SL55 VS F430

Welcome to the board

well, how did u pass and get your driver's license with no manual transmission experience with u

anyways, from what i read, the F430 is indeed a user friendly car to drive. here's what Jeremy Clarkson said on Top Gear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN9xlMgAPuU

 

The SL55 is very different from the f430. The SL rides like a boat and a Ferrari is well a Ferrari. Get some seat time in one before you buy it. If you're getting it as a weekend driver no problem. As a daily??? some guys do it, I wouldn't

-Peter

 

In the UK, you can get a driving licence to drive just automatic cars, without having to learn how to use a manual gearbox & clutch...

 

My 996 GT3 RS is my daily driver, and that's about as brutal a road car as one can get. When I drive my brother's F430 in "Sport", it feels like a Lexus in comparison. So IMHO, the Ferrari with F1 transmission is a perfectly good daily driver. If you don't mind the excessive attention it draws everywhere you go, and you don't mind clocking up the miles, I say go for it.

But stepping from a SL to a F430 might be quite a shock if you're not a sports car aficionado. The SL is pure cosseting luxury. The F430 is pure sports car. Very, very different.

 

I'll weigh in with some personal experience here. I own both of the cars you mentioned, as well as a 997TT.

The SL sits in the garage until my wife and kids want to get in some top down cruising or until I have a meeting out of town, choose to drive instead of fly and may have an associate join me for lunch or something. On a daily basis I find it much like driving a two passenger S class, not very sporty. It has many positive attributes, but the only thing this car does that really stirs my automobile passion are full throttle blasts which are awesome. But that gets old pretty quickly.

On the other hand, the F430 stirs it all the time in every way; looks, acceleration, handling and about any other criteria upon which you judge a car's ability to excite your passion. Unfortunately it moves everyone like that and the car rarely fails to draw an embarassing amount of attention. I don't live in an area like Beverly Hills which is a daily car show. Maintenance, the secondhand market's cult of low mileage, and the sheer amount of driver input (which is good on the track, Sunday mornings, etc. but which can down right wear you out on a long bumper to bumper commute) don't make this car my choice for daily driving.

Leaving nothing on the table compared to the Ferrari as far as perfomance, and nothing on the table as far as build quality and comfort compared to the SL, lies the Turbo. Flame away all ye devouted Ferraristi, but if your looking for an extremely sporty daily driver, albeit one that delivers a less passionate experience than the 430, I think the Porsche is a better choice.

FWIW YMMV and any other acronym that expresses the notion that this is just one man's opionion.

Jim

 

The advice to drive one is good advise. My F430 Spider is my daily driver and I love it. I've had mine for 17 months and I have 21,000 smiles on it. The ride is great, but not an SL. The only problem I have had was with the low profile front tires and potholes(I drive in NYC).
The F1 is fabulous! Try it, you'll like it!!!

 

Joe,
Way to go! Coming from a midwestern small town, I can't imagine commuting into the city everyday in an old Checker, forget about a nice car. But you've got a point. You only go around once, why worry about all the prissy concerns about mileage and concours engine bays, if ya got it drive. You are the man!
Jim

 

Nice post Jim but I think you are way off... The new 911 Turbo is not only a better choice, it is smart man's choice. The Prancing Horse wont help pride as it smokes the F430 with the awd grip it has in performance and with the less clunky tip, ( if you even decide to switch it from auto.) Back seats can't hold a normal size person, but for daily driving could be used for more storage. F430 has more soul, but if its in the case of a daily driver, I'd prefer the 997 and its added durability in ride stiffness and less creaks. Only prob is the 2nd gear shifting and variable turbo not always knowing what it wants to do, but it still just flies. With windows rolled and stock exhaust, hard to tell which one is more throaty. F430 is more stylish, gets more attention. But if this will be your first Fcar purchase Phonetics, you'll be biased anyway. If you want simple numbers and experience, the 997 is a better car in paper, wallet and wheel punching driving, the F430 is a hotter one in your mind and heart and in the back twisty roads. Nagging probs like being able to see lose bolts in the cabin, carpet loosening up behind the seats or engine lights popping up if you don't twist the fuel cap to immobile happen in the Ferrari and not the Porsche or Benz. But you'll never grow tire of the look of the Ferrari nor have to deal with seeing a 60 year old woman driving the same spec Benz as you.

SL55 is an older man's car but no slouch at all. As already written a great cruiser. Doesn't take much to mod them up and have that thick woman of a car slide a lot and the supercharger always seems to be kicking. Cargo space when roof is up is decent if you don't mind sliding the clubs in a funny angle under a protective tray. Cabin space cavernous and button shifting lightning quick. Stereo at speed is stellar. Apart from the Carrera GT and DB9, has the best sounding stock exhaust I have heard. Ferrari tanks in price and is expected, but if you hang out to the SL, you'll get headaches at resale if you wait beyond 5 years. However, better service and less expensive up keep. Don't know of any probs my family ( there are 2 55s) or associates have had with theirs apart from Benz fixed chip recalls (one engine one fuel) and one car having a creaky folding top. This car will drive anywhere unlike the other two. Hope this helps.

