Anyone daily a F430?
Discussion
My last Ferrari was 15 years ago, and I used it every day during the summer rain or shine (360 Spider Manual). A long motorway commute, an evening blast a weekend drive, short trips to the office and back, it got used. You didn't really care about values as they were only about 40K then and I think the general mindset was a bit different, no PPF, no detailing etc. It was pretty reliable too, a few common issues gear linkages, roof needed hydraulic fluid top up, brake lights sometimes worked, gearbox needed a bit of a warm up before setting of.
It was an amazing time, I mean I ran a Ferrari every day in my mid 20's, what's not to love about that. Some of the best car memories I have. I don't think anything will ever match to hearing that Tubi wailing away at 11pm on a summer night.
I guess things seem to have changed, over the last 6 years I purchased Porsche's and they were in the garaged, detailed, PPF, not on the drive like the 360, more weekend fun cars, yes they cost more but only 20K more. Were totally reliable but they were alot newer, very capable cars and I purchased my 981 Boxster GTS Manual because it reminded me so much of my 360 but a more refined, polished, modern version, it even has the same body colour and roof and wheel colour combination. Whilst a great car and better that the 360 in every single way, it just missed a bit of that special fizz the 360 had.
I did say to myself the next car I get, be it a Ferrari, Lambo, McLaren I want to use it like I did my 360. I guess now they are an extra 15 years older. My mileage isn't as high as it was when I was using my 360, to be honest its not much at all these days. But I still may need to and want to use it no matter where I am going and on most of my trips, be it short, or long, just to grab some milk via a 20 mile detour etc, and in all weather all seasons, and I could garage it, but its a single and a pain to get it in and out.
Would this be feasible give the fact the cars are getting pretty old now? I could just get a coupe instead of spider so its better living outside.
Just wondering what everyone's thoughts are, and does anyone do this with their F430 or other Ferrari / Lambo / Mclaren cars?
It was an amazing time, I mean I ran a Ferrari every day in my mid 20's, what's not to love about that. Some of the best car memories I have. I don't think anything will ever match to hearing that Tubi wailing away at 11pm on a summer night.
I guess things seem to have changed, over the last 6 years I purchased Porsche's and they were in the garaged, detailed, PPF, not on the drive like the 360, more weekend fun cars, yes they cost more but only 20K more. Were totally reliable but they were alot newer, very capable cars and I purchased my 981 Boxster GTS Manual because it reminded me so much of my 360 but a more refined, polished, modern version, it even has the same body colour and roof and wheel colour combination. Whilst a great car and better that the 360 in every single way, it just missed a bit of that special fizz the 360 had.
I did say to myself the next car I get, be it a Ferrari, Lambo, McLaren I want to use it like I did my 360. I guess now they are an extra 15 years older. My mileage isn't as high as it was when I was using my 360, to be honest its not much at all these days. But I still may need to and want to use it no matter where I am going and on most of my trips, be it short, or long, just to grab some milk via a 20 mile detour etc, and in all weather all seasons, and I could garage it, but its a single and a pain to get it in and out.
Would this be feasible give the fact the cars are getting pretty old now? I could just get a coupe instead of spider so its better living outside.
Just wondering what everyone's thoughts are, and does anyone do this with their F430 or other Ferrari / Lambo / Mclaren cars?
I use my 430 as my main car. I don't call it a daily driver as I simply don't drive every day, but it is my primary vehicle and if I am going somewhere it is the default choice. It has been to the supermarket more times than I can count, it gets used to take my Son to school about once a week, we take it to play farms and park it in the grass car park, we take it to the skate park at weekends, I'll take it to friends houses and leave it parked on the street, etc. Just about the only thing I don't do with it is take it to unfamiliar multi-storey car parks, as I want to be sure the entrance / exit and parking bays aren't too tight. I have access to a boring family car, but that is first and foremost my wife's car, whereas the Ferrari is really mine (she refuses to drive it!). If I am going somewhere with my Son and suggest going in the Ford Focus he will respond with abject horror.
Honestly it's fine for these duties, but I wouldn't say it's ideal. The F1 gearbox is clunky in town until it warms up, the visibility is poor, the refinement is poor. The trade off, as you already know, is that every drive is an event, every single time. I used to use a string of Aston Martins in the same way and they were much better at the job of just getting you where you wanted to go. They are absolutely better at the job of being a mode of transport but don't have that special "fizz" that you get from a true supercar. I am extremely happy that I have experienced owning a 430, and I am very happy that I have made the effort to use it at every possible opportunity. I don't regret using it this much at all.
