CS Reliability

i drove my strads 4-5 days a week [rarely on weekends[ and they just go and provide profound pleasure, these are superb rigs. now i drive my scud to work and howling over the canyons 4-5 days a week, the only difference more torque, grip and amusement,
you cant go wrong with a strad, trust me you got it nailed

 

I've had my CS 2 years and its been bullet proof. I drive it regularly. It sees the track, errands, trips, etc.

A few months ago I did a drive over to LA for the weekend and the sport seats were great for the trip.

Buy it and drive it! It never ceases to put a smile on my face.

 

how many miles/pad life, pad cost, etc. Has anyone here ever replaced an entire brake system on a CS?[/QUOTE]

I have my CS since Jan '06 with 1600 miles and will soon turn 12k miles. It's been tracked a few times a year, there's no problems so far but the brake pads are being replaced at the cost of $2000 for front axles and another $2000 for rear axles and just for pads without labor. Nevertheless the rotors still look great. I have been really happy with my CS.

 

I only know a few things (there are several threads on this forum, so do a search for CCM or whatever):

- I got my car with 13.7k miles and the brake rotors SD report read 14% used.
- I serviced it recently at 15.7k miles and the brake rotors SD report read 15% used.
- The visual inspections both times said they are in great shape.
- Pads did not wear even 1mm in the 2k miles and, at age 8, still have years to go...
- During the one year I've had it I put those 2k miles on it and tracked it for several 20-minute sessions. I was afraid the heat cycles would build up, but as it turns out, not so much.

So, I conclude 2 things about the CCM brakes on the CS (and all ferrari CCM brakes btw):
- The last a long time.
- They cost a lot to replace (rotors and pads are ~$36k. - there are rumors that one can use "generic" parts that are from the same supplier but intended for Corvettes and cut that cost significantly).


That said, I have not seen the "math" to even conclude if the CCM costs more or less than steel over their "life". Either way, as long as you check the heat cycle report in the SD and have them visually inspected during the PPI, you won't likely have to worry about them.

 

I "get" your concern about an exotic car breaking and getting stuck with a "huge" repair bill. Its a legitimate concern and it does happen (there are stories in all of the forums here and I've seen a few $20-$30k repair bills on a few cars that I've evaluated over the past couple of years). That said, there are only a few of those stories and the vast, vast majority of us (hold on, gotta go knock some wood) only have required services and replacement of wear items.

I have not seen anything in my (admittedly limited) experience to suggest any of the post 1998 Ferrari's have a unique issue to a specific model that is a "major" problem (yes there are header issues and engine mount issues and a few other things that some of the models have in relative frequency - I would generally call those "minor" (like the engine mounts on 550) or "infrequent" (like the spider roof issues that are major but infrequent).

With that said, IMHO the things you can do to minimize the risk of a major break and repair are:

- Read everything you can find here
- Post a thread like this to surface a bit more info
- Get a PPI
- Research the target car's history of repairs
- Buy one that has been driven a bit and was not a museum piece
- Ensure the required maint is performed by a quality technician on schedule

That's all you can do (perhaps others will chime in with some things I didn't think of this morning).

I did the research, evaluated several cars, had PPi done on 3 and finally bought my CS last year. I love it and wish I had gotten one years ago. I suspect you will feel the same way when you get one. If the risk of breakage (as now described about as fully as you are going to get) bothers you too much, then get a Porsche. If, OTOH, you can accept that risk and let yourself splurge and enjoy, then you will get to enjoy one of the great modern sports cars.

Let us know how your search turns out.

 

My late model CS has been perfect, a few thousand miles owned her for over a year and no issues.

 

My CS had 15K miles on and driven regularly. I wanted a 1000-4000 mile car and essentially reconciled myself to a F430. Man, am I glad I got a CS! My car had a known history on this site (Known to stokpro and NNO) and fully documented on all the service, all the check engine lights, every spark plug changed and the date plus any gasket changes or oil changes. I even had the brake and clutch life measurements over the entire life of the car. These cars exist and you only need to find one.

 

it depends on what you do with it....
as soon as i bought it, i tracked it rather hard at imola and mugello. tires gone. brakes damaged at mugello, so fronts had to be replaced - not cheap.

while it was in there for that, i applied my track insurance and had the front bumper repainted, and a couple other small things done to bring it back to perfect.

then i did the mille in it, and had forgotten to put the clear plastic on the front bumper and it got all pitted again. but thats just road rash. everything else held up fine.

regular services before and after all of these hijinks.

so, its a tough car, provided you do the servicing especially after tracking. but when things go wrong they get very expensive very fast.

its one of my all time favorite cars, but i dont think i would drive it every day. the noise, the harsh ride, the difficulty of entry and exit, the attention, the speed bumps, the parking hassle....just not worth it.

 

Stop 'getting ready to get ready'. Step up and get the CS. You will love it.

 

This is EXCELLENT NEWS!!!

I may need a ride (in a CS) from the airport when I fly back to Phoenix in June.

 

If you care about gas mileage (as mentioned above), Ferrari is not the way to go.

The 430 is a comfortable car for an exotic and starts whenever you push the button, but it is an event to drive it. I wouldn't want it as my only car simply because sometimes you want to go somewhere without everyone pointing and taking pictures (YMMV depending on where you live). Also like someone mentioned above, you'll probably want to park it in places where it won't get dinged, so that could cut some places out.

Once you get one, I think your ideas about how often and where you'll use it will change. There's just no way to predict how you'll actually feel about the car once you get it. Starting it up and driving it somewhere is an event that I don't think you'll want to make mundane by doing it every day. I drive mine about twice a week when the weather is nice, which seems plenty to keep it running happily, and allows for maximum enjoyment while keeping it clean for long stretches .