Monday 6th July 2015

Ferrari 430 Scuderia: PH Carpool

If you're going to buy a Ferrari why bother doing shy and retiring?

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Name: Andrew Schaeffer
Car: Ferrari 430 Scuderia
Owned since: Nov 2014
Previously owned: "Suzuki Swift GTI, Toyota AE82 Corolla Twin Cam (Supercharged 4AGZE engine!),Mazda MX-5 NA and NB, Mazda 323 Turbo, Ford Escort Cosworth RS, Mk2 Golf GTI 8v, Audi S3, E46 Alpina B3 3.3, Lotus 340R, Volvo XC90, BMW E70 X5 3.0sd M Sport and BMW LCI E70 X5 40d M-Sport."
Currently owned: "BMW F15 X5 M50d, Ferrari 430 Scuderia, Porsche Gen.1 997 Carrera S, VW Polo Bluemotion!"

Why I bought it:

Man maths said importing one would be cheaper...

"I have one mate who has a 360 CS and another who is just getting out of an Italia into a Speciale - so it fits nicely in the middle! A good friend and I have bought the car and it's been great fun doing it together."

What I wish I'd known:
"We decided we didn't want to pay the crazy RHD prices so imported a LHD one from Germany - and from a Ferrari main dealer. It cost extra to import the car this way but the car came with a two-year Ferrari powertrain warranty, and importantly is made with the steering wheel on the side it was designed for! Importing is both time consuming and more costly than you think - it would have been easier and not much more costly to buy one landed in the UK - and the Ferrari dealers here will sell you a LHD car with warranty as well. Having said that, if you have time on your hands and really love cars it's fun to do what we did at least once!"

Things I love:

...man maths not perfect; car is though

"It looks a lot different from the standard F430 - and the dedication to making the car lighter and faster is plain to see from the moment you lay eyes on it and holds true from the opening of the doors, to the interior and especially to the engine. It's no understatement to say that the engine is a masterpiece and with the Capristo exhaust on ours - it's truly epic winding it around the rev range. I have also driven my friend's 458 extensively and in comparison the Scud feels more alert to steering input and I prefer the fact that the gearbox is single clutch rather than dual. The 458 is also epic! On my car you can tell when you are changing gears and it gives you a nice kick in the back on upshifts - which suits the car's character beautifully. The biggest compliment that I can give the car is that it feels like another car I used to own - a Lotus 340R. The damping on the car has a real quality to it, and it feels like a bigger and far faster 340R - with beautiful mid-engined handling much like the Lotus."

Things I hate:

Stands comparison with more modern Ferraris

"The car hasn't put a foot wrong in the time we have had it. It's actually a very well screwed together car despite what people say about Ferrari's being fragile - I think that was consigned to the history books when the 360 was produced but it still seems to linger in the UK buying public's obsession with low mileage Ferraris. We are prepared for large bills in the future as wouldn't have gone into buying a car like this without our eyes wide open, however there is definitely an arbitrage sweet spot between price and mileage that if you are smart you can tap into - probably between 15K and 40K mileage wise. Below that the price goes up exponentially and above that the maintenance bills get bigger."

Costs:
"A lot to bring the car back from Germany. None in this country as yet - but we expect a decent service bill shortly! We are consoling ourselves that the car has been appreciating nicely in the meantime."

Where I've been:

What next? "Perhaps one in a different colour?"

"The road trip back from Germany was truly epic. The best bits were of course the German Autobahn and the attention the car garners - almost exclusively to the good. The highlight of that was a women's off-road cycling team coming up to us wanting to know more about the Scud - and ending up taking selfies in and out of the car! All good fun and exactly what a car like this should be used for - to share the love of cars around! Next up a few supercar meets..."

What next?
"Really don't know - the car is so good it's hard to see where you go from here for motoring nirvana. It has a roof so you can drive it anywhere. It crosses continents in some style and you if you wear earplugs arrive almost as fresh as when you set off. For a two-person transport it takes some beating. We are going to have to think hard - perhaps one in a different colour?"

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Want to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at [e-mail]!

[Vee12V]

Just doesn't look 'right' on 458 wheels though.

[TaylotS2K]

Agreed. Doesn't look right. Where it's been lowered it looks like it's been in a prang.

Put it back to stock height and put the original Scuderia wheels back on.

[Tuvra]

Vee12V said:

Just doesn't look 'right' on 458 wheels though.

Agreed.

[Ex Boy Racer]

What was the cost for import? Shouldn't be any taxes as it's EEC. And I would have thought you'd have just driven it back through the Chunnel

[Axionknight]

Tuvra said:

Vee12V said:

Just doesn't look 'right' on 458 wheels though.

Agreed.