After almost 3 years in the Ferrari I am planning to move on later this year into a McLaren; most likely a 650S. What I am looking for from that is a balance between the two; something that offers ease of use close to an Aston Martin, but with a level of excitement close to that of the Ferrari.
Honestly it's fine for these duties, but I wouldn't say it's ideal. The F1 gearbox is clunky in town until it warms up, the visibility is poor, the refinement is poor. The trade off, as you already know, is that every drive is an event, every single time. I used to use a string of Aston Martins in the same way and they were much better at the job of just getting you where you wanted to go. They are absolutely better at the job of being a mode of transport but don't have that special "fizz" that you get from a true supercar. I am extremely happy that I have experienced owning a 430, and I am very happy that I have made the effort to use it at every possible opportunity. I don't regret using it this much at all.
After almost 3 years in the Ferrari I am planning to move on later this year into a McLaren; most likely a 650S. What I am looking for from that is a balance between the two; something that offers ease of use close to an Aston Martin, but with a level of excitement close to that of the Ferrari.
Edited by murphyaj on Thursday 18th January 11:18
P.S.
Mine lives outside and has done for almost 3 years. I have spent a fair bit on maintenance over the years, as is inevitable with a well used supercar, but not once has anything happened as a result of it being kept outside.
If you are planning on using a car very regularly, having spoken to several specialists on this topic, I'd recommend buying one that is already used regularly. If you buy a car that is only used as an occasional summer weekend car and then start using it every other day then there is a greater risk of unpleasant surprises.
Mine lives outside and has done for almost 3 years. I have spent a fair bit on maintenance over the years, as is inevitable with a well used supercar, but not once has anything happened as a result of it being kept outside.
If you are planning on using a car very regularly, having spoken to several specialists on this topic, I'd recommend buying one that is already used regularly. If you buy a car that is only used as an occasional summer weekend car and then start using it every other day then there is a greater risk of unpleasant surprises.
murphyaj said:
I use my 430 as my main car. I don't call it a daily driver as I simply don't drive every day, but it is my primary vehicle and if I am going somewhere it is the default choice. It has been to the supermarket more times than I can count, it gets used to take my Son to school about once a week, we take it to play farms and park it in the grass car park, we take it to the skate park at weekends, I'll take it to friends houses and leave it parked on the street, etc. Just about the only thing I don't do with it is take it to unfamiliar multi-storey car parks, as I want to be sure the entrance / exit and parking bays aren't too tight. I have access to a boring family car, but that is first and foremost my wife's car, whereas the Ferrari is really mine (she refuses to drive it!). If I am going somewhere with my Son and suggest going in the Ford Focus he will respond with abject horror.
Honestly it's fine for these duties, but I wouldn't say it's ideal. The F1 gearbox is clunky in town until it warms up, the visibility is poor, the refinement is poor. The trade off, as you already know, is that every drive is an event, every single time. I used to use a string of Aston Martins in the same way and they were much better at the job of just getting you where you wanted to go. They are absolutely better at the job of being a mode of transport but don't have that special "fizz" that you get from a true supercar. I am extremely happy that I have experienced owning a 430, and I am very happy that I have made the effort to use it at every possible opportunity. I don't regret using it this much at all.
After almost 3 years in the Ferrari I am planning to move on later this year into a McLaren; most likely a 650S. What I am looking for from that is a balance between the two; something that offers ease of use close to an Aston Martin, but with a level of excitement close to that of the Ferrari.
That's exactly what I was looking for, thank you. Sound a very special experience your having with your F430. I have 2 kids under 3 now and I just wouldn't have time to go for a drive or weekend blast etc, so my use would be very similar to yours. We have a Macan which is the usual car, I have a manual M2 Competition, I thought I needed back seats and a boot and still wanted something fun, i could tinker with and track, it does it very well but again, its not really special etc. However I don't really seem to need the back seats much nor the boot so it opens up thoughts again. I have looked at McLarens also most of my friends have them and fantastic cars doing everything, but I really love NA high revving engines (even though my M2 is currently 7300rpm 530hp/530lbft) its very quick, torque is fun but its not thrilling and it sounds like crap. I thought about a 911 3.8 GTS, NA back seats but you know I don't think I'll ever look at it and drive and be like WOW.Honestly it's fine for these duties, but I wouldn't say it's ideal. The F1 gearbox is clunky in town until it warms up, the visibility is poor, the refinement is poor. The trade off, as you already know, is that every drive is an event, every single time. I used to use a string of Aston Martins in the same way and they were much better at the job of just getting you where you wanted to go. They are absolutely better at the job of being a mode of transport but don't have that special "fizz" that you get from a true supercar. I am extremely happy that I have experienced owning a 430, and I am very happy that I have made the effort to use it at every possible opportunity. I don't regret using it this much at all.
