Low maintenance entry-level Ferrari

My experience with a 350 with clean PPI was 38k in repair in 23 months, driven 1900 miles. IMMV but yeah, if you buy an older Ferrari you need to be prepared that you could experience high repair bills. If you are not prepared for that, then go with a new car under warranty. I got rid of the 360 and bought a new Huracan.

 

I always wanted a Ferrari and decided early on that I would never finance one. The thinking being: if you can't pay cash, you can't afford an extreme luxury item like a Ferrari, so shouldn't buy it. Now, after having owned lots of collectible cars that I wrote checks for, I can sit back and do the math.
Had I instead leased the modern cars, I would have saved tons of money over the years.

 

if you have the money just buy something and dont worry about it. every ferrari can be a nightmare. they arent honda pilots. a used Cali is a pretty safe way to go.

 

It's funny because I've owned my stick 360 for 7 years + and have put about $5k in repair bills. ($2400 belts, + transmission bushing, + sort out when I got it) Mine was a beater with $50k miles on it when I bought it and a 5/10 on the PPI when I bought it. Ratty. More reliable than these pristine examples.
I do alot of the work myself on the car but I don't think the issues would have been more than $10k. Nobody I know with a 360 has put more than $10-12k into it.

Ferrari California should be a good car. Beware of the early transmissions. R8 is nice.. but tacky to say you'll see everyone drive by in their Ferrari and you'll still be in an Audi, no matter how comparatively reliable it is.

 

and yes renting it is also a viable option

 

I am not familiar with the R8, but of the three Ferrari candidates I would pick either the 360 or the 430. Some indi mechanics will not work on cars beyond the 430 because it takes more investment in tools and technical subscription services from Ferrari to work on these later model cars. So if you buy a California or later, you may have to rely on a Ferrari dealer for service.

If you get a solid PPI from an experienced Ferrari mechanic, it's unlikely you will face a $10K+ bill in the first year. When I bought my 360 two years ago, I was told to expect $5K a year in service costs. The first year cost was about $4K due to a leaking cam cover gasket and some failed engine sensors. The second year was only $1K, but I need new tires @ $1,600.

I expect the long-term maintenance costs on a 360 to be between $3K to $5K a year. That cost may be somewhat lower on a 430 because no belt service is needed on those cars.

 

My advice, especially since you can afford it, is id bypass the 2010 entirely and opt for a 2014 California if you want a naturally aspirated model or for about 20k more a 2015 Cali T if you dont care if its turbocharged. If you get into one of these you will have the free scheduled maintenance until at lest 2020. ANd if you buy from a Ferrari Dealer if it isnt so already you can get it CPO and get the year warranty and can extend the warranty.

That being said you could opt for a 360, but they are going to require quite a bit more in maintenance due to the age of the platform and the use of timing belts in the engine and you will need to do a lot of research to make sure campaigns have been done on cars older then 02 or its gonna get expensive. The F430, while a good car, is also starting to suffer from age related maintenance issues as well, AND they are running nearly concurrent in price to the California. Its also going to depend on what you will be using the car for, but for me I liked the room in the California and though im not a convertable guy wound up kinda liking the idea I could put the top down. We liked the California so much that when we rented it in vegas wound up renting it for the whole week we were there and decided that it was the car for us (wife has final say on all major expenses and she absolutely hated riding the in 430 yet loved the California)

Also be aware that there is a good chance that these cars are going to continue to depreciate for at least the next year with the new Portofino coming. Sounds like it may not be an issue if you dont care about the Depreciation roller coaster but if you get one and decide you dont like it you could take a significant hit if you try to sell it quickly. We opted to wait until at least after August since it looks like more and more are hitting the market and the prices are coming down, even more then the usual cold weather price dip.

Regardless of what you do choose there is always a chance you will be hit with a 10k, or more repair bill. They are still Ferraris. I mentioned the newer California's and the CPO status that would significantly reduce your initial out of pocket repairs other then brake pads and tires. If you opted for the 2010 like you mentioned there is a chance you would be stuck with a rather expensive DCT speed sensor repair, or the top sensor repair which are both rather pricey. DOnt know what the percentage of transmissions have the sensor failure but it seems its more common on early cars. good luck with your purchase!

