obbob

I currently have a 458 Speciale and a 991.1 GT3.

I would say the standard 458 is a mroe exotic experience than driving the GT3. However, I would say they are both very engaging cars to drive. The 458 is looser, more dramatic, and more playful.

Reliability wise, the 458 generation is actually very strong. I rarely hear complaints on the forums. The big risk item is the transmission on the earlier cars, but that is extremely rare (don't equate it to the 991.1 GT3 finger follower issue...it's far less frequent than that). You can get a New Power warranty which will cover this problem. If you really want a warranty, then buying the car from a franchised Ferrari dealer is advantageous since they often throw in the warranty into the deal at a heavy discount.
I would say the biggest reliability problem that you will likely face with Ferrari are battery problems. If you don't have a place to put it on a tender, you better be driving that car regularly, or risk many a flat battery.

Anecdotally, my 458 Speciale has been the most reliable car I've ever owned outside of the Toyota and Lexus cars.

One thing to keep in mind though, be prepared to get alot more attention driving the Ferrari. Usually only car enthusiasts will be attracted to a GT3, but a 458 is going to get every random guy walking up to you at a gas station, or trying to converse with you if your windows/top are down at a red light.

Best of luck!

Perimeter

+1, this man Bob speaks with the voice of experience
Two electrical nuances about Ferrari:
1) Once you fire up the engine ALWAYS allow your Ferrari to complete all startup procedures before driving off. It can throw nuisance codes
2) Always keep your car on a battery maintainer

Get this - Ferrari battery maintainers are actually Ferrari stickers slapped on two (2) generation old CTEKs with
(,,,wait for it...) A PROPRIETARY FERRARI ONLY PLUG. CTEK will not even sell this old model to the public, but they will dump them on Ferrari owners, and I'm here to say that you deserve better.

Forget the fact it is old technology at a high price $300+ this sucker it is only pumping out 0.8amps DC into the battery with no conditioning cycles. (No Bueno for $300+)

I setup a production run of dongles that span the Ferrari proprietary plug to a standard CTEK connection and you can use a far better, modern CTEK battery maintainer with 8 stages of battery conditioning including desulphation and maintenance cycles. When new ones come to market, you are instantly upgradeable

Let me know if you have any difficulty in this area, glad to help.

ForeverCar

I have sort of gone the opposite direction. I had a 996 Turbo X50 coupe and a 997.1 Turbo coupe (both 6-speed manual) before getting seduced by Ferrari. The original plan was ordering a 488 GTB. While waiting for the 488 (it took about 8 months), I bought a 458 Italia (2 months, drove 3k miles) then a new F12 (6 months, almost 8k miles). I don’t have a 991.2 GT3 yet so I don’t have direct experience. I can share some of my experiences and thinking. I have a 991.2 GT3 touring and a 991.2 GT3 RS coming. I’ve been driving a 718 Cayman S 6-speed manual for 6 months and will have a 991.2 C2 GTS coupe 7-speed manual (probably 6 months before the GT3s show up) while I wait for the GT3s.

I can confirm that the 458 AC is worth trying and the F12 is something else (I have a soft spot for Ferrari V12s). Of course, the V12 (non-LE) depreciation was painful, but the sound alone made it all worth it to me. I can also confirmed the Ferrari games are at another level. It’s something to consider if you get addicted to Ferrari.

I drove my 458 Italia daily while I had it. The only issue I had was a license plate light. The bumpy road suspension setting makes it something I don’t find harsh. The V8 scream is intense and amazing! The car is tune to be very dramatic though. I prefer to keep rpm high so I drive in manual mode. The throttle is so sensitive that it almost can react to your thought (of course, exaggerated). But it makes driving smooth a bit tough (auto mode shifts into 4th gear or higher quickly and smooth driving is no problem). The sound and the engine are worth experiencing for sure. I don’t expect my incoming GT3s (touring or RS) to have that level of intensity or drama (I don’t know if anyone does it as good as Ferrari). If you are looking for emotional intensity and don’t mind the attention it draws, it’s hard to beat going the Ferrari route. If possible, owning a Ferrari is definitely worth it for life-long car enthusiasts. It was a very expensive exercise for me but I don’t regret it at all. I just found Porsches to align with what I’m looking for more (have manual, a bit more understated).

I hope this is helpful.

Carlos993

Like some of the posters above, I have both a 458 Speciale and some recent Porsche GT cars. Long time owner of both brands.

The last few cars, I have actually had less issues with the F car than the Porsches. In fact, the 458 Speciale has had zero issues - amazing actually - the Porsches have all had 1 or 2 minor problems. The Ferrari, however, does feel somehow more "fragile". Nevertheless, each drive is an occasion in the Speciale.

Ferrari 12s are are an experience, just make sure your entry point is right.

Perimeter

Almost, but I know what you mean.
The Ferrari factory cars since 2013 all come with a 7 year free maintenance package.
Warranty is only 3 years

So, everytime from year 4 on, when you go in for free maintenance if they find anything, then it is on you

strettyend

Have been considering trading in for a 458 as well but every time I drive the GT3 it feels so solid and the driving experience has never left me wanting. May revisit in the Spring...

rave426

I'll be in that car in the next few months. Looking forward to it!

rave426

Yea I can agree on that. The Scud is pretty damn raw in comparison to the 458. Both are incredible vehicles.