After almost 3 years in the Ferrari I am planning to move on later this year into a McLaren; most likely a 650S. What I am looking for from that is a balance between the two; something that offers ease of use close to an Aston Martin, but with a level of excitement close to that of the Ferrari.
Edited by murphyaj on Thursday 18th January 11:18
The 360 I had was 40K miles all that time ago, a well used example and yes it was reliable.
murphyaj said:
I use my 430 as my main car. I don't call it a daily driver as I simply don't drive every day, but it is my primary vehicle and if I am going somewhere it is the default choice. It has been to the supermarket more times than I can count, it gets used to take my Son to school about once a week, we take it to play farms and park it in the grass car park, we take it to the skate park at weekends, I'll take it to friends houses and leave it parked on the street, etc. Just about the only thing I don't do with it is take it to unfamiliar multi-storey car parks, as I want to be sure the entrance / exit and parking bays aren't too tight. I have access to a boring family car, but that is first and foremost my wife's car, whereas the Ferrari is really mine (she refuses to drive it!). If I am going somewhere with my Son and suggest going in the Ford Focus he will respond with abject horror.
Honestly it's fine for these duties, but I wouldn't say it's ideal. The F1 gearbox is clunky in town until it warms up, the visibility is poor, the refinement is poor. The trade off, as you already know, is that every drive is an event, every single time. I used to use a string of Aston Martins in the same way and they were much better at the job of just getting you where you wanted to go. They are absolutely better at the job of being a mode of transport but don't have that special "fizz" that you get from a true supercar. I am extremely happy that I have experienced owning a 430, and I am very happy that I have made the effort to use it at every possible opportunity. I don't regret using it this much at all.
After almost 3 years in the Ferrari I am planning to move on later this year into a McLaren; most likely a 650S. What I am looking for from that is a balance between the two; something that offers ease of use close to an Aston Martin, but with a level of excitement close to that of the Ferrari.
A 650s will be Well above the level of excitement of a Ferrari , it will make a 430 look and feel like a bloody Mondeo ,,Honestly it's fine for these duties, but I wouldn't say it's ideal. The F1 gearbox is clunky in town until it warms up, the visibility is poor, the refinement is poor. The trade off, as you already know, is that every drive is an event, every single time. I used to use a string of Aston Martins in the same way and they were much better at the job of just getting you where you wanted to go. They are absolutely better at the job of being a mode of transport but don't have that special "fizz" that you get from a true supercar. I am extremely happy that I have experienced owning a 430, and I am very happy that I have made the effort to use it at every possible opportunity. I don't regret using it this much at all.
After almost 3 years in the Ferrari I am planning to move on later this year into a McLaren; most likely a 650S. What I am looking for from that is a balance between the two; something that offers ease of use close to an Aston Martin, but with a level of excitement close to that of the Ferrari.
Edited by murphyaj on Thursday 18th January 11:18
The oldest 430s are getting on for 20 years old now and the youngest will be coming up to their 14th birthdays.
Whilst they won't melt in the rain, especially if used regularly, they will be needing a bit more TLC than newer cars.
If you're after a 'daily driver' Ferrari then Cali T and FF are more modern and more useable.
My wife had a choice between F430 and Cali (not the T) as her daily driver. She took the Cali and that was the right choice vs the F430 but I'd recommend the Cali T and FF as better cars than the Cali (and by implication, better for DD duties than a F430).
So while it doesn't strictly answer your question, it hopefully gives you some insight into why we didn't daily a F430!
Whilst they won't melt in the rain, especially if used regularly, they will be needing a bit more TLC than newer cars.
If you're after a 'daily driver' Ferrari then Cali T and FF are more modern and more useable.
My wife had a choice between F430 and Cali (not the T) as her daily driver. She took the Cali and that was the right choice vs the F430 but I'd recommend the Cali T and FF as better cars than the Cali (and by implication, better for DD duties than a F430).
So while it doesn't strictly answer your question, it hopefully gives you some insight into why we didn't daily a F430!
As much as i loved my 430, and it isn’t a Mondeo against a 650, I don’t think you would want to daily an F1 430.
If you have to go through any amount of traffic it’s going to be a real pain.
