considering trading up to a 458, advice please.

Welcome - go spend some time in the 458 section - ten years of advice there

 

I traded up from a 2017 Evora to an F430 Spider - loving every minute of it!

Evora wasn’t available in convertible - and I glanced at the 458 but like the rear fender air intakes better in the F430 so went that route… but now wish I’d went for a 488!

Kevin

 

Assuming your Evora is a manual that's the only knock going to a 458- But the DCT is sick fast/smooth- Assume keeping the Evora is not an option?

 

As a 458 Spider owner- If you can only have one <which btw is normal> I would stick with the Evora- If you want Ferrari for Ferrari sake I would go with a 328- I think you would miss the manual- I'm lucky enough to have a 355 manual and 458 Spider- But if push came to shove I would keep the 355 manual-

Check out 328s- They are phenomenal cars and manual Ferraris at their finest- much cheaper to properly maintain than 355s- less drama than 348s- Just a suggestion-

 

Or a manual 430

 

I really like the Evora looks and ethos, everyone I know who has driven one raves about it.

However I never got to drive one myself. When I went for a test drive, it felt like the visor was in my line of sight and I couldn’t get the seat any lower, which was a nonstarter for me. Hopefully the emira has more headroom

 

Well I don't know what to tell you but the 458 is truly a modern classic. The engine and gearbox are first rate, the styling difficult to beat, its comfortable even with the racing seats, and a puddy cat to toodle around town. Even the front trunk will hold some luggage. And I think most owners would agree its pretty reliable.

Its biggest flaw is its not an every day car. Its more of a special occasion car for most people. Its maintenance cost is on the lower end. The Carbon brakes last a long time unless you track it. Replacement is expensive.

I really can't think of a major thing wrong with it which is why its so popular. Maybe you could say the air vents could be better. The best thing about it is the engine at 9000 rpm. Set your hair on end.

To me the best options to look for are the Forged wheels, the steering wheel with LED's, and either power Daytona or manual racing seats (which are excellent). Other options and colors are pretty much personal taste. I don't know anyone who loves the premium sound system and the Ferrari Navigation is pretty much useless. I'm not sure but I think they didn't even come with Bluetooth. Some kind of old Iphone adaptor was a crazy priced option.

 

Some good and useful info here from you guys. I was wrong in my earlier opinions on the 458 . I would love to keep my manual 328 and have a 458 like Shorn s combo with his 355. Im not sure another F car is in my future at this point in life. The 488 is nice, I dont ever think I would be able to afford the maintenance. I agree with not getting rid of your (a) manual exotic in exchange for a paddle shifted machine. I wish Ferrari would make a much more affordable SPORTS CAR with a 6 speed manual rather than all the insane tech filled and astronomically priced cars they keep coming out with. I wont hold my breath though...I hope you find something that you really love !

G

 

So many manual gear box lovers on here. It always fascinates me how many people push this subject and overlook the F1 gearbox variants. I am in my early 40’s and have had so many six speed performance cars when it came to finally penny up for my first prancing horse I didn’t even care one bit if it was manual or not and neither should you. Without a doubt you should absolutely trade out of that Lotus for a 458. You can always circle back to a manual trans car of your liking later down the road but the sooner you can enjoy the Ferrari the better. I didn’t want to wait until I was sixty years old to finally get one.

 

I agree with Washington… I’ve had many gated cars (mostly old classic muscle cars) and yes, while fun to drive, the Ferrari paddle shift cars (especially from F430 forward) are just as thrilling to drive for me, if not more so. They are fantastic. All these debates about NA vs Turbo and gated vs paddles make no sense to me. A turbo paddle shift car is just unequivocally better in every way. In my opinion, Ferrari has NEVER gone ‘backwards’ at any point with their next car. Engineering, tech, performance etc have always improved. So those that keep saying they want NA or a manual shift car are just hanging on to the past and disregarding just how much better the newer engineering is.


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I think it's worth trading up. The 458 is a masterpiece. If you really miss the manual, you can always go back to another Evora or a GT3..

 

I agree, a GT3 manual is a million times more engaging than any manual Ferrari ever made. I love Ferrari ten times more than any brand of sports car ever made but I must not be a total fan boy in denial and act like any gated Ferrari from the 355 to the 430 can compare to a GT3 manual experience. Any owner that disputes this is just lying to themselves and never spent enough track time actually driving both manuals to pass serious judgment. The 458 does not come in manual and like I said it does not matter at all and should not be a factor. The overall Ferrari ownership experience is an event once you leave the garage for not only you but also the people on the road that get excited when they see your car.

 

I am an owner who disputes this, and I am not lying to myself. I am thinking to myself, though, that you and I have different opinions on this, which is ok. That's what it is to be human. Also human to think that an opinion is the absolute truth, when it's not.

