Hello, I think about buying a 458 Italia second-hand. I also would like the Ferrari approved guarantee. Do you know about weaknesses of that car and maintaining costs? It would be a car for occasionally driving. Thanks.
Hard to say, since I don't think anyone is out of warranty yet. So far they seem to be relative problem free. But you can extend the warranty quite a long time (7 or 10 years IIRC) if you're concerned about the major parts.
Any 458 comes with a 3-year factory warranty; you will get the remant of the term of the warranty, ranging from about a year for most 2010s to close to full term for a fast turnaround 2012. Upon expiration, the warranty can be renewed for up to two years, a year at a time, for about $6K per year. That is a decision the owner can make as the warranty expiration date approaches. By and large the cars have proved very reliable and easy to own. My early 2011 has had no issues. There are a few quirks that were found in earlier models that were dealt with, the biggest being transmisson failures. My sense is that the ones that were going to fail have failed and have all been replaced by now. Ownership costs run about 1K/year for annual service for cars delivered before the 7-year maintenance program, which of course is built into the price. Tires and brake pads are long term cost items but not a concern for casual use. Clutch wear is expected to be a non-issue in the wet-clutch Getrag unit. Others can provide more details but I think the point is the car is really quite reliable and costs less to maintain than previous models.
The yearly maintenance actually is LESS than an F430, which is less than a 360 and a lot less than a 355/348. I think if you don't buy a 2012 (they are maintenance free for 7 years), the annual costs should be around $1100. Talk to the service manager at your dealership and he will give you all the details. The Carbon Ceramic Brakes are very expensive to replace. If you track the car, a new set of pads can run $5K and pad and rotors could run $25K But, in street use, they last a very long time so the costs versus older style steel brakes isn't that much far off in the long run. They have no clutch so you never have to worry about wearing it out. On the downside, you have to replace the entire gearbox if it has a problem -- about $29K. Weaknesses? Early ones had gearbox problems but if you have the warranty from the factory, you're covered. Aside from that they don't have any real weaknesses but obviously newer ones are better than older ones. It's a great car --- fun, reliable, and low maintenance costs. If you get one at the dealer, you pretty much know what you're getting. Like any exotic, don't think of this like it's a big Kia. It ain't. But, the 458 has one of the lowest maintenance costs of most current exotics out there. I think the McLaren MP4-12c with steel brakes would be less, but not by much.
There is a massive reassurance and confidence boost when you own a 458, and I can only compare this against my 430 Spider which was problematic with tranny issues. Mine is a 12 model and the earlier gremlins have all been addressed. No new issues have been reported from what I read and heard so expect a lot of peace of mind and exciting driving for the future.
To say the 2012 modesl are "maintenance free" for 7 years means ONLY that (i) the normal 3 year drivetrain warranty applies and (ii) you get free oil and filter changes for 7 years, worth about $5-6K which is built into the price of 2012 models.
True: but it was $4500 increase. Here is the big, big deal though. It's in resale. What is the first question a new F car buyer asks? "How much is the mantanence?" If you have this program you have the best answer: zero for the next "x" years. It works for BMW and we all know it's built into the purchase price or they would not do it.
Hello, Thank you for the reactions. I have a 360 right now and had a few problems with it, but have the Ferrarivirus and will make a financial effort to buy a 458 So I understand from the reactions it is important to renew the warranty year by year (especially concerning gearbox issues). If the first 3 years the car doesn't have a problem with the gearbox, does it mean you are quite safe for the following years?
I have had no real problems with my 458. I agree with the poster on the 360 & 430 models. Those could be expensive. I only spend about $500 a year or less at the dealer with my 458. The engineering has improved light years so they are like normal cars. The only caveat to that is the repair costs per hour are higher than alot of cars. No more than Lamborginni over Aston martian or Lotus. Lee
I spent maybe $1000 first year with the car for routine maintenance. No service issues. Must admit though, little worried about owning it out of warranty when the time comes, as lots of expensive goodies in the car.
