I am in Hong Kong in the market for a F430.. any advice from anyone appreciated!

There may not be a buyers guide but there are several very lengthy threads answering the same question - try a search on '430 buying' and just spend time looking and going where the threads suggest

 

You should post this in the Asia section. A lot of HK people look there.

If fact I think there's a get together this weekend of Fchatters.

Good luck in the search!

 

The official dealer is Italian Motors; they are in Ap Lei Chau, Shatin and soon Repulse Bay.

Other places (non officia but generally have cars in good shape) are the Automall in the car park next to the Grand Hyatt and then KITEC in Kowloon Bay.

Send me a PM and we can chat.

Welcome to Hong Kong!

regards

Mark

 

the pre-owned list from dealer fyr

http://www.dealer.ferrari.com/italianmotors/pre-owned.php

 

Is it better to get a used one from Italian Motors as opposed to ones in the automall or other dealers on 28car for example? Thanks!

 

Yes I live here. This is my first Ferrari - I have been (and I still am) a Porsche man so Jebsen is my 'usual' main dealer.

I bought from a non-IMSS source after weeks of careful selection. Nevertheless, my car is now fully serviced/worked on by IMSS. Kevin Mountford and Kevin Koo at IMSS in ALC are excellent.

I was not sure what to get - I looked at the California, the 430, the 599 and eventually settled on the last 360 Spider sold in HK (in Jan 2005). I wanted to get a 'feel' for Ferrari before I set upon putting down some real money for a newer one!

More than happy to chat about it.

Mark

 

Welcome to hk. Stick with IMSS. They have a good selection of trade in cars that would be able to choose from. They also run a premium used car dealer next to the ap lei chau showroom. All premium cars so youll be bound to find something that fits.

I opted for a coupe as I'll drive it everyday to work. The summers in hk are brutal, and you'll only get a handful of days to drive it top down in the winter. Guess thats why i think the 458 spider will sell well in hk.

 

More than a handful. October to May are the Spider months and the nighttime even during the hot months is quite ok.

IMSS is a safe choice. You will pay 10% or more over outside price. They will also put the warranty on most cars which is basically you paying 50k upfront for coverage that you are highly unlikely to claim against. But they have the best cars and you have a much higher level of comfort on history.

For me I usually buy used cars from friends directly

 

I prefer spiders - have had 5 in hk so far. I manage to get 9-10 months a year with the top down but that's just me. Even in "wintertime" the weather often warms up to perfect convertible weather, like today. If you have to pass through tunnels regularly, all the more reason.

Buy from IMSS if you've only just arrived HK. There are some good cars at non-IMSS dealers, and there are some awful cars out there. Pay the slight premium at IMSS for a bit more peace of mind. I've only bought 2 cars from IMSS and sold a few cars through them; like DM18, I prefer private deals. DM18, however, is playing in a completely different league of cars!

 

The last 3 cars that I have purchased have all been spiders - 355 Spider stick, 964 Speedster and 458 Spider. I find that I tend not too use sports cars much in the heavy rain in any event so Spiders are simply more fun. Speedster is a real challenge as putting the top up is such a pain in the azz that it might as well not have a top at all. It is in the same usage category as my Cobra - 100% certain no rain!!!

 

I put the top down whenever possible and I generally find at least one or twice a month that I get to do it. It's really not as bad as what some others might put it. Enjoy your spider.