Purchase Advise for First Time Ferrari F430

What are your intentions with it? Low mileage special event car or a driver? Are you viewing this as an investment or a fun purchase?

 

I bought my 2009 430 three years ago. It had spotty maintenance records, but only 12,000 miles on it. The car looked almost perfect. I looked closely at the engine oil, CCB’s and general appearance of the engine compartment and ended up buying the car that day. I didn’t have a PPI.

I’ve since done some internet research and called a Ferrari dealership and was able to get a few more maintenance records. I’ve done all the maintenance myself for the past three years so I knows it’s done right.

I wouldn’t worry about missing maintenance records if the car looks like it’s been taken care of.


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Unfortunately, this is a possibility no matter how well documented a car is, especially those with low mileage. Most of the issues that affect these cars are from them not being used.

My recommendation…If you plan on only keeping the car for a few years and enjoying it, get something with a bit higher mileage that was well cared for. I wouldn’t worry so much about service stamps as I would running condition and it being from a knowledgeable owner. Chances are there is little that can affect the value negatively and you might come out ahead when it’s time to sell. If you shoot for a low mileage example, you’re working against yourself in value if you plan to maintain and enjoy it. Also, keep in mind that an example that is being driven will have the most common items that break or go wrong already addressed. Low mileage examples might check out visually, but are one trip away from something that hasn’t been exercised being stressed too much.

 

How many miles are on the car?

I’d be most concerned with the clutch. I’m still on the original with almost 15,000 miles on the car now.

I’m thinking a new clutch is around $10,000ish.


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You are in the UK I believe so talk to Aldous at AV Engineering in Kent and then have him inspect the car if possible

It is not clear what records the car has from your description - is it the first six annual services and then nothing apart from the MOT tests each year ?

There's also lots of previous advice in this section for & from others looking at 430 buying

 

I bought a Ferrari that low-ish miles with full records and it was a basket case.

I bought another one that has zero records and has been basically perfect.

It’s really hard on your first one (since you have no experience), but I would assess condition of the car over records personally. Also get somebody else looking at it with you. Doesn’t necessarily have to be a ppi (though I would recommend this), could be somebody who has one or works on one to look and give you a second objective opinion.

 

clutch wear would be my biggest concern. also if it sat for long periods of time i would also be concerned. I echo getting something with higher mileage

 

I am having my 2008 F430 (first Ferrari, bought this past July) serviced for the first in conjunction with having it converted to a manual and learning that with an older car you just have to be prepared for lots of little stuff to pop up. I bought mine with 18,000 miles on it and now it has about 21,000. Clutch replacement looks to run about $5k in New Jersey. After 17 years, parts are going to wear and need replacement. I also avoided a super low mileage car as I felt it was better to have one that was driven regularly. Good luck!

 

I just had a PPI on a 2007 with 12000 miles. According to the mechanic the main issues that showed up are related to the car sitting. Also, lean on paperwork, no crystal ball, but we'll see.
I had the same anxiety over it. S*it the most I spent on a car was like $35k before this.
Best of luck!!!

 

I find that number very hard to believe unless you are doing the labor yourself. The parts alone are close to 5K and does not include some "while you are there" items.

 

I agree with Corey, I did all my own labor on my clutch and "while in there" stuff, and I was prob $7,000 in parts. Things have to be missing on a $5k job.

 

You are probably right, that was the number I got, but my car is already apart as it is in the process of being converted to a manual so the labor to do the install is much less than it would be specifically for the clutch. I don't have a specific number for the labor. Flywheel was in good shape on my car and did not require replacement, replaced parts were the clutch disc, pressure plate and release bearing.

 

You should expect the unexpected. You might use the car more frequently and drive it different than the prior owner, and it may take time to be dialed in. Budget several grand for miscellaneous items into your purchase price and befriend someone reliable that you trust to work on the car.

 

There are things that the best PPI and sue diligence will never catch. Last year while driving my daughter home from school a fuel pump crapped the bed. One second the car was running perfect, then boom, lean code and limp mode. If I would've sold the car an hour prior, the buyer would've been screaming at me that I ripped him off. Sht happens with these cars, but it's worth it

 

I'll share my experience. I bought a 2007 back in December 2021.

It looked good, and it was the exact spec 430 i would have ordered if i were buying new, so that sucked me in.

If I'm being honest, the seller/dealer of the car misrepresented. The clutch had 10% left, and while the dealer disclosed that it should have been the sign that the car wasn't cared for well and it was being dumped after all the fun was had. I tried using the history from car fax to call the places to get service record history but no one could provide anything.

I've put over $30k in repairs towards it:
stereo replacement (speakers had completely disintegrated)
new clutch
passenger door handle/cable
driver side window regulator
Tubi headers and exhaust bracket (driver side cracked)
side view mirrors
rear tail light (housings crack)

I still need to address all of the sticky buttons. It's annoying but it's part of the ownership process. Getting the exact spec you want makes the difference. Plus in my mind I'm paying it forward for the next owner, and I've established a multi-year history with the Ferrari dealership for peace of mind.

 

Low miles and missing services would scream clocked car to me so have it properly checked out.

The rest is due diligence and full PPI with nothing but an expert.

 

Plan on replacing engine + trans mounts, reinforcing tail lights, two new fuel pumps, valve cover gaskets and updating headers (oem challenge is an option) if not already done recently. I've been perfectly happy with my 2005.