Newb Question - What Ferrari to consider?

First off, welcome aboard.

Take the following as my opinion only, please. Hopefully others will chime in as well. In addition, you should be able to get a lot of insight on the ownership experience in the model-specific discussion areas for the cars you’re considering.

Based on just this one post, it sounds like you may be stretching a bit to get one of these cars. That can really lead to a bad ownership experience. If you’re concerned about driving the car because you’re watching resale value (especially in the newer models that may still be in heavy depreciation mode), that’s going to severely constrain your enjoyment of the overall ownership thing. And if you can’t really enjoy the car, why stretch to get it?

 

Sell the m5 and get a Ferrari with a good warranty.

 

Ferrari is either in your blood, or it is not. I agree , if you are worried about resale value and miles driven, dont buy a Ferrari. Ferraris are for pure drivers and the purist driving experience one can ever immerse oneself in. They are not investments, they are driving machines.

150,000 can get you into a nice 328 / 308 / 348 / 355 or maybe a Testarossa. For the first 4 listed you would have room for maintenance , plus you mentioned you had 10-15 k on top of that . 430 F1s can be had for 150k , they are solid machines as well.

I bought my 328 when I was 34 years old and was only making 1000-1500 per week, Im almost 60 and I still own my Ferrari. Think about the reasons why you really want a Ferrari, then make a list of your (the) pros and cons of actual ownership. Maybe then you will have your answer.

Big G

 

Or do as i do

Keep the m5 and get a f430

Such good cars both of them

F430 is fun and pretty reliable

M5 is great for carrying passengers and luggage

I wouldnt stretch to get one

And i assume you already have other assets not just piling money into cars would be a good idea imho

 

You won't have to max your budget to get a nice F1 430. If you decide to change up for a 458 in time, you likely won't lose much either. However, if you drive a 458 you may find you really want a DCT and it's worth it to you to jump out of the M5? The 430 will be very raw in comparison, which I personally love, but it's all preference. Either way though, drive it and enjoy it, otherwise what's the point?

 

My opinion, for any Ferrari you get in that price range, get the nicest one you can find once you settle on a model, and just drive the darn thing. Don't worry about damaging the value by adding miles or increasing the maintenance costs; cars are meant to be driven, Ferraris are no exception, and lack of use can drive up maintenance costs as much or possibly more than non-use. If you find you like driving it enough that you're really racking up the miles and correspondingly losing value, sell it once you get to whatever that number of miles means to you, and find another one. By then, though, your car will likely be pretty well sorted and do you want to take the risk of jumping into another?

Try not to overthink it, good luck in your search, and enjoy whatever car you choose.

If you like 355s, find a nice driver in your price range and with an annual maintenance/insurance budget of $12-15k, after some likely initial sorting you should have plenty of money left over each year while adding reasonable and regular miles.

 

The 430 has timing chains not belts, so in that sense its better maintenance wise . It sounds insane at full throttle, so theres that. It is a design departure from Pinan Farina for sure . Just beware of the particular issues such as part of the interior and switches coming unglued.

Ferrari to my knowledge still has not changed their ridiculous process which causes this flaw. Most owners who are selling 430s have addressed the " sticky " issues. Just something to watch out for. Im no expert by any means, its just common knowledge .


The manual 360 and 430s are way overpriced in my opinion, F1 gearboxes seem to fetch much more reasonable money.

Good luck for sure, I hope you acquire a nice machine.

G

 

There’s a “pininfarina” badge on the side of my 430.

 

That’s the Italian design house that designed the body work and interiors for many Ferrari models (until they brought all design in-house). Also many other Italian and other carmakers.

 

458 was the last Pininfarina design

 

I know, I meant from their traditional style of design. Up to then , Ferraris had different lines to their design, which picked up again with the 458.

Please , dont take it the wrong way , God knows... The 360 and the 430 were a departure from the way Pinan designed Ferraris up to then. Of course its just my opinion, so theres that.

With all that being said, I myself would possibly consider a 430 if I could afford a manual gearbox. I love the way the motor looks under the glass and the sound of course. I would not sell my 328 for the F1 box, but for the manual, I might consider . They are priced way out of my range , even if I sold my 328 , I could not afford one.

I would also consider adding the 430 F1 to park next to my 328 . The interior is quite insane and I would love to sit inside that car , whether I was driving or not. I love everything about the interior more than anything, that in and of itself would be a good enough reason to sell my 328 and buy a 430.

500 HP is also a good reason to trade up to the 430. Rip out the cats and add a Tubi, and wow !! What can you say...

If my business continues to grow, anything can happen. If I were to really have my way, a 328 and a 430 F1 would be a really good line up.I would much rather have both than one 430 manual.Then again, maybe one Ferrari in my lifetime is enough .

G

 

F12 was also “in collaboration with.” That’s a few years later than the 458.

 

I look forward to seeing what the gentlemen finds and then buys.

G

 

That F12 is sick !I was next to a TDF a while back and had a chance to speak with the driver, he got on it for me, I nearly soiled myself...lol I know on the Forum we speak a lot about the mid mounted V8 s that I forget about the front mounted V12s.

I would love to have a front mounted V12 Ferrari !! Thats were it all started. I believe one can say they are the purist of the purist Ferraris. If that makes sense.

G

 

There is a unwritten "rule" that anything over 10k miles is considered "high" on a Ferrari.

But if you are looking to drive your car, and it's one that's 20+ years old...more miles should bring more peace of mind than not.

But nothing replaces a well-documented service history.

Just take your time, do your research so you know what you're getting into.