Need input on 430 as Daily Driver

I have one (07) but its not my daily. I give that job to the 7 series. The 430 is an animal and gets looks from all around. To be honest, I wouldn't/cant want to drive it everyday. Sometimes its a chore to take to certain places and I CANNOT drive it to work, I'm in the wrong business for that. The service has been minimal so far, but as a daily you will likely be replacing wear and tear items at quicker intervals. Although the 430 is probably the best maintenance car they make, excluding the 458 and Cali, it will cost you if something goes wrong. I bought mine from a dealer and extended the warranty. I would advise you to do the same. Depending if you want the F1 or 3 pedal will also be a major factor as a DD. The F1 system is more involved and will cost more to fix. I'll let you chime back in before I continue.

When you do come back just give myself and everyone else a little background info on where you stand with your current knowledge so that we don't tell you things you already know.

 

I just went through the same process of which car I wanted and in the end the F-Car won though my wife wanted the L-Car. I did buy from a well known dealer which made me feel better. But you could buy from a well reguarded FChatter and that should be great also.

I have an F1 and love it. The car is very comfortable to be in and drive. I plan on 3-5K a year on mine and like the above poster, cannot take it to work.

Maintenance is very resonable in my mind and even the F1 clutch is not that bad replacement wise (relatively) and can last a long time.

So far, I would say you can DD the car all you want. It is a mater more of how sensitive you are. I took mine to Walmart yesterday. So park very carefullly, people will gather around or drive and stop to take a pic.

Mine is out of warranty, but I have money to fix it as long as I don't blow up the motor all to pieces

It can be a DD if you want it to be, the car itself is not the limiting factor. Good luck and have fun. Get the car sooner rather than later since you will be asking yourself.....what was I waiting for?......Steve

 

I find that as exciting the 430 is, it is still incredible composed and a very willing DD. I would be more than willing to drive it every day in the summer where I am as long as the weather permits. I am in a 430 Scud now and that on the other hand, is something that I do not enjoy driving as a DD. So maybe my opinion is a bit biased because the Scud is a bit more extreme, but I have come from a normal 430 and it is indeed "tame" to drive everyday imo.

 

Good for you on the Scud. I figured I would rarely see the track and then the Scud would be really extreme as a street car. Hence the "normal" F430 F1 for me. I hope yours sees a lot of track time since that is where one can achieve nervana .........Steve

 

From your last message it seems like the 430 will work out for you. I wish I could be in your shoes and use it as a daily but the roads here in NJ are awful and thats the reason I 'don't want' to drive it everyday; of course I want to but the conditions are far from ideal.

Keep us posted on how your journey to the Fcar goes and you MUST post pics once you get it. The Lambo and the Ford GT are great choices as well and at this point you might want to drive them to really get a feel for them. The 3 cars are completely different. As far as beauty goes it makes perfect sense that you think the F car is prettier, it is, although that depends on who you ask.

The F1 is a solid system but they do occasionally have their quirks. I wouldn't say that the majority even call them horror stories because the problems happen so infrequently.

 

Imo terrible rear visibility and worry re door dings would be the 2 biggest impediment to DD.

 

Door dings and scraping on anything but the shallowest of driveway or parking ramps, yes. As for rear visibility, if it's anything like a 360, it's really not bad at all if you adjust your mirrors according to the SAE method. http://www.caranddriver.com/features/10q1/how_to_adjust_your_mirrors_to_avoid_blind_spots-feature
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Visibility and blind spots are the only complaints I have with my coupe. A spider would solve this problem. The rearward visibility at the sides is almost non existent.

 

When I'm home in Vegas I use my F430 spider as basically my only car. Of course, weather is pretty good in Vegas so it's pretty easy to drive it everyday. And, the dealer is nearby in case it needs anything. I think these are more factors in daily driving than anything else.

Maintenance for the car is very reasonable. I think it averages about $1400/year. Of course, tires and repair costs are high but Porsche isn't particularly cheap either.

I got a door ding in it one day and the dealer had a guy come over and remove it. It's impossible to see where it was now. I've pointed out the spot to people and they can't see it. I can't see it. I'm convinced door dings are just annoyances for the priviledge of parking where ever you want. But, they can be made invisible again. It just takes a little money.

The spider does have some blind spots if the roof is up. So, it does take a little patience to move in and out of traffic.

However, the car is incredibly easy to "putter around town in". It's easy to drive and comfortable. It has a kind of interesting split personality. If you go easy on it, it's not much different than any performance sedan. When you stand on the gas, it becomes a beast.

AC and heater functions are excellent. Seat comfort is also very good for a low slung sports car. These things are important if you plan to drive it everyday. Windshield wipers also work well.

F430's aren't great with potholes. If you drive where there's a lot of potholes, expect popped tires occasionally and a bit of a jarring ride. The rims are easy to damage from curb rash so you have to be careful when parking it. They also aren't great with ramps and inclines you'll see in parking garages. You have to be careful when driving in them.

They can be clutch eaters in traffic. But, it should last 20K miles and a clutch job will run about 5 grand.

Depreciation for higher mileage cars is a lot. That's also a factor in using it for a DD. And, they are not good on gas in the city.

