Ferrari vs. Porsche : reliability

Ferrari don't design the cars to fall apart. The biggest single problem with Ferrari is not the Ferrari parts at all. It's the parts Ferrari outsources to the lowest bidder. There is no denying the amazing engineering effort that Ferrari puts into its cars. The problem is in the execution of the engineering. The parts that fail on a Ferrari in general are not the parts that Ferrari themselves produce. When the short comings of a Ferrari are fully understood and well taken care of, the cars are reliable and can be driven daily right out the box. There is a Testarossa here locally with over 215,000 miles on it and its well taken care. There a few 360s in California with well over 100,000 miles. In fact the first 360 I ever drove had 84,000 miles on it 5 years ago. The worst thing that happens to most modern Ferraris is that they sit for long periods of time and then they are driven like stabbed rats after which they sit again. That type of behavior is bad for any piece of machinery. The best thing you can for a Ferrari is drive it while understanding what it needs, what it can and what it can't do.

 

Porsche does the same thing. I've never had a plastic clutch master cylinder before in a car and aluminum clutch pipe. both of which failed on my Boxster. At least my 360 has steel lines that given my experience don't fail and an aluminum master cylinder that like my other pcars lasts hundreds of thousand of miles. plastic? really?

I was thinking the same thing about the 991. It's brand new, the same things were said about the fit and finish of every new car released. Come on back after a few years when the plastic has had a chance to breakdown with heat and time.
It does seem that each generation of interior finds a way of looking newer longer.... or maybe I'm buying my cars closer to the build date. ;-)

 

Porsche 48 months 50k miles. Rust 10 years unlimited miles.

Ferrari 24 months unlimited miles. Rust 2 years unlimited miles.

Most fcars are not driven 50k miles in the first 2 years. Looks to me like Porsche believes they will have fewer problems to take care of in the first 4 years/50k miles by sticking their financial neck out further. P expecting no rust in the first 10 years.

 

What kind of a question is this, seriously ??

 

All modern Ferraris are made of alluminium, so I´d say that rust shouldn´t be a big issue.

 

Not all Porsches are the same reliable. The old 993TT air cooled is a good purchase if you are concerned about losing money while the later water cooled 996TT goes cheaper and cheaper. Is there any Ferrari known as the most reliable or the cheapest to maintain?

 

Here, I will end all the discussion right now for everyone.

The Ferrari is the one you go to the prom with.

The porsche is the one that you hang and do your homework , and get a burger with.

Simple.

This is reality...the rest of these discussions are noise now.

 

The 430 was 36 months. Spider buyers were forced to buy a 4th year.

Dave

 

Not capitalizing Porsche tells me which you prefer.

 

The 328 is bulletproof. The cheapest Ferrari to maintain is one that is well cared for from the start, however, modern Ferraris (360,430, 550, 575, 612 etc) are generally "cheaper" to maintain as they are very reliable and the services are much cheaper and less labor intensive than the "older" cars.

 

Not really a preference...just reality.

you need both to be truly happy

 

There's the rate of failures, and the cost.

The 328, if maintained, seems to have a low rate of failure and relatively low cost of failure -- i.e., the mechanical bits that give up aren't mindblowingly expensive. Ditto the 911.

The parts on the newer Ferraris would eventually begin to eat you alive. That's true to some extent of all modern European cars, but Ferrari parts pricing is an art unto itself. A failed roof mechanism in an F430 Spider or failed instrument panel in a 599 is inevitable over time, and will be a wallet-crushing proposition in a depreciating car.

Longer term, I think we don't yet know what a 25-year old F430 will be like to maintain, but it will be interesting to see.

I tend to agree with an earlier post that almost no one buys Ferraris to drive, whereas Porsches regularly pass the 100K-mile mark, so it's hard to make a direct comparison.

 

You also can't to direct comparisons out of eras. All cars are getting more elaborate with more features, more required equipment, and more electronics.

You need to judge a 2005 F430 vs a 2005 911 twenty five years from now.

No one is going to complain about a 328's airbag light going on because there is none
Then again, which would you rather be in if some moron hits you head on?

 

For the most part I have to agree with this statement.

 

There certainly seem to be some other manufacturers trying the "life imitates art" thing. Ever get an Audi serviced? The art form is not quite in the league of Maranello, but a hell of a lot closer than it should be.

 

Agree w above.. also, unobtanium always = very expensive....

 

+1. My 997.1c2s was 4 years of reliability but annual servicing still ran $800-1000 a year. I had to replace the rear Michelin ps2 tires which cost $1800 at 13000 miles. I had to reflash the engine blower and replace a seal in the drivers side door both under warranty.

My annual service for the California was $1200 so not a lot more than the 911. I had a carrier harness bar from the under carriage which made a clacking noise on hard cornering replaced under warranty. Otw Cali has been reliable and a much more pleasant daily driver than my manual c2s. I've been to SAMs club and home depot without issue and find the rear seats a useful place to store magnums of grey goose and Stella Artois. 911s are a dime a dozen around here. Great cars but doesn't stir my soul like Ferrari. I will get the power cube warranty for two years to tide me over until i get into a 458. Ymmv.

 

REALLY? Apart from all the 458 cranks sheering off? Or the fires? Or all the 430's with cats sucked back grenading the motor? Or the air getting sucked through the oil rail trashing the bottom end? Or the e-diff problems? Or the siezed cooling fans? Or the early 430 pump failures? Or the manetino failures?Apart from that they are just peachy!Lol....

 

What were the miles on the 911 and Cali for that same year?

 

Both were/are employed as dd for work commute when it's not raining so 4-5 days a week about 4k miles a year.

 

So you put 16k miles in 4 years on both your 997 Cali with ~the same service/maintenance cost? If so, thats either good for a Ferrari or bad for a Porsche?

 

In 1998, this comparison would have been laughable. With the massive improvement of quality shown by Ferrari, it is a least a conversation.

Prior to 2010, Porsche still wins reliabiity/availability by a good distance. I'm not a fan of the VW takeover and the "slotting" of Porsche within their branding. I think their quality will decline.

Porsche as an independent company was the best thing going.

 

It is still kind of laughable with the costs of all thing Ferrari double to quadruple. More small stuff happens to Ferraris.


I personally think the vw change will affect a thing. Still different divisions. No biggie.

 

Until money gets tight (again), the the beancounters descend.

 

IMHO, the VW ownership of Porsche and Ducati will be a big plus in performance, reliability and styling for both high performance brands. Just look what its done for Lamborghini.