360 v 430

I started to post this on my 360 photo thread but thought it would spoil the picture thread somewhat.

interesting to see the photo of the 360/430 together.
My next move is potentially and logically the 430 or the Gallardo.

So question to you all to put the cat amongst the pigeons as it were, is the 430 really worth another £25k+?

Im using 40k and 65k as basis points here, I understand the 430 is a newer better faster car, but is it worth 60% more ?, appreciate we could say is a 458 worth 3 x 360's etc etc but thats not really the question.

interested to hear from owners that have had both

Yes, much better engine and the chassis is too ... far better composed at the rear, better balanced and a touch more communicative. F430 is a truly modern car in the modern age whereas the 360 is more of a work in progress imo that sits awkwardly inbetween the analogue 355 to the f430. Time moves on.

yes 430 Challenge grill looks good, might have to get one for mine

This was a Rosso car with a carbon factory ? Challenge grill in black obviously

Yes F430 is far superior and more modern than 360 IMHO.
I prefer the 2nd gen evolution cars, F355 over 348 and F430 over 360.
Performance, handling and F1 gearbox are all markedly improved on F430. Personally I prefer the F430 looks over 360 of which I was never a fan.
Its not 60% better but I reckon its worth £25,000.

Gallardo versus F430 poses another question and at £65k you are looking at early models of both.
Gallardo blew 360 out of the water when launched but comparing 2006 models is a close call and down to personal preference whereas later LP versions moved the Gallardo on again from later F430's

Either way all great cars

I think the F430 wheels freshen the 360 up and unless people know there cars its hard to distinguish at first glance.
I think the F430 headlights also look more sleek and modern and my F430 had a carbon fibre challenge rear grill which also was a more modern twist on the metal holey challenge grills of F355 and 360. This made the rear end of a F430 look much better IMHO and also made it look lower and wider by breaking up the back bumper.

Capristo exhausts are superb. My F355 GTS with Capristo screams like a banshee. I always thought it was the best sounding car ever until I picked up my LP570-4 with stock exhaust which is even more mental but not as high pitched. I hate it when the Mrs decides to come for a drive in either car as she always wants the stereo on

Hallelujah we agree on something

What are the residuals like on the 430. (An early one)

How does the F1 compare on the 360 vs the 430?

I think a manual 360 at £45k looks like a lot of car for the money.

From another thread but requested to be posted here by OP...

So, after countless manual Imprezas, A few M cars and a couple of 911s, I wanted a Ferrari. I tried a manual 355, which I found a little disappointing. Not so much the drive but the interior quality of what was a 13 year old, effectively hand built car. As a modern classic this car has appeal in spades and I remember loving the look when they were new.

I nearly pulled the trigger but thought I should look at the comparatively unloved (at least by journalists) 360. I drove an F1Spider and absolutely loved it. I bought the car and have never been without a Ferrari since.

Wow! It was brilliant. I absolutely loved the F1 change, despite years of wonderful heel and toe action in other manual cars. The F1 change totally suits the character of a Ferrari V8 of more modern vintage. These cars are powerful, alive, sharp, precise...all the things others have said. The F1 change is not less engaging, it is a new and interesting automotive experience. If you like to feel the car talking to you as weight and inertia loads up and moves around in corners, having both hands on the wheel and being able to select gears with rifle-crack efficiency (and noises) then F1 is just wonderful. I do still have a manual Subaru in the garage but I'm glad these F1 Ferraris exist and that I chose one.

So, the 360. Careful about assuming maintenance costs are Porsche-like - they are not. The run-of-the-mill maintenance stuff is a bit more expensive but it's the other stuff that, if you want to own the car properly, can bite a bit. Not everyone experiences the same (some are no doubt lucky) but also, there are owners out there who run cars on a budget and I would personally avoid those. You need to see quite a list of previous maintenance invoices for what will be a 10-14 year old car.

For instance, suspension components and ball joints are basically consumable items and need regular replacement. Door pins go (and are not funny when it happens). I had at least three or four abnormal items each year I had the car and every year it needed a decent alignment. I didn't worry though, the reward was every weekend and fully worth it.

As for the car itself, I had a standard exhaust and it was a great sound. I put Capristo manifolds on the 430 that followed it and I have had sport exhausts on my other cars but didn't feel the need on the 360. That said, I have a CS currently and that is the best sounding car I have ever owned, by far.

I didn't find the handling too unapproachable, at least on the road with TC on. In fact it was a precise and rewarding car. On my CS I did a bit of research, especially on FChat, and have altered the standard geometry with significant benefits. A small example of the thinking behind this is that Ferrari altered rear toe with the 430 to improve on the limit handling. The 430 uses the same tub and is a very similar car to the 360, and a car where journalists and owners reported more neutral on limit handling. I think this could well have been down to rear toe settings, at least partly, and my CS (with, among other things, 430 rear toe settings) now handles beautifully (there was more to it than that but you get the point). Still, I had no complaints at all with the 360.

The engine was worth the entry price alone and no Porsche short of a Carrera GT can compete with it in my view. What a thing! It certainly is the heart and soul of the car. However, the precision in cornering and braking is an integral part too. Clarkson once said that Ferraris just move over the road in a different way to other cars, I know what he means. You'll feel it in a 360 too. They have a kind of intimacy that is not just about steering feel (where a 911 is probably better) but is about the marriage of all the things that make up the way you 'feel' a car and how it wants you to engage with it - steering feel, chassis feel, noise, weight movement, balance, tiny floor and seat vibrations, body control etc... It's a kind of poetry.

I moved eventually to a 430. In every way (almost) this car was better, although I don't remember it any more fondly and both cars gave that fabulous Ferrari hit. Since then I have had a California, again brilliant, but perhaps in a slightly different way. In some ways I preferred it, mainly because I still had the mid engined CS in my garage and the Cali gave me a more usable Ferrari alternative. (Even at today's prices the CS won't be leaving me any time soon, I hope).

I also now have a 12C Spider which is a recent addition and equally fabulous in its own way.

As my first Ferrari though, the 360 was a belter and got me hooked on Exotic cars in general and Ferraris in particular. If you 're anything like me you'll be quite a bit poorer of wallet but happy about the choice you made.