I like the 458 a lot. It's a better car objectively in every way than a 430, but the value we bestow on these cars doesn't fit a conventional view of "better", because a F512M is a lot more expensive than a 550, to give one example. A manual 430 is more raw than a 458 and is more fun at lower speeds, for me. The 458's flaw is that it can just be a bit too competent - a ***** cat - at low speeds, and sadly road driving involves a lot of taking what you can at lower speeds, for many of us. I recently drove a 296 on track at Goodwood and then on the road and it was magnificent on the former and a bit anodyne on the latter, and the 458 was the first step in this direction from the 430, although absolutely a brilliant car.

I really like a manual GT3 also. The manual 992 GT3 Touring I had was an absolute masterpiece. But Ferraris feel more special, for me, though there is very much a need for both in the world. I have come close to trading my gated 430 Spider for a 458 and always decided not to. Same with my gated 575 (FHP) for other cars.

Ferrari DCT is brilliant. There are no bad decisions here. But you can certainly make a good decision without lying to yourself. And if the OP likes manual cars, a manual 430 is there for the taking.

 

Of course newer is better. You don’t even have to go to gt3 as an example. I know my cayman gts is a more accomplished car than my 430 and 575. It’s awesome but I don’t look forward to driving it on weekends like the f cars.

If car choices were black and white, everyone would be driving Tesla plaids and a Dino would be worthless. It all depends on what you want to get out of the car, whether it is safe/comfortable transport, a track weapon, or something that connects u to the road and feels exciting and fun at reasonable speeds. My Tesla smokes my f cars and is a technological wonder, but i literally haven’t had the desire to drive it in months.

 

The two best sports car makers in the world are Ferrari and Porsche, its that simple. Dont put the word tesla in a sentence with either one, they are just electric motors with wheels to transport people, kind of like a bus. I have a 328 and I plan to own some iteration of a 911 before I leave this planet. As far as driving engagement, if you want the full effect, go drive a shifter kart, its not going to get any more engaging than that, otherwise a manual Ferrari or a manual Porsche is the best that this world has to offer .

Big G

 

The maven your opinion is wrong and your opinion is correct yours but it’s beyond silly. A gated manual is a horrible gearbox to try and speed through at a track of and racing scenario. I am only talking in the sense of a manual transmission and not the actual overall car. The gated shifter does not enhance a Ferrari ten time more than its F1 brother.

 

No one in their right mind is buying any gated Ferrari to make a lap time on a track. Yes, it is slower, and takes a learning curve depending on the car, but it is a delight to use, hear and feel. Honestly it is the main reason I purchased my f cars. Also they still feel very fast despite their age.

If I had to buy a non-manual sports car I would want something newer, with a warranty. Regardless that still doesn’t appeal to me. Every new exotic is blisteringly fast, so to me, the only special things about them are rarity or bragging rights, and the constant need to upgrade when the newest comes out. On the other hand, a classic car is forever, and worth whatever maintenance costs to keep it running.

 

You can’t get a 458 in manual which honestly the fact of it not being manual doesn’t matter but your comment is interesting. So no one buys a manual to track really they just want to hear a metal to metal click sound when shifting which is virtually stupid and straight to my point that you F car owners acting like it’s gods gift to own one over an F1 is just silly. A 93-98 Supra manual catches a premium because the manual transmission as a whole can handle the extra power without problems unlike the auto variant which is understandable. The F car just makes an internal gear click and clack sound during shifting but offers no real substantial benefit over the F1.

 

Nothing stupid about it at all. You can take the same type of analogy further if you want to go that route. Why spend 130k on a f1 430 when u can get a c8 or pdk gt4 (or Tesla plaid) which will smoke it. Is it just because of the sound and feel, style, and history of the brand, none of which makes it technically superior. Yes of course, which is what any enthusiast would understand!

 

In the last 3 years I went from this ....

Image Unavailable, Please Login 66923132018__A58E6F76-90B0-4D16-902D-3B2A3F103C5C.fullsizerender by Steve Heck, on Flickr

to this ... (kept 6 months)

Image Unavailable, Please Login IMG_5001 by Steve Heck, on Flickr


To what I have now ...

Image Unavailable, Please Login IMG_9352 by Steve Heck, on Flickr

Now, I have put some $$$ into the Ferrari exhaust, tuning, wheels, seats etc ... In terms of driving 'experience' and passion it does NOT get better than Ferrari, and FOR ME (emphasis on me) there is NOTHING like a manual gated Ferrari, especially one that makes an insane noise, looks stunningly beautiful and its quick but not too fast ... it's 'just right'

This is a special occasion car when every time you take it out it puts a big smile on your face and you literally laugh out loud when the valves open up at about 6000rpm and hell is unleashed.

Cheers
Steve

 

I think people are missing the point that the OP was concerned about missing the manual of the Lotus since the 458 doesn’t offer a manual version. My entire point is that I wouldn’t dodge the 458 because it doesn’t offer a manual trans. I wouldn’t go down to a 430 or 360 chasing a manual. The 458 is a massive upgrade compared to the Lotus.