But it's biggest downside I think is that it does attract attention. That's where the Porsche has it beat as a DD.

 

Well said......But I am such a shallow person that I love the attention so that is a + for me ......Steve

 

I drove everyday for over a decade a 328gts and later a Testarossa for another four years... The 430 can manage it piece of cake, hell, I even drive a Carrera 3.2 very often and that's real work.

 

Now that is one fine decade+.......Good for you......Why have these cars if not to drive them.........Steve

 

Not sure where you live, but where I am a 430 could not be used as a DD year round. Once the winter is over my Gallardo and my 997 become my DD's. I owned a 430 and it was one of my DD's when possible. Though today DD would be ice skates.

 

Do it! You will not regret it, and will make your morning commute into something you look forward to.

 

Your comment is leading me to believe you really need to test drive some cars and decide what you want. A 430 vs 599 vs 612 is all over the map- just because they are all ferrari's they are all different cars- a low go-cart sports car vs heavier but amazingly competient GT vs 2+2 GT. Why do you want a ferrari- what do you want to experience (performance/experience vs. long distance comfort) and are there other cars that can meet your standards that may be more applicable (bentley, benz)- are you getting this car just because you "want a Ferrari"?

With the amount of money these things cost, I recommend some deeper research on the individual models and when you are close to the decision point some seat time in the different models if you still haven't narrowed down what you want. For example, there is no way I'd compare a 458 to a 612- different cars. A 430 vs. lambo would be a closer comparison. If I were thinking of a 430 I wouldn't even consider a 612, and visa-versa.

 

Had 2 F430 spiders. They are easy to drive, reasonable running cost and highly recommended as a DD. The 599 and 612 are GT cars and offer a very different ride. Good luck!!

 

Moving this to a more existential realm, I think there are 3 questions here.

1) Can you afford it?
2) Is the 430 the right tool for the DD job?
3) Is it the right car for you?
--

1) You sound like you have the means to support the car, so we can dispatch that.

2) Call me biased, (ahem, note the name) but I think the 430 is one of the best Fcars for this task. As noted, it is good on maintenance and it is very drivable wild or mild. It's very 'well balanced' in those regards. -- I've never owned a Ford GT but I don't think it is a credible daily driver. Unless you like high maintenance cars where you drive with your butt somehow magically below the actual level of the tarmac. (or so it feels) A friend wanted a GT DD so he bought a ~$85K replica. It was a very nice car and a very good replica, but geeze, I could not drive it every day. He eventually sold it and bought a real one which is a garage queen. Don't know enough about the Lambo to be of help.

So we reach the real question, is it right for you?

3) I could not drive an fcar as a DD because I don't like "being on stage" constantly. If you like the stares then a 430 will scratch that itch. As someone else said, I don't freak about door dings in my cars. For a nominal amount of money they can be 'removed.' If you're comfortable in the car and you like seeing it every morning, then you're done.... Well except for the wife thing which I can't help you with. ;-)

 

I wasn't trying to imply that- hopefully my post didn't have that sort of tone!

It's a tough call to use a ferrari as a DD- we all have our own thoughts- for me I want it to be special weekend (i.e. non-commuting) drives on great roads! For me even if I had the means to get whatever fleet of cars I desired, I don't think I'd use a ferrari every day- I'd continue to have a seperate car (or cars ) for daily routines, but everyone is different with what they want.

One of my local ferrari collector friends drives a ferrari I'd guess over 90% of the time when it's not snowing, split amongst an Enzo, 599 GTO and 16M- proof that these cars can be driven every day that is for sure! Rarely do I see him driving one of his non-ferrari cars. (I think his enzo is over 12,000 miles, which is high miles for that sort of car especially considering he has always had 3 ferraris to choose from since I've know him- most enzos are probably below 2,000 miles!)

 

You really hit the nail on the head when mentioning your buddy with 3 F-Cars. An F-Car is a DD if you want it to be and really can afford it. That is you find the car comfortable to be in, do not mind attention, the cost of wear, tear and depreciation are considered normal and well within your personal budget. And you are not worried about saving the car for resale or for historical purposes. Heck the guy really drives his Enzo. He is my new hero.....Thanks for your post......Steve

 

I did not sell my 430 because I did not like it, my twins were two at the time and thought cars were things you hit with heavy toys, and dent wizard does not work on 430's. I have owned a great many cars over 135 in the last 12 years, and almost everyone has been moded (some more than others) in one way or another. I am a carnut not a Ferrari nut I like cars that can thrill me and over the years I've had as much fun behind the wheel of a moded miata as I have in a Ferrari. Many on this board do not share my opinions hence the repeated statement it's a Ferrari, or it has soul (LOL). I also believe AWD sports cars should have never been created, and have changed everyone I've ever owned to RWD including the Gallardo. I also unlike many on this board could care less about resale since I believe that if I do not to drive the car in stock form, why bother owning it, so my current cars being so moded, (my 997 spent 11 months apart and has very little of the stock car left) they are not worth much, but priceless to me. So goodluck in your search and if it were me I'd buy a ZR1 instead of a 430, love that torque.