Why did you choose a 360 over a 430 or vise-versa?

Nothing wrong with that approach. That was exacltly my thinking but my wife interjected with "Just get what you really want otherwise you're just going to be looking for a F430 in a month". Who was I to argue with that suggestion? Our driving season is year round though.

 

That's exactly it. Your wife must know you well. We have all been in that exact position and in no time at all, we regretted our decision to "settle." It just makes a lot more sense to wait and save up some more and get what you really want.

Not trying to throw cold water here, just speaking as someone who's been there and done that (and witnessed my friends do it, too). I have seen this vicious cycle before.

 

When I was looking in 2010 for mine the 430 wasn't worth the extra $$$$ IMHO. It still isn't IMHO. Most are the F1 which is a crappy transmission when compared with the dual clutch boxes in the 458. I also prefer the lines of the 360.

 

I recently choose between 360 spider and 430 spider, could afford any. I choose the 360 cuz its the first modern Ferrari and a great piece of history. Its like me and only gets better by age... A future classic for sure!

I also like the lines of the car more then 430 and I freeeeking love the steering wheel! Finally I think the driving experience is better as well and the sound is just awsome! I dont do track so 400hp is just fine, really dont need any more. Its just a f.cking blast to drive!

Its for me the perfect mix between classic and modern! I actually think in that there in the future will be higher demand/prices for 360 than 430 but what the heck to I know...?!

430 is absolute a better car then 360 but 360 has more "soul"

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Everybody is entitled to their opinion, and I completely respect that but...

While the 458 transmission is awesome I don't see how you, or anyone, can call the F430's unit "crappy". No, it doesn't shift as fast as the 458, but it is waaaaayyy faster than you, or anybody, can shift a manual. That is not opinion.

Crappy??? No.

 

Strictly my opinion. It's not as fast nor as smooth as the Dual Clutch. Which is by all measure a better transmission for the road, track, you name it. The gen 1 sensors and clutch replacement interval don't impress me either.

But.. it's just my opinion. And it's an opinion that I also hold to the 360 F1 and 355 F1 transmission. A manual transmission that was retrofitted into an "automanual". It has shortcomings that you can avoid with a 458. With Prices in the $160's.. why go with an F1 when you can just jump to a PDK and admittedly a chassis without the nervousness at the limit.

Again, just my personal opinion. Everyone has one...

 

So your opinion is that fast and smooth are your basis of a better transmission yet you chose a 360 manual which is not faster, nor smoother, than that of an F430 F1. Huh.

Also, while you may get a higher mileage 458 Berlinetta for $160K, a higher mileage F430 Berlinetta will be around $100K - big difference... like a really nice Porsche 911 difference. If you want a 458 Spider now you're talking $125K - bigger difference... like F430 Spider difference.

 

FWIW, I own both a manual 360 and an F1 F430. It took a bit for me to get used to the F1 in the F430 but I absolutely love it. It's not "crappy" at all. First of all, as has been expressed here myriad times, it's well suited to the car (more so than the manual). Secondly, it's still mechanical feeling enough to have some involvement to it. In sport mode, you have to blip the throttle a little for completely smooth downshifts. Lastly, because it's a single disc clutch, you still drive the car as you would a manual.

Those last two don't apply to the dual clutch cars like the 458. Again, it's about buying the car with the character and features you want, not trying to apply character and features from a different car. I like having the right tool for the right job and I feel like this was the best way to accomplish that.

Just my $.02 as someone who owns both.

 

Bra summering!

 

I went for the 430. I think they are both good looking cars, but I like the rear of the 430 better. I also found that the interior, particularly in carbon fibre looks less dated.

I also found that the fault list of the 430 easy to remedy (just replaced the exhaust headers).

I'm a big fan of the F1 gearboxes and like the mechanical feeling more compared to the super smooth dual clutches.

 

+1 Mine is going to be a keeper unless something happens... I am just enjoying the car very much. Am not in need to look for a faster car right now. It gives me total satisfaction... Farrarigasm...

 

Having just gone through this, I picked the F430 based on exterior looks, updated interior, extra hp and chain drive. I personally think the F430 looks better than the 458, so that's why I didn't go that route. Just my little ol' opinion.

I had a 355 before, completely different animals so can't really compare, but I'd take the F430 over the 355 any day.

 

I like the looks of the 360 better.
The "haunches" of the 430 look too bulky too me, that said, I still nearly bought one.
But I only wanted a 3 pedal car and the 360 / 430 price delta was too much for me.

One HUGE advantage of the 430 is the instrument "cluster", far better than the 430.

 

Lol...you know, sometimes you just have to draw the line somewhere and compromise, id love to have th best of everything in life, but that isn't realistic for me . Law of diminishing returns. I'm a lucky guy, I have a waterfront home, ski boat, jet ski, guitar collection, atv, cottage, Audi A5, among other things. And I'm a working stiff, I'm sure I'm a peasant compared to most on this site. obviously, I'm not fitting in here, so when the novelty wears off, I'll probably fade away. My wife isn't a car person at all. I understand when she "draws the line" somewhere. Most marriages have compromises.sometimes we can wait for perfection until life passes us by. I don't think ownership of any Ferrari is nearly as miserable as you infer it must make me. Hell, I'd rather have an Enzo instead of either of thse cars, but I'll survive somehow Some of us will always just aspire to things that are just out of reach. As I said, I could have stretched for it, but but it would have meant sacrificing something else in my life/investment portflio, and I just cant justify that to myself/family.
Ymmv.

