living with a 456
Discussion
i'm looking at buying a 456 and wondering what other peoples experiences of running one of these is.
Given that these were over £170k brand new and now can be had for between £25k and £30k, to me they represent excellent value for money but what pitfalls do they have?
Also, service costs? I'm prepared for the fact that services costs on these are going to be a kin to owning a £170k super car and not at £25k grand run of the mill motor, but what can expect to need to get done to one over the course of a year (3k-5k miles) of driving?
It will be used on high days and dry days as my 968 sport is my daily driver.
Have owned Porsches and Maserati's before so am used to inherently high running costs but is owning a 456 going to break me!?!
As for the driving experience, what are they like? My 911 was a 1980 turbo and was a tail happy driving car and the Maserati was a 1992 Shamal which was far more refined yet still very rewarding.
Given that these were over £170k brand new and now can be had for between £25k and £30k, to me they represent excellent value for money but what pitfalls do they have?
Also, service costs? I'm prepared for the fact that services costs on these are going to be a kin to owning a £170k super car and not at £25k grand run of the mill motor, but what can expect to need to get done to one over the course of a year (3k-5k miles) of driving?
It will be used on high days and dry days as my 968 sport is my daily driver.
Have owned Porsches and Maserati's before so am used to inherently high running costs but is owning a 456 going to break me!?!
As for the driving experience, what are they like? My 911 was a 1980 turbo and was a tail happy driving car and the Maserati was a 1992 Shamal which was far more refined yet still very rewarding.
Edited by Coxy914 on Friday 27th April 09:52
Ive had a couple of 456s and enjoyed both enormously. I much preferred the older 456 GT to drive though the 456M GTA felt better engineered and the internal architecture was much improved.
Key issues i found on pre-mod cars was failed window regulators. in english this results in a misaligned window which leaves a whistling gap and is an expensive fix.
other things needed included a burst power steering unit (very rare), new clutch (not so rare!) and a rear shock. big issue will always be getting belts done religiously per the schedule which is a 3year cycle
main dealer costs are eyewatering but I soon found there is a raft of excellent independents who are ferrari trained and deeply knowledgable but without the need to charge you in support of beautiful art deco HQ....
i cant recommend The Ferrari Centre (http://www.theferraricentre.com/) strongly enough. Roger is a zen-master of this stuff and sincere when he gives you his mobile number and says call me anytime!
overall a 456 isnt a cheap thing to maintain as it should be. there are pitfalls and buying a cheap lemon is the worst thing. give these guys a call and get their advice, they are happy to help
Finally when you've scratched the 456 itch try a 612 but must be in that order because the 612 will blow you away and make the 456 seem like a shed!
Key issues i found on pre-mod cars was failed window regulators. in english this results in a misaligned window which leaves a whistling gap and is an expensive fix.
other things needed included a burst power steering unit (very rare), new clutch (not so rare!) and a rear shock. big issue will always be getting belts done religiously per the schedule which is a 3year cycle
main dealer costs are eyewatering but I soon found there is a raft of excellent independents who are ferrari trained and deeply knowledgable but without the need to charge you in support of beautiful art deco HQ....
i cant recommend The Ferrari Centre (http://www.theferraricentre.com/) strongly enough. Roger is a zen-master of this stuff and sincere when he gives you his mobile number and says call me anytime!
overall a 456 isnt a cheap thing to maintain as it should be. there are pitfalls and buying a cheap lemon is the worst thing. give these guys a call and get their advice, they are happy to help
Finally when you've scratched the 456 itch try a 612 but must be in that order because the 612 will blow you away and make the 456 seem like a shed!
I own a pre M 456 manual and it is a lovely car but they are not cheap to run !! If like me,you can do alot of the work yourself then they are not so bad. The biggest problem is that the Ferrari parts are often very expensive, alot of the things that need doing take a long time so if you get a garage to do it the labour costs will be high. The pre M cars are also mostly OBD1 electronics which means you need a garage with a Ferrari tester as you cannot use a generic one, so again you need to take it to a specialist to check things like oxygen sensors, warning lights etc. Also the early cars had ATE brake calipers and the pads for these from Ferrari are over £600 which is just stupid!! You can,however use a pagid pad from a Merc. I think which are much cheaper. Much of the parts on these cars are from other cars and can be got much cheaper than Ferrari charge, ie. spolier/headlamp motors are from a volvo, locks and rear suspension regulators from BMW etc. you need to look at the Ferrarichat forum to find out these little cost saving things!!
The main things to look out for are:
1. Rear shocks are not really up to the job and will need rebuilding every 3-4 years to stop oil leaks.
2. window regulators are not really up to the job and are time consuming to adjust and get the gap right and they will need replacing as they wear out. I've done one in 5 years ownership and managed to readjust the other.
3. Engine mounts have been updated, as the originals will sag causing the engine to drop and trap an oil line so they will probably need replacing. You can only get them from Ferrari at £600 for the kit!!! If this hasn't been done on the car you are looking at then it will need to be !!
There is a lot of info over at Ferrarichat about these cars which is worth searching on.
