Benjamin Choi

do u fellas have no sense of reading between the lines?

the dude spouts off he can get himself into a car that's clearly magnitudes superior to the 911 yet he's going to come on here and say his heart goes pitter patter when looking at a rather ugly 911 that is a cab 996?

sure, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but the absolutely awesome F430 spider ... if you can swing it like the author said, wtf he is doing in a 911 drop top let alone one that's nearly a decade old?


it's like saying i could live in hawaii the rest of my life comfortably, but i jus really like detroit's proximity to General Motors so i choose to live on 8 mile road.

Benjamin Choi

at ease, bud. it's not like i'm pointing fingers at him red-faced calling him an idiot. it's more of a i'm baffled type "you idiot" haha thing.

call it what you will, i will do the same.

Marc Gelefsky

Ben you never disappoint me.

newport996

B Choi...come on...he has a GREAT point. Porsche's all look like classic cars when they age..they all age gracefully. Now a Ferrari in my opinion does not. I saw a Testarossa the other day and I thought, wow...I USED to love that design, a good friend had one and I thought that may have been the most amazing car ever at the time....but now it looks so, well...dated. Same thing with the 308...I have a neighbor with one, and my wife makes Magnum PI jokes all the time. Even the F360 now looks a bit old. I see why guys flip them when they get old. Look at a 456...compare it to a 612...same concept, but the 456 looks so well, old. So if someone was buying a car THEY could like for a long time, and not feel the urge to upgrade, then a F430 may not be the car for them, because the next gen car will look soooo much better....and in theory modern F cars dont age as well as say older F cars. Then add to that the cost of ownership and a new Ferrari may not be the car for them. I do agree that Porches dont have the same problem. Even the ugliest 996 cabs....

matt777

It's very difficult to describe why some cars age gracefully and others do not although it will never be unanimous as to which cars pass and which ones do not. I think the 993 and earlier models have accomplished this. Perhaps the newer models just look old and not yet classic and this may change in time. The 355's look great while the 348's not so much (again - just in my opinion). The tail lights might have something to do with it. Ferrari interiors do nothing for me unless you go way way back. 996's in pics have never been my favorite but that is likely because I grew up looking at the earlier and very different styling. In person I think they look smaller and better.

ls911

Hey yo slow down 2pacolipse. I was born and lived (after moving back from Mexico City) near beautiful Detroit. Hawaii has nothing over the motor city.
But a 996 or 97 over a 430...NEVER. If I could afford the 430 I don't worry over repairs/maintenance.
That F-car is about as good as it gets.
But to compare apples to apples we would have to talk GT.
Tough decision now, would have to drive them both>As it stands now the GT has the edge in my book.
Just dreaming....
In real life the 996 can not be beat for the $, period

tooloud10

Hell, I wouldn't even get to the point of it breaking. My car fund would go bust just trying to keep the damn thing maintained.

OTOH, I spent $222 total on service/repairs for my 996 over the first year I owned it. It does need an oil change now, but I'll probably do it myself and need to find a bigger used oil bucket before I start.

DMB14

Get a 911 Turbo, drive it everyday and love it. It will still be badass 20, 30 years from now.

Robin 993DX

Not really apples to apples, the CGT is like $350k anyday of the week. A F430 with low miles is only like $230k.

Benjamin Choi

and affirmative a cgt is at another level above the F430. i'd even take the cgt over the 430 scuderia. that cgt is special and only an enzo tops it in the ferrari line-up.

i mean no ill will. i'd love to see the author pick up the 430 spider and post pics and share his joy with us. but selling us to believe the 996 cab makes him go gah gah everytime he gets in the near vicinity of it.. is comedy esp when an F430 convert is called into discussion!

ls911

Ah, I had no idea it was that cheap, don't want one any more.

Nicolaasdb

my 99 cab makes me go gah gah when I look at it. Would I buy a F-car YES....could I yes...could I pay for the maintenance....don't think so!

Benjamin you are a sorry ****.... don't know what gave you internet torrets..but man you got it big time....you must not have a lot of friends with your judgmental ******* behavior, maybe it is because you live in Seattle and are always wet! (like a little bitch!)

Did you like what I just wrote about you?? Exactly!!

RF5BPilot

I think Ferrari's are great cars. I very much enjoyed my '66 275GTS and at times think about getting another one. I do prefer the Ferrari's from about '65-'67.

On the other hand, Porsches really are timeless because they have consistent styling cues; overall they seem more dependable than other performance cars; and I figure, (unless I do a track day) -- I'm going to get stuck behind a mini-van in traffic anyway -- how much do I need to spend to do that??

For me, Porsches are a nearly perfect combination of price & performance which = value.

nycebo

Mate, couldn't have said it any better. I think the key is that Porsche is constantly evolving their design so that the 'old' models never look 'tired', they look like descendants. Ferrari is constantly trying to reinvent the wheel and it often goes haywire. Don't get me wrong, I like the 355, but 360s and 430s look like they tried too hard to impress. Indeed, the gaping dual bass mouths on the front of the 430 are tragic. Nevertheless, contrary to what many think, I loved the look of the 996. It created a sleek version of the 911 and clearly, the best selling model in the lineup ever, Porsche must have gotten something right. Yes, it's not the prettiest compared to other racers, but it simply speaks to me from a much different perspective and it's that sense of heritage that gets me excited to drive it.

Ben, one day when you don't the necessity to constantly try and keep up with the Joneses, you'll realize that life is a lot sweeter enjoying those things that bring you pleasure without worrying about those things that you don't have that don't. I could go into a litany of reasons why the 430 doesn't really do it for me, but it's a perspective and not a fact. The real problem with Ferraris ultimately is how most people use them: in the garage and gingerly on the road for fear of nicks and dents. That tells me all about the Long Island type of driver who usually owns one. Ahem, form instead of function. Impress instead of enjoy. There's a reason those cars date over time. You'll see, you'll be trading up for a 450 (or whatever the heck the next generation is) the minute you see one.

nycebo

Spot on. I recommend everyone here read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Alan Pirsig. Ben in particular could benefit by Pirsig's detailed account of value and 'quality'...and let me tell you, it ain't about flash.