 

Price.

I was actually in the market for an F355 Spider but the deeper my research went, the more the 360 made sense.

Engine-out to change the belts on an F355? Ha! The $$$$$ liability delta between that and a 360 made up the difference. I'm very happy with my decision to go with a 360 Spider.

 

I've had both, a manual 360 and an F1 430. Th 430 is better in every way and in my opinion looks better as well. Most choose the the 360 because of price difference not because any advantages of the 360. The 360 is not necessarily a piece of history that matters, at least not today. I did enjoy my 360 but always wanted a 430.

 

About year ago, my dad and I began looking for a Ferrari. We started with the 360 mainly due to starting price, but within a few weeks of looking, I introduced my dad to the F430, which had a way higher cost of entry. One look at he was convinced it was the better looking car, so despite the substantially higher price, I started looking for an F430 and not too long after, found a cherry 2006 Grigio Silverstone over Bordeaux with grey piping and full carbon everything. The only concession was the 6 speed manual, but the boat had already sailed on the F430 6 speeds. So far, very happy with my choice.
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Blasphemous!

 

Interesting discussion on the 360/430 choices.

Full disclosure; I’m not an owner yet but am on a multi-year plan to get one, on (financial) track for the purchase so reading up to become knowledgeable.

The discussion regarding belt versus chain drive compared to overall ownership maintenance expenses have been very helpful. As any car ages it becomes afflicted with what I call “old-car-itis” where suspension bushings, motor mounts, engine bay electrical wiring/connectors, exhaust manifolds, windshields, and other parts and even paint/interior wear over time. Between early F1 component issues and possibly the F430 water/oil pump combination, plus general age and wear of parts, the cam belts on the 360 become merely a side issue. Of course a unique dimension of Ferrari's are the low mileage so many cars have. Good stuff to learn!

Regarding the power output from these cars I think it can easily become academic if one doesn’t track their car. Even at the local track day event a driver’s skill is often a greater factor in determining overall quickness. From personal experience my mildly modified 3.0 GTV6 doesn’t show its taillights to similar skilled drivers piloting faster more modern cars, while it doesn’t matter what other owners are driving if they’re novice to the race track scene. They are simply slow.

Yet out on public 2-lane roads in the countryside it doesn’t take much effort to accelerate from 60mph to over 110mph to get around a slow vehicle or simply open it up and let'er rip on a short straight (that’s with only 170hp measured on a chassis dyno of my car). That can be problematic as other traffic (in the USA) simply aren’t prepared for these speed differentials (no lane discipline, ½ asleep at the wheel, not checking mirrors, etc.). As such, a healthy dose of common sense and deference to the unsuspecting/unprepared tends to mitigate the lower power of a 360, especially Ferrari Spiders where the driver/passenger may be more into scenery soaking on a beautiful day.

And yes I do understand that it may be annoying that someone in one of the many modern powerful cars can out drag you from a stop light or rolling start. But that’s just a small sliver of performance where a 360 doesn’t shine with exceptional brilliance. Ultimately not that big of a factor in my view. And time continues to march on what with very pedestrian cars today supporting 300+hp (Example: the lowly Chevrolet Equinox with optional 3.6L 4-Cam Direct FI V6!).

Anyway, I appreciate the bulletin board and this subject. Which one would I choose regardless of price? I'm not sure yet.

 

Never considered a 360, biggest detractor for me was the outdated looking interior. F430 is beautiful inside and out.

 

What can I say. The AC works better in the F430 than the 355.

 

Your dad has good taste. I have a near identically spec'd car but in a coupe.

 

I had a 360 spider for many years and loved it, but when I moved to a 430 I noticed a lot of differences. The car feels more modern, handles a lot tighter and looks a little cleaner. Simply put, it's the evolution of the brand. It's the same way a 458 will feel moving from a 430.

 

In some strange way there's a part of me that misses the 360. By comparison to the 430, it's definitely outdated. But I somewhat prefer the 360's shape to the standard 430. To me it appears more organic. And despite the lacking of modern features that the 430's instilled, the 360 still had it's own charm.

I actually had a 360 manual coupe that I did stradale bumper and side skirts on. It looked great. I had then traded it in for Scud which I still have. But I did so without fully enjoying the 360 for a lengthy period of time. As luck would have it, the 360s now can be had for $75K avg, so if I ever wanted to get another, it's "affordable".

 

When my Ferrari search started I was initially getting a 2004 yellow MT 360. I went as far as putting a sizeable deposit on it. It was a beautiful car but when I got back home (car was in Ca., I'm in Fl) I got bad medical news. So I called dealer and spoke with one of the sales people and he wouldn't refund my money. I didn't have the energy to fight it so I let it go, my mistake.

Anyway fast forward about a year after my health issue was resolved I was in the market again and it was between a MT 430 and a CS. I went back and forth before I made my decision. Eventually the looks of the CS, rarity and sound won me over. As far a interior, I prefer the "older" look of the 360 than the newer 430 look. The dash and especially the vents on the 430 remind me of the robot's arms in the Lost in Space tv show. Both are great cars so you can't go wrong with either.

As previously stated, the price of the belt service in minimal when compared to the price delta between the cars. In fact I'd say you probably never go through that many belt services to equal that amount of money.