Buying Advice for First Timer

F1 F430 no question


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Hi Dan. Go through all of the individual model forums here on F-Chatthat apply...there is a ton of useful information on specific models and their key issues, including specific purchase advice/pitfalls. I would buy the best maintained, best conditioned car you can afford irrespective of model. Have a through PPI of course. You have a couple of key decisions: F1 or manual; 12 or 8 cylinder; spider or not. If ROI is important, well below your top price limit 308 and 328 are solid investments as well as great cars to drive with classic looks. I have an 87 GTS and will never sell it. The poster above suggests 430 and that is a great car and the 2008 year would make some sense for you and you should be able to get a nice one for your price point. My wife has a 430 and it has been a terrific car. Another option for you: 550 or 575M. These are terrific cars but very different from the mid engine V-8s. For horse power bang for the buck, a solid 360 might be the right car for you. There is no substitute for research. Make certain you have full and complete maintenance records for any car you are serious about. Good luck.

 

Dan have we met at C+C?

 

I don't think return on investment is going to necessarily match with your condition of the car being somewhat fast, meaning that a good early carb 308 GTB is probably the best bet from an ROI perspective, but it would not have the speed you are looking for. In my experience, I don't think a 308/328 would have the speed you are talking about.

I would stay away from the 12 cylinders as they are all much more of GT cars versus a sports car and can be a handful on the track, INHO. That leaves the 8 cylinder cars and if you are going to track the car, I would go with a coupe, which IMO is the enthusiasts choice anyway --- and one less thing to go wrong with the convertible tops failing). That leaves 355, 360, or 430. If you don't mind F1, get the 430 and be done with it. If you want a gated car (and they are a blast to drive on the track, super easy to heel & toe, etc), then 355 or 360 would fit into your budget. I would go 360 gated as 355's are very expensive to maintain and have there share of issues (valve guides, headers, etc) besides the 10k engine out majors. You can pick up a nice gated 360 coupe well within your budget, and in fact I have one myself that I am going to be selling shortly ----- and yes, I could be accused of being biased, but I have owned many of the Ferrari's you will probably be considering and speak from reference of also being an enthusiast who used to club race and enjoys a nice, nimble sporty car that I can do an occasional track day with.

 

For you first Ferrari, I would definitely hunt down a 360 with Manual. If you plan on tracking a lot, maybe F1 would be a better option. You might be able to get into an F430 F1 as well.

For older cars, a 328 would be ideal in terms of fun - but not performance.

If you don't mind a GT car, a 575 F1 or even a 612 could be very entertaining. They have similar V12 engines that are great on the open road and perfectly willing on the track - although, you won't keep up with modern mid-engined models.

 

575 F1

OR

355 GATED

Those two models are not only great choices for a first Ferrari - but are great on the financial portion of your checklist also!

Few things sound as good as a 355 and you can never go wrong with gated. However, you're not a man until you own a 12 Cylinder F-Car!!!!!

 

Some of us a wild about blue Ferrari. If you like TdF, Yellow Compass is advertising a sweet 360. Just info. I have no interest in the car itself.

 

heres my .02

id stay away from 355, as maintenance is expensive!! I believe belt service on that car is engine out.. 355 owners can correct if im wrong...

the 360 requires belt service every 3 years, so if your delta to keep is 2-3 years may be you can find one that just had been serviced... so all youd be in for is yearly fluid changes.. belt service is about 2500 from an independent shop..

the 430 has no belts, so service wise, I think it is the most cost effective..

BUT!! I think you will be hit with more depreciation on the 430 than the already mostly depreciated 360..

My last tid bit for ya... is be prepared!! that is any of these cars should something go wrong (and they can!! ppi or not) get VERY expensive to repair! if the thought of $5,000.00 repair bill would sink your ship, you might want to re-think. Doesn't happen always, but it does happen.. that being said ive NEVER (knock on wood) have had a repair bill of over 1,000 (repair bill...not maint. bill).

whatever ya decide, good luck!! nothing better than popping into the garage and seeing that prancing horse sitting there!! really a piece of artwork.. and can be appreciated as much as artwork as a car.

