This is fantastic information and information I find to be pretty accurate in my searches on AutoTrader and a few other places. I did not know that multiple owners drives the price down, and even if that’s not universally accepted it should be accurate or used because one owner cars in general are always preferable to cars that have been driven by multiple owners. Also good info on the 2019 GTB with the different ECU. That’s an important switch for people to know.
It will be a bit late reply, but I would like to write something too. Personally, I am not a fan of a brand, but I like the brand and I always put it in a different place than other cars. I had driven a 599 GTB for 3.5-4 years before. The design of the 599 and its 12-cylinder engine were very impressive and I was always happy while driving the car. I sold that car and recently purchased a 458 Italia, model year 2013. Of course, the two vehicles are in completely different classes, but there is a huge difference in terms of technology and driving pleasure. The 458 model was a special car that ushered in a new era for Ferrari. It is truly a masterpiece with its ease of use, great balance, sound, and electronic and mechanical systems that work great and never make you feel it. So if you ask me, the 458 is the best modern V8 Ferrari has made and there is no need for more. Regarding the 488 GTB; In my opinion, the car looks too soft and has a very high torque due to the turbo engine, so it is very challenging for normal road and track use. It's so powerful and torquey that it hits the revs very quickly and feels like the car's potential has been reduced or its throttled. After all, the 488 is a newer model and it is obvious that it is technically much more advanced, but as many people know, numbers do not explain everything in the sports car world. If I'm not mistaken, even though years have passed since both vehicles have been used, when looking at today's market, the 458s are the more popular and more valuable second-hand cars. Anyway, without further ado, my preference would definitely be for the Italia with its naturally aspirated engine. Have a nice day.
" It's so powerful and torquey that it hits the revs very quickly and feels like the car's potential has been reduced or its throttled. " I see this said many times. So in other words the 488 GTB engine is more powerful , it revs faster = so you would prefer an engine with less power and revs slower ????
No, what I actually mean is not that a car with less power is more enjoyable. If we look specifically at the 488 GTB, the extremely high torque and engine setup of the vehicle kills the dynamics and driving feeling of a pure sports car like Ferrari.
You really are serious ...LOL... not so much for others as the 488 sold well and continues to sell. I for one in 2019 when I was Ferrari shopping drove both and picked the 488 for how it drove, interior and outer looks and overall performance. I am not saying it's the best but for me it was
I will say that I understand the thing people are trying to say about drivability/fun factor/etc even though slower— just the feel and sound of revving up to red line area in a certain gear and it taking some time to get there ‘feels’ like you’re driving and enjoying more. Hard to explain but in the F8, for example, you’re at 8k rpm in literally one second or two in any gear so it’s kind of weird that you don’t feel like you’re pushing the car that much…. Where a car like my F430, a 458 or my new Porsche (which I haven’t driven yet) kind of feels like you’re pushing the car to limits more even though it’s slower… ok, I’ve gone cross-eyed and this wasn’t well explained. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
Strike 2 You must have a lot of experience driving a 488 and using the “extremely high torque” to have felt that the driving dynamics were ¨killed¨. So, is extremely low tourque better?
This is my first post here but I have been lurking on these boards for many months. Hopefully my experience can be helpful to someone else who finds themselves in a similar position. For the past decade, I’ve been 100% a Porsche guy. I currently own and have owned multiple aircooled cars, Carreras, GT cars, and my wife currently drives a Turbo S. I was getting ready to pursue the next purchase (991.2 GT3T or 992 GT3T) when I took a step back and realized that Porsche prices have really gotten a bit crazy. That’s not to say that the cars aren’t worth the premium but I felt for the first time in the past 10 years that for 200-300k, I wanted something that felt truly “special”. So I decided to start exploring other brands and settled on pursuing a 458 or 488. All of my research and soul searching eventually resulted in me chasing a 458 and here is my reasoning as someone coming from the Porsche world: Pro’s: I love the GT3 but over time it has progressively become more of a track car vs a street car. I would argue that the 992 GT3 is really a RS and the RS is a RSR. The idea of having a high revving NA motor with a 9k redline in a package that wouldn’t rattle my teeth over every bump made the 458 super attractive. The 458 represented a solid entry point into the brand and provides elements of old and new Ferrari but most importantly, it is considered to be very reliable. As much as I would love to experience 355, 360, and 430, I was concerned a poor first Ferrari ownership experience with any of those might lead me to exit the brand prematurely. Value. The 458 appears to have hit the bottom of its depreciation curve and will likely hold strong at this point. It’s also positioned to increase in value but that truly was not a consideration with my purchase. Con’s: Price. In order to find a high spec 458 with low miles (sub 10k) and documented service history, I basically ended up spending 488 money. There was definitely a few moments during my search that I was questioning my decision when the same money would get me into a newer 488 but the 458 just seemed like the first F car for me. Age. These cars are getting old. However if nobody told me the age of a 458, I would never guess that it went into production ~14 years ago. I find it to feel on par with the Porsche 991 generation in terms of age. Sticky interior. While I was fortunate to find a car with refinished plastic surfaces, this did not come without an added premium in the asking price. Overall I have been beyond happy and impressed with the 458. It’s truly a special car that I foresee owning for a long time. As someone who is completely new to Ferrari, entering into the brand with the 458 gives me a ton of room to grow and I’m super excited to explore 488, F8, and 296 as well as go backwards to older models as well. Another note for someone that might be coming over from long term Porsche ownership and trying to decide between 458 and 488: The 458 has similar character to a GT car and the 488 has the power and torque of a Turbo S. Depending on what you already have in the garage, you may want to make your choice based on what will complement your existing car(s) the best.
