First Ferrari, hesitant on F1. Advise/Insight...

I have 2 430 spiders f1 and I wish I had a 360 and 430 in 6 speed, fwiw. I'll keep one of the 430 spider F1s and sell the second one when I add the 2 6 speeds.

If I had to choose one I'd choose 360 6 speed because it's more beautiful than the 430 in my eyes.


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Did you not read this thread? Where do you get "everyone"? The stick lovers are there but there are plenty who love their F1 too; they aren't generally as vocal but there are a lot of them out there. Really, it isn't that far out of whack from what was originally ordered.

OP: Dewinator has it right. Get what YOU like. The rest is noise.

 

Really Chris?

When a car is new, the technology works. When it ages... it fails. Remind us when the switch on the brake pedal stopped working in your F1 360.. (IIRC.. ) Then tell us why you upgraded to the 458 and not a 430 please..

 

I know it's personal preference, but always had manuals, Mustang, Boxster, Carrera S before buying my first Ferrari, F430. I know have an FF and would never buy anything that didn't have paddles. Besides the instant gear changes, I feel SO much more in control with both hands on the wheel. Good Luck!

 

Manual die hard here as well but I absolutely love my F1. It is every bit of a manual transmission without the use of the third pedal. It’s not a car you can just get in and drive and not think at all. So for me it’s every bit as engaging as a manual and those wide open brutal shifts are to die for. Tried Porsche’s and bmws with the dual clutches and got bored of them within a week. Not so with the F1 it’s been a year and a half and there hasn’t been one second that I wished I had a manual.


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Get a manual if you really want to row the gears and work the clutch. There are always times I wish I had a clutch pedal in my car. Usually on cold launch and hill starts. But there is a reason most of the racing classes use F1 transmission. It is faster than a manual. The problem in the early days was software and clutch actuation. While it shifted quickly, the clutch actuation was slow. On a 360, get a CS TCU, that will improve it immensely. "Do not fear the shift robot." A 430 should be better already. It took time for the road car TCU software to get tuned to the optimum levels. And a 360 is only second generation F1. It has been around since the late 80s in Formula 1. Even the Alfa Romeo 155 that won the DTM in epic fashion had an F1 style transmission, although it did still have a clutch for low speed, launches and so forth. Even then it is difficult to mesh like a lot of race cars. You see the pit guys pushing the car off all the time. Corse Clienti guys stall the F1 cars all the time on launches too. Reminds me of my heavy clutch 348 days (Heavy to handle the "power," high from wear.) Check out this video of the F1 transmission in the Alfa 155. Awesome. It is an all wheel drive V6. The ancestor to my Giulia Quad

 

Really enjoyed some of the posts on here....


I'll add as a MT guy, I've never owned anything but MT car my entire life for the past 20 years, swore I'd never buy an auto.
As the F1 technically isn't an auto, I considered it.
Everything changed when I traded in my 7spd manual for my F1 360 and never looked back.

There is something very raw, mechanical, interactive, and enjoyable with the F1 transmission that I just don't get in a dual clutch setup.

Also agree with others have mentioned, the "old" manual transmissions are NOTHING like modern ones!

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Ok I was exaggerating when I said everyone. BUT, it really does seem that lately, the first question people ask is if it's a stick. Plus a "premium" on price implies higher demand to me. Also people willing to actually pay that premium also shows a preference. Just my observations, and I obviously shouldn't have said "everyone"

 

Hahaha crap, I forgot about that brake pedal switch. Yes I have to admit it was frustrating for a stupid switch to trigger an error light. But in light of things, it only cost $45 and it NEVER caused a problem with the transmission, or the shifting. It's a car, and a lot of simple things can cause bigger problems even with a manual transmission. For example think of something as simple as a neutral safety switch that can prevent the car from even starting if it goes bad.
All that said. If someone is worried about reliability, nobody in their right mind is going to say that a 3 pedal car isn't more reliable than a F1 car. For reliability, a 3 pedal wins hands down. However, do we buy these cars for reliability? If so, definitely a bad choice, lol.

On to my decision getting a 458....
When the 458 first came out it was instantly a dream car for me. It was the holy grail. I remember saying that for driving, I prefer it over ANY other car in the world, even a Bugatti. However, back then I wasn't prepared to pay that much money for a CAR. I didn't even know if I liked owning a Ferrari (as you know, I was a Porsche guy for the most part). I decided on the 360 to get my feet wet and loved every minute of it. Well, I loved it so much that I just wanted more of the drug. As far as the 430 goes. My brother bought a 430 after driving my car and getting hooked. After comparing, I felt that there was no reason to take a "small" jump, I didn't think it was worth the price jump. I decided I should just go for my dream car instead.
I have to say, it's a truly amazing car! The part I love the most is the dual personality. When in regular Sport mode, driven gently, it is a very civilized car. Once I put in race mode, and drive aggressively, it turns into a complete animal. I also feel way more connected to the car (race seats help with this too). It's easier to push closer to the limit. It's hard to explain but I never trusted the 360 pushing it's limits a little.

 

This thread inspired me to go for a drive this morning. After about thirty miles, I headed back home.

When I got close to home, after some highly spirited F1 shifts, I turned around and drove some more. It was too much fun to stop.

I must say, shifting is really nice and fun on tight turns with both hands on the wheel for control. And my S-Line exhaust was so jubilant.

After I parked her and let the heat out, washed her and leather conditioned the seats in preparation for the next drive.

I don't drive this beauty enough.

Steve

 

I was in your shoes a few years ago, Corvette guy looking for first Ferrari after my ZR1 was totaled by a pickup truck. I do not miss the manual, I love the paddle shift F1. However, to get the same level of performance as the ZR1, go buy a 458..... I’m already itching to sell my F430 and begin my 458 search. (Although I do love my F430 equipped with S-line as well...)

 

I’ll probably be at cars & coffee next Saturday morning, stop by and take a look. I can tell you about my F430 0wnership experience and you can check it out, although I’m not really ready to let it go.

 

Zack, well I probably have a different perspective then most members of this forum, but I have had a lot more cars than probably everyone who has replied combined. If you want a great 430 coupe call Francis at Algar Ferrari, my coupe will be for sale (I have decided to get a F12 to go along with the Calf T I just bought for my girlfriend), and it has Fabspeed headers and Cats, exhaust controller, film and it is in almost perfect shape. I had 3 360's a 2 430's (F1 & gearshift in both), and if I wanted a gearshift car I would not buy a Ferrari. Sorry but as a guy who learned to drive on a 3 on a tree, and a die hard 3 pedal guy, if I wanted a gearshift I would not buy a Ferrari. I am a guy who loves to modify cars and always find a way to turn my gearshift cars into very short throws and very precise (the gearshift mods in my 997 cost almost 4K but it is perfect), the Ferrari gearshifts are anything but that. If you are all about speed and being slammed back in the seat from low end torque, don't buy a 430, the C7 Z06 (a car I really like) is a much better choice, or maybe a AMG GTS (I just bought one wow that thing is amazing). After 459 cars I tend to be a bit tainted, but if I had to choose between a 430 and a 4C, I'd take the 4C. Lightning will now strike me down! I have said this to many people, Ferrari's are not for everyone, and taken as just a car (and not all the cache of the prancing horse), there are a lot better ones for the money.

 

^ valuable insights for sure. I would offer that there is almost always a better car for your intended purpose no matter what you buy.

Performance, shifting, comfort, reliability, incognito Walmart experience - not necessarily Ferrari. But Ferrari offers experiences that other choices don’t.

I think its most important to know what you really want out of the car and the trade-offs you are willing to make.

Corvette considers Ferrari their competitor, I worked on the corvette platform once upon a time. Corvette can/will beat Ferrari in just about any single category, but it will never beat Ferrari as a brand because no matter what technology they introduce, it simply can’t offer the same experience.




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OP, Everyone has an opinion on a car. You can choose whomever you want to listen to. My uncle owned over 100 Buicks and Cadillacs and he always likes to regale me on how his Caddy is the best car you can buy for your money etc. etc. I personally don't give a rats how many cars a person has owned, it doesn't make their opinion any more valid because everyone has their own personal preferences. For example, it's usually every old guy in the room that extols the benefits of the Vette. They'll tell you how it's such a great car and they've owned cars since 1960 and driven an original Jag back when they had hair, blah blah blah. None of that matters to me by self appointed car experts because I just don't like Vettes. It's my personal preference. You have yours and THAT is what really matters for you. The 430 in F1 is an improvement in the 360. You can always upgrade at any time.

 

I would never say I'm an expert on cars, just someone with a lot of experience (and a lot of patents for things I have designed for cars). In the old days I did not just own the cars I took them apart and rebuilt them since I never thought any car was good out of the box. I am also not normal (as those who have been on here awhile know), the PC thing to call me today is on the spectrum (used to be Aspie), but much higher functioning than most (they even studied me a ways back). I used to buy cars just to see what I could do to them, and I spent a small fortune doing it. Now that I am older I am much more realistic, about both what I use my cars for and what I can do ( with a wrench or a steering wheel in my hands) with them. I am incapable of feeling an emotion from a car, they are merely machines to me (brands don't matter either I have a Kia Soul ! ), a hobby like my writing and designing things (though unlike those thing I loose money rather than make it). So when someone says they don't like a car no matter how good it is, I cannot make sense of that. I agree we are all entitled to our opinions, but I make mine based on the machine and its pluses and minus's and nothing else. I realize there is probably no one else on this forum that does that so my thoughts and experience will be very different that most if not all the other members of this forum. Zack I sent you Algars number and will gladly talk to them for you (I am a fixture there) I personally have known them over 20 years and would never buy a Ferrari anywhere else. If you are going to buy a red F1 430 coupe, it is the one you should buy. Good luck.

 

Cars are an emotional experience. To rate them as just machines alone would be missing a larger part of the experience of owning and driving them.

Every bay in my shop is occupied by a vehicle that means more to the owner than the cost to restore it. Each one, of every make and model in my shop, could be bought for far less at one of the premier auctions. Yet, every owner has his or her own fond memories of his or her make and model. His car. Her car. The car they drove in high school. The car their dad left to them when he passed. The car they courted their wife in and drove their kids home from the hospital.

IMO, to truly enjoy the experience of the car culture, you need this element. If not, you may as well just buy old drill presses and lawnmowers to satisfy your mechanical engineering curiosities.

 

I am sure they are, and like many other emotional things, I miss out on that. Unfortunately I was not given the choice, and there is no cure for people like me. I am one of the lucky ones though, I have learned to use the positive things about my condition, and no longer dwell on the things I cannot change. What I experience is different than the rest of you, but I believe (at least for me), it is just as satisfying.

 

Ahhh.. now I understand better, thank you. Everyone has their viewpoint and that's a good thing. Understanding where that viewpoint comes from is equally important in how to apply it. Thank you for clarifying..

 

Paddle shift cars are the future, yes they are better, faster smoother shifts etc. when you're looking to wring the last ounce of performance from the car - But you do loose some connection to the car for drivers of a certain vintage (I'm 54) who grew up on manual cars and avoided slush boxes like the plague.

I've had a few now across various brands and would I go back - no way.

Porsche in my opinion make the best dual clutch transmission with the PDK for every day use combining practicality and sportiness, but the transmission in my 15 458 Spider is just something else, retaining just enough of the old school thump I got in the 08 430 F1 on full chat up shifts.

Regarding the 430F1 the later cars are better, feeling smoother and quicker although people do argue they change at the same speed as the older cars but the single clutch robotised F1 transmission when fully sorted and set up has real character of operation - Just find a good one that hasn't been abused and enjoy learning a whole new technique, would I go back now to the 430 F1 transmission - No, but I'm richer for the experience and pleased I made the journey.

The 430 F1 is a great starting point in your Ferrari journey, more than enough of everything, but please buy wisely these are now min 10 year old highly complex cars, get it wrong as I did initially and they're a real money pit.

 

Coupe....F1....Twin Turbos

mic drop !

 

I wish you luck Zack, I think my days for some types of cars are behind me. I am also a realist (I am no longer speed racer), and my next Ferrari will be a F12. I am going to the shore next weekend to shop for a beach house (hopefully with docks), I think it is time to get my first boat.