Taking the plunge.....maybe

[djwimbledon]

Hi Guys - currently driving my fantastic Carrera S 997 and love every minute of it but still feel that I need to step on the Prancing Horse for a few years to get it out my system before my wife has my first child!! I test drove an F430 today and loved it. Fantastic, amazing...the engine note, the simplicity of the drive, the comfort etc etc..

What Im really looking for is some good honest views on their thoughts of the F430 F1 .. running costs, reliability, running around etc etc... appreciate all your comments as this would be the first time I will be owning a Ferrari after 5 years of Porsche ownership......

thanks all

[thunderstarter]

Id say you might find an F430 not totally suitable as an everyday runner although some others on here might not agree! The thing about the 997 (and Ive owned 2) is that they are an awesome all round car, that dosnt attract a lot of attention, and that might start to p*ss you off with the Fezza. But if you've got the itch to own an f430 you need to scratch it!

[lambo_xx]

djwimbledon said:

Hi Guys - currently driving my fantastic Carrera S 997 and love every minute of it but still feel that I need to step on the Prancing Horse for a few years to get it out my system before my wife has my first child!! I test drove an F430 today and loved it. Fantastic, amazing...the engine note, the simplicity of the drive, the comfort etc etc..

What Im really looking for is some good honest views on their thoughts of the F430 F1 .. running costs, reliability, running around etc etc... appreciate all your comments as this would be the first time I will be owning a Ferrari after 5 years of Porsche ownership......

thanks all

Well I sold my 997 C4S and bought a 430 spider in December so I hopefully will be able to help. The 430 is amazing, no doubt about it. The engine noise is brilliant (far better than the Porsche, even with the Porsche sports exhaust), the comfort is pretty good and the F1 gearbox is a joy to use.

I'd had my C4S for about a year and a half when I decided to get something a bit more exciting, so I went for a F430 Spider. Originally I wanted a manual but after a little bit of consideration I went for the F1 and it is fantastic. Very smooth, quick changes, however I personally don't like driving it in town as much as I would a manual because you have to keep putting it in neutral to maximise clutch life. Saying that however, it is great on the open road.

As I said I bought my 430 to use everyday and if I'm honest I don't use it everyday because I find it a bit of a hassle. If I need to go in to town or park it anywhere I need to think very carefully about where to park it, just in case some little chav decides to carve his name in to the paintwork. Also, the 430 is much lower than the Porsche so speed bumps are more of an issue. It needs serviced once a year or every 7k, where as the Porsche is every 2 years or 20k. Also it's about double the price of the Porsche for a service. The Porsche is remarkably economical for that type of car, I used to get about 30MPG on the motorway and it would cost me about £60 to fill up. The 430 on the other hand drinks like an alcoholic and costs about £75-80 to fill up.

Reliability wise I haven’t had any real problems with the 430 since I’ve had it. Another point that’s worth noting about the 430 is the handling, it’s brilliant. On a dry road, you can make very good progress, but on a wet road it’s easy to get the rear wheels spinning, whereas I never really had that problem with the Porsche. To answer you original question, yes you can use a 430 every day, but it is a compromise. If you’re ok with that then go for it.
I’ve really enjoyed my 430 and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend one, but in terms of practicality the Porsche is much better. If you decide to get a 430, have you thought about getting a cheap little run about that you can take in to town and throw the shopping in the back?

Hope that helps