Would a high mileage f430 scare you? Just put a deposit on a car with 50k miles

Thanks! Have to check this out ASAP - help me sleep better and drive faster


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Thanks for sharing this!

I was more weary of buying a low mileage car than one that had been driven....you spend a lot up front and you STILL get bills for AGING parts, regardless of miles, it's the time on them.

Usually the ones with miles on them have had most things sorted out that aren't wear related issues.

 

Engine air filters? They're <$50 each w/ shipping for genuine Ferrari ones. https://www.amazon.com/Ferrari-F430-Air-Filter/dp/B00IZFM0G4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1548881957&sr=8-2&keywords=ferrari+f430+air+filter

Spark plugs are <$70 for 4. So not huge $ amounts if you are stuck replacing yourself. https://www.amazon.com/NGK-PMR8B-Laser-Platinum-Spark/dp/B00604WNGE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1548882316&sr=8-1&keywords=ferrari+f430+spark+plugs

So for roughly $250 and a few minutes time you're in business if you can't get the dealer to do it.

 

@goto35march Interesting situation you have going on, because I had a similar one with the new to me F430 that I purchased a couple of weeks ago. I did something that was completely out of character for me and purchased the F430 without a PPI, for a few personal reasons, but also because I had enough outside info to make me feel reasonably comfortable making the purchase. Part of that is; at the end of the day, there's only so much you can ask for in a "value" car.

At $75K, the Ferrari you're evaluating is one of the least expensive F430's in the country. It's a great deal for a DIY'er, or someone who wants into a F430 quickly and then work/pay on issues over time. Any car you purchase can be a gamble. There are plenty of $120K cars out there that are ticking time bombs, or that may be fraudulent (accident/flood cover up and not on Carfax). You can also have a 25k mile car that has been hard driven and never serviced or 50k mile cars that have been babied. Point is, there is rarely a "100% safe" choice.

If it helps any, I purchased mine for $89.9K plus tax with 25k miles. Interior looked great, clutch at 84%. Similar to yours had the tinted taillights and other minor mods that probably kept some (the purists) away. The day I was to fly over there to pick it up, like yours, they reported they had found leaky fuel pumps during final inspection. Dealer claimed to have replaced them, however, I was able to reach the mechanic at the shop (specializes in exotics) they outsource to (after the purchase was finalized) and he said they only sealed the leaks on both sides, but that the issue is fixed I shouldn't have anything to worry about; at least in the sense that I don't need to replace them at this time. We've gotten in there to look at it, and I've driven it over 1,000 miles in two weeks and no issues or resurgent leaks. Seems like an easy fix for now. We immediately went, and serviced the vehicle ourselves with new oil, oil filter, transmission fluid, spark plugs, air filters, etc. It is driving like new now.

Based on past experiences I feel that as long the car has not had too long of a gap between services, I would not fear high miles. That opinion is based on knowing the car wasn't heavily tracked though. Get your PPI, then look at the car, and see if you get the vibe the owner cared for it or whether it has been neglected.Do a gut check and then decide. Just always be prepared for the worst, and hope for the best.

Good luck either way, although nerve wrecking at times, this is an exciting experience!

 

I saw this post on FB. It caught my interest..
I have a 348 serie speciale with 64k miles on the clock.

I have every service record, I'm anal retentive about the maintenance... the only things needed for a full restoration are carpet and seat re-leather.

It's a consistent platinum winner.... the compression / leak down tests show it's basically a new car. Never tracked.

Yet the mileage screws me.

This car is a driven garage queen... if the proper maintenance is performed is the mileage really a factor except for the internet arm chair opinions?

I see cars at Concours ...and events that quite honestly look like complete s**t. Owners spraying them down with Meguiars instead of proper quartz coatings and gyeon prep?

Yep I'm biased but I'll take a higher mileage driven car as opposed to a never driven product.

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I mentioned this about 100 times in this forum and I guess I will have to do it another 100 times - this type of mileage is absolutely nothing for the F430. My Scud had 85 000km when I sold it and it still felt like a new car. And I don't mean just like a good car - the engine worked absolutely perfect and without using a single drop of oil. I am absolutely sure, that the F430's engine can take about 300 000km without a problem (if used normally of course).

A high mileage car is always the better choice - first you buy it cheaper, second - even if you put some miles on it, you will not lose much money and third - it was not sitting in the garage for years, which is always the worst thing that can happen to a car.

And of course the first think that I can think of is this widely known video:

 

Just had both of my pumps replaced due to leaking - age related (only 7200 miles). Do both pumps - cheaper and safer to just get it done at the same time.


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While I’ve never owned an F430 I’ve sure read a lot of these forums and the general consensus is to replace them both. Unless you know the other one is relatively new it would be the “safe” bet. I think it’s more to do with mowing you won’t have the other pump leak shortly after the other one is replaced. To my mind it seems logical to do them both at the same time so you know you have 2 new pumps that in theory will last and operate exactly the same.

