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I was also looking at some 360's, but if your comparing to a GT4, you can easily get into a F430 for GT4 money (albeit F1, not gated).
A buddy just bought a pristine, fully maintained and checked-out, absolutely gorgeous '05 F430 coupe with 35K miles (high for a Ferrari, low for a Porsche?) for mid $80s. Hell of a car at a hell of a price, plus 100+hp over the GT4???
Now if your talking a 360 Stradale or 430 Scud, an absolute no brainer but a very different price point.
I'm not the OP but mentioned in an earlier post I have mulled similar cross shopping as my father had owned an F360 6MT in the past. I think the comparison is fair in so much as both cars are similar power mid engine vehicles, but from my research you can't discount the fact that one is a lot older. Both mechanically and from a maintenance perspective. Also any Italian exotic will lose value the more miles you put on. Porsche cars tend to do ok with more moderate mileage. As another alternative to my current GT4 I actually started looking at / test driving Lamborghini Gallardos. Interestingly my research on the lamborghini-talk forums had a lot of comparisons back to the F360. Basically praising the reliability of the german based Gallardo mechanics over the older generation 360. It might be another option to consider if you are looking for a gated exotic...although I don't think it will handle or feel as nimble as either the 360 or GT4. Reality is any car that is 15-20 years old is going to require more probable work and money to keep sorted. In my mind the only real question is if the cost of running and potential time in the shop is worth it to have the Italian experience over the Porsche. I tend to have similar daydreams and then get behind the wheel of my GT4 and forget about it. For me the reliability, modernity, sat nav, seats etc..and even sounds with sport cats and fact that I can put on mileage end up outweighing the cost of exoticness. I may wrap my car something other than white to pop it more. Or even sharkify it with new gearing and flywheel etc... I've read elsewhere where someone said you buy a Porsche with your brain but a Ferrari with your heart. That's probably right. At the end of the day I think anyone looking at a classic Italian car probably is going to make the jump more for the passion than the sense of it and say screw it.
My friend was trying to tell me to switch to the 360. His take being the 360 will probably continue to appreciate, even if it costs more to own. The GT4 will probably depreciate but cost less to own and I can put more miles on it which to me is the real value. For me I would not consider any "auto" car has to be a manual transmission so that makes F430 etc out of range.
Here are some old shots of my dad's old F360 when he had it in 2006. It's an '04 6MT. As well as my GT4... I am sure the right answer is to have both. Maybe one day...
I was also looking at some 360's, but if your comparing to a GT4, you can easily get into a F430 for GT4 money (albeit F1, not gated).
A buddy just bought a pristine, fully maintained and checked-out, absolutely gorgeous '05 F430 coupe with 35K miles (high for a Ferrari, low for a Porsche?) for mid $80s. Hell of a car at a hell of a price, plus 100+hp over the GT4???
Now if your talking a 360 Stradale or 430 Scud, an absolute no brainer but a very different price point.
Agree, GT4 money overlaps some F430s, but I find myself craving the engagement of the 6-speed gear shift. It's where the fun is. Hell, I grab the keys to my 997 TT manual car, over the Scud, Superleggera, and 991 GT3 99% of the time. Believe it or not, I'm planning on grabbing a 675LT, but had to get the gated 360 first.
I'm not the OP but mentioned in an earlier post I have mulled similar cross shopping as my father had owned an F360 6MT in the past. I think the comparison is fair in so much as both cars are similar power mid engine vehicles, but from my research you can't discount the fact that one is a lot older. Both mechanically and from a maintenance perspective. Also any Italian exotic will lose value the more miles you put on. Porsche cars tend to do ok with more moderate mileage. As another alternative to my current GT4 I actually started looking at / test driving Lamborghini Gallardos. Interestingly my research on the lamborghini-talk forums had a lot of comparisons back to the F360. Basically praising the reliability of the german based Gallardo mechanics over the older generation 360. It might be another option to consider if you are looking for a gated exotic...although I don't think it will handle or feel as nimble as either the 360 or GT4. Reality is any car that is 15-20 years old is going to require more probable work and money to keep sorted. In my mind the only real question is if the cost of running and potential time in the shop is worth it to have the Italian experience over the Porsche. I tend to have similar daydreams and then get behind the wheel of my GT4 and forget about it. For me the reliability, modernity, sat nav, seats etc..and even sounds with sport cats and fact that I can put on mileage end up outweighing the cost of exoticness. I may wrap my car something other than white to pop it more. Or even sharkify it with new gearing and flywheel etc... I've read elsewhere where someone said you buy a Porsche with your brain but a Ferrari with your heart. That's probably right. At the end of the day I think anyone looking at a classic Italian car probably is going to make the jump more for the passion than the sense of it and say screw it.
My friend was trying to tell me to switch to the 360. His take being the 360 will probably continue to appreciate, even if it costs more to own. The GT4 will probably depreciate but cost less to own and I can put more miles on it which to me is the real value. For me I would not consider any "auto" car has to be a manual transmission so that makes F430 etc out of range.
Here are some old shots of my dad's old F360 when he had it in 2006. It's an '04 6MT. As well as my GT4... I am sure the right answer is to have both. Maybe one day...
Agree with most everything you said. But would like to shine light on the fact that not all Italians spend time in the shop in a horrific way. My first yellow 360 for example, had minor issues. Nothing that would leave you stranded by the roadside. In fact the two issues during my ownership was that the gas gauge was not reading correctly and that the seat belt tensioner was losing a bit of tension. Both easily identified and fixed. Other than that, it was all smiles.
Gallardo's definitely feel the "heaviest" of the bunch with it's AWD and steering. Not a bad thing, but very different from Ferrari and Porsche. Definitely test drive them if you're shopping.
