Disadvantages to buying a former Ferrari NA demo?

So, I think mileage would be relevant and you didn't post that. I don't see the connection between having a 6 spd and not having been taken on the track. 6spds run well on the track; maybe just not as quickly as F1s.

I don't think this is an automatic pass, but you do need to have a careful PPI as it may have been driven harder than if it was a one-owner, lovingly cared-for car, and the price should be lower than market.

But some owners can also abuse their cars; only thing it can be more likely with multiple drivers in a demo model. It probably had more than its share of cold starts and low mileage runs where it may have been pushed harder under cold conditions than a single owner would do with their own car. So the worry would be engine and transmission wear out of proportion to the miles driven, even if otherwise fine mechanically.

 

First I have heard of an 09 with a stick. Vin#?

Dave

 

2009 manual 6 speed is a rare car. Do a thorough PPI and if the price is right .. buy it.

 

They show them at dealerships, let the magazines sample them.......I wouldn't think they were abused....

That will be the LAST manual Ferrari made, that alone would have me thinking about it....

Disregard anything a used car salesman says.......LOL!

 

your kidding, right?

magazines beat the holy crap out of fleet cars. I'd give the keys to my Ferrari to a 16 year old boy on steroids and Viagra before I gave it to a magazine editor.

 

How much of a discount are you getting? You could always have them throw in an extra year of full coverage warranty and use the excuse that if they're so confident in the car they shouldn't have a problem standing behind it with extra warranty. Probably a tough one regardless as others would have the same hang up when it came time to sell and they'd want a discount. Now that you've posted that VIN others can readily see it's got a history so it's a bit of an open book.

 

Hmm, I'd think the Press Fleet would be returned to the Factory to be crushed......

Maybe I was mistaken.....

The 458 Italia's that toured for intro were pretty pampered...that I saw anyway.....

 

+1 Pass

 

The first entry is late because it was not titled until readied for sale. You should also ask if the warranty began when the car was first sold 1/28/2010 or some earlier date. This is an interesting car and provided the price is competitive, I'd probably buy it. There is lots of warranty left in case some issue does crop up. 430s are solid cars and can take anything that can be dished out. My 05 has 19K trouble free miles with over 1K on tracks. There is also the possibility the factory tagged it as an exceptional runner and therefore wanted it to demo. That being said, I would take a hard look at the brakes and a compression and leak down test would be nice also.

Dave

 

Are you being sarcastic?

 

It may be that the car was just used by an FNA executive. I doubt they ever provided a true manual to the press as they always want the latest technology to be written up. I'm reminded of this by a story from the late 90s. There was a challenge race in Colorado in 1998. After everyone had cleared out, crews found a 550 that was left behind. Turns out, it was an FNA car that had been shipped out for executive use and didn't make it back on the transporter. Long story short, Ferrari of Denver ended up with the car and sold it. I guess the executive got a new 550. Anytime you buy a used car without personally knowing the previous owner, you take some risk. Like I said, get it checked out and if you like it, buy it.

Dave

 

It could have been a skid control car in Mont Tremblant.
They were using stick 430 until last year (switched to Scuderia this year)

 

As hardtop points out, not ALL the cars used by FNA get turned over to the scribes....

That was a great story Dave!

"Hey, did you get the 550?"

"No, I thought YOU got the 550!"

 

People don't buy the 6 speed to putt around......

 

I can't blame you for being skeptical. A lot of times dealers will change out lightly used tires just for appearance sake. I don't know about Ferrari, but Porsche's CPO program requires the tires still have at least 50% tread. The rears can be pretty close at 3K miles. Can't add much without more info but all I can say is if you are dead set on getting a late build with a stick, there are very few. Almost all the cars with sticks were 05-07. There were very few non scud models built in 2009MY period and most of those were spiders. Keep us updated and good luck.

Dave

 

This is my first post so I may not do it right but this particular thread was of interest to me. I have owned several cars beginning with a near new "73 246 GTS and now I own an '09 F430 6-speed, a previous Factory car. It had about 1600 miles when I bought (about a year ago) and, based on my previous Ferraris, this one is a 9.8 of 10. It has nearly every option the Factory offered ($26,000 in carbon fiber alone) It also had not been titled at the time of purchase. I insisted on a PPI and a full 3 year Factory Warranty to which the dealer complied at their expense which was a big dollar item.

It needed a clutch cylinder repair right off the truck which Ferrari took care of. Entire new clutch. The carbon brakes appear to not be completely broken in which led me to feel the car had not been tracked to any degree. I had a 575M with the F1 trans prior and I particularly desired the 6 speed and I just love it!

I won't say the price, sticker was $239K and I paid well south of $185k. Also the dealer was kind enough to provide a complete maintenance history.

 

Post looks good to me! Welcome!

Thanks for the insight.

CCF brakes do take some special break in/cool down handling, I didn't think about that...if steel system no worries....

 

They all have CCs beginning with the 08MY.

Dave

 

Have you had any difficulties with yours??