I would say you need to factor at least £1000 per year for basic servicing at an independent,but be ready for the odd £3000 bill!! This cost is based on you only using independents for the annual service plus anything you cannot do yourself. The things I have done so far are, window regulators, rear spoiler, seat fixes!!!! a whole nightmare of its own!! stereo/speaker upgrade my current ongoing nightmare!!!
These cars were very low production, hand built and so are very labour intensive to fix and not built with ease of access and speed of servicing in mind!!
If I was buying one now I would get an inspection done and make sure everything is working on the car, check if the engine mounts have been done, what state the rear shocks are in, the window gaps, last time the belts were done and were the tensioners changed at that time? Factoring the costs of sorting these things into the purchase price.
All that said, I it is a great car and very quick even by todays standards, I will not sell mine for some time yet unless I get tempted by a 612!!!
The main things to look out for are:
1. Rear shocks are not really up to the job and will need rebuilding every 3-4 years to stop oil leaks.
2. window regulators are not really up to the job and are time consuming to adjust and get the gap right and they will need replacing as they wear out. I've done one in 5 years ownership and managed to readjust the other.
3. Engine mounts have been updated, as the originals will sag causing the engine to drop and trap an oil line so they will probably need replacing. You can only get them from Ferrari at £600 for the kit!!! If this hasn't been done on the car you are looking at then it will need to be !!
There is a lot of info over at Ferrarichat about these cars which is worth searching on.
I would say you need to factor at least £1000 per year for basic servicing at an independent,but be ready for the odd £3000 bill!! This cost is based on you only using independents for the annual service plus anything you cannot do yourself. The things I have done so far are, window regulators, rear spoiler, seat fixes!!!! a whole nightmare of its own!! stereo/speaker upgrade my current ongoing nightmare!!!
These cars were very low production, hand built and so are very labour intensive to fix and not built with ease of access and speed of servicing in mind!!
If I was buying one now I would get an inspection done and make sure everything is working on the car, check if the engine mounts have been done, what state the rear shocks are in, the window gaps, last time the belts were done and were the tensioners changed at that time? Factoring the costs of sorting these things into the purchase price.
All that said, I it is a great car and very quick even by todays standards, I will not sell mine for some time yet unless I get tempted by a 612!!!
Not owned a 456 but seriously considered buying one on two occasions and looked at and drove a few.
Having spoken with a few specialists I think you should budget on £5k per year. Some years you will be lucky and it will be less but other years it may be much more. I don't think 5 figure bills can be excluded either.
Obvious advice is to go for a drive in one. In my view very nice to drive - but you have to bear in mind that they are a GT and not a sport's car, so much better on dual carriageways or wide, sweeping A roads than anything really twisty.
Problem in finding a good one could be that the running costs are potentially so high (compared to the actual cost of buying one), that previous owners may not have done everything needed.
I think Rardley Motors are also well-known specialists for the 456.
http://www.rardleymotors.com/docs/about/service.sh...
Having spoken with a few specialists I think you should budget on £5k per year. Some years you will be lucky and it will be less but other years it may be much more. I don't think 5 figure bills can be excluded either.
Obvious advice is to go for a drive in one. In my view very nice to drive - but you have to bear in mind that they are a GT and not a sport's car, so much better on dual carriageways or wide, sweeping A roads than anything really twisty.
Problem in finding a good one could be that the running costs are potentially so high (compared to the actual cost of buying one), that previous owners may not have done everything needed.
I think Rardley Motors are also well-known specialists for the 456.
http://www.rardleymotors.com/docs/about/service.sh...
cheers for the advice guys, very much appreciate it.
I was hoping for around £3k a year, for general running costs, but I can stretch to £5k.
I'm preferring the fact that it is a GT as opposed to just an all out sports car.
It will be bought to be used on a semi daily basis and not on a track.
Have a little Ginetta G15 and an 80 quattro for fun times!
Not so costly when things go wrong either!
Looking around, they tend to be £3-£5k dearer at dealers but better piece of mind I'm guessing so swings and roundabouts
I was hoping for around £3k a year, for general running costs, but I can stretch to £5k.
I'm preferring the fact that it is a GT as opposed to just an all out sports car.
It will be bought to be used on a semi daily basis and not on a track.
Have a little Ginetta G15 and an 80 quattro for fun times!
Not so costly when things go wrong either!
Looking around, they tend to be £3-£5k dearer at dealers but better piece of mind I'm guessing so swings and roundabouts
number_46 made a very good summary and Schnellman is right too as per the possibility of a very large bill too. Cost will be a function of service history and a bit of ... luck
Expected to some extend as it is a 10+ year old car. In my opinion it needs to be well sorted too to be fully appreciated. But as such it will be very rewarding
My advise - don't focus so much on the purchase price just try to get the best you can afford
Expected to some extend as it is a 10+ year old car. In my opinion it needs to be well sorted too to be fully appreciated. But as such it will be very rewarding
My advise - don't focus so much on the purchase price just try to get the best you can afford
cheers for all your help guys, much appreciated. Mind is definitely made up and a 456 will be the next purchase.