Also agreed, it just doesn't work, IMO.

Good to see one in yellow, though!

[Luca Brasi]

Vee12V said:

Just doesn't look 'right' on 458 wheels though.

Wheels are from a Scud 16M, not from a 458.

[brogenville]

Not sure about the running cost / sweet spot statement. Simon George (Evo contributor and owner of a supercar experience company) did some analysis of his Ferrari running costs over his fleet, and found that the peak maintenance costs are around the 25k mark. It's contrary to what you might initially think, but that was the point where a few different bills seems to stack up.

Anyway, fantastic car nonetheless!

[Durzel]

Looks weird lowered, something not quite right about it. Also +1 on the wheels, but I'm a purist. Surely you buy a Speciale/Scuderia because you're buying into what Ferrari have done, not because you want to modify it yourself?

[Slickhillsy]

Struggling to understand where the import costs come from. I did exactly the same thing myself last October - bought a fully loaded one owner black Scuderia with 18k from the Ferrari main dealer in Paris. Also came with 2 year warranty and a sticker price I bit his hand off for...

Was then just a case of pointing it north (with my dad along for the ride - loving it) and heading for home. Admittedly the DVLA paperwork was time consuming and painful so after a few attempts I decided to use an import service for about £1400 (thanks again Jack great service). Added bonus here was that they were able to use the SVA registration process so now my Scud only costs £260 PA road tax - winner! Lol. Only regret I have is not using them in the first place...

I do agree with the comments on where to go next. Bang for buck there is nothing like it out there, I've done 6000 since October - yes having trouble keeping out the thing - and the only problem I've had is a stud go in one of the manifolds (easily fixed). These things do feel well put together, a guy on another forum in the US told me a mate of his had done over 100k in his!

With the remote exhaust valve fitted it's even an easy cruiser (sometimes )...

Mines a keeper!

[stain]

Agree with the 'what can you buy next quote'. I don't drive mine much but when I do I am reminded just how perfect everything is. I don't care that the 488 is faster (or 458 for that matter). The Scud feels so much more of an event than either of those. Yellow is the perfect colour for them too.

[pauloroberto]

The most interesting thing about this for me is that it has been bought with a friend. Most of us would struggle to afford a Ferrari (or similar) but most of us wouldn't use it as a daily driver either, so buying one with a friend makes sense, in theory. In practice, all sorts of things could go wrong with the arrangement and destroy the friendship.

[TaylotS2K]

Luca Brasi said:

Vee12V said:

Just doesn't look 'right' on 458 wheels though.

Wheels are from a Scud 16M, not from a 458.

Regardless, they're virtually the same, if not the same as used on the 458.

These wheels look much better on the Scud

[schaeffs]

Thanks for all the comments guys! Love the car it is truly amazing - thanks to Pistonheads for putting it up!!

To the owners first:

- Slick know you imported as well. The cost of going through the Ferrari Approved system as well as the costs to import where what I was talking about. Call it an extra £10-15k doing it that way rather than going private... I can give you detailed receipts if you'd like

- Stain - the car is epic in so many ways, every drive is a true event. The 458 is amazing (haven't driven a 488 yet) - but the Scud just feels special to me - I love it

On some other points:

- Brog - yeah that's what I am saying - go for a car 20k plus and you've sorted most of the issues (or had someone sort them for you)

- To confirm the car is not lowered - that's my crappy photo skills!

- The car sits on Ferrari OEM 16M rims - they are gorgeous and stunning and once you see them on the car you wouldn't want anything else on them. Be warned they are horrendously expensive though!

- Owning the car with a friend - its been awesome sharing the experience - you do have to be good friends though

Happy to answer any questions! These cars are amazing and very willing to share the experience as much as I can...

[User33678888]

front bumper doesnt look right. badly repaired crash damage?

[Al U]

I'll be driving one of these this weekend. Any tips?

[daytona365]

Don't want to be contrary just for the hell of it, but to me, with this setup it looks more like an MR2 'replica'. Get it put back to standard spec.

[schaeffs]

User33678888 said:

front bumper doesnt look right. badly repaired crash damage?

Haha - no. One of the many advantages from buying from a German main dealer!

[schaeffs]

Al U said:

I'll be driving one of these this weekend. Any tips?

Don't stack it!

[schaeffs]

daytona365 said:

Don't want to be contrary just for the hell of it, but to me, with this setup it looks more like an MR2 'replica'. Get it put back to standard spec.

I can assure you in the flesh it looks nothing like it...

[Durzel]

This probably sounds a bit tttish but I don't think it particularly helps that it's sat on unkempt grass, or grass at all for that matter. The contrast between the green and yellow doesn't do it any favours imo.