430 F430 vs 458 for first Ferrari?

for a DCT rebuild how often does this need to happen? I assume it's a combination of both mileage and driving style? So one could potentially see a clutch last over 80,000 miles if they drive it with conservation in mind but someone abusing the hell out of it will only see 40,000 miles before needing a rebuild?

Keeping an eye on the 458 market, right now a very low mileage clean 430 is only about 10-20k cheaper than a higher mileage lower option 458, but i think i dont quite know where the "break points" are with each model and so sure maybe i get a 458 for 170k but in 5k miles i'd need to rebuild the DCT and who knows what else? Or is a DCT rebuild and other of these big money items something that most owners never experience?

 

is there anyway to tell how much life a DCT or F1 clutch might have? Is this something a reputable shop or dealership would be able to determine?

 

oof thats rough. So basically best bet would be to make sure i get proper documentation and maybe during a PPI see if the car has been driven hard/tracked during its life. And then just hope for the best. The 430 does seem like the more "practical" option in terms of maintenance cost with things being more easily DIY'ed and cheaper.

 

Ooof yeah that is a scary thread for sure. 70k for a whole transmission rebuild is honestly a bit nuts. It is making me rethink it a bit, especially as it does seem like its time rather than miles that really degrades the seals. So it would be in my best interest to buy a 458 that has already had a rebuild done it seems like. That being said it also sounds like a lot of this might be due to the car just sitting around and not being driven. One thing that has surprised me a bit is how much more the 488 seems to be driven vs the 458. The average mileage i have been seeing for 458's has been between 10-20k miles, vs a 488 which is many years newer ar hovering around the 30k mile point for used examples. Maybe people are realizing that they can drive these around more than before or something, no idea. But a 488 selling for 200k will have close to 40k miles but an equivalent 458 will have around 10k miles and more options.

I'm sure the DCT rebuild thing is a bit overblown and i'm sure there are hundreds of owners out there experiencing no issues. But i do admit, even if theres a chance i buy a good one, and there are no issues. If i do unfortunately buy one that does have issues, this is A LOT of money that might need to be spent. Which i guess proves to me that needing to have essentially the cost of the car saved as cash on the side for the car is the best decision if i want to make this purchase.

 

If you guys were to buy a 430 right now, would you go with something low mileage like under 10k, or would you buy something thats actually been driven in the past 20 years? I think we always like to believe that low mileage is preferred, but at the same time a garage queen might actually have more problems because the car is just sitting there for weeks on end with the fluids just settling and degrading very specific parts of the inside of the engine (or so i assume). I think as of right now i think i'm leaning towards the 430 as my first Ferrari purchase. While the 458 is very very very attractive to me for a variety of reasons. Small relatively inexpensive fixes are something i'm more willing to deal with vs one big expensive fix like the DCT. I was very hands on DIY with my first S2000 and its those small fixes that taught me about the car and allowed me to grow to love the car even more than i first did. While the fear of a DCT rebuild is just that...a fear, and by talking about it we are basically in an echo chamber for that specific issue (same thing happened on the Porsche forums with the strut tower failure on 981 GT4),i am curious how many owners have actually needed to do a DCT rebuild in the time that they owned the car. If i buy a 458 that has already had the rebuild done, then i assume i basically dont have to worry about it anymore until another 10ish years or so have passed.

 

thats kind of the vibe ive been getting. So in this case a 20k mile 430 or even 458 would be more ideal than a 5k car just because it hasnt just been sitting there collecting god knows what everywhere.

 

FANTASTIC price too. Wow. If that were red or black i might be making an enquiry right now haha.

 

Was talking to my friend at work who owns a 458. He just had to do a whole rebuild. he added on a bunch of other stuff to basically make the car be like new when all said and done, but he is spending a total of about 30k for parts and labor. Located in TX. Depending on how a similar rebuild would cost here in CA, it might be cheaper to ship the car out to get it fixed, but 30k for a bunch of other stuff included isnt too bad. I think the rebuild itself is about 17k if thats the only thing you are doing. With that in mind, a 180k 458 with a 17k rebuild puts the total cost to be around 200k which i actually think isnt too bad and is around the price i was looking at. Now this is assuming i can get a 180k 458 when i'm ready to buy. But for now i think i'm going to do what someone else suggested earlier on. Get a 430, enjoy Ferrari ownership. Meantime keep saving up and when i'm ready to upgrade, sell the 430 for little to no loss and then upgrade to a 458. Hopefully if prices stay the way they are i can get into a 430 sometime next year and begin my Ferrari journey. Thanks everyone who decided to jump in on this thread. There was a TON of great information here and i learned a lot.

 

Haha a lot of my car purchases have been heart buys. My first S2000 was that way, i already had a 2016 BRZ and a 2017 Fiesta ST in my garage but i just had to have that New Formula Red S2000. My G82 M4 was an impulse buy as well. Needed a car as my GT4 had just been bought back buy Porsche for being a lemon, saw it in Boston Green Metallic with a Tartufo interior and i had to have it. Sucks that the car itself was a pretty big letdown and almost immedietly put in an order for a 718 GTS 4.0. I'm trying to be more responsible (HAH as he says while looking to buy a Ferrari), and make a more informed decision this time around lol. We'll see how it goes. I might be checking out a 430 Spider this weekend...we'll see what happens.

 

great advice but i think i lucked out on this end. The mechanic that i spent way too much money on, modding my BRZ back in the day is a 458 owner and his shop has a few ferrari specialists and so they can do all this work and i trust him with any car that i have. Had a really good and long conversation with him about Ferraris and 458 ownership. He confirmed a lot of what ive learned on here which was nice to hear, and reassured me of some fears i had about cost to fix and everything. Obv him being a trusted mechanic that isnt going to screw me on labor costs definitely helps the situation.

Of course now with his assurance that i'm not going to go bankrupt if my DCT needs a rebuild, i'm again strongly considering the 458. And of course with all of you saying that a higher mileage one is actually a better buy, it actually lowers the cost significantly. Which now throws the 458 within 30-40k of a low mileage pristine F430.

I also made this harder on myself by seeing that a McLaren 570S (my original goal) has gone down in price significantly since i last checked a decently low mileage one can be had for under 150k and might still carry a warranty. So now my choice is, Old Ferrari thats more mechanical thats aging slightly but still a stunner, newer Ferrari thats known for its reliability and is also the last NA V8, or a much newer McLaren which throws reliability out the window but i get a lot more creature comforts, newer tech and doors that open up lol. What a problem to have.

 

yeah it probably actually wont be a consideration. I was looking around for independent shops who would be willing to service one and basically everyone said no or wouldnt respond. That basically tells me its more trouble than its worth and i'd rather not pay dealership prices.

 

First of all, GORGEOUS F430. LOVE the blue exterior and brown(?) interior.
Second, thanks for all the advice. I'm not too worried about ride quality. I daily drove my S2000 with track mods for 2 years and i daily drove my GT4 for about a year so i'm quite used to harsh (and prefer it) rides.

Its been hard to find test drives. Theres only 2 458s at dealerships near me right now and both are on consignment so they wont let me test drive, and the only 430 in my area are at independent dealers who wont let me do test drives unless i'm already commited. I think i need to find local owners who will let me test drive their supercar lol. That being said the dealer near me is letting me test drive a 296 GTB this weekend and i'll also be checking out their 488 even thoughj i know neither are exactly what i'm looking for. But i figure i start somewhere.

But thanks for the advice and explanation. I really appreciate it.