Do differences between the various f430 model years make buying newer worth it?

I went with an 05 for the reasons you mention above. The car had 8400 miles which is low, but still driven, perfectly maintained and is new for all practical purposes.

I did not see the value of buying a newer car, when in the end they all depreciate and in a few years I expect that the gap in price between 05 and 09 will narrow a bunch.

For 40-50K more for the new one, it leaves me lots of cushion for upgrades and/or unexpected maintenance.

I also did not want the carbon brakes. And I will end up doing a full aftermarket exhaust.

Good luck in your search and ultimate purchase.....Steve

 

At first I was looking at the 05s and 06s due to the price. I ended up buying an 07 due to the low asking price and the car was exactly what I wanted: Rosso/tan 5k miles, F1, steel brakes, just perfect. The extra price for a newer car is not worth it IMO. You could pick up a '05 430 and a 355 for the price of an 09. The belts wont be a problem since they are non existent on the 430 and the hoses most likely wont be a problem either. As you stated the biggest change to the option list was the CCBs. I didnt want them due to the replacement cost, but I probably wouldn't have had to change them for as long as I owned the car.

Go with the 05, nobody will know what year it is driving by anyway.

 

Only thing I have read is to be careful of the springs that sometimes came on earlier cars? There were a few different spring rates available on F430's, if you drive hard your front end will bottom out if you happen to get one with the softer springs. I am sure there were a few recalls also, so make sure the car you choose has had the updates done.

 

The great majority of problems are pretty much fixed by the second model year, so I chose an '06 spider. Plus '06s basically had a warranty until the 430 went out of production, so all other issues, like exhaust brackets and such, should have been fixed under warranty. Just check the maintenance history. Mine had an issue with 2 corroded spark plugs, that have no idea what the heck that was all about, but was fixed. It also had the brackets fixed, and several other campaigns that didn't specify what they were. Just make sure a Ferrari dealer inspects the car, and they'll know if all applicable campaigns were done.

Oh, and the difference between an '05 and '09 is more than 50 grand buddy . Just bought my almost immaculate '06 spider with 8,800 miles and every option (except F1, since I wanted manual) for $139,500, and '08s are asking over 200 grand. So an '05 vs '09 should be like 75 grand difference. No way worth it, as you can still find '06s with less than 2K miles for 150K, but according to most, that few miles is not recommended on a car out of warranty. Good luck.

 

I did not know that I was your buddy, buddy . Anyway the OP was talking about coupes and if you take a look, the average price on an 09 coupe is $175-$185.

Scuds are now under 200K. If an 05 has been properly maintained and all campaigns done then I see no difference in reliability compared to later model years.......Steve

Just one example of many:
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u&car_id=282097184&dealer_id=100005638&car_year=2009&doors=&systime=&model=F430&search_lang=en&start_year=2009&body_style=COUPE&keywordsrep=&keywordsfyc=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&search_type=both&distance=0&min_price=&drive=&rdm=1297993342314&marketZipError=false&advanced=&fuel=&keywords_display=&lastBeginningStartYear=1981&end_year=2012&showZipError=n&make2=&certified=&engine=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&body_code=2&transmission=&default_sort=newsortbyprice_DESC&max_mileage=&address=50208&color=&sort_type=priceDESC&max_price=&awsp=false&make=FER&seller_type=b&num_records=100&cardist=1464&standard=false&rdpage=thumb

 

The price differences are all over the place. Its crazy actually. The really expensive 09s wont sell for over 200k because the guy with cash in hand will buy a 458 for not too much more, but he'll have to wait. The serious problem here is that some of the Scuds, as mentioned, are going for less than 200k. Not many people would choose a regular 08-09 430 over a Scud for the same money.

 

I've had an 05 since new. Almost no problems. The manifolds were replaced under warranty at about 12K miles with the new design. There were a number of TSBs mostly having to do with exhaust system. There was also one on the coils which could allow water in and foul the plugs (see post above). I'd have to check, but I think this one applied to 06s also.

In any event, any dealer can run the VIN and make sure everything is up to date. In the not too distant future, I'll have to replace the battery and maybe the accessory belts in a few years. The spark plugs are due at 30K. Other than that, annual service. Since 430s were more of an evolution of 360s they didn't really suffer much from new model bugs.