 

Regarding fully automatic mode, the F1 is a bit clunky around town compared with the butter-smooth slushbox in the Mercedes.

I will add a vote for the 997TT as a daily driver - luxury, reliability, blistering performance and even a back seat of sorts. Or, if you're a hardcore sports car lover (like me), I'd suggest the 997 GT3. The F430 is more "special" in many ways than the Porsches, but as daily drivers the Porsches make more sense on a number of fronts.

 

Phonetics,
Old man, wife and kids, 60 year old lady, sorry to be so unkind to SL55 drivers, but compared to the 997 or 430 it is just a very different car with very different design objectives. I think the Turbo and the 430 have more similar objectives, just interpreted through different corprorate cultures. Stereotypes of the methodical, over-thinking German and passionate, dashing Italian come to mind. A fresh lab coat or a well tailored Armani suit.

CharlieBronson had good advice-drive it and decide for yourself.

Rocketboy,
Way off? I thought we were saying the same thing!

Jim

 

I don't own all three cars as Jim does -- the SL55, 430, 997tt. I own a 360CS and a highly performance modified 993 twin turbo. However, based on my cars, as well as experience with the 3 cars mentioned, I think Jim's perspectives are insightful, correct, right on!! I'd own the 997tt as a "daily driver" myself, but the visuals don't do as much for me as my wide-bodied 993tt.

 

I use an SL500 as a daily driver. I started to do the SL55 and can but rarely do I use the power day to day. The SL is fun, is an effortless roadster and is worth a hell of a lot less than a 430.I would not want to subject a car a cared about to the the daily bumps and grinds. I did read that the chairman of one of the german banks used a Mclaren as his daily driver. I drove a 911 for years as my only car. No problem. I would probably try to find a 02 or 03 996TT for a daily driver. They can be had in the 60's now. Hell I might do that myself. A 997TT would work too but it costs twice as much. I have found that anything I drive every day becomes old hat. I save my Ferrari for playtime.

 

Yeah Jim was just kidding, stating it was a smart man's choice more than a better one. Checking your profile/cars, you know the lack of respect the 911s dont get compared to the flash of the Ferrari. Don't live up to your plate names driving in your cars: "Birthplace of aviation."

 

My 430 is my daily driver, about 1000 a month for the last year. No problems. Have driven a SL55, very nice, fast smooth car, but far from a sports car like the 430. More like my S55 AMG but with 2 seats. See if you can get to test drive a 430. Its a totaly different experience than a SL.

 

Simple answer, no.

If you really want the Ferrari, get it and then buy something relatively inexpensive as your daily. A BMW 335i is a very fun car and can be had for under $40K.

I'd say you're going to enjoy your overall driving experience much less if you drive solely a Ferrari F430, however.

 

Welcome to the forum! I drive my 430 as often as I possibly can. The only time I don't drive it is when I need the extra seats for my kids or if Im going to a concert, the beach, Costco etc..... When I do need the extra space I drive my CLS 55, which is a great sedan with loads of power and solid handling. My wife has the Range Rover and we also have a new Shelby GT500 which is a beast and NOT a daily driver at all....anyhow, if you are concerned about driving in "automatic mode" then you may want to rent a 430 for a day or two and make sure you REALLY want one. I NEVER drive it in automtic mode.....why???......because it's pointless, no fun, and boring. The F1 is a breeze to drive, but it does require your input to get the most out of it. From the way you stated that "i have no experiences in manual transmission" it seems that you don't understand how the F1 works. I have 10,000 miles of Los Angeles driving on my 430 in 7 months and traffic is never an issue. I wake up every morning excited to drive it. It's the most fun I have ever had behind the wheel. Is it as comfortable as your SL? NO and it will never be. The 430 is a race car for the street. Have you looked at the Ferrari 612?? It's may be more of what you're looking for. I don't know, just a thought. As far as the Porsche is concerned, I think that the other F chatters made some strong points. The 997 TT with a Tiptronic might be a great choice for you. Or if you can hold out a little longer wait until they put the PDK tranny in the P cars in 08'. I have had several 911 variants and they are great cars, but in my opinion they lack the spirit of Ferrari's (other than the GT3).....Anyhow, good luck finding the right car for you.

