Gents, After going through DiscoInferno's slightly frightening thread about his ongoing experience using his F430 as a daily driver, and the various electrical gremlins and problems he has had getting the vehicle serviced properly, it set me wondering about how the CS has generally been in terms of reliability. Can current and pas CS owners comment on what their experiences have been like in terms of reliability? I will be living and operating the car in the central Texas area and don't want to be facing the same issues he's gone through. While it would be a stretch to say I'll be using the car as a daily driver, I do expect a certain reasonable amount of quality / reliability out of a modern car. And while I have the means to acquire the car, I also don't want to be spending an additional 15-20% on repairs out of the gate. Your perspectives would be much appreciated.
I don't drive much in my CS, 6000 km's in 1.5 years. I've had a few problems sofar. 1) power steering oil hose broke, oil on the belt so had to replace the belt (1 year old) 2) cable in the drivers door had to be replaced, the door wouldn't open anymore 3) exhaust mount broke off twice, easy fix
I just rolled over 1000 miles in the last two weeks... Driving it daily. Why the heck not? Its not made of glass. Buy-Drive-Enjoy. Image Unavailable, Please Login
..almost too reliable, have runout of things to fix! I use it whenever I can, even when it's hot... BTW, it's got close to 42K miles and still runs very strong! Image Unavailable, Please Login
114, that is hot! I drive my ferrari alot as well, have almost 9k miles on my Scud now. It was 90 here in Silicon valley today, ac works great!
25k miles or so, no issues, just the normal tires & belts. It does tend to scrape if you're not careful
i put 24,000 miles on 9 strads, the most on one was 9600. no issues except if you get stuck in bad creep and go traffic in hot weather the over heating alarm for the gear box starts to sound off. a very reliable rig
Owned mine for a year and a half , 4000 miles of pure technology and emotion added to 7000 mi original CAN YOU SAY PERFECT ! previous owner said "too nice to drive" My view " too nice not to drive" If you get a CS you will see yourself as lucky
Thanks guys for all the info. Sounds like the CS came out of the factory pretty well sorted then, which is reassuring. I think the key thing will be to find one that hasn't been sitting up for too long and likely facing a lot of issues after being put back on the road. I've started the search process already. Just need to find the right one.
Good luck with your search. If you haven't already, do a search of this forum for some invaluable threads on CSs... I've only had mine a little over 1 year and 2100 miles and its worked great. Only non-routine maint/service was a new battery and tender installation (I knew the battery was ready to be replaced from my PPI, so even that wasn't a surprise). Be sure to get a PPI and try to find the car's history when you find one.
Good advice, thanks. I've been mining the CS threads for info for several days already. I'm also looking at a few F430s, but I think I'm leaning significantly towards the CS at this point. I'll just have to be patient to find the right one and the PPI is a must.
I had both and had no problems with my CS w/ 8k miles. Coming up 18k miles on my 430 and have to say I would trust it more than my CS. Main reason is the 430 clutch which I think will last longer. The other thing to consider is the front end on the CS is lower and with that it is not as relaxing to drive around town. The 430 gives more clearance and with that you get more "mistakes" before you have to pay.
So true! I remember when I first got the CS I was afraid to take it places I hadn't been before because I had visions of somehow getting trapped in parking lots with speed bumps blocking the way out! A friend flew into the airport and wanted me to pick her up in it...so of course I "test drove" the route the day before in my maser just to be sure I knew what bumps were there...I've gotten over my initial jitters thankfully...
Unfortunately not yet. Hope to remedy that soon though. From what I've read it does seem they have quite different personalities though, as similar as they are. thanks that's good insight on the front end height. why would the F430s clutch last longer though? Aren't the transmissions in the two cars basically the same? I would think the full auto mode available in the F430 would lead to more clutch wear. that would have been awkward! do you really think the front end height hinders the everyday usability of the car? mine's not exactly going to be a daily driver, but i do plan on using it regularly.
Yes, they are very different, that's why I asked. For me and for the "role" I want the car to fill in my garage, the CS or Scud were the only Ferrari's to fit the bill. The 430 is fantastic no doubt, but the CS is so very raw and loud and racy...you really do (of course) have to drive both to know what you want... Actually, the ride height is not the biggest thing that keeps the CS from being a daily driver (to me daily driver doesn't mean you drive it each day - rather it means you only drive "it" every day and you take it everywhere you go). So, "yes" the CS can be driven every day if you like. But, "no" I don't enjoy taking it for long freeway runs (too loud) or to run errands (a bunch of reasons, mostly parking related). I use the CS for "fun" drives and the occasional track day. I also take it out 2x per week just to go to lunch or whatever.
My usage would be pretty similar as to what you've described. When I say "daily driver" I basically mean a car you can use for all purposes with little punishment in the way of excessive noise, harsh ride, gas mileage, etc. In my mind, something like a current Porsche 911 Turbo can easily be used as your one-and-only primary vehicle if you really wanted to without too much worry about reliability and comfort issues. Could you say the same about a "standard" F430? I don't know, I don't have enough experience. Even if that is the case, I still don't see any Ferrari being my one and only vehicle. If I go the CS route what I'm basically looking for is the equivalent of a 4-wheeled version of my Ducati (please don't flame for that bit of sacrilege!), which is what a car like the CS seems like to me, but of course way more awesome. If that's the case I'll probably get a nice comfortable truck, SUV, or sedan to go along with it. While I won't use the CS as everyday transportation, I do want to use it like I use my bike: fun runs, day trips out to good B roads, the odd track day, etc. What I don't want is so something so fragile that I'm too worried to use it on a regular basis for fear of not being able to clear parking lot humps. It doesn't sound like I have much to worry about with the CS from the way you guys have described it though.
I think if you get a PPI and well sorted CS, you'll have piece of mind. I never got either with my Gallardo (I know, idiot) and always wondered about the condition of the car. Turns out, the clutch lasted 1k miles and was gone. My CS however, received a fresh major (that I got to watch the end of being performed), the tech ran through the entire SD3 system with me on the car and showed me a few past errors and that the car was running perfectly now, have the full service history on the car, and I bought from a dealer/had the car serviced by guys with fantastic reputations. Point is, I drive my car whenever it's sunny and dont have any of the trepidation I had with the gallardo.
Had mine for four years. This year they noticed some small oil drops at the gearbox. A known problem on 360/CS. No oil on undertray but need to take apart the gearbox from 3rd to 6th. Alot of hours... Also front wisbones needs to be replaced due to they "rattle". Not common but heard of 430´s, 360´s with the same problem. Car has 10.000 miles on it and a few trackdays a year. Also brake discs needs to be replaced every second time you change pads. Pads lasts for years in normal use though. An amazing machine the CS
I think your "4 wheel ducati" analogy is the right one and the use you describe is right on. The CS fits that bill perfectly (for me anyways). I pair it with a Jeep for SUV type duty and parking at airports etc and with a GT/Spider for crusing with the GF on weekends or running to work, errands.
