Hi All I mentioned in another post that I was writing a 458 Buyers Guide. Well, it took a fair bit longer than I expected due to the research and slightly longer length. I thought it would be about 1k words, but actually ended up at over 4.5k words in the end! I want to say a special thanks to @buddyg and @Graz who both provided ownership insights. We have another few that will be added hopefully in the next few days, but if you feel you have an experience to add, just PM me. Here is the link. Hope you find it useful! https://www.supercartribe.com/ferrari-458-buyers-guide-price-performance-problems-drive/
Congratulations, Andy. I enjoyed it quite a lot. It’s the nicest buyer’s guide I remember reading about the 458 and it ticks all the boxes, imho: owner experience, production numbers estimate, list of optional equipment, the works. The language used also makes between an easy, enjoyable reading and technical details. Most important of all: I think it had the ability to prove itself useful for any prospective buyer. Like most other works on the matter, perhaps some details can be ironed out over time, but job well done, says one Italia owner. Kind regards, Nuno.
Thanks very much, and that's high praise indeed! I looked at other Buyers Guides and always found that they were lacking in one way or another. Also in my research, I was really trying to think about what I would want to know if I was looking for one this weekend. All those little bits of information that you end up spending hours researching. My biggest problem was how deep do I go? I could probably have made is 2 or 3 times longer but needed to stop somewhere. Already received a couple of recommendations so will refine over the next few weeks. Also, a few more owners experience to add. I'll be looking to write a few more, as that was a lot of fun, albeit time-consuming! Thanks again.
Adding your guide to the sticky master thread “Most 458 discussions”, as it can prove useful for owners and prospective buyers alike. Kind regards, Nuno.
Very impressive and well laid out and easy to follow. Well done. In terms of feedback for "what could be better", I'd say that most buyer's guides main benefit to would-be buyers (beyond the aggregation of facts, etc) is found in two places; 1) What to look for when buying (PPI? and area's to focus on for maint and for value - like options, colors, mileage etc) 2) More detailed "what can go wrong" (things that we all know about other ferrari's, not sure about in the 458 - like bushings, engine mounts, trans mounts, etc. And at least mention sticky bits, its gonna happen to a lot of these cars. Similarly, the finicky behavior if you don't keep the battery fresh. And also the issues with the DCT, especially in the early cars. Finally, a discussion of Ferrari extended warranty options and costs and opinion would be welcome. Include some data on big ticket breakage/replacement costs.). Apologies if these items were there (I skimmed fairly quickly).
Thanks. I'm going tho have a good read. I just recently brought a 458 dream car. Heart thumping Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk
One thing to add about gettrag Gearbox 2012 and after contain updated e diff pressure sensors, which are known to fail (symptom: intermittent e diff recovery light) and is a level 2 gearbox repair. Level 3 gearbox repairs can only be done in Ferrari owned dealers, so in countries where Ferrari uses third party dealers it’s a gearbox replacement rather than repair. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks for all the comments. I'll be making some updates in the next week or so with some of the superb advice on the forum. I'll keep you posted.
Great background on the 458! I agree with @arizonaitalian that some detail on what could go wrong would be helpful. Either way, this was a great primer for me as I'm entering the hunt for one.