 

If ROI is important, here are a couple things to consider:

Older models have generally hit the bottom of their depreciation curve. The F430 hasn't quite reached this point yet, so it will probably drop a little more before it bottoms out (although it won't be a huge drop at this point). Higher-mileage F430s can be had for somewhere in the $80k-$100k range, and if the F430's depreciation curve follows that of the 355 and 360, it will likely bottom out in the $60k-$70k range before starting to rise again. The 355 and 360 model ranges have pretty much fallen as low as they are going to (~$60k), so were you to pick up one of those, you should be able to at least break even when you sell it. The 355 is a bit notorious for being an expensive car to maintain though, so you will want to keep that in mind. Once you start getting into 308s and 328s though, you're going to be stretching your budget if you want one of the more desirable models.

If you want a manual, you will pay a premium for it. It's not as evident on the 355, but 360s with manuals command a $20k-$40k premium over F1-equipped 360s, and F430s with manuals command a massive premium over F1-equipped F430s. The manual market will probably stay high in the near future though given that a reasonable number of people still know what their left legs are for.

 

Personally I'm a V12 fan. My first Ferrari was a 550 Maranello Gated 6-Speed and it was a blast! Did the timing belts myself, so that saved a cent or two. Now I currently have an '05 Nero 612 F1 with Tubi Race Exhaust and Challenge Rims and an '09 Silver California with 22"/21" Forigato Black Rims, Novitec Coilovers, and Tubi Race Exhaust. That said the California is slightly faster and handles great with the mods, even though its about 80hp less, both are aluminum bodied. I have plans in the near future for cat deletes and custom headers for the 612.

I think you should drive a variety as they all have slight "quirks" you may enjoy or may be a turn off. I worked at Ferrari 7-8 years ago when I purchased my first one, so I was able to drive almost every one. I would like to get an F430 at some point but these newer ones have nice creature features...

Hope this helps some.
Cheers and Hopefully see you at some meets soon!

 

308 QV, best one your can find or carb car. Only upside But of cource not the same as a modern car. Mario has a euro dry sump in HHI.

 

Your choice/selection depends a lot on how you intend to use it.
Do you want a very attractive older car?
Will you want to do some long distance travelling?
Would you like to carry more than one passenger?
A bit of luggage perhaps?
Enjoy open air driving?
Were to select most of the above, I would very seriously consider a 328 Mondial coupe or cabriolet.
They are very reliable, require minimal maintenance and are easy and fun to drive.
They're 100% Ferrari and will definitely perform.
Also, very reasonable in price.
Don't let anyone tell you that they're too old and will cost you a fortune in maintenance.
If properly maintained from new, the ongoing costs should be quite reasonable.
From a purely subjective standpoint, I think it's a very attractive car.

See if you can get to drive one - I doubt that you'll be disappointed.

Bob Z.

 

A ton of great advice above. If I had $125K and wanted a Ferrari I could get out of in 2-3 years with minimal loss, potentially even a bit of $ upside...a 3-pedal 360 is the first model that comes to mind.

Even if you track it once or twice a year, you're probably not trying to squeak out every last millisecond of lap time you can.

A 430 3-pedal will be above your price point and all around great cars as well.

 

ROI - good luck not easy to do unless you were fortunate enough to get a Enzo for 500k that is now worth 2.5 mil. Go with the 430 all the way best sound HP and solid car having owned a 360 and a mondial by far the best as far as cost to own and maintain. I had one for 2 years did not put a dime into it and sold it for close to same price I bought it for. It was a 2006 F430 f1 great car loved it and I should have kept it but I change cars like socks.

 

Owner has already purchased a 99 360 gated car for 109.5k --- he references it in several other threads

 

I predict the stick 360 he bought will be worth more in 3 years than the F1 430. Absolutely no reason why an F1 430 shouldn't significantly depreciate with 458's coming down in price.