Let me fix that for you......... Get the CS. 5 or 10 minutes from now you will thank me. In all seriousness, they are two totally different cars. If you are a top down and go for a cruise klinda guy (and that's what I read in your post) then the CS may not be for you. If you like raw peformance then the CS may be a better choice. Have you even been in/driven a CS?
I always want a convertible in the garage (live in Scottsdale in the winter, so its perfect for that) but I wanted my first Ferrari too. I thought about 430 Spider or 550 Barchetta and didn't really want a coupe either, but then learned of the CS and...well, they are that unique and exotic and raw and I had to have one. So...I ended up keeping my Maserati Gransport Spider (was planning on trading it and thus not having two italian sports cars) and getting the CS, even though that meant kicking my daily driver out to the curb. I realize "get both" is kinda unhelpful advice from a budget perspective! But let me explain/show some math... First, this assumes you can get two cars (flys with the boss?) and put them someplace... As for the math, the CS and Maser together cost about the same as the 430 spiders I was looking at...so economically it was a wash...what makes this doable is that the Maser has to be the best exotic value out there. You can get a nice, low mileage, one-owner GS Spider for $50k ish. Another thought I had when I was rationalizing getting the CS was to keep in mind that "these are just cars and these decisions can be re-made at any time". Meaning, of course, that if you get a CS now and decide you really miss not having a drop top, then by all means change! So, for me, even though the CS was a coupe and kinda "raw" (for me, to "raw" for some uses) I decided to get one and, if I change my mind, I'll trade it on something else. For me, that means trying to get back to only 1 italian sports car, so maybe a 16M in leui of both the CS and GS spider someday... Good luck...honestly, the "hunt" (figuring out what to get and learning and trying cars) is a lot of the fun. Does FoSeattle have a 360 for you to drive? Or even a 430 gated? If yes, then consider a trip up there to drive em all and then decide...
Oh, one more thing...have you driven an F1? I ask because, like you, I only wanted a true manual in my sports cars...but, then I saw the Maser a couple of years ago and they, like the CS, only came in F1...so, I drove one...at first, I found the shifting "slow" (it is in those early softer settings) but now I LOVE F1 and will likely only get automated manuals in my sports cars (I drove a 458 and the DC is amazing, so the future is clear). Its easier/safer on the track and on the street the downshifts are way too much fun!
The CS is in a whole different league and a totally different driving experience. If you plan to use the car more as your daily sports car to drive around town then the 360 spider is the way to go. If you plan to pull the car out for special events and want to get a lot of attention where ever you go, the CS is the better car. Sounds like your son likes the spider. Part of the joy of owning the car is to share the experience with your family. Take that into consideration. As far as value, hands down the CS wins. It is a rare limited production car verses the 360 Spider. Go with your gut. What are you going to enjoy the most? Sounds like you really like the 3 pedal and top down experience. For me I like the raw and rare soul and sound of the CS. Go with what is most important to you and enjoy!
Kyle you need to also ask this question in a non cs biased thread Most here are cs junkies and don't always see a clear picture Again 2 very different cars and if you wife/ girlfriend or both aren't keen on the " raw" experience of the cs you might find yourself driving alone. In Florida I would consider both hard or soft tops. The heat would drive me nuts and I would want heavy AC all the time. You will love either car. They are both great. Tough decision. You should find a cs close to drive. The spider will drive how you think.
Well, pics of that CS certainly look fantastic, and $105k is a good deal assuming its clean and you plan to put some miles on yourself. Couple things to note is that the 3 year service (belts) was Nov 2009, so in a year you'll be due the ~$3.2k belt service. Is there is major service required at 30k miles also, as that is right around the corner? Also, remember that unique parts on a CS can be significantly more expensive then on base 360's, so it may be a more expensive car to maintain than a 360 convertible. Also, looking at the carfax I would guess there was some tracking involved as rear break pads were replaced at 7,620 miles. Also, drive belts were done 11/22/2005, then again one year later on 10/26/2006. Not sure why the reason for that? Otherwise, there are certainly tons of service records shown on the carfax, and FofS says it was bought from them and serviced there, so you could ask them about all the history. It was serviced a lot, which could be good, but it could also indicate a problem child and/or abuse. It certainly is a sexy car, and $105k is the cheapest CS I've seen for a long time.
I would buy it if I had a place to park it, but I am not considering selling any current vehicle. I think I would drive it to DEs. I dont care about the 28K miles, or the brake replacement. Anyone near Melbourne FL with parking space? Ok, I just need to build a big garage. My father always did this. I think he can park like 7 cars, funny though he is not a car nut, he is a garage nut.
What does it cost to replace the CC brakes on Challenge Stradales? Have I read about problems with these brakes and are they the same as those on the regular 360/430? How can you tell what kind of shape they are in? I don't think it is the same as regular 360/430 brakes. I apologized for the dumb questions and any help is appreciated. Nathan
good keep her in the NW. Hell of a price! I will be back this next spring maybe winter just not ready to start the hunt!! Damn!
