Questions to ask when buying 430 Scuderia

Hi all,

About to pull the trigger on 2008 Scuderia from a dealer. The dealer expressed a willingness to upgrade the vehicle to Ferrari Approved. Will be inspecting the vehicle this coming weekend.

Any suggestions on what I need to look for around:

- Should i get an independent PPI done even if they upgrade to Certified status
- Are there any common problems with Scuds that I need to watch for? some mentioned checking the carbon around the engine bay
- At what point is a Major service due for a 2008 model
- Anything else I need to look closely during the visit?

Thanks much.

 

No need for the PPI if you have the Ferrari Approved Letter or certificate , so you can save some $$ there. I always asked for service records then you would know what services are due ..Moreover , usually fluids change is what I always did in purchase a pre-own car unless service records showed that I didn't need to do it. Good luck.

 

How many miles?

 

- Carbon fiber in engine bay can go dull
- Headlights can have hazing, "spider-webbing"
- If tracked, CCM rotors and pads can be worn (get % on rotors from SD3 and pad thickness), expensive to replace...
- Get clutch reading, and if changed was throw-out bearing done.
- Make sure it includes both keys, code cards (1 for radio, 1 for car), manuals, tool kit, tire inflation kit, car+seats+steering wheel covers, battery tender - obviously some of this is easy, albeit somewhat costly, to replace.

Note that Ferrari approved jus means it qualifies for the warranty program, not that it includes warranty. The actual warranty is probably something like $5/year.

 

+ 1 on the warranty issue. It will cost about 5 K to buy a 1 year warranty. Are you sure you don't want an independent PPI?

 

Fwiw , I did not buy the extended warranty with my 430 . Fast forward 11 months I had a 14 k repair bill. When I bought my 458 the first thing I did was buy the warranty and I sleep much better. ( no PPI ) Good luck with your purchase and keep us posted.

 

What kind of repair bill did you have for 14k?

 

Thanks much for the suggestions. Very helpful.

The dealer confirmed that a 12 month 'power' warranty is included but I need to confirm what exactly is included in it.

When is a major service due? Belts etc. The car has 5k+ miles on it currently.

 

Add this from a master technician I trust: (I have personally confirmed these issues on several cars I looked at)

Ball joints
Brake rotor wear.
Research brake operation, master/ booster problems on some cars caused by improper bleeding procedures.
Exhaust manifold leaks due to flange warping at the heads, occasionally breaking the manifold studs.
Clutch wear.
Oil and water pump assembly leaks
Oil leaks at the front cover/head/block “T” junction.
Loose splines on the steering column causing some annoying play.
Internal leaks in the Ediff solenoids causing odd F1 warnings or slow down warning lamps. And possible chattering differential clutch packs.
Black paint peeling in luggage compartment, engine compartment and door jams.

 

How many miles?

 

I think he said around 5000 miles.

 

With 5000 if there is not sign of discoloration of the CF panels most likely they will be fine in the future. It seams that it's an isolated issue with the scuderias. Some get it and some don't. same thing applies for the manifolds. However, I haven't personally heard of anyone having manifold issues on a Scuderia. As far as the paint peeling, that's very common issue on scuderias. The dealer wants a couple of thousand to correct the issue. There is a cheap solution with great results. Buy a can of mat finish black spray paint and do it yourself. You will be amazed with the results.

 

Good info here. Thanks.

 

I have carbon fibre intake manifolds, which as per above advice, have gone dull in areas. Is there any fix for this that anyone has tried?. I'm worried at scratching the surface with abrasives

 

Clear coating them should bring them back to life

 

- Should i get an independent PPI done even if they upgrade to Certified status
YES- this is cheap insurance.

- Are there any common problems with Scuds that I need to watch for? some mentioned checking the carbon around the engine bay

Yes the CF can haze in the engine bay. There was a fix applied by Ferrari- it involves larger heat shields- I forget how they look now so you will have to look it up. Aside from the other points brought up, Id pay particular attention to the lower part of the front bumper, where there is the integrated "splitter". It is made of fiberglass and it can exhibit small stress fractures/ cracks due to running at really high speeds. Also on the rear valance of the car, next to the exhaust pipes, its a black finish piece. That can show cracks also.


Not sure about the other stuff. These are wonderful cars and really beg you to drive them. Thats good. Theres a difference between use and abuse. You want to buy a car that has been properly used. But not abused. I would like to see regular service/ maintenance history. And get a PPI.

 

Thanks!
Do you mean a clear lacquer type coating?
Or is there something CF specific and/or heat resistant?

 

Great information and it was very helpful.. Thanks everyone.

The car does have significant carbon discoloration in the engine bay and some scratches on the front bumper. The bumper is being taken care of but am negotiating with the dealer on the engine bay before getting a PPI done.. The rest of looked fine. Will kniw early next week if this works.

 

Power warranty only covers the listed items on the "power" coverage....read it carefully. I suspect most of the items on my previous list are largely not covered.

 

Thanks Hugh. Will do. I did ask them for the details on what is covered under the warranty. They said bumper to bumper but want to see the actual details.

 

Likely varies by location, but in the US one can only get a "Power Normal" warranty on 6-10 year old cars. This is electrical, engine and tranny. Unfortunately, the headlight crazing, yellowing CF parts, front bumper cracking, etc. would be excluded.

I recently looked into extending the Power Normal warranty for an '08 Scud and decided to pass.

 

Just regular urethane clear like ppg or glasurit will do.

 

Need to have them refurbished professionally - i sent mine to McCarbon in CA - cost including shipping was somewhere around $5,500 - they also backed them with insulation to keep the heat problem down - mine happened at about 5500 miles