On the issue of what a car is worth, I think that's a sentimental discussion that has no right or wrong answer. If you're concerned about the value of the car to begin with, you're already losing the enjoyment of ownership and usability. Buy it, use it and love it. Otherwise why get it at all and be a slave to concerns. As this is my second time around with a gated 360, I plan to daily it as much as I can and do not plan to ever let it go. Besides, what are the chances of finding another good example down the line as these get harder to come by?
Wow. I was not considering black (or red or yellow) but your black car looks amazing! I would prefer some sort of gray or dark silver or an interesting silver like one with a blueish tint (I really dislike plain silver - it is everywhere on every econobox).
Thank you. Good luck in your search. But I think the takeaway is that regardless of which car you choose, you're already coming away a winner. Both the GT4 and manual 360 are going to give you great experiences.
Gorgeous!
Just checked prices of these and wow, they seem to be down a lot recently. It appears to me that a 360 is about 60% the price of an F430 with 360s being materially cheaper than a GT4 and a F430 being maybe 20% more than a GT4.
Enjoy that sweet car in great health!
I was also looking at some 360's, but if your comparing to a GT4, you can easily get into a F430 for GT4 money (albeit F1, not gated).
A buddy just bought a pristine, fully maintained and checked-out, absolutely gorgeous '05 F430 coupe with 35K miles (high for a Ferrari, low for a Porsche?) for mid $80s. Hell of a car at a hell of a price, plus 100+hp over the GT4???
Now if your talking a 360 Stradale or 430 Scud, an absolute no brainer but a very different price point.
For me it absolutely *MUST* be a manual - i don't care how much slower i am. This makes buying newer F car with in-car engine servicing MUCH more difficult (for < $100K). Hence my (significant) interest in GT4.
I'm not the OP but mentioned in an earlier post I have mulled similar cross shopping as my father had owned an F360 6MT in the past. I think the comparison is fair in so much as both cars are similar power mid engine vehicles, but from my research you can't discount the fact that one is a lot older. Both mechanically and from a maintenance perspective. Also any Italian exotic will lose value the more miles you put on. Porsche cars tend to do ok with more moderate mileage. As another alternative to my current GT4 I actually started looking at / test driving Lamborghini Gallardos. Interestingly my research on the lamborghini-talk forums had a lot of comparisons back to the F360. Basically praising the reliability of the german based Gallardo mechanics over the older generation 360. It might be another option to consider if you are looking for a gated exotic...although I don't think it will handle or feel as nimble as either the 360 or GT4. Reality is any car that is 15-20 years old is going to require more probable work and money to keep sorted. In my mind the only real question is if the cost of running and potential time in the shop is worth it to have the Italian experience over the Porsche. I tend to have similar daydreams and then get behind the wheel of my GT4 and forget about it. For me the reliability, modernity, sat nav, seats etc..and even sounds with sport cats and fact that I can put on mileage end up outweighing the cost of exoticness. I may wrap my car something other than white to pop it more. Or even sharkify it with new gearing and flywheel etc... I've read elsewhere where someone said you buy a Porsche with your brain but a Ferrari with your heart. That's probably right. At the end of the day I think anyone looking at a classic Italian car probably is going to make the jump more for the passion than the sense of it and say screw it.
My friend was trying to tell me to switch to the 360. His take being the 360 will probably continue to appreciate, even if it costs more to own. The GT4 will probably depreciate but cost less to own and I can put more miles on it which to me is the real value. For me I would not consider any "auto" car has to be a manual transmission so that makes F430 etc out of range.
Here are some old shots of my dad's old F360 when he had it in 2006. It's an '04 6MT. As well as my GT4... I am sure the right answer is to have both. Maybe one day...
Holy cow - what a garage! Very nice! If i get a GT4, it will be exact same color as yours but with the black Porsche GT4 decals on side and bonnet.
To be honest, maybe given my age, I am starting to like 80's and 90's cars (Porsche, BMW etc) more and more. They are LIGHTER, simpler, more analog, and just more engaging but maybe that is just me. I have zero interest in heavy cars, especially AWD or all wheel steering cars with all kinds of electronic nannys (I tracked a SCCA Spec Miata). I especially don't want a giant 10" LCD display in the car dash (don't care about sat/nav, nice audio, subwoofers etc). I do want the engine/exhaust to sound spectacular (but sound is in the ear of the beholder?) and i think (from YouTube at least) 360 flat crank small V8 beats GT4 in this regard.
I don't really care if i can't drive the car because it's down due to maintenance. The car would be my weekend car - one i am passionate about and tinker on every weekend. However, I would care if the maintenance costs started to get ridiculous ($5000 every single year). I am hoping that if i fall in love with the car then i will try my best to ignore depreciation (I think 2016 GT4 will depreciate more than a 2004 360 manual). What I really want to be able to do is drive it without worrying about depreciation. I really want to love driving it and if i worry about depreciation then that would ruin the whole experience. So if i find my dream 360 manual in a great color and it costs a fortune (~$100K) to purchase, i think i will make a pact with myself to drive it a lot, whenever i want, and just concede that i will lose money when i sell. I just want a big smile on my face when i go driving on a sunny Saturday morning with the engine howling.
If you're concerned about the value of the car to begin with, you're already losing the enjoyment of ownership and usability. Buy it, use it and love it. Otherwise why get it at all and be a slave to concerns.
Drove my first F430 with F1 yesterday... I kind of liked the F1 gearbox, and that's from a die-hard Porsche manual transmissiomn guy who hates the tiptronic and would likely never buy a PDK.
For me, a really nice F430 F1 is a great option in that $80-$95K price range.
03-03-2019, 08:38 PM
Maybe one day...
