Newbie wants opinion on reliability plz!

anything newer than a 360... get chain driven (thats what the dealer recommended though)

depending on how much you drive you are looking at $500-$2000 in expenses a year.

 

The 360 is a good choice, but nothing will be inexpensive when it comes to service/maintenance (of course "inexpensive" is relative )

 

On the 360 timing belt and bearing changes are easy. Also, no need for valve adjustment since they have hydraulic lifters.

Anything else(suspension, brakes, exhaust, and other normal wear and tear items etc.) will cost you dearly)!

 

My estimate based on experience is that your average maintenance will be $5k a year. Including tires, oil, fluids, etc.

Clutch life on mine was about 20k miles. Not cheap. Clutch, some sensors and belt change was $10k. No complaints.

 

Spend some time here reading about your chosen models including the buyers guide at the top of the 360 section and you'll see whilst some folk have niggles in general most are happy

 

If you want the biggest bang for the buck with minimal maintenance costs, a well sorted and maintained 360 with a 6 speed is what you want.

Next step up I think would be an F430 F1 or 6 speed (but 6 speeds are hard to find).

I have a Maserati Cambio spider and had an F430 F1. The maintenance costs difference I've found to be about 30% to 50% more. My annual service on the Maser ran about $800 and on the Ferrari averaged about $1200.

 

There are many more nuances to buying a car than simply 'which year' - as you may not have read post 6 I'll make it easy for you http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=191837

 

All the Challenge Stradales are sadly, paddle shift.

And, your 'salesman" has forgotten the cam variator failures that destroyed many an engine in the early cars. A recall "fixed" the problem, but it is NOT unheard of to have a revised variator fail.

And destroy your engine.

OTOH they are great cars, a lot of them were totalled by drivers before they got the hang of the handling and power. Have fun!

 

I have had 7 3X8s ranging from 1977-94. The 328s were the cheapest to own.

I have a 2005 F430 with a stick that I bought new. It now has 20K on it. Annual maintenance by the book averages 700. Tires and brakes are extra. I track mine some, so this has been an expense. Still, a new set of rotors and pads cost about 3200. installed. Clutch wear does not read out in stick equipped cars, so I don't know how much wear it has. It does not show any signs of being worn however. I am very easy on clutches though. The exhaust manifolds and rear main seal were replaced under warranty. It has not needed any repairs in the last 3 years. I'm on my third set of tires. My cost for 6 years totals 11,774. including tires and brakes. If I didn't track it, it would by probably 4000-4500 less.

Dave

Dave

 

550 / 575 IMO.

I have a 575 M 6 speed and with out a doubt the most drama free Ferrari I own. You cant beat the torque and HP. The 360 is 100% more "eye candy" and the 575 is very understated.

 

PM sent.

 

I would typically recommend buying the newest model you can afford if you are concerned about maintenance. I know you might be worried about getting into a money pit but really if the car has been properly maintained you should be fine. Ferrari builds a reliable car.

 

I had a '95 6 speed Berlinetta and while I cannot say which is the best year I can say that my '95 was a great very reliable car.

I had a couple air leaks in some hoses and an issue with the stereo (probably not Ferraris fault since 355s came with speakers only) but other than that it was completely reliable. I put 34k miles on it in the 15 years I had it(pretty embarrassing). Be careful how you charge it because if you nuke a battery the passenger side front wheel has to come off.

I could be mistaken but I believe the '95 had more power than all of the other years of the car.

Is the dash top problem you are referring to pealing leather?

 

500-2000 a year just for gas...