Hi everyone, I am looking for a car to replace my Audi R8 V10. I was looking at either the McLaren MP4- 12C or the Ferrari 458. I would like to change up the brand and get something different from the Audi but my only worry about getting an exotic like the McLaren or Ferrari is reliability. So far my R8 has been completely bullet proof. I drive my cars a lot and they rarely sit for more than two days in a row so having the peace of mind that the car is always going to start is very important to me. Plus I live in Pittsburgh and the closest dealers for either the McLaren or Ferrari are pretty far away so any major break would be a huge hassle. I really just want to know: 1.Will the car ever just not start and leave me stranded. 2.Or will it ever just break down while driving it. I understand regular maintenance is important but I just cant keep a car that doesnt start half the time. Any help would be appreciated thanks.
Wow...where did you get the idea that a Ferrari doesn't start half the time? Why would you think any of us would spend $300K on a piece of ****e that doesn't start, leaves you stranded, and breaks down when you drive it? Posts like this drive me nuts. No respect whatsoever. What a great way to introduce yourself to this group. Stunning...
Mac dealer is 16 hours away from me. Long way to go for service. Won't do it even if I love the car (which I don't). Crawling in and out over the door sill too much effort for this geezer. Interior looks spartan. Depending on where you live the Fcar may be the better choice for service. After 6.5k+ miles no problems with my 458. always starts. never leaves me stranded. My review of the 458 forum on Fchat shows very few problems with 458. so much better than the F355 and 360. No problems so far. car is due for 1 yr service this month. Life is good. Life is better driving a Ferrari Best
Currently have a 2012 R8 V10 Spyder and recently cancelled my order for a 2014 V10 Plus. Did a great deal of research and decided to order a 458 Spider instead. The guys at Audi and R8Talk emphasize reliability because the R8 is simply not competitive with the 12c and 458 in any other way. Do the research and you will find that the 458 is every bit as reliable as the R8.
Here's my take. These cars have little and big issues (lately DCT problems have been a big topic on here) that can require a dealer's attention (warranty, etc.). With that said, I would not own a newer Ferrari if I did not live within a short distance from a Ferrari dealer. It appears you are about 3.5 hours from MAG Ferrari which is a very far distance to deal with for service and warranty work. With that said, I would not own a new 458 in Pittsburgh. Maybe a more exotic Porsche would be better? My $0.02.
Good choice. R8 V10 Plus is so much better than the old one.But its true, it is not in the same level as the MP4-12C or the amazing 458.Congrats.
A new 458 comes with 7 years free scheduled maintenance. Manufacturers typically won't put out that type of offer if maintenance is frequently required. Before I bought the 458 I rented one for a weekend. The guy who dropped it off at my house had worked for this exotic car rental place for more than 15 years. When I asked them if they had maintenance problems with it he said "if there's one exotic I'd own it's the 458, this one has 45,000 miles on it and we've rented it out over 200 times, the only maintenance has been tires, brakes and oil changes. We know people beat the heck out of it but it just keeps running". He didn't know I was considering a purchase but his comment helped me make the decision. So far mine has been flawless. Best of luck with your decision. "I've spent most of my money on women and fast cars, the rest I've wasted"
The days are long gone that Ferraris and other exotics were so cranky that sometimes they wouldn't crank. In fact your practice of driving very frequently addresses the only real remnant concern for reliability: the battery. That is not to say that the cars do not need to be looked after in routine maintenance. But as has been pointed out, fCars now come with 7 years of it free. Frankly either the McLaren or the 458 are light years ahead of the R8 in just about every dimension.
I live 7 to 8 hrs from any Ferrari dealer or Lamborghini dealer. I own an F430 spider long out of warranty. Haven't had any problems. Have Ferrari techs that do my oil changes ect. Don't even give it a second thought. These modern Ferraris are built well...No belts to have to change every 3 yrs. just buy and drive.
In my experience, the only common problem is if you don't drive the car for more than a couple weeks and don't use the battery tender, the battery will drain.
Modern ferraris have become more reliable and though some thing can always go wrong, it is no more likely than with any other reliable brand. Some would go as far as say that they are now built like a tank. I wouldn't go that far, but I wouldn't worry much about the reliability with either of these cars.
Although the 458 is reliable, why worry. Buy a car you enjoy and have fun with and a dealer close by. A Porsche usually works for most. Best
Go easy on the guy.... youll find that most people know of Ferrari as being unreliable and coming with high maintenance costs. Give the guy a break for coming to the right place to get his questions answered! Kudos to everyone else who is offering reasonable input Good luck with your decision.
Well, cliche's aside, the 458 is really reliable. And, the dealers pick up the cars and deliver them if they have a problem under warranty. Thousands buy them and don't have a problem with a dealer near by. Go to the dealer (which I'm assuming is Algar --- one of the best in the nation), and ask them what to do if it breaks. The car comes with complete 24hr road side assistance.
The reason I bring this up is becasue I know guy who formally owned an F430. The car never seemded to work and drove him crazy. He owned the car for three months and it went to the shop ten times. Between the time it spent in the shop and the time it took to ship the car to and from the dealer 200 miles away he probably only drove it a handful of times. He eventually gave up and bought a Porsche Turbo. I do understand that he proabably got a lemon but honestly I am a still a little hesitant. If a car company can screw up one car that bad it may be possible they all have some cronic prolems.
plug in battery tender anytime u park it in ur garage and of course if u leave her for an extended period of time and ure peachy other than that the chances of getting a lemon are the same as in any other car, even the most reliable imho
You live in a bad weather city, dealers are 4 hours away, you want to drive it often. I think you need to study long and hard before you make this leap, the difference will be like jumping off a cliff. Everything about an exotic is different. The baby Gallardo that you have now is probably perfect for your needs.
I live in Greensburg/Pittsburgh and owned a 458. I had the same worries but while visiting my son who worked in Greenwich, CT. went to Miller Motorcars to browse . Browsing turned into buying their demo. I had no issues with the car. Ended up trading for a GT2 but now speccing a 458 Spider. Worse case it goes on a truck back to the dealer. Plus Pittsburgh needs more that one 458.
