Not sure you can truly appreciate how amazing the 458 is until you've lived through owning one of the previous models (e.g. 355, 360, 430). If you are gonna go 430, my vote would be get the Scuderia as opposed to just an F430. For me personally, I'd take a clean gated 360 over a 430 anyway (if those were my only two choices). Now if you can find a gated 430... maybe. The 360/430 is gonna be a bit more simple, analog "raw" feeling. The 458 has much nicer electronics and it's way more fun to drive and also to be able to configure the car and how it behaves. Just the ability to turn the exhaust note up or down is like having two cars in one almost. You can dial things down and it's enjoyable on long drives with your wife or girlfriend or you can turn the modes up and it's much more raw and powerful. Very precise handling also, although you probably wanna lower the front 15mm. The 458 Italia is arguably the best V8 model Ferrari has ever made in terms of a daily driver car that you can totally fall in love with. As someone else said, it's kinda comparing apples to oranges - so final word is test driving them both back to back. Each car has its own personality but the 458 is an awfully hard act to follow. Ray
I have not driven the 430. I have driven the 458. I own a 360 (I simply liked the styling of the 360 better than the 430-- personal taste). I have to agree with the idea that you really have to want the more modern digital, and electrical controls (automatic e-brake, electric glove box release button in the console, etc.) to go with a 458. It is an aesthetically beautiful body. But after driving one, I simply didn't feel the connection I have with my 360. So I got into my 360 and drove home some 200 miles from the dealer who had just offered me the test drive of the 458. In the first 25 miles on my way home I had dismissed any ideas of "trading up" to a 458. That was 4 years ago. You owe it to yourself to drive both the 430 and the 458 and then decide. Both are excellent cars and it just comes down to how each one makes you feel.
I'm gonna take another dip in the pool here... Something else I didn't see on your list is the ability and desire to personalize your car. I thought I would keep my car pretty much as-is, turns out, I really enjoy modifying it! If you like modifying your car, bear in mind, you're going to be spending 10's of thousands over and above your purchase. Getting an F430 gives you some room to do that, if you're at your limit with the 458, not so much. So I fell for my car the minute I saw it and had I done not a thing, expect I would still love it. It was drop dead gorgeous, drove totally next level and has an amazing interior. First pics are on the day I bought it. My initial plan was just to convert it, and change the exhaust out so that I got a louder, higher performing exhaust note. However, since I got it, I changed the wheels, seats, put in a fantastic sound system (in any car you buy the F430 sound system will probably be crap or broken) with a nice screen (love a good touchscreen), had it tuned for higher performance, valvetronic x-pipe exhaust with silencer, test pipes, shortened the shocks, LED and carbon fiber headlights, LED taillights, engine lighting, and more. And I did it all myself (meaning it was doable, I'm no expert) with the aid of this AMAZING forum. I have posts on all this stuff, I can send you links if you're interested. Arguably, you could say some of this stuff is 'included' with the newer model 458, but my point was that you can modernize if you like and have the budget. I did all these things not because I had to, the car was awesome when I got it, I just got the F430 fanatic fever. The cost of the car + the conversion to 6spd + all those mods (they're still coming) and I'm in for still at least $50-$100k less than the purchase price of the 458 (lot of variables here). If I stretched to a 458, I probably would have been freaking out every time I had to spend the few hundred dollars just buying the maintenance materials. As the regulars on this forum can tell you, I'm not shy about posting pics of my car and didn't want to bog down your thread, but the idea was to show how much enjoyment you can get from personalizing. Now, I REALLY love this car! This car is 16 years old with 40k miles? It's timeless. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
That is a gorgeous 430 Spyder you have there. No real plans to mod, at the most i'd do a titanium exhaust but other than that i think i'd keep either car mostly stock. I ended my mod bug with my S2000. That car had nearly 15k in mods and after i was done...i felt done. My Boxster GTS only has over axel pipes as my "mod" and i dont feel the need to do anything else. The sound system i do not feel the need to touch. If i want to cruise with music i'll jump in the Porsche, i specced it with the Burmester System and thats about as good as i really need. For me, the exhaust note of the Ferrari is already so sweet that i dont think i'll worry about wanting to listen to music. Now to everyone suggesting a 430 Scuderia....for some reason that one seems a bit harder to justify. From what i've read, a lot of people say it feels like a step above the 430, but for me if the decision was between the 458 and the 430 Scud, i'd lean a lot heavier towards the 458. I think it boils down to the fact that they are now the same price point and i'd want something thats more modern. But for the base 430 because it's 50-100k cheaper, it feels almost like stealing. As for looks, i do agree, i feel like mid-engine cars really should have side intakes. Its because of that that i actually think the 488 looks better than the 458, BUT NA engine is more important to me than looks, and i still think the 458 is a gorgeous car and i know 100% i'll get over the lack of side intakes if i were to get the car.
