CarAholic

Just curious for owners opinions that have owned a Ferrari F430 and a 997 GT3. I have had a couple Porsche's before and absolutely love the dynamics of the 911. My most recent cars were a 991C2s and a GT4. The 911 I never got bored of and I can't say the same for the Gt4. I just recently drove a 997.2 Turbo S and absolutely loved it. The steering and overall experience was just so much better to me then the 991, just way more of a sports car. So I was thinking if the turbo delivers this much in the 997 generation the GT3 has to be amazing. I think the current 991 turbo is just boring to drive. So my question comes has anyone switched between an F430 and a 997 GT3? To me the 997 turbo isn't enough for me to get out of the F but the GT3 may be it. Just seeing opinions right now as it is very difficult to even find a nearby 997 GT3 let alone test drive one. The car will mainly be a weekend fun car with monthly mountain trips and 1-2 track days a year.

bobodrink

997 GT3 no questions, especially 997.2.

GT3 is the special version of the 911, and F430 is the basic version of Ferrari. GT3 is more comparable to the Scuderia, where there were much more similarities. (Power delivery, feel, tightness, rawness) So if your budget says GT3 go with it, if you can stretch to a Scuderia, that's the next step.

If you are going to track the thing at all, I don't recommend any base Ferrari. Now with the old F1 box and 2 generations behind, the 430 is not as ideal. The GT3 will be faster in real world situations and on track.

David993S

Since you've owned a few Porsches and own a 430 you must certainly have a feel for the different nature of the cars. If you've got the GT3 itch, you should probably scratch it even though the performance between a GT3 and a (non-Scud) 430 are indeed quite comparable. I would disagree with bobodrink in that the 430 F1 gearbox is a fantastic unit. A few thousandths of a second in shift speed between a 430 and GT3 isn't going to make any difference on the street or on the track. The 430 F1 gearbox shifts in about 150 ms, while the GT3 is about 100ms. The human mind can't distinguish between those times.

I doubt your decision is going to be based on how many milliseconds each cars shifts gears anyway. But you can't go wrong with a GT3. (Have you considered a 458?).

CarAholic

I have considered a 458. I just find them to be too digital if that makes any sense. I really have been preferring the older cars as they are more fun for me. That and not really looking to spend almost 200. Would rather keep the 430 and add a GT3 but that's not in the tables currently

Izzone

I've driven a 430 scud

My favorite car made

DK7

Mr. Adair

Why don't you have one in place of the RS?

isv

the 430 isn't even on the same planet as the 7.2 gt3 as a car to drive imo. 430 scuderia vs 7.2 gt3 is a bit of a different matter though, the scud is a really nice car (I'd still pick the gt3 though).

Finlander

I had a 430 for about 3 years. Then got a 997.1 GT3 RS, which I've had for almost 4 years. Here are my opinions.

Sound
I think they both have a really good exhaust note. Especially if you do anything aftermarket with them. Different sounds but both really good. My 997 with a sharkwerks center bypass sounds great!

Driving
The steering on them are pretty equal from what I can remember about the 430. Its got a very light and direct steering feel. The hydraulic in the 997 is just sublime.

I had a love/hate with the single clutch of the 430. When you wind it out in higher RPM's, which is how Ferrari engines are meant to be driven, it works great, shifts fairly quick, no problems. At lower speeds its pretty clunky though. Forget about putting it in automatic, it just sucks. Now of course the 997 has a manual which I love and this is part of the reason I prefer the 997.

They're both very fun to drive but I prefer the 997 due to the manual transmission.

Maintenance
My 997 has been rock solid. Aside from annual services I have (knock on wood) had no problems. Actually I had one...one of the side mufflers got a crack in it so it had to be replaced. But thats it. This is where the 430 failed miserably, at least for me. After 3 years and about 3k miles it was in the shop about 5 times. Bought the car with only 2,500 miles on it. It was basically brand new. Mostly due to the F1 transmission. Keep in mind I purchased the "Power Normal Warranty" that Ferrari offers but most of the repairs were not covered. Go figure. Over the 3 years I probably spent about $13-15k in repairs. The final straw was when I had a belt squeaking. Dropped it off at the dealer and they called a few hours later to tell me a pulley had come loose which is causing the belt squeak and its pretty worn so it will need to be replaced. The belt is only $70. Ok great, how much is the labor to put on that belt. He replies, $1000. Lol, ok go ahead and fix it. This is when I said I'm done with this car.

I'm not knocking Ferrari here. I think they are great cars. But in my experience, and from speaking to other F car owners you are going to spend more on maintenance with the older models...at least pre 458. I would also add that I think every car guy should own a Ferrari at least once.

Which one do I prefer.....clearly the 997 GT3 RS.

Hope this helps.

bobodrink

What about the performance comparisons? I never driven a base F430 only the Scuderia. I never felt my GT3 was any slower or lacking in power compared to the Scuderia.

Finlander

Yeah, I agree. They are pretty similar in terms of straight line speed and handling. I have driven a couple Scuderias and didn't feel it was "that" much faster than the 430. But it definitely has more drama. Great car!

Climarepair.com

I´ve driven a base F430 and while I found it amazing to drive for a few hours... that was all. Sound is amazing, feeling is amazing, and it drives nice. But I couldn't stop thinking something was going to brake while I was driving it... That NEVER ever happens while I drive a Porsche.

CarAholic

I definitely felt the same way at first but after a year of ownership and thousands of miles I don't think about it anymore. The car is very reliable from my experience.

Thanks for all the comments on the 997 GT3 I think I may move that direction, I will have to keep a closer eye on my local dealers inventory.

Soul Performance

I must agree from my experience with the F430, it's when Ferrari started to be relatively reliable. No belts, engine outs etc. I've had plenty of seat time in both a base F430 and a 997.2 GT3 and unless the F430 was a six speed, I'm picking the GT3 every time. It seems like the GT3 speaks to drivers in terms that we can appreciate and understand while the F430 thinks it is doing the same, but in reality it is a much more "main stream" sports car experience IMO. The F430 is great don't get me wrong but I think that if I was looking for a car to grow with and to continually learn its intricacies and to really give a sense of occasion/ raw sports car persona, the GT3 is the clear winner.

Depends what you want to do with it. If you spend more time taking someone important to dinner/date nights, then the F430 is 100% the way to go. If this is your toy and something you seek to get continual engagement from, then it's the GT3 100%

Evan

David993S

Nonsense.