456 more auto. than 6speed?

Yes.

More automatics, about 1 to 4 ratio. Dont remember the exact numbers. Anybody?
You can read more here about specs...
http://www.ferraricars.org/ferrari-456/

The manual tranny is maybe a better choice... if you brake the automatic transmission, you are deep in the hole for good.

 

Seems like I read somewhere that the automatics for these cars are available only as a sealed unit at about 52000 a pop. This turns your car into yard art.

Somebody could probably put a chevy V8 and hydromatic in it though. They did that to some jaguars.

 

Somebody's got an 456 automatic on ebay for $25k. Let me clarify, that price is for a used transmission. Car is extra.

 

it really depends on the condition and the history of the car

 

So guys, is it a myth that the auto trans cost $10's of thousands to repair/replace or is it an accurate statement? Owners, what are your experiences?

 

Frankly, so few have broken (only a single reported problem here on FChat), that no one knows if this is either easily fixed or needs a complete replacement. This has been discussed here before; internals are from a GM division (Ricardo) and some have claimed that it should be possible to fix these units. I would sure give it a try before forking over $20K+ for a new unit. My Auto has worked fine, no problems (check my prior posts for a detailed writeup of auto peformance).

At present, I'm chasing an unusual problem with the engine: it's burning a profuse amount of oil. I probably have a valve problem; it's going to the Ferrari dealer next week for further diagnosis.

 

Good luck with the diagnosis... I hope it's relatively minor. How many miles on your car?

 

Let's not forget the transmission is in the same housing with the differential.
So if you buy both of them together, it is going to be expensive, regardless of what car it is for.
If the tranny needs to be serviced, IMO the difficult part is to find someone who is competent and honest to charge only for the work involved with servicing the tranny and who will not try to convince you to replace the whole bloody thing.
The tranny itself is GM derived and developed by Ricardo specifically for Ferrari.
Admittedly not your standard kind of tranny, but then again, less exotic than say a tranny of any (military) tank or any similar type of heavy duty rig.
The reality is though, that if a Ferrari dealer does not know or does not want to get involved in fixing the windows, how can one expect a dealer to fix an automatic tranny that shares real estate with the differential !!??
In fact, for what I have seen so far, it is much better if they do not even put air in the tires of the car.
Disclaimer: the above is a general comment based on personal experience and it is not intended to offend those who are conscientious, competent and honest.
Saluti