good post and a lot of what you said, makes sense.... however, I can see NO comparison between the brands. I mean, they really shouldn't be in the same sentence as Porsche and Ferrari are entirely different things for different reasons and purposes... I just bought a 23 Carrera T and it's for one purpose and my F8 is for another... I will never try to compare them or suggest performance similarities. I really hope I enjoy the Carrera and I really hope you enjoy the 458 but let's treat them for what they are and not try to compare. Reminds me of people mentioning corvettes when they hear the word Ferrari... I just don't get it.
I absolutely agree but Porsche is the brand I knew and my only point of reference as I went on the journey to make this purchase. My post is really for the benefit of others who also may only have experienced Porsche up to this point and may now be considering 458 or 488 for their first Ferrari. To be clear, I don’t think Porsche and Ferrari are comparable. It was immediately apparent to me within the first 10 miles of ownership that the 458 is in a completely different league. Carrera T is a great choice btw.
488 all the way. don’t like the sound? Put an exhaust on it. The complete and most beautiful of the 458/488/F8 platform. Pista is the Ultimate
Great Ferrari twin turbos include the GTO and the F40. The 488 without the turbo lag and instant engagement with perfected looks is just the ultimate
First of all, I respect everyone's opinion. After all, everyone has different automobile tastes and expectations, which is very natural. I only made my comments based on my own driving pleasure, and of course my opinions will not be accepted as a rule. My intention is never to compare two vehicles and say which one is better or to create fanaticism. I experienced the 488 GTB at the Hungaroring track when it was first released and I have driven my friend's car a few times, so I'm not just talking about what's on paper or what I've heard left and right. Of course, owning a vehicle and long-term driving experience explains more, but when you test it, you also get some feedback about the car's driving. As I said, everyone's ideas and expectations are different, but I commented that this would be my choice. In fact, a survey was included in the topic title and people's preferences were asked ) Have a nice day.
I hate you for this hahaha j/k.. I cant unsee this now. I've always hated the front whiskers/whole frontend of the 458 italia/spider but I still choose it over the 488 for better driving emotions.
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and identify with what’s being said here. Sometimes it’s more fun to drive a slow car fast. You do get to feel the engine spool up to 9k RPM, you get to hear the F1 howl crescendo in pitch. You feel the shift in gears on your back, and I even stimulate olfactory nerves with the smell of gas with a decat setup, call me crazy, when I drive my Speciale. Now is warp speed fun in a super fast car such as my SF90 Spider? Sure, I can step on the accelerator and go 0-60 in 2.5 sec but that gets old. (Using SF90S as a comparison element of a faster car). The way I envision a “driving” experience is taking it through the canyons or on track to extract the maximum “feel” of the car…handling, entry/exit corner, power delivery, braking, heel/toe if manual (more engagement)…if I take the Speciale through these roads I have to work more and engage more with the car. The faster car with technology is easier to drive, more digital, and less engaging for me since the high tech car is doing all the work for me. Just a different feel. Ask me which car I will never sell? Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I agree (sadly)…. I just picked up my Carrera T last night and from just a little bit of driving so far, even this thing is really fun at about half the horsepower of the F8…. Hmmm, it almost pis*es me off lol. Definitely a different type of fun. I feel like I’m driving and choosing what to do where In the F8, it’s like I’m just along for the ride on a blindingly fast, new tech, carnival ride that goes in short bursts. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
For what it’s worth, and to your point, I took the matching 355 I bought a few weeks ago out last night through the twisties up here and had a total blast mostly without breaking the speed limit. I took the 488 to get Chinese food on Friday night, with the windows down cruising,(backside roads to downtown are beautiful), and was totally loving it. The buddies 458 I drove was super cool (I love the 458) but it certainly didn’t sound better than mine and it definitely doesn’t look better than mine. Knowing that my 488 will smoke a speciale may not be the point, however, knowing (to me) that it is a better car in every category, (including exhaust note) makes me proud of my car. I’m like that ;-) .
