SInce the price spread is only around 40k which would you rather own?
The CGT is an awesome beast but everything I have read says that the clutch is a fatal flaw. Because it is so light weight and grabby stalls are very frequent and very frustrating.
You might not have read enough, the clutch is no problem except for those who don't know how to drive one properly. Further, I think the price spread is more than $40K for similar low mile cars, and it is growing.
don't believe what you read, it takes 5 minutes to master the clutch...no biggie whatsoever, and a jewel of a car. 430 spider vs cgt ? to each is own, but for me its the CGT Low mile CGT's are now 400k+....spiders can be bought for less than 300k, and will continue to drop.
I'd take a Carrera GT over a 430 spider anyday!!! The purported clutch problem is a driver problem; learn to engage it properly and you'll be problem free. I've been on some spirited drives with a CGT. Flat out the CGT will shoot past my CS or my friends 430 spider. The sound is awesome, the looks are awesome. I've also been tucked in a CGT with a professional race car driver at the wheel; the car just thunders and corners with G-force effects that are hard to convey. A 430 spider is soft by comparison. The only thing two drawbacks with the CGT are: the front spoiler scrapes so easily and is costly to repair/replace; there's virtually no storage at all, the tiny space in the front just capable of holding the pop off roof. Finally, I think the CGT is a true keeper, as one owner put it "a poor man's enzo".
I should add that I too was tempted by a nearby CGT that was up for sale, then, presto, gone. And I wasn't thinking CGT vs. 430 spider. I was thinking the CGT vs. 430 Scuderia. I'd add the CGT has porsche like build and reliability quality that's hard to beat.
CGT all the way and i agree it's in a different league. Plus it will hold much better value as well. 430's will become like 360's soon - a dime a dozen. A CGT is a car that will always be legendary. IMHO
CGT. Best sounding car on the road, fantastic engineering, great track car. Now the real question: CGT or Scuderia? Hmm...
cgt over any current Ferrari, including the scudera and even the 599, which is selling for more than the cgt....the cgt is beast and a true race car for the road, more in the league of an enzo, except you have porsche build quality,a better sounding engine and proper 6 speed manual tranny....and lets not forget the open roof as a thrown in bonus..........
Nice thread. I get my 2005 CGT in 2 days. I will miss the 360 Spider though. GT will hold the value as others said much better than the 430. I heard the clutch is easy to master after a few drives. Grabs real low. I just hope these NJ roads dont give the car too much trouble with all of the potholes. I'll post pictures this weekend when I get it.
Congrats man, inspired choice...I quite confident you will love it. Here are a couple of tips to make things a little easier for you off the bat. With regards to the clutch, let it out without touching the gas, and the traction control software will not allow the engine to stall. After a while, you will learn the takeoff point and be able to feather in more throttle. The gearbox is wonderful on the go, with very precise throws. Hit every gradient at 45 degrees and turn up it at an angle...front end won't scrape. First few shifts on a cold engine should be 1st to 3rd....2nd gear is a little sticky on a cold box. Enjoy it in the best of health man. Did Chris Miele help you find this car ? I know he was looking for one for a client and found one....great guy.
I own a 430 coupe and 430 spider and was a former CGT owner - some of this I have posted before, so bear with my redundancy. I am much happier with the F430s for a few reasons. The CGT was a wild child - awesome on the track, but a handful on the street as a daily driver. On the street, I had two near misses in the CGT when other folks did not seem to see me -- and when I made what I deemed prudent but sudden defensive moves, the CGT broke loose. No damage, but a 180 and a 360 -- The CGT is not a street car IMO. The F430 coupe is great out on the track, but at 8-9/10ths the CGT is just an incredible machine. The CGT is just not a street car. The F430s are great in virtually all environments and conditions. Handling, torque, sound, visceral appeal, general feel, smell and attitude.
That is the same sort of BS as the Audi unintended acceleration story on 60 Minutes that nearly sunk them years ago. The CGT clutch is not grabby, it is simply a very short action clutch, and for anyone who knows how to to drive a stick shift car and has any exotic car experience, your brain will assimilate the amount of pressure necessary to operate the CGT clutch flawlessly in less than a minute. The original stories came from inept journalists who were allowed to test drive the car and had no clue how to operate a short action racing clutch. They stalled the car a couple of times and blamed the car instead of their utter incompetence. Follow this with a couple of equally inept wealthy but clueless buyers and you had the beginning of an urban legend. The CGT is a real supercar. To even begin to equate it with an 8 cylinder production model Ferrari is just asinine. Of course for some people the 430 will be far easier to live with, with its electric top, greater ground clearance and some trunk storage space, versus the non existent storage space in the CGT when the top is stowed away, but the CGT is in a different league anyway you care to measure it. As a disclaimer I am a huge Ferrari afficianado and those who know me, know how deep that passion runs, but the CGT is just a brilliant car and I chose it over an Enzo, let alone a 430 Spider.
One thing I like about F-chat is that the people tend to put things as they are. Whereas on some other forums, ahem 6speed, porsche fanboys and disillusioned morons cry porsche and put down every other make/model regardless of its true potential. F50>Enzo>CGT>F430 IMO.