 

I went from a SL55 and (still have) an S55 to a 07 F430 as a daily driver. I find it to be a great driver. VERY comfortable IF you like the experience of driving. The fully automatic mode is not FULLY automatic. It is still recommended by my service advisor to pull it into neutral if you are stopped for very long. But in reality, it does take a lot of the fun out of driving the car. I used fully auto for a while, but now only use it when I want to hold my girlfriends hand (or other parts...lol), etc.
The SL55 is a great car, but feels VERY generic after you spend 10 minutes in a F430. I have had mine since mid April and have about 6k on it so far.

My .02

 

I have an alternative suggestion.........

Have you thought about a 575?? There are a lot of nice used cars at reasonable money (£80k) both inside and outside the UK Ferrari dealer network, and it would be a more comfortable everyday car than the 430 - I think that the V12s are more suited to it.

Look for an F1 transmission and Fiorano handling pack.

Talk to Nigel Jeffery at Carrs Ferrari of Exeter for further advice about 430 and 575 - they are the best people I have ever dealt with.

 

Agree 100%.

If Nigels not around ask for Lee Moore or Shane, great people to deal with.

 

one thing no one has pointed out about the F1 tranny- its a real manual gear box. As such if you are on a hill and take your foot off the brake, the car will roll- you need to get on the throttle quickly to "catch" the car from rolling- its quite easy and you will get used to it fairly quickly, but to someone whose never driven a stick shift before, this can be quite unsetteling-- especially if you have a wife or gf and expect her to drive it... Also the 430 rear visibility is pretty good for an exotic car but not for a daily driver. And its LOUD compared to an SL55. I have an SL55 and a 430 spider (stick) and I have experience with the Ferrari F1 and BMW SMG systems. I think the F1 is far superior to the SMG but I think if you live in a fairly developed suburban or urban area and expect to drive to the local shopping center and just putt around the F430 CAN do it, and I sometimes do that with mine- I really use it for normal daily things sometimes and it can work- but it attracts a lot of attention, is loud sounding, and if youre tired at the end of the day and just want to go home and don't want so much drama, well it can get tiring. When I drove it back from DC (to NY where I live) for the Ferrari 60 drive, I felt like I could keep on driving to Canada- I even called my wife to tell her she'd see me in a few hours as I was passing our house and didn't want to stop. When you are driving the F430 you feel like a hero. The F430 is one of the finest vehicles Ive ever driven- and it inspires me- but when I got home and got out- after a 4-5 hour drive, top down, the drone of the loud exhaust and in my case the wind in my hair from the top being down- I was really surprised to find how exhausted the drive left me. It demands a lot of concentration- more than the SL- and you are being extra vigilant about speed because you will think the police will be on you for even the slightest infraction. I think whether or not a F430 would work as a daily driver is really a question of personal preferences. It certainly CAN do it, and is probably the most daily drivable modern V8 Ferrari. However, over the long run, I could not use the F430 as a DD.

I find the SL55 is far more suited to daily driving around the NY metro area- its higher off the ground, more isolated when you want it, and if you push the car I find that it does come alive to a point. Its no F430 but that is not only a negative, in some cases, its a positive. Also Ferrari does not have as near an extensive dealer network as the larger companies... so there are benefits to a car like the SL55 in comparison. For a fun toy for shorter range trips the F430 is just tremendous, I love it- don't get me wrong. Just don't forget the SL55s benefits either.

[Im leaving this but I now realize you are in the UK not USA so I do not know if the dealer/market situation is the same as here] In so far as ordering a new one, you need to do some searches. In general, this is not Mercedes where you walk in and if you are willing to wait you get what you want. This "game" will look absurd to you at first. In the end its all about very limited supply and very high demand and the dealers playing "favorites" because thats loyalty and frankly 99% of us would do the same things if we were in the dealers' spot. The best way to "break in" is to either buy something used from the dealer (sometimes its 2-3 used cars!) or buy something at market price- usually used- I mean "pre owned" and market priced will go together. Btw- that does not mean its truly impossible to walk in and find a dealer who says "sure we'll order you a new F430 at MSRP" but the odds are very much against that from happening. So its not literally "impossible" but it is "improbable".

Finally, I like the 575 suggestion. It will let you get in to a fairly modern Ferrari at a price where you shouldnt see horrible depreciation over the next 2 years or so and it will allow you to check out the F1 gear box- though it will be slower than that on the 430 (and the 430s is slower than the 599s unless you look at the new 430 SC which has an even faster one). And the torquey V12 will be a powerband thats more familiar to you from the super charged V8 in the SL55. Or look at a 360 F1. Before you write those off as "not what I want"- just go have a look.

best regards,
Jerry

 

I agree with this.

I know I wouldn't enjoy a F430 on a daily basis if I had to drive it everyday.. too many bumps and grinds in my daily commute.

Could always grab a BMW M3 for a daily.. or a 335i coupe. TT is always fun.

 

+1 I own or have owned all three and would whole heartedly agree.