As mentioned above, the difference in value between 2005 and 2009 will diminish, so if depreciation is on your mind, an early car is a better deal. I've noted that prices for 05s have been pretty stable after taking a big dump in late 2008.

Obviously, I like my car a lot and if it had been troublesome, it would be gone.

Dave

 

I was actually thinking about posting a similar question. Are there any difference (exterior and interior) between a 05 and 09 coupe?

So if you park one next to the other? Anything?

Thanks!

 

Get the 06 no CBB for reasons mentioned above.

 

Unless one of the cars had the optional rear grille (late 07 I believe and the same as the scuds) which I think looks worse, you really cannot tell at all. The brakes can also be an indicator although the CCB were an option on earlier cars. But in terms of the body you really cannot tell.

 

I think the CCB's look cool, given how massive they are compared to the steel rotors/calipers, and on a base 430 (not scud or 16m) you can switch to steel if need be. That'll still be expensive, but no more expensive than replacing steel brakes with steel brakes in the first place, and in theory, with street driving and CCB's, you should never have to replace the CCBs I guess. I'm confused if that includes the pads too, as I don't see how the pads wouldn't still wear normally even if the rotors are ceremic?

So I wouldn't necessarily shy away from a F430 just b/d it has CCB. Am I correct in this? I will say that I have a massive problem with $8.5k per corner for a CCB brake job, as I don't like paying BMW 3 series money on new brakes.

Otherwise, I'm looking at 05/06 F430's since I see no tangible benefit to me of an 07-09 for $50k+ more. They look exactly the same inside and out, and performance is the same. My biggest problem is finding one exactly how I want it (F1, rossa corsa, yellow calipers, black interior with red stitching, daytona seats, carbon dash/wheel, and yellow tach). I'm flexible with the caliper/tach color, but rossa corsa with black seats and red stitching is a must, and that limits supply dramatically, and price is $150k+ ask for whats currently available.

 

I agree with the looks advantage. The CCBs fill the entire wheel and the larger rotor is very impressive. But the ceramic replacement cost is much higher than the steel.

 

I bought a Nov 07 build Dec 09 with CCBs. I was looking for one that was a little older but I wanted a traditional manual shift transmission with certain options so my choices were few.

I would look to buy a 05 or 06 model if I were you. CCBs were not on my must have list but I'm glad my car has them. I agree with MikeR re the looks of them.

I sounds like ELP got a great deal on his car.

In summary, go with a slightly older year model that is in good shape.

 

Because I track my car, I have replaced my steel brakes. A complete job with rotors and pads runs 3K or so at the dealer. The steel brakes work great and while CCBs will feel "grabbier" they don't stop any quicker. CCBs wear more slowly to be sure but they can be fragile and subject to damage. In the future as these cars gain miles, potential buyers will look at the CCBs and think 30K replacement bills. The cynic in me wonders if Ferrari intentionally made the CCBs much bigger than steel brakes just to get more people to sign up for the 15K option. I had heard that not as many buyers were opting for them as Ferrari had anticipated.

Dave

 

I'd agree with that but in time someone will have to foot the bill to replace CCB's and you'd want to have deep pockets.

 

In the future, hopefully, Mov'it will make replacement rotors and pads for the CCM brakes and those will last way, way longer than either steel or CCM parts. Mov'it rotors are solid carbon silicon carbide and will last nearly indefinitely and their pads have been demonstrated to last nearly 6 times longer than CCM and PCCB pads under racing conditions.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

After 2005, F430 have an upgraded F1 hydraulic pump and several other components. This is an important upgrade...

 

Juri- Affirmative, if you want to know what upgrades were made, most of them are in the parts manual by Assembly Number and sometimes by engine number or transmission number. Not too hard to go through the manual and document all the changes. Here is an example for the 575s.

Nashtyboy can then answer his own question, if he really GAS.

Taz
Terry Phillips
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Terry, thanks for the nice summary on 575s. Good info to have.

 

F1 software updates too

 

I purchased an '05 F430 Spider.... No issues and she's absolutely Gorgeous! Oh Yeah...and it looks just like later model F430's too!!! LOL

 

Great info here guys, very helpful with my deliberations.