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First Ferrari

Discussion in 'North Midwest - USA (ND, SD, MN, IA, WI, IL)' started by Joseph Felton, Aug 19, 2019.

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  1. Joseph Felton

    Joseph Felton Rookie

    Jan 11, 2019
    24
    Minnesota
    Full Name:
    Joseph
    I'm looking for some input and advice. I'm planning to purchase my 1st Ferrari, hopefully next spring/summer, and need some advice from some current or past owners. My dream car is a 458 but that may not be in my budget. I have been looking at 430's, 360's and California's. My concern is with maintenance on the 360, the not totally appealing looks of the California + the brake lights and the potential condition of most 430's I have seen so far. Sorry to be broad with the thread but was hoping to have some input. Should I just keep saving for the 458 or does anyone have some input to steer me one way or the other? Any input will be taken seriously and appreciated. I know mileage is also a big thing-too little mileage means work ahead and too much mileage kinda scares me in terms of value(ie over 40,000 miles). Thank you and I look forward to getting some quality information!!!
     
  2. imahorse

    imahorse F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 25, 2017
    2,646
    WI
    Full Name:
    Dustin
    You posted this on the midwest part of the forum. If you are from here, I could help go over a 360 for you as I know the platform rather well. Maintenance on the 360 isnt that bad. Every major you just have to do belts too, unlike the F430. I won't touch a 458 even though I think my tool has full diagnostics with it. Too computerized for me. (And that's from.a millennial lol). I'm a blue collar DIY guy, so my opinions differ greatly from most. If you are from the midwest and need help with 360s, message me. If you aren't from the midwest and were just looking for opinions, you posted this on the wrong sub forum.
     
  3. Joseph Felton

    Joseph Felton Rookie

    Jan 11, 2019
    24
    Minnesota
    Full Name:
    Joseph
    Yes, I am from Minnesota. The reason I posted here was to gather information from Ferrari owners in this area. I realize the "driving season" is probably 6 or so months on a good year and that is part of what I'm trying to gather. Besides an oil and fluid change, what does the "winterizing" of the vehicle entail? Is the belt service something that "anyone" can do? I have mechanic skills but have never worked on, or even driven, a Ferrari. There seems to be large amount of convertible 360's and F430's available for sale, very near the coupe price point. The part that scares me about convertible 360's or F430's is the convertible top. I'm not the biggest fan of the look when the top is up and I heard the top is only replaceable as an entire assembly when it fails, besides the hydraulic lifts. That's one reason why I'm drawn to the California. I was just hoping to gather as much information as I can and get the best car that I can, when I am able to purchase. Would you be willing to advise me on your "average year" maintenance and a "bad" year costs? The more information I can gather would go along way with talking to my wife about the purchase. She is drawn to the California, which would be ok with me but I prefer the 360 or F430. With older F430's and 360's they do not have the carbon ceramic brakes. Do they require yearly or bi-yearly brake fluid flushes? Thanks for your reply and I hope we can discuss things further.
     
  4. imahorse

    imahorse F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 25, 2017
    2,646
    WI
    Full Name:
    Dustin
    Brake fluid flushes are important, although I still have yet to do mine. The coupe and spider prices are roughly the same. It's just a matter of what is on the market. I store my car in a heated warehouse. All I do is turn off the power. I don't see why you couldn't store it in the winter, but I have heard of the door latch mechanisms freezing. If you do your work yourself, it's not that expensive. A major should cost less than a couple grand to do a proper one yourself. If you don't DIY it can get rather pricey. There are 2 places I know of in Wi where I am from and they each said they want $10k for a major IIRC which is ludacris. If you are mechanically inclined, it's an easy car to work on. Make sure to get a workshop manual which can be found on Ebay. I also recommend getting one of the Chinese reverse hacked diagnostic tools. I use a Foxwell NT520. If the 360 is an F1 and has post 2001 (I think that is when they did the overhaul) TCU software, it will give you a lot (but not all) of SD2 capability. To deal with F1 issues, clutch reprogramming, or actuator bleeding, you are supposed to use an SD2, but they are like $20k. My 360 was a mechanical trainwreck when I got it and I've spent like $5k getting it decently reliable. I actually drove it to Minneapolis and back here to Fond Du Lac which was 700 miles total. I've put on roughly 4k miles. I don't know of any Ferrari specialists in Minnesota, but I'm frequently there for family and would be happy to look over a car for you if you can't find one.
     
