F430 coupe vs spider

At the risk of inviting hate mail from the Berlinetta owners, I personally think the look of the spider is a bit more striking than the coupe, but let's face it - they're both great looking cars (although if I had my druthers and the cash, a 430 Scud would most likely be my first pick).

I've had my spider for 3 years and never experienced a problem with the folding top. There are a fair number of 360 & 430 spiders running around here and to my knowledge, none have experienced a failure yet with their folding tops. That said, this is the first "convertible" that I've owned and I'm learning first hand just how uncomfortably hot South Carolina summers can be. Even with the A/C on and top down getting caught in stop in go traffic on a hot summer day can be brutal.

One somewhat minor nitpick with the spider is that the soft top can mar the paint where it rests on the rear deck. When I purchased my spider, it had what I assume was a factory applied clear film to protect the paint, but the film starting to yellow, and I had to have those surfaces repainted to fix the appearance before new protective film was installed. As a consequence, I actually store the car with the top down (which the owners manual specifically tells you not to do). I don't particularly like the look of the car with the soft top up. Image Unavailable, Please Login


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I've had my Spider for 3 years now! When the top is down, you really do get the full Ferrari experience! Those pipes, the looks! Wow....

 

This is my first brutally hot summer in Kansas City Missouri with my Ferrari spider. With the top up, the air conditioning on, and even in stop and go traffic, I find it does a great job keeping me cool.

 

Agree. The top is really well put together. Three layers, two of which are bonded together with rubber. Well insulated and surprisingly quiet for a soft top. We had one issue in four years of ownership. One of the two cover cylinders needed new seals. Not enough to deter me from the joy of top down driving.

 

I think I saw a YouTube video a while back where a 430 Spider owner was complaining about the top sometimes leaking water. Has anyone here had that problem? Personally, I haven't driven my 430 Spider in the rain or even washed it yet so I'm not sure.

 

I get a little water leakage around the top of both side windows when I wash it - nothing that can't be wiped away easily. Got caught out in the rain once and don't recall any noticeable leakage on that occasion.

 

I think the top mechanism is identical on 360 and 430, I've had mine for over 6 years with no major issues. Had to replace one of the hydraulic cylinders and a fin stretch cable, that's all. 360 was my first open top car, I'm a big fan of convertibles now.

 

I have owned my F430 spider for 1.5 years thus far. It has worked flawlessly.
My only complaint is that it is certainly a slow mechanism. It seems to take 20+ seconds for the whole top to fold up or to fold down.

As a couple of people have mentioned, the top can rub on the paint when it is in place. The best way to prevent the scuffing of paint is to, keep that area clean of debris and with a good coat of wax. When I got mine, it had some major scuffing where the top meets the body of the car by the engine bay - I polished it and apply some heavy wax - there is some slight scuffing, but NOTHING compared to what it had before.

I am not a convertible person, but I have to admit that, on the F430, the lines look very nice and the sound - well, it is certainly amplified.

Loooove it.

 

Hey Robby - I know this is taking for ever to get accomplished. We had 3 F430's out yesterday! Let's make it happen this week.

 

I have an F430 Spider that I bought in October of 2011 and a 458 Spider that I bought in May of 2013. This is my seventh summer with the F430 Spider, and the top operation has been flawless. Two years ago, I had Algar lubricate visible convertible top components when the car was in for routine fluid services. This year, while they had the car in for service, I asked them to check the top elastic bands as a precaution. Everything was in great shape. Based on my experience (I lower and raise the top each time I take the car out), I would have to say that it's a very reliable system. I prefer the appearance of the F430 Spider over that of the berlinetta, and also the open-top experience. I'm not a track-day guy. That being said, I much prefer the metal top and electrically-operated glass rear window of my 458 Spider, but that's a horse of a different color (actually not: they're both TdF blue!). Good luck with your search! Fred

 

I love my 430 Spider. There is so much more noise and experience than in the Berlinetta (I own a Berlinetta also). Berlinetta is a little bit more stiff and pure, for sure, but Spider is a well designed piece of kit - no wind buffeting, great roof (German made I believe), almost no wind noise when up. But that depends also on whether you are a convertible person, some people just don't enjoy them in which case the coupe is a better car.

 

+1 By the way, with the top up and windows closed, in oppressive heat and humidity, the F430 A/C is amazing! Fred

 

Most top problems seem to be related to weak elastics.... but replacing them is apparently a fairly easy fix.

 

Robby - thanks! I was originally going for a red 430, which probably would have been a better fit for me if I was a couple of decades younger. Saw the Grigio Silverstone with the red accents (Ferrari calls it "Nuovo Rosso" or New Red) on eBay and fell in love with it. I have to give credit to the original owner (I'm #4) - a red interior was pretty far removed from my thinking when I started shopping and I probably wouldn't have thought of the little details like the matching challenge wheels with the red center caps, but the combination seems to work well together.

 

I like that colour combo too. Here it is with top up.

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Nice. Some days I would take that over my Silverstone on Crema. Silverstone works really nicely on the 430.

 

I like your crema (oh man..... good thing I caught the silly spellcheck.... it changed Crema to cream)

Mine is a shtick too.... too bad yours isn’t LHD we could do swapsies.

 

Bruce,
I am looking at my first super car, the car I am looking at is your twin. 06 24K, daytona seats just like yours. plenty of clutch left. Purchase price a hair over 100k, delivered, what do you think?

Rick

 

Hey Rick, make sure it goes through a PPI. If you have maintenance records that is a really good thing. If the car does not need anything, then it is a good price. If it needs a bunch of work, then you should get it for less. The one you see with the top up is mine.

 

That's why in one picture the center caps were yellow and another they were red!