite rough and seats are not as comfortable as Cali, no cruise control, less sound deadening, exhaust much louder (even valve closed). But much more fun on a twisty road.

 

As many have said, it really depends on what YOU want. There is no right or wrong answer. If it's helpful, I recently just bought a Cali, but before I did I really thought I wanted a 430. I'm very happy I went with the Cali. So much fun.

 

I also test drove a F430 convertible as well as other cars before considering and eventually ordering a Cali30. I find the F430 is too noisy and uncomfortable for my long drives. It's also not that interesting when driven below 4000 rpm so it's very focused and not anywhere as versatile as my car. Maybe it's just me but the F430 interior also feels decidedly dated. If I were to buy an F430 it would be a stick shift convertible.

The OP appears more interested in future values so maybe he is looking to flip his next car after owning it for a year or two. I'm different, I tend to spend time researching the technical qualities and do test drives to find a car I want to keep. I don't flip cars. I have ordered another car but it's to complement my Cali30, not to replace it. It will be very different from my Cali30 ...and the F430.

 

re your question about retaining price. Both will continue to decline imho. Cali by a bit more over the next few years as its younger and thus on the steeper part of its depreciation curve.

 

I had a 2006 430 for 3 years - felt like a race a car, drove like a race car, looked like a race car. I have a 2016 Cali T - great touring car, top down, can drive it as a daily driver. Both of your cars seem about right for price - just different cars for different needs. But I would remind yourself, be prepared to maintain the 430 or the Cali at 2010. Both cars can have issues. The costly one for me was cracked headers and having to have the actuator remade. Both issues that cost 5-10k a piece depending on which road that you take. My car only had 11k miles on it. Bought it in 2012 as a 3rd owner car. Would have been upset, but I bought the car from my best friend who sold it to me at the wholesale price so in the end it was a wash. For piece of mind - would recommend that you get them to add in 1-2 years of warranty rather than fight on the price. In the end you will be happy in either car.
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I think given the mileage, the driving you plan to do, etc, I can see why you asked as you are really close. I think Arizonaitalian makes a good point that the Cali will likely depreciate more but these cars tend to get hammered with mileage and I wonder if the Californias have gone to people who will put more miles on them and thus, higher mileage California will not seem so strange to the market. OTOH, the F430 is also priced fairly and likely won't depreciate as much but probably has a few more maintenance dollars associated with it. So its really close.

So I think it really does come down to which one will make you happiest. They are both great cars, just different.

 

You can make a Cali look more sporty by lowering it an inch and getting some spacers. If you get slightly bigger wheels they will also make it look more sporty as well.

 

Californias look much better in person in the flesh.

 

I agree the Cali looks much better in person, especially if lowered a tad.
I think the F430 is a better investment if you are just going to buy and put it in the garage.
If you want to get some use out of it then the Cali is the better choice hands down.
I just went thru this exercise and picked a Cali over the F430 for usefulness and ease of use.
I sold my 308 as it was just too dam small. When I drove the F430, tho it was bigger it was still like driving a race car. Great for those rare drives but not useful for running to the store, driving around town, etc. The Cali is faster, bigger inside, easier to drive, has a solid roof and is a convertible, good on trips, etc.
just my .02 of course