  5. BlueFerrari458

    BlueFerrari458 Karting
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 24, 2018
    115
    I agree with the advice given.... I bought my 458 and I love it but I miss a standard shift.... if you get a car it's essential you get a pre purchase inspection but I would also advise you to get a standard... early F1 paddle shifts are to be avoided.... if you can on stretch for the standard as it will hold value much better. With 2000 HP cars I feel the hobby will soon look back to engaged driving experiences over raw number game HP.... in the same way that the hobby values now originality over redone cars... buying in for a first time that is important. That's my two cents also waiting until fall winter will save you some as sellers consider storage costs vs better price today. Good luck and join the FCA great way to get info and new friends see you soon


    Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat.com mobile app
     
  6. Joseph Felton

    Joseph Felton Rookie

    Jan 11, 2019
    24
    Minnesota
    Full Name:
    Joseph
    Thank you both for your replies. I appreciate it very much. I do plan to have a PPI done on the car prior to purchase. I need to heat my insulated garage prior to purchase since I do not plan on renting a space for the winter. If you ever have more information to relay, I will take it seriously and be grateful for it.
     
  7. GH13

    GH13 Karting

    Apr 26, 2019
    73
    Be careful about heating a garage.

    Heated garages will speed up the corrosive effects of road salt.

    Having an insulated garage reduces how cold it gets, without artificially accelerating the impact of road salt.
     
  8. Joseph Felton

    Joseph Felton Rookie

    Jan 11, 2019
    24
    Minnesota
    Full Name:
    Joseph
    Thank you for that info, I have never heard that before. Although I do not plan to drive it in the winter, are there any negative things that may happen to the vehicle in an unheated garage? I planned on "winterizing" the car prior to putting it away for the winter. Is that sufficient? Are there any "winterizing" steps that need to be done prior to parking it for the winter, besides the fluid changes?
     
  9. GH13

    GH13 Karting

    Apr 26, 2019
    73
    You might want to reach out to a dealer, or check out what people usually do with their motorcycles.

    I’ve never had the combination of having a seasonal vehicle while also living in an area that has real seasons.

    Give some thought to the idea of getting winter tires. That way, you can still drive it on relatively clear but cold days.
     
  10. Meister

    Meister F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Apr 27, 2001
    5,516
    Duluth, MN
    Full Name:
    The Meister
    I'm up herre in Duluth and for 20 years I've been storing everything from mid 60's corvettes to 308/348/mondials, S4 Lotus esprit

    My basics are

    Full tank with premium non ethanol fuel treated with fuel stabilizer (run the car so the treated fuel is sure to be in the fuel pump/injectors)
    fresh oil
    battery tender (with note on wheel so you dont forget and pull out of the garage still connected...done that :)
    clean interior
    cover
    Done

    You can get fancy with tire cradles for flat spots, but I've never had an issue with that in either heated or unheated space. Tire cradles are a nice little novelty the mail order places like to sell.

    I am firmly in the camp of not occasionally starting the car. Random starts build up moisture in oil, and exhaust system.

    Heated space is not critical either if you don't have it. It's certainly nice, but not critical. All my cars have at one time or another spent the winter without heat and I've never had an iss related to no heat come spring.

    Overall, a 360 would be a great first ferrari and then go from there.
     
    JohnnyRay and kes7u like this.
  11. Joseph Felton

    Joseph Felton Rookie

    Jan 11, 2019
    24
    Minnesota
    Full Name:
    Joseph
    Thank you for the input on everything, very much appreciated.
     
  12. JohnnyRay

    JohnnyRay F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 2, 2014
    2,864
    Central FL/NW WI
    All that. Also, check or replace the antifreeze (GO5 or similar every few years) and overinflate the tires. Don't start it, for the reasons Meister states. You can hold the pedal to the floor on first crank to circulate oil in the spring if you wish. Flush brake fluid every other year...
     
  13. JohnnyRay

    JohnnyRay F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 2, 2014
    2,864
    Central FL/NW WI
    Might want to consider a 12 cylinder car as well. 550s and Testarossas may not be out of reach for your budget.
     
  14. Tarek307

    Tarek307 Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 26, 2018
    1,294
    Long Beach, CA & Alexandria,Egypt.
    Full Name:
    Tarek Salah
    360 is one of the most reliable F cars out there, the more miles on it if maintained well the better the car is! (my experience based on manual 6 speed) and if you're looking for a car NEXT SUMMER then this thread is pretty much a waste of time..who knows where the world will be "Next summer"
     

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