Nearest dealer is 500 miles - should i buy?

Mine goes in once a year, and that's it.

 

Read the buyers guide at the top of this section if you haven't already then spend ages looking for promising looking threads - yours is a regular question so there are many similar with lengthy answers

By posting in the local section lower down you may find there is a respected independent nearer to you that someone recommends for service

 

I weighed this decision myself. The nearest dealer is a 5-6 hour drive for me. I can do a lot of my own work so I wasn't too worried. I do have and independent shop an hour away just in case. I bought a 2007 F430 with no regrets.

 

Your service for a well cared for car will be once a year..

If I was that far away from a full service place...
I would install a lift
I would get proficient at taking pictures and making threads that help others help you.
I would buy a boroscope and an SD2 reader
I would buy a gated manual car
It would be a coupe

The number of times you would need to flatbed your car to the repair place would be very small if non-existant IMO (if you get a good car and care for it)

 

My nearest dealer is about a 2 1/2 hour drive. But I don't plan to visit him with my 360 until I need a new clutch many years from now or unless something I can't fix comes up. That's a real possibility, but not a forgone conclusion. Doing an annual service, if your car is working OK, is pretty simple.

If you don't like doing your own work, look around for a good mechanic with whom you can work. Belt changes on the 360, for example, aren't rocket science since even ordinary hobby mechanics can do them. I haven't done mine yet, but I've done them on similar cars and it isn't beyond my capabilities. Belt changes certainly arent beyond a good professional mechanic who doesn't say "huh" when you say "millimeter".

The data and procedures for fixing a great many problems are readily available and much of 360/430 systems are just ordinary car things except the replacement parts are more expensive; i.e. ordinary mechanics can fix a lot of what goes wrong with a Ferrari.

However, there are some things you really need a dealer for, especially if you are in deed of fancy diagnostics. But, you already know that it's not impossible for you to get your car to a dealer if absolutely necessary.

If I were 500 miles from a dealer I would STRONGLY consider a manual transmission coupe. Many many problems on this forum are related to the F-1 transmission or the convertible top. Both of these systems are complex, a bit mysterious, and often expensive to put right. In addition, F-1 transmission or convertible top problems are two areas where a non-Ferrari mechanic could very well hit a brick wall.

My car has never failed to shift properly and I've never been caught in the rain with a top which wouldn't close because my car is a manual coupe.

I'd say find a well sorted, three pedal, coupe and when you do, buy it and enjoy the heck out of it.

 

I believe that the most important part of belt changes involve setting the tension and the dealers use a device that measures the sound frequency of the belt when "twanged". You can buy these devices if you do it yourself.
Alan

 

Jeffrey- You do not need a dealer, but you do need a good Ferrari technician. Nearest dealer to me is about the same distance as yours, but there are two excellent techs here in town who watch over my Ferrari. If you are in Bozeman, Missoula, Billings or one of the larger towns, odds are good you can find someone.

 

Go for it, good excuse for a great road trip once a year.

 

Find an independent even two hours away. I use an independent and I have 3 dealers nearby.

 

As others have said, find an independent shop that is close to you. I would stick to a 430 manual (3 pedal) coupe for a car with the least maintenance.
If you are mechanically inclined, you may never need to bring it into a shop if you decide on the above described 430.
If you must have paddle shifting, and a convertible, or do not have an independent shop near you, I have to recommend getting a Porsche instead.

 

Why is it that Lamborghini does not have these horrid transmission problems that one hears about on the F1?

 

They do. Go find a Lamborghini site.

 

Many years agoI owned two Ferrari autos (246 and 308)simultaneously with the same situation of lack of a dealership within a reasonable radius. Scout your area and as others have stated most repairs can be had by an independent shop or a high end shop as Porsche. Only on one occasion did the 246 ever need transport,the 308 never did. By the time the 512 BBi and the Testa came along the situation changed to the same distant dealerships and a fairly local crooked dealership. That was until scouting to my surprise I found an Alfa shop not too far away that was owned by X-F1 Ferrari mechanic that spoke for the most part very little English and was of Italian ancestry. Now many years later we have a great Ferrari dealership closeby. So it depends on your love of Ferrari cars, how type A your personality is, your automotive skills and of course your pocket book.
Docf

 

As TAZ said, they do have problems. That and the manual guys are very vocal about their choice where the F1 guys are happy with it and don't feel the need to justify that choice.

 

That's a good one.

All 3 guys that made up Lamborghini Technical Services were friends.

Na, never a problem.

 

I also had your reservations, I am 8 hours from a dealer. I initially thought I would get 430 three pedal because of all the discussion on this forum, but could not find the one I wanted. Bought a scud three years ago and have had no problems. I would suggest buying a scud, you will love it.

 

You don't need a dealer if you have a good independent shop. Surely there must be someone closer than 500 miles or do you really live that far from a major area?

 

Why would you bother going to a dealer ? So you can pay twice, three times the price that a qualified X Ferrari mechanic will charge you ? It's not likely they are under factory warranty

Find a local mechanic who has experience in red cars .. They are everywhere

I have a qualified mechanic who worked for Ferrari for +20 years and even had a stint with F1 who is very competent. He even does all the work at my house ...easy

 

My nearest dealer is about 4 hours away and I take my car there that is under warranty but for my out of warranty Ferraris I have a great ferrari familiar mechanic right around the corner .. I suspect you do also . Sometimes german car mechanics tend to be familiar with Italian cars ... problem at an independent shop..
In any case not much of a worry for me but I had to think long and hard before the first one after that I figured out they are just cars and there will likely be someone around to work on it.. just find a guy at a local car show with a ferrari and he will know....
Best of luck

 

Any decent tech could do the basics I would think. Not all Ferrari techs are that crash hot either.
I also live 2 1/2 hours away but use that as a chance to go for decent drive.

Go for it. You only live once.