frayed

Well, I thought the 991 would be my cup of tea but I really didn't like it. So, since the latest rigs from Stuttgart aren't exciting, I'm back looking at everything on the road, from R8s, to Masers, 911s and Fcars and quickly find myself cross shopping the F430 manual and a 997.2 GT3 with front lift (assuming I can find one).

I plan on selling my M3 track car (I don't really spend a lot of time on the track anymore), and my 965, and pick up more modern metal.

I had the 360 Modena and found it more of a sheep in wolf's clothing. Lacked tq, lacked immediacy, I found the the handling a big downgrade from my then previous 997S launch car (rear end never really telegraphed what was going on), in red, a PITA for daily driving, and maintenance was daunting. I loved my 997.1 GT3, but sold it at the time to buy a second house, not b/c it was flawed.

But now, I have a Ferrari dealership 2 miles from my house, which makes maintenance far more accessible (albeit costly), would go with a more subtle color option, and no timing belt to worry about. The reviews state that the handling bugs of the 360 have been ironed out, and the power of the 430 speaks for itself. I'm also at a stage in my life where I wouldn't be completely neurotic over the F430 in a parking lot. Here's what I'm looking at, narsharty's build over on Fchat.





Anyway, I've had the good fortune of owning both a 997 GT3 and a 360, and have lots of data, but I'm interested in hearing from anyone who went through the same process.

I think one of the biggest downsides is the acceptability factor. I have 30 employees and am a bit concerned over image (oooh, the boss is raking it in), but the reality is that at 120k, an F430 costs the same as a new 991S, optioned up a bit. But they provide totally different images.

TRAKCAR

Rad, Rad, Rad, Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aad!

tcsracing1

enter Rad....

carcommander

I owned a F430 for 4 years (I have a 599 now) it's a great car. It is everyday driveable if you want to. I quit worrying about what everyone thought a few years ago. I occasionally drive mine to the office. A 991 is more everyday liveable IMHO. Mine shares daily driver duty with a couple of others. As of word of caution F430's are very reliable but there can be big repair bills. Also an F430 or any Ferrari can sit awhile waiting on parts to come in. You need something else to drive when its's down.

The car above is nice but a tan dash reflects on the windshield in sun. This may not bother you.

9972RS

991S that bad?

As much as I love fcars. I would rather take a new 991S for daily driving. Plus, it's doesn't scream, "the boss is make so much money."

frayed

carcommander, yeah, I'm looking at Cuio with black dash and black carpet, leaving that leather where it needs to be. Can you give me some pointers on what I should be concerned about in terms of costly repairs?

9972RS, have you driven the 991S yet? I consider myself pretty open minded and really looked forward to the new rig. But I found it unexciting, and felt the 911 has been engineered out of the 991 with lots of electronic and mechanical trickery. I didn't like the PDK and haven't been able to drive manual yet, however. I love the looks (new creases, longer, wider), love the interior, build quality, but just not the drive. I also found the exhaust note to sound somehow artificial.

To spend that kind of flow on a car, it has to get your blood pumping.

------------------------------

So rad............. is this a bad thing??

scott40

If you liked the GT3, you may like a Scuderia rather than a 430. That said, I think the above car is a stunner!

9972RS

I took the 991S out for spin the other day. Again, PDK only. The car is comfortable, seems smaller on the inside. outside, I like it. While it's fast, it's boring (PDK that is). I suspect all automatics will be boring, unless taken to the track. Is there a suitable GT car that won't be boring? hmm, Scuderia then. Tough choice.

carcommander

A scud is a great car but it more expensive and more spartan than a F430. The FI pump goes bad on some of them. And yes a 6speed has an F1 pump other than that you can be unlucky. I would either buy from a dealer with a warranty or if it's an individuals car get a PPI. The exhaust manifolds have been a problem on some of them but they are still under the emssions warranty. Go over to ferrari chat and do a search it's been discussed alot. Buy a low mileage car with no stories. Mine only had one problem, the F1 pump. A 15k repair out of warranty.

Serge944

What about a Z06? "It's just a Chevy" image will be fine with your employees.

ac27

Better yet what about a ZR1? In all honesty though I love the GT3's and the 430's I think either one would be awesome. Only thing I have heard about the 430's is try to find one with ceramic brakes as the stock/regular ones have been known to fade very fast (I have no experience with that, only what I have heard).

Alan Smithee

First thing I did after reading Madman Müller's quote in the recent Porsche press release was look at F430 prices, watch some old video reviews, and check out F-chat.

frayed

Seriously? If a Z06 drove like a VW or Fiat, I'd buy one. It's not about ultimate velocity. . . . *especially* on the street.

What was the quote?

NJ-GT

Avoid F430, unless you get a 2008 or 2009. Given the price difference between the 08/09 F430 and the 08/09 Scuderia, the Scuderia is a no brainer decision.

The mechanical differences and improvements made to the Scuderia are just too long to list.

The Scuderia could become the cheapest car you could own, as it is keeping great resale, and it only asks for fluid changes if not tracked.

I test drove a few F430 before buying the Scuderia, and back in the day I was not aware of the reliability issues in the F430 with: brakes, e-diff, F1, cracking headers, cracking muffler mounts, motor mounts, wishbone bushings, clutch life, transmission cooling and engine cooling.

Of course, a garage Queen that gets driven to a local cars and coffee, not tracked, and polished on a daily basis, very likely will be very reliable, but such usage would make a Ford Pinto and a Yugo very reliable too.

NJ-GT

F1 pump are well known issues in the F430, and so are the cracking headers and cracking muffler mounts. A set of failed headers put catalytic converter pieces into the engine and killed the engine.

08 and newer F430 have different hardware for the F1, same parts as the 2007 and newer F430 Challenge, and also shared with the Scuderia/16M. No problems reported in these cars with the F1.

08 saw the introduction of new headers for the F430, but even the new version has had 2 failures. The problem is on the rigid mounting. Capristo made a new mount for the F430 muffler that reduces the rigidity on the exhaust system to eliminate the cracking headers problem. F430 headers have pre-cats, Scuderia headers dont, so a natural upgrade is to get the F430 on Scuderia headers, or even better Capristo headers.

F430 has the overheating problem in the exhaust that send the SLOW-DOWN message on the screen and get the car on limp mode if driven hard with that warning. Problem fixed with the new air ducts in the Scuderia/16M, and removal of the pre-cats (causing too much heat on the exhaust system). Fiat added an air pump due to the elimination of the pre-cats, same solution Porsche did with the GT3.

I like the F430, as an ornament, not as a car to be driven.

If you want a reliable and comfortable ride, the California is a better option. The 458 Italia is comfortable but a little pricey. Another option would be to get a Scuderia, add F430 carpets, door panels, Daytona seats, and that would make it less noisy, less raw.