Thank you! You sure?....F430 fanatic fever is highly contagious... you can catch it just by being in contact with this forum. Sounds like you already have the first symptom...'I'm just gonna upgrade the exhaust....', coincidentally, that's how mine started! In any case, of note, as either Ferrari can have higher operating costs for maintenance and repair as well as mods, nice to have some money available so you don't have to sweat it if something comes up.
Yeah that is one of the reasons why the 430 is appealing to me. It's cheaper, by a lot. And while the question isnt really if i can afford either. It's more, the 430 would allow me to have it sooner, but also more readily have the funds to fix it if and when something goes wrong. With the 458, because it's more expensive, i have to make sure i have that extra bit of cash as a just in case. The 430 gets me into a Ferrari faster, but thats not always a good thing.
Yes it is, LOL sorry, I guess after 4 years this month, I'm still feverish guess I'm getting nostalgic, my car showed up the Friday after Thanksgiving, so 4 years this week. have loved every minute of it. seriously, good luck on your journey to whatever you end up behind the wheel of.
hahah so YOU'RE the little devil on my shoulder. This is part of why the decision is so hard. Getting into one sooner rather than later is SO appealing, but i also dont know if i would regret not getting the one with the higher redline and the DCT. Not that the 430 has a low redline at all, it would still be higher than my Porsche. Luckily i have a few years to really think about this lol
There is another relatively recent thread on here about someone who had a mint one and was concerned about putting miles on it which led to a whole bunch of posts about how you should live your life and enjoy it before you die. You can extrapolate from there. Personally, as everyone who knows me would tell you, 'wait' is not in my vocabulary, but that's just me. good luck with your resisting thing. signed - the devil.
Haha. I mean i totally get the live your life thing. If you ask any of my friends i'm basically the definition of that. BUT this is also quite a big purchase and made bigger due to the fact that it is a Ferrari. My GT4 after everything was actually almost the same price a a 458 (i did pay markup) so i know what i need to do for myself to make sure i'm not putting myself in a hole i cant crawl out of. That being said i also want to make sure i put myself in something that i know i wont just regret not getting the other one after a bit. Thats happened quite a few times in my car purchase history and when it comes to this price point, i'd like to avoid wasting money.
The redline argument might be just personal to you, but that's too small of a number to make a difference when driving normally. Unless you plan on redlining everywhere you go.
ok, since you replied to that last one, this is how I see it A) You wait, you get the 458, you're happy with it, all good, but you didn't have one for years until you did. If I didn't have my car for the last 4 years, when I did get it, the only thing I would have been saying was 'why didn't I get it sooner'. I'm 60 years old, don't know how many driving years I have left but I want to enjoy them all. If I was 40 with potentially many more years to enjoy, maybe not such a big deal. B) You get the F430 now, you like it, you learn it, you enjoy it, but you feel like the 458 is for you. You sell the F430, with any luck you at least break even, all the while you've been saving money, now you get the 458 and you know what it's like to have had them both and you either appreciate the 458 even more. And you got have a Ferrari all the while and enjoy it. You get the F430, it works for you, it's got that Ferrari factor that only Ferrari has, and you didn't have to wait, and you got to enjoy it all along. So..., this is how I would rationalize it and then I'd hunt for the one that's for me. Just some thoughts which have probably already run through your head. I think what adds a layer to it is that since you already have something you're enjoying, there's no rush. You could be in a worse position! Anyway, again, good luck!
I always wonder if I should've gotten a 308. I think it's more nostalgia though. I need to sit in and drive one to either cure me of that notion or fuel the desire to add one. I don't think you'll know if the 458 or the F430 is right for you until you sit in and drive both.
Ok honestly....this has been the most compelling argument for getting the 430 that i've seen so far. The 430 is within reach very soon. And you're right about possibly breaking even. This wouldnt be a daily driver and would live mostly in my garage seeing roads maybe a few times a month and only for those morning drives and definetly not during the wet rainy season. So realistically only seeing a few thousand miles a year if even that. I kinda forgot that i'm buying a used car, these cars just look so timeless. And again its a Ferrari not a Honda so its already depreciated and wont really depreciate much more. I am turning 40 next year so i do have quite a few driving years ahead of me so maybe thats why i probably dont feel as pressured to buy soon, however knowing i wouldnt lose too much even if i traded "up" for a 458 and being able to get that Ferrari experience while still saving....very very compelling. You are correct though, i LOVE my Porsche. The Boxster is easily one of the best cars i've owned and driven (GT4 was better but it turned out to be a lemon which is why i dont have it). So i do at least get to drive something that still gives me that wow factor every day. I definetly could be in a much worse position. That all being said, i think this argument is pushing me in the direction of the 430. I can get it within the next year or 2 (depending on the market and whether or not my wife and I decide to buy a new house) and it would mean i get to kick start my Ferrari journey and see if its really a brand i'd want to stick with. If it is and it catches me the same way Porsche caught me...then i can think about going up to a 458.
yes that is true. At the end of the day i will still do the responsible thing and make sure i get a test drive in both. its very possible i'll hate one or even both of the cars (doubt it but hey you never know), and better to find out on a test drive then after i've dropped 100k+.
