Trading 360 for 430

I did it--what is the question(s)?

 

I think that short of cosmetic looks (and that is a personal opinion) the 430 is a better car then the 360...... But the reason many of us went for the 360 rather then the 430 was the drastic price difference.

And yes, the 430 has fallen in price, but so has the value of your 360. So its still a 70-80% price increase..... Eventually the 360 will "bottom out" and the 430 will fall, and perhaps we'll get a 40-50% increase....

 

Traded my '01 360 Spider for an '07 430 Spider F1. I have no doubt that the 430 is the all-around BETTER car. More power, the interior is nicer, more reliable, in my case still under warranty, and a bunch of other good stuff. Having said that.....IMO the 360 is a better looking car. My 360 had a Tubi exhaust, and it sounded infinitely better than the 430. And I prefer a standard stick shift to the F1. So I liked the 360 more than the 430 for those reasons, but not enough to switch back .

 

360->430. It was worth it--sort of.

I'm sure you have read about all of the improvements. Major improvement to me, over the 360, is that 430 is both more capable and more raw. Bridges nicely between the 360 and 360CS (don't have any experience with the 430 Scuderia).

I sold my 430 after less than a year. Reasons, other than general Ferrari fatigue, include:

1) 430 to me was to much of a compromise--not raw like a CS (and not good on the track, on a relative scale) yet a little less refined on the street. I would have liked either a more GT oriented touring take, or a more raw track take.

2) I have long femurs, and the 430 seats don't have as much thigh support--this made it uncomfortable to drive.

3) Throttle return spring in the accelerator pedal assembly was to light--it was fatiguing to drive on the freeway at a constant speed.

4) The obvious little assembly flaws (glue on the leather here, squeezed out adhesive there) irritated me.

5) If the 360's performance envelope is difficult to push on the street, the 430's is even more so.

In the end, I wish I had kept my 360. I understand that many of the above reasons are very picky, and I would say for most the move up is well worth the increased price.

Good luck with the decision.

 

I was going to trade my 00 360 Modena with a F430, guess what I end up with?

Kept my 360 coupe and bought a 07 430 Spider. Life can't get any better

 

What an approach....wow....why didn't we think of that earlier? Ok, now to solving the financial crisis...any suggestions on that one?

 

Scott,

What you need to answer (for us and yourself) is why you are considering the change? Over the past few years, I went from a Modena to an 04 Spider to a 07 430 Coupe and back to a 04 CS. I was never very impressed with the 360 performance. I am not a crazy driver who puts my cars through the wringer but I want to know the power and performance is there. So, after driving a 430 once, I made the switch and enjoyed the car for a few months but felt the 430 was too refined. Performance and technology are hyper advanced beyond the 360, but I felt the fit and finish was too over done for me. I must say though that it is leaps and bounds above the 360.

I decided the CS was the car for me. It gave me the reminiscent looks of the 360 (softer body lines) with the growl of a track car (lower stance, agrressive wheel positioning and body work) AND the performance and driveability was a perfect match for me!

If you are one to consider the economics of it, you may also consider the CS. While the 430 is and will continue to drop, the CS should remain somewhat protected because of the limited production and the fact that many F drivers like the body style of the 360 versus the 430, but want the track version for aesthetics and limited production value.

As far as coupe versus spider, that is personal preference. I owned 2 spiders and I thought it was nice to have the drop top but I didn't use it as much as I thought I would and I missed the body lines of the coupe versus the choppy look of the spider.


Hope this helps

 

What a timely post. I just received my F430 Berlinetta in a trade for my '01 360 Modena. I had the Modena less than a year and a half and enjoyed every minute of it. It was hard to let it go, but after I took the F430 off the delivery truck, I have never looked back. the F430 is superior (to me) in most areas. I have the Daytona seats, which seem to fit me much better and the driving position seems to be a little better in this car as well. The engine is what sets things apart along with the much improved F1. The exhaust note as well is something that is incredible on this car. I have not had the chance to drive the car at any high speed yet, but will sort that out later. I'm sure it will be impressive. The only thing I do not like is the complicated set up on the radio system! I vote "go for the change".

C-

 

Scott,

Something to consider,

I purchased two 360's in the past year. Never owned a Ferrari before. I thought about a 430, but for the price I could get two 360's. So I bought a Modena and Spider. I think both the 430 and 360 look amazing. 430 clearly has a more up to date interior, not sure how important that is to you. But if you have a second home, it works out pretty well leaving one there and you have something fun to drive when you are away, which was big for me. Just my .02

Bora

 

Wow excellent post.

 

the selling has begun , my friend just bought a 06 430 spyder with 435 miles for 170 k red / tan

 

Interesting thread.

I had a 2000 360 Tubi, HRE wheels, F1 tranny, CF engine kit which I sold for a brand new, 2007 F430 which I paid over sticker to get, why? Because I made the mistake of test driving a 430. IMO, the 430 is a better car in all categories except looks. I still think my 360 with the big HREs and monster tires was one of the best looking cars on the planet, but the 430 is way more car... even if you don't track it you can feel it.

For me the change was worth it. I'm ignoring the fact that the value of the 430's is dropping like a rock and the fall is even further for those of us who paid over sticker to get the car in the first place.

I did consider a CS when I was looking at the F430, but since I had always bought my sports cars used I decided, this time, I wanted a brand new, never owned before, car. It was and is worth it.

Mind you... had I never driven the 430, I'd likely be driving my 360 today. It was such a great car.

As you can see from my Avatar I have a Gallardo (spider) too and the other day one of the Lamborghini Silicon Valley sales guys drove a brand new LP560 to our Santana Row meetings and was letting people drive it. He offered me a drive and, after my 360-430 experience, politely declined

Good luck on your decision.

Frank

 

Smart move up!
You pay for what you get.

 

Perfect... what a great looking car.

Congrats.

Frank

 

Now , my turn to debate it for I have been thinking trade my 360 for a 430 .. not an easy decision unless I keep the 360 & buy a 430 in addition then I would have eerything I wanted. ??!!

 

It was worth the upgrade to the F430, much better performer and for my taste also a lot better looking than a 360.