It also scrapes its nose quite easily, not on speed bumps but at seemingly odd places. It’s quite wide so if any one parks next to you and you’re not a midget, getting back i is going to be a pain.
If fully advocate driving them, but I suspect daily it might be a pain in the arse. They have come down a lot recently so are a good buy.
If you have to go through any amount of traffic it’s going to be a real pain.
It also scrapes its nose quite easily, not on speed bumps but at seemingly odd places. It’s quite wide so if any one parks next to you and you’re not a midget, getting back i is going to be a pain.
If fully advocate driving them, but I suspect daily it might be a pain in the arse. They have come down a lot recently so are a good buy.
I daily a Scud; do the creche drop in it and the few miles to the office.
It's been pretty flawless so far; suspension is very pliable considering; radio is rubbish - I think a better headunit would be a help in a 430
Disagree about the F1 being unusable in traffic - obviously the Scud has a better shift than the base model but even the base isn't half bad and can be flashed to be even better .... clutch wear is superb on the 430 vs the 360 ... mine is just back from service with Ferrari and it's got 25k miles, original clutch only 25% worn
I'd have it over any turbo any day - but horses for courses
(agree with above that FF would be worth looking at - if I didn't fall in love with the scud I would have probably gone FF)
It's been pretty flawless so far; suspension is very pliable considering; radio is rubbish - I think a better headunit would be a help in a 430
Disagree about the F1 being unusable in traffic - obviously the Scud has a better shift than the base model but even the base isn't half bad and can be flashed to be even better .... clutch wear is superb on the 430 vs the 360 ... mine is just back from service with Ferrari and it's got 25k miles, original clutch only 25% worn
I'd have it over any turbo any day - but horses for courses
(agree with above that FF would be worth looking at - if I didn't fall in love with the scud I would have probably gone FF)
Davyt said:
A 650s will be Well above the level of excitement of a Ferrari , it will make a 430 look and feel like a bloody Mondeo ,,
I have driven a 12C, but not yet a 650S, however they are pretty similar by all accounts. I've also been out in a 570S.The McLaren was a brilliant car but I am afraid I found it marginally less exciting than the Ferrari. Much faster, but that is not the same thing as exciting. It is more refined, it is easier to drive, it is more comfortable, it has a better gearbox, the engine has a broader spread of power, all of these things make it a "better" car, but those same things made the drive less exciting for me. It is for those reasons that I decided to move on to looking for a 650S as I have heard it is an improvement in a number of areas, but since it's essentially an evolution of the 12C I doubt it will make the 430 seem like a Mondeo. I'm just not honestly that fussed about overall speed; I'm in the camp that 500 bhp is quite enough on the road, so the extra outright speed of a McLaren isn't a strong positive for me. That isn't to put them down though, they are great cars and I still plan to buy one.
A few people have mentioned the California already and that's a great call. I actually set out to buy a California after my last car, I wanted a Ferrari that I could use as my main car that would offer the Ferrari ownership experience but be easy to live with, and the Cali ticked all the boxes. I went to drive one and for whatever reason it left me a little bit cold; it's a brilliant car that I would happily recommend to anyone but I realised that what I really wanted was a supercar and the California wasn't it. I then started looking at other cars and as soon as I sat in the 430 it was love at first drive; there was just something about it that made my pulse race that the Cali didn't have. Honestly my mind was made up within 60 seconds of slipping into the drivers seat.
All that being said the Cali really would be much easier to live. Going for the 430 was 100% an emotional decision; as others have pointed out there are several very good logical reasons why using a 430 (especially an F1) as a daily is a bad idea, but in my case all those melt away against how the car makes me feel. If you do want a Ferrari as a daily in this price bracket I would strongly recommend you try both a 430 and a Cali; there is no wrong answer between them.
Edited by murphyaj on Friday 19th January 08:36
Thanks for the comments chaps. When I say daily I don't specifically mean use it every day, this week my M2 has been used once, (I thought it would be fun one cold night to see if I could get 530lbft down, it was a giggle to the supermarket and back). Otherwise no use. However I want it to be a 2nd car that I can jump in and use for whatever trip I want to take, be it the supermarket, take my little one swimming etc, and maybe the odd track day too.
I live in a rural area so its not really town or city traffic at all. Even popping into our nearest town isn't much traffic.
I understand there are so many better cars, faster, more refined by they just miss the WOW factor I crave. I drove friends 430 Scuderia last summer and boy it didn't feel quick but everything it did had me smiling none stop. I'd 100% need to drive one and just see how it feels as its been some time since I drove a F430, 13/14 years ago when the 360 went.