There are some 458s sitting at 160k now, so it's around 45k difference.... I think the biggest difference is manual vs auto. I love manuals so I converted my F430, best thing ever. 458 is always going to be an automatic... and you always have that fear in your heart that if gearbox fail = top $$$$
Yes, but is that $160k 458 equivalent to a $90k F430? If so, there's a nice maintenance bill waiting for you with the car.
Well since you're almost 40 (had a feeling), you've got a long journey ahead which may have multiple Ferraris in it, should you join the Scuderia (stable in italian). Starting sooner just means more years that you got to have more Ferrari experiences. I am so blown away by my car, I am extremely tempted to say 'just get an F430, its an incredible car and no matter the outcome, you will not regret it', but, everyone obviously will not feel that way which is why I refrain from saying it. Especially after coming out of a Porsche, when I stepped into the Ferrari from my NSX for example, it was a VERY different experience. You definitely need to sit in and drive an F430, it is not like the Porsche, you may not like it! What spec are you looking for? Bear in mind if you are looking for something specific, some specs don't come around often and when you start looking does not equal when you find one. I follow BringATrailer regularly, for example, yellows are pretty unusual. I have yet to see another with my spec (Grigio Silverstone spider with cuoio interior and yellow calipers in an 08-09) in the 4 years since I've had it...
It's crippling indecisiveness. Good thing I don't have unlimited funds otherwise I'd have a Jay Leno's garage scenario but it wouldn't be filled with exotic collectables. It would be random thought cars like the A-team van, a 240Z I wanted to build, Morgan three wheeler, classic Honda CVCC and a bunch of other crap.
I asked a similar questions about 360 vs 458 here a month or so ago. Then I started actually checking out cars in real life. It's all personal opinion, and everyone's criteria is different. I though of other marques - take Camaro for example. Should I get a 1st gen? 2nd gen? 3rd gen? 4th gen? Latest one? Rare? Show car? Driver? Manual? Auto? Drag car? Rally car? Original? Restored? The list is endless. Which one better translates to which one do *I* want and lust after? I'm still looking for that perfect 360. Practically should I get a 430? Yes. Is a 430 "better" and more sorted? Yes. Is a 430 newer and has a chain? Yes. But shoot me, I just can't get over the 360. Go figure. Just like someone might really want a split bumper 70's Camaro. Why not a 1969? Why not a 3rd gen? Why not a new ZL1? They can all be had "around" the same price, just like a 360, 430, lower 458 can all be had "around" the same price. All depends on options, condition, etc. and what one wants. Happy Shopping! Buy what you want and be happy.
My spec isnt too specific. Mostly i'd want the F1 transmission but i wouldnt say no to a manual but i know they command a premium. Color is Red or Black as for me those are the colors that look the best on a Ferrari in my mind. Interior i'm honestly good with any color combination, they all look good. Of course anything that helps hold its value would be ideal, like Carbon Ceramics (were those even a thing on the 430?) and making sure i get the Scuderia badges and not the stickers. Dont really know what else i should be looking out for, but i'd also be looking around with a budget of 140,000$ if i were to get the 430 as it seems like i have the most choice around that price range. Honestly other than the badges and the color, those are kinda my only real must haves. I'm kinda going into it the same way i went into buying my S2000. I'm here for the engine and the chassis, everything else is secondary.
Focus on 2008+. Standard carbon brakes and lots of upgrades, especially to the F1 system. Not that the earlier cars are bad but might as well shoot for the newest and most sorted. Save $10k for up front deferred maintenance.
Well that at least gives you a lot of flexibility to focus on the quality and condition of what you're buying, that's good to answer your question, CCB's were standard on 08 and 09, option on 05-07. scuderia badges are the only thing the factory installed. if anyone has put stickers on, that was done later afaik. The scuderia badge requires the fender to be indented so that's done at the factory. as for what else to look out for, LOTS of threads on what to look for in an F430 purchase bear in mind, every F430 you drive is at least 15 years old, so driving experience will vary. if someone has maintained the suspension, vs not, they will drive quite differently. mine needed shocks when I got it, they were not working properly 2 had broken seals (I've had them redone since), and it drove quite differently after they were done. I would say don't form a judgement based on driving one car if at all possible.
good advice on the driving experience. Similar thing happened when i bought 2 of my S2000s. First one i bought was a 2004, suspension was on lowering springs and the transmission needed to be regressed. Second S2000 i bought was a 2005 with half the miles (56k vs 110k) with original suspension still in good condition. it was like a completley different car. Good to know about the CCBs, will probably focus on the 08 and 09 MY if i can. Question though. Is there an easy way to tell if the car has the CCB? On a Porsche if it has yellow calipers it means it has them, unsure if the yellow calipers mean the same for Ferrari.
