430 Doing my due diligence on this 430

Pics look good.

 

Looks about right, don't know this car's history

 

Look up the reputation of this dealer.....you might change your mind....very quickly

 

I was about to post that. Doesn’t mean the car is bad but I’d be super skeptical about everything. Last thing you want is a sketchy dealer ruining the experience for you.

 

"Fruit of the poisonous tree" is a legal metaphor I would use in this situation.

 

So many questions… here's just a few:

motor mounts replaced?

exhaust manifolds replaced?

sticky buttons?

looks like original radio - and needs key code entered - they have that code?

clutch wear?

Pics shown of top both up and down - would be nice to see a video of it operating smoothly

those are original tail lights - any of them wobbly?

at 39,000 miles - I assume the brakes and rotors have been redone at least once - when was that? Could be coming around for a second time before long

does it have the battery tender?

how “clear” is that plastic convertible window?

would like to see a good pic of the dash leather to make sure it’s not shrunk around the vents

would be worth knowing if it has PPF installed (and age)

would be phenomenal to see service records!!!

that’s my immediate musings… best of luck!

Kevin

 

the warpage, stretching etc around the driver's seat power switches make me believe that this car has no been babied. I am about an hour form this car, so if you're interested and want me to throw my eyes on her, let me know. Cheers. Do your homework and buy guilt free.

 

Spend the $60 and get the carfax report. Sometimes the report will mention where the car has been serviced. Call that place and ask about the car.
Looks like the rims have been coated. Being a purist I wouldn't touch any car that has modifications.

 

I agree with kestrou. I'd add fuel pumps to that list. In addition I'd want to know about fluid flushes....F1 fluid, transaxle fluid, coolant, power steering, oil of course. If needed, factor in 5k if dash leather needs to be replaced and 5k for new canvas top (from good independent shops, from dealer at least double those numbers). I wouldn't necessarily pass if these things were not done, especially if you can do most of them, I'd just use it to lower the price. Good luck. Wonderful cars, relatively easy to work on, except for the top ;-)

 

The CarFax for this 430 :https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/ar20/nlRNxfBqga2Jc6MC1QsGCDuhlQg2kMOdl7b5xes-LE6FJE3CVrlu2Mg7WU0O9-rkExLF2K2RbJhe8QnRfi_rjsVRjF3idgX0gSE

 

Also, to all the above things to check add out of round/bent wheels.

 

How about getting a PPI done on the car at the local Ferrari dealership? I bought a F430 3 years back from a private (non-Ferrari) dealer but insisted on a PPI at the official dealer in town. It cost me ~$600 but was well worth it for peace of mind. The PPI was very thorough, at the point of being finicky (the inspections are on par with what Ferrari does for a certified pre-owned car). This also gave me some bargaining power to close the deal (adjusted the final purchase cost to fix the must haves). For context the PPI listed a $20K list of things to fix! And I bargained $10K down in the cost of the car for things I considered must have fixes. Hope that helps!

 

I’d call Ferrari of Long Island and sweet talk them into service records. They’ve been around the car quite a bit. Some will share and some won’t. All depends on the service adviser.

 

Not even worth a PPI.

Don't break my rule. I don't buy cars from FL. Ever. Don't break that rule.

(this is in no way shape or form bad mouthing the fine Floridians on FChat, but a rule of the utmost importance when considering an exotic car...)

 

Good point. I had done the same before initiating my PPI. Had talked to Ferrari of San Francisco and the service advisor was very cooperative. They will not share personal information (which is totally fine) but are open to sharing service history. At least that was my experience.

 

NOW you tell me!

Kevin

 

The seats bolsters have been collapsed due to a fat ass owning the car and leaning full weight on bolster whilst going in and out... and he liked rings/jewelry on fingers, from the scratches on the steering wheel.... and obviously holding the wheel in the showoff position (around 12 o'clock) .
They both can be fixed, its only money.

The list of items that can go wrong is the same for any F430, nothing out of the ordinary, all can be DYI by a competent owner (minus clutch) , would not detract me from buying it. I would never buy a convertible, but that's a personal thing.

 

Do tell! Our first F car was from FL and had an undisclosed past I unearthed fwiw. Great car and well sorted for the most part, but you could've made a beautiful UAE sandbox from what I found under the engine shroud panels. Lesson learned to know exactly what you're getting into.

 

I think I just purchased this same vehicle , any specific reason you didn’t follow through ?

 

Was this the vehicle you purchased? This one is now for sale at a dealership in Jacksonville.

There’s obviously some red flag considering it’s not selling.

 

If you're the Peter Cunningham from the former RealTime Racing, I'd say go ahead and buy it. If not, stay far away from Carrio Motors.

 

So it's actually at a different dealer now... https://www.drivelinellc.com/details/used-2006-ferrari-f430/105756911

Carfax history is a bit nuts; basically has been moving from dealership to dealership for the last ~2 years. I'd imagine that something is majorly wrong that isn't being disclosed as the price seems to be great.

 

You're probably correct, but that wasn't the inference of my post.