 

These guys have given you really great advice. I support the idea of a California for your first Ferrari. They're a ton of fun with much eye appeal.

Unlike it's predecessors, the clutch is no longer a regular maintenance item. No timing belts to change; it's timing chain driven. Common issues we've seen are the engine mounts (rough idle), hydraulics in the top going out, and quirky electrical bugs in the instrument cluster. Interested if others have had common experiences with the model on here as well? The transmission sensor failure that's been mentioned is a real "thing". Not sure on the percentage of impacted cars either, but have corroborated the occurrence with other dealers. No real way to predict if this will happen from what I've been told.

Like any car, you'll want to ensure it's up to date on service. PPIs are always encouraged. All Ferraris that are 2012 and up are covered by Ferrari's 7-year free maintenance program. Any Ferrari dealer can confirm if it's still active using the VIN. The only way it becomes inactive is it the previous owner failed to take the car in within the time frame the next service was due.

Pre-owned leasing is a great option for many. Especially if you want to continue the cycle of trading in/out of exotics. Leasing new, of course, has many benefits as well.

Good luck to you!
- Meagan

 

what is your tolerance for automotive bs?
what is your budget?
what is your intention for the car while driving those paltry 3k miles/year?

if you want an exotic feel to your experience, i think you probably want to try either a mid engine car or a v12. the cali is a nice car, but it is neither.
you should drive a few cars before making any definite decisions.

from your list, the easiest is the 430. not much maintenance, not much depreciation left, and good looks.

 

A sorted 328 would do the job!

 

No matter what car you choose, I think if you are inclined to do basic maintainence and fix the little things yourself your experience will be a good one. If you rely on and have to pay others for these things you may suffer many frustrations. The less time the car is out of your hands the better, even if it takes you a bit longer to fix things, at least you can still admire it in your garage and not worry about it sitting in a shop waiting and worring.

 

The issue weather or not to take it to the dealer is an easy one for me, considering the nearest dealer to me is nearly 400 miles one way. So "simple" repairs such as brake pads, oil changes, fluid replacement (excluding f1 fluid) battery replacement ill probably handle myself, especially since one of my buddies runs a mechanic shop (with lift) a few blocks down from where the car will be stored. Id imagine id want to have the car at least shipped to the dealer and inspected annually, and ensure there is nothing unsafe or needing attention. the way i see it the expense of shipping and inspection is cheaper then a catastrophic failure someplace along the side of the road.

 

Actually most modern Ferrari's are not that heavy on your wallet. Californias are dependable, well built cars with not so high maintenance bills, F430s are also reasonable, and cars like the 355 and 360s should not give you many surprises if you shop with someone who is knowledgeable...

So, the myth that "you can afford to buy a Ferrari, but you can't afford to maintain it" is a bit outdated and "proven" wrong in the last 20-25 years. So, pick the one you love!!!! It won't be your last one ☝️

 

If 1st exotic, then need mid engine.
Cali is awesome but not really that exotic.
Go 430 or best of all, 458

 

It's all relative, and definitely not proven wrong in the last 25 years (I have a 456GT, if you want to talk repair bills vs. purchase price.)
Even thought the Cali is a well built modern car:
It may have a transmission problem (AFAIK Ferrari never changed the offending parts throughout the production run.) That could be $10k or I have heard up to $35.
The top may fail, could be as much as $15k reportedly.
There's no getting around sticky parts. If a shop does that, it could be upwards of $5k refinished and installed.
There's also a lot of leather, and no matter how it's taken care if, it's a natural product and will shrink. A dash will probably cost $5k plus and there are other areas that will eventually need attention.
And these are just some of the best known problems. An annual service can be a shocking amount to those unfamiliar, those $100 cabin air filters are always a laugh, and how about brakes...?

(This is all assuming a shop is doing the work.)

A lot of people buy the cars and sell them on in a few years. They have never faced some of the problems, or may have deferred them. If the parts go sticky, a DCT sensor goes bad, the top gets stuck and the dash shrinks, are you prepared to potentially pay nearly half the car's value in repairs? I remember Jana's ordeal, and an early Cali is getting near the age that you may have a similar experience.