There is a readout on the SD2 that tells you the heat cycle "wear" percentage (and visual inspection). I don't know but someone here will and will chime in (regular 360s did not come with CCM...430s had it as an option or std in later year spider IIRC If you are asking about rotors, pads and "all", I've been quoted from $36 to $40k ($9-10k per corner). Of course the CCM rotors should last for many, many years (just not many track days!). Also, there are some people that have mentioned that their may be after-market or "corvette" CCM's that fit too...but I have no first hand information on any of those potentially cheaper alternatives. Do a search for just what pads cost as that's been mentioned here many times and I can't recall...
wow, I found out yesterday (called today they are closed) and LM and email that I am ready to give a deposit but guess still too late
That CS for $105 was a steal. As for the brakes, Ricambi has the rotors for $8500/corner. I think pads are ~$1500/axle. Having said that, my car has had some track time and some milage, and they have ~5% wear. The brakes will last just fine. I was talking with my Brembo rep (I'm a distributor), and by the time these things wear out, they won't have to come in a box with a 'horsey' on it, and production costs will make them substantially cheaper. On the other hand, if you are an animal and tough on brakes, Brembo has a straight, iron replacement for the rotors, for ~$3K/akle.
Thanks for the info. it makes sense now. I had gotten confused. I think I read a thread a while back where some guy had CC brakes and just a nominal amount of time on the track had worn them out. It sounds like they should be okay for me; I am not an animal.
I spoke with them (Bryan) at Maserati of Seattle Friday eve and inquired. It was still available at that time but the news was that the 'ol girl had some interest from a few parties - and I was told that the first one with the payment in full would own the car (a partial deposit was not in the cards). I am/was ready but could not get them confirmation on a bank wire before Monday. So this one is gone. BTW I planned on the 30k service soon and calculated that into my final price point. Nevertheless I think this is just another market indicator that I can use to formulate my buy price on the next one. They are not appreciating gents. I am in the market and will look for another priced like this one to make it happen. I think this was market correct for what it is and I believe the dealership priced it right on the money.
Nope, it was clearly under-priced if it got so much attention, offers, and was sold in just days if not hours. The market spoke, and demand is high and supply low for the cs.
I bet they had a lot of interest. Based on the sheer number of PM's I received on this CS it was evident it'd be a goner within a matter of days.
I am not arguing the point as I agree that it went within days, but I dont agree that it was under-priced. Why would a dealer under-price inventory? It was indeed aggressively priced. Also remember that I believe this is the second go around for this car - at that same price. I understand the seller decided to keep the car previously, yet the second time the asking price was not changed. If it were priced too low this was their chance to correct that. It indeed attracted me so it was priced market correct for a higher-mile ready for the 30k service CS. This dealer does not leave anything on the table, and why would they? But they do think over their inventory and price it market correct. I would have to assume that if they thought they could have easily gotten more money - then they would have. Lets not be ridiculous and think they gave easy money away. Now if you want to think about a "steal" then think of what the car may have brought on trade (the previous owner did trade this in). The trade number was obviously bound to be lower than what it sold for. Think of THAT number. Maybe that brings it into a better perspective. You guys see the same cars I see. There are other $115-$120 cars (lower mile) on the market now. NOT selling. If they moved that few thousand towards this cars selling price they would move. Simple. That's the market.
There is one less Stradale in the market now. This one was sold just a few months ago and now is back as wrecked. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ferrari-360-Stradale-2004-Ferrari-360-Challenge-Stradale-Clean-title-9000mi-/250871815821?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item3a69201e8d#ht_500wt_724
Michael, I have been following the CS market closely for the last six months and I think I can answer a couple questions you posed: Because this is a consignment car, I think the price reflects the owner's desire to move the car quickly, rarher than the dealer's idea of what the market will bear. Most telling in this situation is the fact that the car sold within days with numerous interested buyers at 105k, whereas the last time around the car languished on the market for months without a buyer. I think this is a good indicator of how the market has changed over a relatively short time. I can tell you from having had 4 PPI's performed on CS's for sale that the cars I have seen in <120k range have had serious issues. Now I'm not saying that the asking prices in the 150-160k range reflect the actual value of the car either, but the market value of a CS is somewhere between those two extremes.
Whatever you say chief. It does not matter really. But as mentioned Bryan from the dealership told me this car was a trade in, not consignment. It was inventory. Oh, and who's to say that this car would have passed your rigorous PPI efforts either? Where does that put it?
Good points here. As we SHOULD all know by now, the lowest-priced Ferraris on the market do not make the market, as most of them need 10%+ of their value in work. The really, really clean ones are still fetching strong money, and are not on the market long.
