I am looking at buying a used f430 and i had a few questions, Can i have a dealer install a challenge grill on a car that does not have it already? Any idea on the cost of that? What is the difference between daytona seats and normal ones? What would carbon brakes cost to have installed? Any other options I should be looking out for?
Both the challenge grill and the carbon brakes can be added afterwards, but from what I have read here the brakes will run close to 20,000 and the grill will run over 5,000. The difference between the daytona seats and regular seats are the design. The daytonas are more desirable and IMO more comfortable.
If you really want the challenge style grille and the CC brakes, find a car that's been outfitted with them. Retrofitting is insanely expensive and likely a negative when it comes to resale. The Daytona seats look and sit better than the standard seats (IMO), and again, find a car that was equipped with them originally. The combination of these items isn't hard to find. In fact, MotorCars International has a red '07 with all these options (sans brakes) for sale now I believe. The '08s came with the CC brakes standard, so if you really want those, look at the '08s.
You're better off finding a 2006-8 with the rear carbon grill and CCM brakes than trying to refit them. Actually, the grill on the back requires an entire different rear bumper so I've been told it's more like 12 grand for the swap. 2008's had CCM standard. You're biggest option decision is whether you want an F-1 gearbox or manual. Personally, I like the F-1 (and it's the most popular sales wise) but others wouldn't dream of owning a paddle shifter. The F-1 option costed about 10 grand more when it was new. So, if your trying to find a 6 speed in the exact colors you want, expect it to take some time and require a bit of compromise. Shields are a nice addition and almost all have them. Electric seats are a big plus especially when getting in and out of the car. Daytona seats are popular and cost more than "standard". As far as I'm concerned stereo options are not important as it the GPS. But the back up sensors are helpful if you have to park it in a small space by yourself. There are 2 choices of wheels: the 5 spoke star and the challenge wheels. Challenge wheels are a bit more expensive. If they're ball polished, even more. The only real option when it comes to aesthetics are the interior carbon fibre options but that's just a matter of taste. The car isn't any lighter because of it. Some have non black dashs and steering wheels. Again, a matter of taste. If you're buying used, a lot of owners have swapped the exhaust with any number of aftermarket pipes. All sound great, including the originals. But, aftermarkets can get pretty loud if that is a concern to you. There are many, many other options such as leather vs altacera, color stitching on the seats and dash, carpeting vs leather behind the seats, the color of tach, and so on. All are not particulary important although I find the red tach a bit hard to read vs yellow. Lastly, if the previous owner has bought the extended Power warranty, it could be useful for someone who is buying a used car. Without question, get an inspection before you buy. If you buy the wrong car, expect your pocket book to drain rapidly. You're much better off buying "good" than "cheap". That doesn't mean there isn't a bargin out there. Just make sure a bargin is really a bargin.
Like the others, I advise finding a car with the options you want. There are plenty to choose from. The CC brakes add very little if anything to value of an early car, so adding them afterwards is a total waste of money. Dave
My 430 had the standard brakes, and I am a hard driver, never had a problem with them. You might want to ask yourself what options do you really need. I will be buying a used 430 coupe also within the next year, and I will be fine with one without either option you mentioned. Not sure where you are but if there is a dealer near you, I'd suggest going in a seeing what cars and what options appeal to you.
When I am ready to purchase my F430, I would be looking for one without CC brakes. It doesn't do much if you are driving in the street (non-track) plus it is very expensive to replace (rotor and brake pads).
So why did Ferrari make them standard? Is everything else on the Ferrari just to make money as well. I thought the CC brakes were a must have option, (and now Ferrari does too!) I love them over the standard brakes, but to each his own..
Not very many people ordered them. I didn't get them on my 430. At the time they would have added about 8% to the price of the car and it was an option that you would get little or no money back down the road when selling. Not to mention the extremely high cost of servicing. If you are cynical, you have to believe Ferrari made them "standard" with a big price increase of course just to pump up profits. Porsche offers them at half the price. You do the math. Finally, it's not as if Ferrari's steel brakes are crap. If I were in the market for a used 430, I'd consider them since I'd be getting them essentially for free but the mind boggling cost of replacement parts would still give me some pause. Dave
The CC brakes are only needed if you plan to track the car. I have standard brakes and they work great on the street and backroads. From what I have read the CC brakes need to warm up and do not work as good as regular brakes when cold. So if you come out of your garage and have to make a panic stop in the first few miles the regular brakes will probably stop faster. As for pads, the CC are about $1800/pair plus labor. A set of rotors and pads will cost over $40,000. You should only wear out the rotors if you track the car a lot.
agree on the CC brakes. I bought a slightly used '07 Coupe. it had CC's on them. They are tricky. Hard stopping is great, but anything else it almost wish i had regular. Other things I like that this car had. 1. Daytona Seats 2. Shields 3. Carbon Fibre Interior package 4. Carbon fibre rear Grille 5. Yellow tach and Yellow Brakes (good as my car is Pozzi Blue) 6. F-1 7. Stock wheels, exhaust, etc.
I am sure that Brembo has a fantastic steel brake upgrade for the 430. I am sure that they do. It will likely run in the neighborhood of 5k installed, maybe less. The other stuff you cannot add at anything close to a reasonable cost.
Does anyone have a picture of standard seats vs. daytona seats? I feel like almost every car advertises daytona seats to a point where I don't even know what standard seats look like.
I thought it is better to have CC brakes for the road and not the track. Odd logic perhaps on my side. If you drive hard and often on the track, the steel brakes would be a cheaper alternative from an ongoing maintenance perspective. I am sure there are cheaper upgrade alternatives (pads/rotors/fluid) than CC brakes if you are looking for ultimate braking. Sure the CC brake is lighter but are most drivers able to sense and make advantage of the 40lbs or so that is saved? Most race cars have steel brakes. if you only drive on the road and very rarely on the track, then the CC set up makes sense as it will last a long time and make less brake dust.
Standard seat pic. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/crop/200606/2006-ferrari-f430-28_460x0w.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.topspeed.com/cars/ferrari/2006-ferrari-f430-ar1742.html&usg=__wfWrefx4hV00JVK_5RboWSJEzPc=&h=429&w=460&sz=53&hl=en&start=11&tbnid=D6lMWvxEptkYbM:&tbnh=119&tbnw=128&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dferrari%2B430%2Bstandard%2Bseat%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den
Thankfully F430's seem to have been better optioned than the 360. Just from looking, it seems most have daytonas, where I find the opposite to be true with the 360. The challenge grill seems to be a little scarce on the pool of F430s. When you see the standard seats, you will know.
The big advantage of CC brakes is not the lack of dust or weight but the fact that they will not fade after repeated hard breaking during racing. This is why they are better if you plan to track the car.
True but this is definitely possible by upgrading the pads, rotors and fluid for steel brakes. Much cheaper too. CC is not the only option available
I agree with you. I upgraded the brakes on my 996TT to steel pads and rotors for $2K. They squealed like a stuck pig but they worked great. I thought we were discussing why you would want to pay $16K for CC brakes on the F430 as an option