Just means I've got to off load a few old random cars first.
Sold the Strada Abarth and an Audi this week so a third of the way there with the 456 fund!
Got to get rid of the 205 and Ginetta G15 now to get most of the rest!
Just means I've got to off load a few old random cars first.
Sold the Strada Abarth and an Audi this week so a third of the way there with the 456 fund!
Got to get rid of the 205 and Ginetta G15 now to get most of the rest!
I've had a 1998 456GTA for 5 years now and covered 14K miles. I have spent about £5,500 excluding insurance and fuel. Tyres - £1,500 18,250 mile belts service (independent) - £2,200 Annual services (independent) - £1,500 Refurbished rear dampers - £200 It's a great car for anyone who has to take small children on long journeys.
Advantages - noise over 4000rpm makes me smile everytime, can pootle along if necessary, build quality inside is much better than the same age Maserati (unlike the sixties cars when it was the other way round) and it's very comfortable for long distances. Looks - obviously subjective, but to my eyes it looks discreet, elegant and powerful - and the rear view is just sublime.
Disadvantages - always looked slightly undertyred at the rear in profile if I'm being picky, seat potentiometers are a weak point (apparently a tiny little bit of plastic that breaks inside - I have had to ban the children from playing with the seat controls), stereo has a silly non standard sized head unit and a Sony cd changer which is unreliable. It's powerful enough though, so an ipod and FM transmitter has to suffice.
Overall, it's a lovely machine and feels special. I think the 456 and 550 have benefited from later Ferraris becoming so bling and challenging to look at. Aston Martin DB7s are equally lovely to behold and their successors also look elegant, but there seem to be so many about. I must admit to my first love being Maserati, but a short trip in a 3200GT was a disappointment and Giugiaro was horrified when they changed the rear lights. I've heard rumours of 4200 owners retrofitting the boomerang lights - now that could be tempting. Best of luck with whatever you plump for and do take it over the Alps. Don't add up the fuel costs though and you'll be able to justify it no problem.
Advantages - noise over 4000rpm makes me smile everytime, can pootle along if necessary, build quality inside is much better than the same age Maserati (unlike the sixties cars when it was the other way round) and it's very comfortable for long distances. Looks - obviously subjective, but to my eyes it looks discreet, elegant and powerful - and the rear view is just sublime.
Disadvantages - always looked slightly undertyred at the rear in profile if I'm being picky, seat potentiometers are a weak point (apparently a tiny little bit of plastic that breaks inside - I have had to ban the children from playing with the seat controls), stereo has a silly non standard sized head unit and a Sony cd changer which is unreliable. It's powerful enough though, so an ipod and FM transmitter has to suffice.
Overall, it's a lovely machine and feels special. I think the 456 and 550 have benefited from later Ferraris becoming so bling and challenging to look at. Aston Martin DB7s are equally lovely to behold and their successors also look elegant, but there seem to be so many about. I must admit to my first love being Maserati, but a short trip in a 3200GT was a disappointment and Giugiaro was horrified when they changed the rear lights. I've heard rumours of 4200 owners retrofitting the boomerang lights - now that could be tempting. Best of luck with whatever you plump for and do take it over the Alps. Don't add up the fuel costs though and you'll be able to justify it no problem.
Coxy914 said:
cheers for all your help guys, much appreciated. Mind is definitely made up and a 456 will be the next purchase.
Why did you have to move?! 
ahaExcellent choice though Coxy, the 456 does seem like excellent value for money at the moment.
Hope you're well and hope to see you sometime soon
TomCooper said:
Why did you have to move?! aha
Excellent choice though Coxy, the 456 does seem like excellent value for money at the moment.
Hope you're well and hope to see you sometime soon
lol! On the plus side, you've missed nothing new since we've moved! ahaExcellent choice though Coxy, the 456 does seem like excellent value for money at the moment.
Hope you're well and hope to see you sometime soon
Well, apart from the Ginetta G15 which was sold last Saturday (managed to keep that one 5 months!). You may have seen it at the last Breakfast Club meet??
Oh, and the 968 Sport daily hack (really did despise driving that A6 1.9 Tedious day in day out, bored me senseless!!)
Maybe not be going down the 456 route now anyway, tempted back in to Maserati ownership (Gransport)
Went to view a 456 yesterday and it just didn't feel right. The car was superb and it has presence and a sound to behold, but there were too many bits on the car which didn't tick the boxes for me (missing history, loose trim, signs of respray not done to the best standard), all probably me being overly fussy mind!
Hope you and your family are well!?
JasonSF said:
I do like the gransport but the 456 is in a different league. I used mine as my daily driver and they are fantastic. I also think you may find a gransport needing more maintenance than the 456. Zero depreciation on a 456 too. Get a manual modificato if you can find one.
Manual modificatos are like rocking horse poo - very very difficult to find. I've looked at a non-M manual and it was nice but not quite as special. There seem to be plenty of Autos kicking around though...Gassing Station | Supercar General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff