Would you buy a F430 today?

My thanks to everyone for your very helpful comments. As you can tell I'm struggling with a "Do I buy a Ferrari or not?" decision. I've also posted in the FF forum, also getting wonderful suggestions. Right now I'm still unsure. Part of me would like a "final Ferrari", and part of me wonders if it's worth making the commitment. I loved the look of the 360, and when the F430 came out I had mixed feelings about the look. It's grown on me over the years, but the constant story of cracked headers, aftermarket exhausts and other common issues leaves me concerned. The FF seems to be an amazing machine, without much love making it an amazing performance bargain. The issue there seems to be the not overly common, but very expensive potential repair of the front portion of the all wheel drive system. $25K repairs aren't unknown, and that concerns me very much. The 458 is what it is - a wonderfully focused V8 sports car with a 9K RPM redline, and the last of the naturally aspirated engines. Seems like a great option, but from all I've read/been told, you want a 2013 or newer car, and at that price it clearly would be a stretch for me.

Your posts are helping fill in the gaps of my thinking, and all are much appreciated.

Things I haven't yet shared are posted here (post 37): https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/458-or-ff-help-me-decide.611558/page-2#post-146880847

To save you the trouble of linking to the above post, the added info is my daily driver is Tesla Model 3, which is as different from my former 360 spider three pedal as any car can be, yet the instant torque of the electric motor, coupled with a single drive gear and most of the battery weight low in the frame provides a surprisingly addictive drive experience. The downside is the suspension - nowhere close to a Ferrari, and even less capable than my wife's 2011 BMW 335d (another interesting car). I also owned a 2017 Mustang GT manual transmission car as Ford drastically cut the price to clear out inventory before the 2018 model facelift. I bought that car for $30K out the door. Build quality is "OK", material quality "price point" at best. On the other hand it's 400 lb/ft Torque across a very wide RPM range, and it's a real three pedal car. For that price I should have kept it, but traded it when I bought the Tesla. The Tesla was under $50K out the door after tax credits. Tesla has been aggressively cutting prices and adding features. The current 2019 Model 3 Performance, capable of 0-60 times of 3.1 - 3.2 seconds, top speed over 160, 300 mile range and AWD is now priced just over $60K. Hard to argue with the unique driving experience and power, although the handling is nowhere close to any Ferrari.

To add to the angst, the local Ferrari dealer has the FF that I've been considering on eBay. Doubt he'll get his price, but I was surprised he listed it without making me a serious proposition after I contacted him.

So now you know the whole story, and understand why I've turned to the forum's collective wisdom to sort this out. I'm turning myself into a pretzel - buy the FF, no the 458, no the F430, wait - don't do any of it - get another cheap Mustang and call it a day. No, even better do nothing and put the money into my grandchildren's 529 college funds. This forum should collectively charge me for psychiatric counseling!

Thanks again for the help. It is very much appreciated. I feel better already just writing all of this!

 

I drove my friend's Shelby 350 and enjoyed it, but he sold it out of anger over the engine. You may not be aware, but apparently there is a design flaw in the build of the flat plane crank, and the result is that the engine pre-detonates causing a knock in the engine. Ford declared it "normal engine performance", but I drove that car and the sound is noticeable and doesn't appear normal to me. The front view is also similar to my prior Mustang, but a bit better. Overall great specs, in reality a bit disappointing. Recaro seats also not ideal.

The 355 is too expensive to fully enjoy - engine out services are amazingly expensive. I also don't love the seating position or the pedal arrangement. Great sound, but the price seems out of line versus newer cars. The 360 was a great car - kinda sorry I sold it, but live and learn. At today's current prices it's a lot harder to justify. That's why the FF still keeps my interest high - lots of car for relatively reasonable entry price. The front transmission issue is my primary concern - $25K repairs are not uncommon. A local F430 is available near me a bit over $100K. Seems cosmetically fine, but several owners and not sure that the header issue was addressed. And so the thread continues....

 

Info about 2008 Ferrari listed above - Source: iseecars.com

If you're not familiar with www.iseecars.com I highly recommend them. Free signup gets you 10 reports, beyond that there are various fees. Great info.


iVIN Report Summary
$28,832 below market value of $128,632.

Miles driven per year: 1,065 miles vs 1,170 miles for the average 2008 Ferrari F430 Spider..

Days listed for sale: 62 days - Similar vehicles sell in 39 days.

Free recall check.

Free theft check.

FREE CARFAX Report. CLEAN CARFAX, NO DAMAGE, ETC (my notes).

Dealer rating: 4.1 stars (out of 5).

Previously listed for sale 5 times in Marietta, GA and other cities. Car seems to have been around since 2017 at various dealerships, etc. Two recent owners, each sold car in 3 months or less in 2017. No longterm owner since then. Car has been through what appears to be different dealers since then, but hard to tell. (my notes).

This vehicle was listed for sale on iSeeCars on the following dates and places:

Listed Removed Price Mileage Color Seller / Location
1 2015-07-26 2015-07-31 (5 days) $129,995 11,515 Black Miami, FL 33132
for sale by owner
2 2017-08-03 2017-08-06 (3 days) $134,500 12,375 Black Atlanta, GA 30350
dealer
3 2017-10-05 2017-10-15 (10 days) $127,990 12,375 Black Marietta, GA 30067
dealer
4 2017-10-16 2017-10-25 (9 days) $127,989 12,375 Black Marietta, GA 30060
for sale by dealer
5 2019-01-17 2019-08-29 (223 days) $104,901 12,589 Black Marietta, GA 30067
dealer
6 2019-08-30 (Currently listed for 62 days) $99,800 12,614 Black Marietta, GA 30060
dealer