Airbag997

This is spot on. I am surprised so many people prefer the 458. The front-end is too darty and light. Feels like you're in a permanent wheelie. As good as the engine sounds, I found it to be undramatic on the way to redline. Sounds good, but sounds muted. Doesn't get progressively angrier on the way up to redline, it's a very flat ride to 9k vs GT3. Interior quality, at least from materials perspective, is inferior to materials and fit and finish in a Porsche. Controls feel flimsy, and the LCD screen has the resolution of my iPhone 3.

robmypro

Sam, you can't go wrong with a 458, but I wouldn't be kissing off Porsche either. On this forum a lot of negatives get brought to the surface. Not that that is bad, but it can distort your feelings about the brand. I personally focus on the products, and ignore the dealer and ADM side of things. All great highly desirable products come with games. Porsche makes great products, and they are an excellent value. So personally I would not make any decision about a brand based on anything negative you read here, or about dealer issues, ADM, which dealer screwed who, etc. I would, however, encourage you to look at Ferrari, McLaren and Lamborghini on the basis that they make very cool cars. Go drive them all, and then decide which one floats your boat. Variety is great, so maybe sell the GT3 and try something else for a while. I have thought about selling the GT3 at some point, and going 458 as well. NA baby! I think the experience itself would be rewarding, and if I did come back to Porsche after that, I would have a greater appreciation for the brand. McLaren makes cool cars too. So you can look at this as the point in your life where you are trying out different brands to see where your sweet spot is. Fun times!

But I would just not make any decision based on anything negative you have read here, which is voluminous. Great cars are hard to get. That is just the way it is.

Good luck! Let us know what you test drive. Pictures!

sampelligrino

The attention part will be interesting as I tell myself I won't mind even though I'm an understated guy, but I also unapologetically go after what I want! I appreciate your input, again didn't know about the potential battery issues and I currently rent an apartment in LA where my cars are parked underground, aka no easy access to setup trickle charger. I drive my cars very often but do have to leave 1 week every month or two for work, I couldn't just disconnect the battery when traveling?

Hmmm see this is good stuff. Didn't know about the battery, and that's maybe a + for Porsche

Very helpful, won't mind the attention it draws (nor necessarily welcome it) and the emotional intensity sounds fun especially for a non-daily car, otherwise why are we driving these things! Thinking of just trying the brand once and see where it goes from there. I am a PDK guy and also like how understated the GT3 is, but find the 458 to be much more beautiful to my eyes.

The UI of the LCD though is cool! I am willing to bet the GT3 will "drive" better as it is hard to beat the driving feel of a 911, and I watched some YouTube videos recently of reviewers mentioning the same thing about the 458 feeling a little light/dangerous/need to pay attention/keeps you on your toes. Also I believe you are right in terms of interior, I've even researched the "sticky buttons" issue prevalent in Ferraris which has me scratching my head. But the looks/noise/emotion of the 458.... Losing bluetooth streaming/the interior build quality/how the car is put the key in and go/maybe peace of mind driving the GT3 will be missed, and I'm not overlooking that either

Would you look at this!! But also would consider Silverstone, Titanio, even maybe TDF Blue/Blu Pozzi if those are all colors available to the 458





I'm still in research mode and won't pull the trigger on anything anytime too soon, but the Porsche antics is just the push maybe I needed to look into a 458 seriously, or at least that is what I'm telling myself Don't expect to do anything rash and just having fun learning about Ferrari. Kind of fun to shop around for non-GT car, I find it refreshing since the market seems to be markedly different (buyers market with normal depreciation). But I hear you Rob and appreciate your input, the GT3 is still a hell of a car which I am keenly aware of. If anything, the 458 research has also made me appreciate some of the things I likely take for granted in my GT3 like all of the modern creature comforts still there and it's reliable/durable so far (knock on wood), it's a compelling package and that's why everyone wants one. Easy to just put the key in and go. If there was an option to get into the 458 while keeping the GT3 that would be the #1 vote but I only do cash for my cars and not quite there yet!

Perimeter

You, Sir, have impeccable taste,

SA is manual

nxfedlt1

how do I get some of these??

no401k

I recently got a .1 GT3 as my first gt car so i can chime in a bit. You cant go wrong with either car that's for sure. However what you love/ feel about these cars are quite different. To me the GT car feels very well engineered and connected to you, and u love it as a fantastic machine. The engine sounds amazing in higher revs, and it looks great with that classic and iconic 911 proportion with a big wing. Everything about it appeals to your analytical side of the brain. The 458 on the other hand, is more like an art piece with some fantastic engineering behind it, but not close to the level of porsche; the parts are fragile and dont last as long, there r electrical gremlins, the interior buttons deteriorates, the engine cam cover fades in color etc. The car is just beautiful and appeals to your senses, the interior is all smell of leather and has all these curves that serves no purpose but just for your viewing pleasure, the exterior has lots of curvy lines and humps but at the same time are still minimalist and not busy (unlike the latest post-pinifarina designs which i thought are starting to get a bit too busy), the engine sounds good throughout the entire range..basically it appeals to the emotional side of the brain. But like all forms of art, art is subjective, and so how much one can appreciate from the design differs while every driver can appreciate a very well engineered GT car.
With that said the 458 is probably the most reliable ferrari to date so if u reserve 30-40k of cash reserve for a sudden DCT failure, you should be able to sleep well at night. Most of the issues are small and although costly, not frequent. Annual service runs about 1-2k and biannual runs about 2k. All of them have no warranty by now, unless it's certified for a year at dealer or it's a 16 specialie. Free service is nice to have but there's no warranty to help with bigger repairs. The dct failure is probably the worse case scenario. The same risk lies with the GT cars, not likely, but not impossible.
If you are more into the driving experience and attention, the spider is better simply because you have better access to the sound and people see u more in the spider. If you value better handling and actually push the car more, the italia is better. I like the italia design better with the engine view and thought it has cleaner lines, but often times i lust after that topless engine sound i had in my f430 spider. Being in sunny socal, the spider is generally more preferred.