As a petrol head I want to look at the window and see that wonderful machine sat their, knowing its yours, and you can drive it whenever you want, and then the driving to be an event every time.
Cali I just don't like, i'd buy it and still want a F430, FF is very nice but still no the one I really want, hell I really want a 360 CS but thats another dream!
I live in a rural area so its not really town or city traffic at all. Even popping into our nearest town isn't much traffic.
I understand there are so many better cars, faster, more refined by they just miss the WOW factor I crave. I drove friends 430 Scuderia last summer and boy it didn't feel quick but everything it did had me smiling none stop. I'd 100% need to drive one and just see how it feels as its been some time since I drove a F430, 13/14 years ago when the 360 went.
As a petrol head I want to look at the window and see that wonderful machine sat their, knowing its yours, and you can drive it whenever you want, and then the driving to be an event every time.
Cali I just don't like, i'd buy it and still want a F430, FF is very nice but still no the one I really want, hell I really want a 360 CS but thats another dream!
Can't imagine dailying my F430, it's not that you can't of course but the expense would make me wince. It's bad enough as it is with the 'playing' miles on it in terms of upkeep. Funnily enough I had a similar experience with the Cali T, just left me stone cold and couldn't wait to get back into the F430 for the sheer theatre of the occasion.
Boleros said:
Can't imagine dailying my F430, it's not that you can't of course but the expense would make me wince. It's bad enough as it is with the 'playing' miles on it in terms of upkeep. Funnily enough I had a similar experience with the Cali T, just left me stone cold and couldn't wait to get back into the F430 for the sheer theatre of the occasion.
When i say daily its probably 5K miles a year. Thats just my usage. I'm happy working on my own cars too, all tools and ran my own race cars along with my brother restoring them so I'd imagine I'd look after it myself mostly. Plainview23 said:
I daily a Scud; do the creche drop in it and the few miles to the office.
It's been pretty flawless so far; suspension is very pliable considering; radio is rubbish - I think a better headunit would be a help in a 430
Disagree about the F1 being unusable in traffic - obviously the Scud has a better shift than the base model but even the base isn't half bad and can be flashed to be even better .... clutch wear is superb on the 430 vs the 360 ... mine is just back from service with Ferrari and it's got 25k miles, original clutch only 25% worn
I'd have it over any turbo any day - but horses for courses
(agree with above that FF would be worth looking at - if I didn't fall in love with the scud I would have probably gone FF)
My F430 had a lot of clutch work done at 18,000 miles by Maranello's but they refitted the original clutch plate back in deciding It's been pretty flawless so far; suspension is very pliable considering; radio is rubbish - I think a better headunit would be a help in a 430
Disagree about the F1 being unusable in traffic - obviously the Scud has a better shift than the base model but even the base isn't half bad and can be flashed to be even better .... clutch wear is superb on the 430 vs the 360 ... mine is just back from service with Ferrari and it's got 25k miles, original clutch only 25% worn
I'd have it over any turbo any day - but horses for courses
(agree with above that FF would be worth looking at - if I didn't fall in love with the scud I would have probably gone FF)
it was hardly worn ,I did take it through central London a couple of times even after being warned that i could take the clutch out
if i wasn't careful ,not a lot of help as i never drove it daily but did take it in my local town a few times with no problems remember thinking
yes if i had to i could almost daily drive this.
Boleros said:
Can't imagine dailying my F430, it's not that you can't of course but the expense would make me wince. It's bad enough as it is with the 'playing' miles on it in terms of upkeep. Funnily enough I had a similar experience with the Cali T, just left me stone cold and couldn't wait to get back into the F430 for the sheer theatre of the occasion.
Interesting; I come to the opposite conclusion but for the same reasons. It costs so much to do a small number of miles I may as well do a lot.I did some quick maths. Let's say I do just 1000 miles, Once I've paid for insurance (£500), tax (£695), basic servicing costs (£850 - £1300 depending on year), fuel at 18mpg (£300) and a little maintenance (say £500) then I'm averaging over £3000 a year just to use the thing sparingly. Once I've spent all that I need to drive as much as I can to justify all the upfront costs.
If I use the car four times as much, even if I end up spending twice as much on maintenance, 4000 miles only cost about 50% more than doing 1000. Those extra 3000 miles are an absolute bargain. The more I drive it, the better value it becomes.
And anyway, in 20 years when we are all being ferried around in electric self-driving personal transport devices, am I going to look back at this time in my life and think "damn, I really wish I had spent less time driving my Ferrari". I think not.
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