 

Check the car out of good buy it. Mileage doesn’t mean anything. Care and records do... my car had 30k when i bought now 50k and just won platinino at FCA Concorso.. not bad but i bought low and had to put money into her.. one bad part cost me a lot of money. Car is sorted now and drives great. No matter what ppi says be prepared to spend money to sort out issues. Maybe 10-15k reserve. I bought my car low + what i have spent still doesn’t have me where most people I know bought Their car for.... so i have been able to drive with out fear of mileage and the associated depreciation. I have A blast in my 430 .. if it checks out, buy it!!

 

5k a year is a good reserve and that doesn’t include maintance ... i would go with no warranty and reserve that same amount per year. That is more than my average spend and i have done a clutch and full breaks along with a lot of other maintance.

 

When I bought my 2006 430 in 2016 I had to make a choice as to whether I would continue service at an authorized dealer being that the car had been out of warrantee for quite some time.
While I have no doubt that you can receive excellent service through a dealer I knew that I would be paying very high prices for fixes. I found a local qualified mechanic with all of the software necessary to maintain my car. He maintains quite a few Ferrari's, Lambo's, McLarens, etc. I figure that I have saved an enormous amount of money that I could never see returned on resale. My air conditioning compressor failed at 12,000 miles and my mechanic sent it to Georgia where it was rebuilt for $250. It works flawlessly. A new one would have cost a fortune. My of my eDiff hydraulic lines exploded last year and I was facing the prospect of buying a new hydraulic loom which would have been close to
7K. My mechanic found an engineering company in Florida that rebuilt the loom to a much better spec than the factory items for $1200 using the factory connectors with superior lines. There are numerous other things that I have done to my car that have ended up costing me less than servicing at an authorized dealer. This might matter to a someone who is a prospective buyer, but given the resale value of these cars at this point it just doesn't seem worth the price to see a Ferrari script at the top of the bill. Just my opinion. As I have dealt with each problem over the last two years, it has become apparent to me that buying a car with super low mileage might sound tantalizing but in my case the sedentary life of my 430 produced a car with a lot of problems that had to be sorted out due to being driven an average of a thousand miles a year. Low mileage and PPI's do not reveal all that could happen after buying a garage queen. As you sort out the few problems that pop up from time to time and accept the fact that there will be yearly maintenance, the joy of driving these cars becomes well worth it.
I ditched the factory headers, fixed the tail light's inherent problem with cracking at the connecting posts and I really don't spend any time worrying about going out for a drive as much as I want.

 

I don’t neccicarrily disagree with what you have said, however I’d like to point a few things out. There will come a time when you will wind up needing to send your car to an authorized repair shop. It’s a good idea, even though it does cost more to at least establish a relationship with the dealer for some service and parts. Will help you out down the road. Also in the case of the inspection the op has been advised to have would be the same inspection Ferrari requires to qualify for the power warranty. Probably the best indicator of what condition a car would be in and frankly could potentially save you a headache or at least give you a roadmap of repairs needed.

 

I actually have made the trip numerous times to an authorized Ferrari dealer with a great reputation with past Ferrari's. The dealer is 4 1/2 hours from me and on more than one occasion I returned after the service or the transport brought my car back with things not done that I asked or were forgotten. If this were a car that had a serious amount of value, your arguments all hold water, but since this is a Ferrari that is hardly worth 100K the extra trouble isn't worth it. I will never purchase a new Ferrari and I am very satisfied with the local shop here so what works for me probably isn't ideal for everyone. Your arguments have validity, of course so I am not arguing your points. Since there isn't a Ferrari dealer near by, my mechanic is able to get any parts necessary through his relationship with the various dealers throughout the region. There will be those that won't touch my ride even though it is totally sorted and runs beautifully because it doesn't have all of the receipts with a Ferrari dealer stamp at the top. I am cool with that.

 

I agree there are a lot of very good independant mechanics that are very capable, and if I had an F430 or older I know I’d probably have the bulk done at an Indi as well. I wanted to point out in my post that it still is a good idea to establish a relationship with a Ferrari dealer, which it appears you have, as well because there will likely be times you’ll need them.

It’s my opinion that with any car newer then an F430 ( a California, 458, 488 ect) you will likely need more service and hence a good relationship with a Ferrari dealer. But indi’s are becoming more and more knowledgeable with the newer breed of cars as well. Used to be only a Ferrari dealer could service the DCT but more and more independant shops are getting the training and tools to do that too, though none that I am aware near me.

But back to the point like Safe4now mentioned having the inspection done for the power warranty at a Ferrari dealer should catch anything of note needing attention. I forget what the cost is for the inspection but likely it’s cheap insurance at the least to know what’s going on and at best could save you from a purchase that will quickly drain you bank account and probably your soul.

 

Agreed.

 

Let us know what they told you after the inspection at Ferrari and how the results affect the possibility to get the Power warranty.

 

Excellent news!

S

 

If it makes you feel any better I just bought a 430 Scuderia with 25000klms that apparently had the power cube warranty option available but they could not provide me with any necessary paperwork to show me the Ferrari PPI. However being a European car it had all the necessary Ferrari stamps however none of the yearly maintenance stamps. But it seems to be the norm in Europe. The car inside and out is in immaculate condition and for a price of 164K swiss francs I am happy and have plenty in reserve for any unexpected problems. Although fingers are crossed just a little. Like everything life its a gamble. Some you win some you lose. Good luck and I hope it all works out for you.