BTW, a CPO warranty is still a repair bill, it's just paid in advance and rolling the dice. If you keep the car for two years, your warranty alone is about $9 grand.

 

I would argue it's 75% proper due diligence and 25% luck. I've heard stories of a car that passes a dealer PPI with flying colors, are low mileage, perfect carfax, full maintenance records...and still be a dog.

The reality described above doesn't mean you don't do as much as you can to investigate the car, just saying it's not foolproof. There is no such thing as an 'affordable' Ferrari. It comes down to gradients in cost, the most significant discounting factor, in my opinion, is your ability to wrench on it yourself.

Just browse these forums, and you'll find no shortage of folks that had the misfortune of having a major issue come up, and not have the resources to resolve them, often forced to sell the pig with as much lipstick on it as possible.

Be comfortable with the possibility of at least 25% (often more) of the purchase price as a 'gotcha' in the first few years of ownership, and you'll be delighted!

Best wishes.

 

Sorry about cls's experience with his 456, but I have always bought from a Ferrari dealership, and never had an issue, nor surprising bills. Do, your homework, or have someone do it for you, and you will not have a negative experience.

Also, BTW, a new Ferrari comes with 7 years service, and that is pretty darn awesome...

 

And there you have it.

 

That is not a promise you can make. I did my homework. I'm a gearhead and so is my husband. I had the best people in Dallas working on my car and they couldn't get it sorted. I finally gave up. Fortunately, I could afford the repairs, but someone else might not be able to.

Your experience does not trump mine or all the other people who have experienced similar problems in "clean" cars. The reality is, you don't know what will happen, but you need to have the funds to fix it if/when it does. If someone can only afford a couple thousand a year in repair/maintenance, then an older Ferrari is probably not a good choice. Or roll the dice. I have no skin in another man's game.

 

Seriously, are you really this antagonist and in your real life? Look in the mirror, breath deep, and behave like an adult! Nobody is trying to "trump" anyone, most on this forum are merely relating their experiences, without being rude, accepting other's experiences and being polite.

Those comments and ownership experiences are my own and many other Ferrari owners experiences and we we are very happy. If you have other experiences, please share, without trying to "trump" ours.. this is really an inappropriate attempt at bullying, but as a 6'5" 250 lbs guy, you picked the wrong target!

 

You're the one that claimed it was possible to avoid a negative experience. Don't speak in absolutes and people won't disagree. Words matter.

Go the the 360 forum and look up my post if you want to know what happened. It's all there and I see no reason to recount it.

As for bullying you. That's really funny. You do realize I'm a woman, right? I don't play testosterone games.

 

Do you really believe woman can't bully? After 27 years in the military, I beg to differ...

 

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So, you are hurt after a bad. 360 experience, nobody is arguing against that, but as a 3 Ferrari car and then Maserati owner, your experience is NOT illustrative for all of us. Nor will you be able to convince us, through verbal bullying.

So, please state your issues as you have done, and we will learn and respect those, but don't except everyone to have the same negative experiences. Most us us have nothing but excellent experiences with Ferrari cars!

 

I'm the very first post in this thread. Apparently you didn't read what I said or when someone else quoted me. And I'm far from hurt. My experience led me to the perfect car and I'm infinitely happy with my garage.

I don't speak in absolutes. I don't expect everyone to have a negative experience but I certainly don't tell people they can definitively avoid one either. Many people on this forum don't even think you should buy an exotic unless you can afford to pay cash and there's a reason for that. Do you know what the #1 complaint from luxury/exotic car employees is? That people buy things they can't afford to repair/maintain then take it out on everyone else.

Hopefully, no one runs into problems like myself and a lot of other people do. But you can't guarantee that and neither can a PPI, dealership, or mechanic. Someone who does not have the money to address problems on a car that is expensive to repair will end up with a depreciating doorstop in their garage.

But here you go - seven pages of my clean car experience. I highly suggest the OP go directly to the specific forums for the cars he's looking at so he can see what kind of problems owners are dealing with and how much they cost to repair. There are items on older cars that are a given to happen eventually - sticky buttons, dash shrinkage. Not simple, cheap repairs.

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/do-the-repairs-taper-off-at-some-point.544305/#post-145194430