Challenge Stradale, should I? Will it work? Can I use it?
Discussion
Right, I've had my 911 for just under 18 months and it's fantastic but I fancy a change and seeing as it's coming up to Christmas it's the perfect time.
Now I'm not sure what I really want, but It has to be comfy enough to use everyday, I once had a VX220 and it would have been more comfortable being dragged a along behind it. Now I would also like to be able to use it everyday. I've got another car that I can take to asda and park in multi story car parks, but other than that I need to be able to use it everyday.
I've thought about a 360 Challenge Stradale, I absolutely LOVE the noise it makes and it looks so cool. I'm not really a fan of the standard 360 but that it's immense!
So could I use it everyday? I would probably do maybe 10k a year in it. What is the attention like when you drive it? My 355 has always got pretty positive attention, bar a few chavs calling me a tw*t. I'm also a bit worried that I would be buying it and driving it through winter (obviously not when it's snowing) so am I mad or is winter driving ok as long as it's clean etc regularly? Oh and what's reliability like?
I also thought about a R8 V8 which I like but my main concern is that
1) It won't be as good as my current 911
2) That with the V10 and spyder just out, residuals will plummet and I really don't want to loose a lot of money on a another car.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Now I'm not sure what I really want, but It has to be comfy enough to use everyday, I once had a VX220 and it would have been more comfortable being dragged a along behind it. Now I would also like to be able to use it everyday. I've got another car that I can take to asda and park in multi story car parks, but other than that I need to be able to use it everyday.
I've thought about a 360 Challenge Stradale, I absolutely LOVE the noise it makes and it looks so cool. I'm not really a fan of the standard 360 but that it's immense!
So could I use it everyday? I would probably do maybe 10k a year in it. What is the attention like when you drive it? My 355 has always got pretty positive attention, bar a few chavs calling me a tw*t. I'm also a bit worried that I would be buying it and driving it through winter (obviously not when it's snowing) so am I mad or is winter driving ok as long as it's clean etc regularly? Oh and what's reliability like?
I also thought about a R8 V8 which I like but my main concern is that
1) It won't be as good as my current 911
2) That with the V10 and spyder just out, residuals will plummet and I really don't want to loose a lot of money on a another car.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Having used Ferrari's everyday (to a degree) for several years hopefully I can help a bit.
First point is that Ferrari's are not built like German cars and do suffer badly from corrosion still, even 360's. So when you say everyday, you'll end up not using the car for a few months during the winter when there is any chance of salt on the roads, if you do the car will deteriorate very quickly, all the nice alloy bits suffer very badly and the car will start to look shabby very quickly. Even parking them outside in the rain lots doesn't help them, even more so on the CS where you do get rain water dripping down over the engine through all the vents above it and when driving in the rain the Challenge grill on the back is great at letting lots of muck into the engine bay. If you are not worried about dirty engines and looking a bit ropey it's not a problem, but will hit you when you sell it with something as special as a CS. All Ferrari's suffer badly from paint damage, stone chips etc when used for everyday commuting.
Taking the CS specifically (I did own one when they were new) you have some additional things to think about. The car does run very low so if everyday use you will find some issues with ramps and slopes (car parks, petrol stations etc) that need careful driving not to scrape the car. As for everyday comfort, the sports seats are great when you are on it, but not the best for long runs, I didn't have a stereo in mine, and even the ones that do have then are realistically crap. The car is quite buzzy inside for everyday use and rattle and creaks a bit compared to 911's or R8's. The carbon brakes are stunning when pushing on but again a bit dead and noisy for everyday use in traffic and very expensive when any replacement is required. The stiff suspension also gives the ball joints a very hard time so expect to replace them every 20k miles at a minimum.
Basically the CS is a specialist car that is full on fun, not really designed for using in all conditions and is a bit compromised for everyday, however still rates as one of the best cars I've ever owned.
If you are coming from a 911 and considering an R8 as the other option, honestly I don't think the CS would make a good car for you, a 430 is a much better everyday proposition in terms of comfort and drivability in traffic etc.
First point is that Ferrari's are not built like German cars and do suffer badly from corrosion still, even 360's. So when you say everyday, you'll end up not using the car for a few months during the winter when there is any chance of salt on the roads, if you do the car will deteriorate very quickly, all the nice alloy bits suffer very badly and the car will start to look shabby very quickly. Even parking them outside in the rain lots doesn't help them, even more so on the CS where you do get rain water dripping down over the engine through all the vents above it and when driving in the rain the Challenge grill on the back is great at letting lots of muck into the engine bay. If you are not worried about dirty engines and looking a bit ropey it's not a problem, but will hit you when you sell it with something as special as a CS. All Ferrari's suffer badly from paint damage, stone chips etc when used for everyday commuting.
Taking the CS specifically (I did own one when they were new) you have some additional things to think about. The car does run very low so if everyday use you will find some issues with ramps and slopes (car parks, petrol stations etc) that need careful driving not to scrape the car. As for everyday comfort, the sports seats are great when you are on it, but not the best for long runs, I didn't have a stereo in mine, and even the ones that do have then are realistically crap. The car is quite buzzy inside for everyday use and rattle and creaks a bit compared to 911's or R8's. The carbon brakes are stunning when pushing on but again a bit dead and noisy for everyday use in traffic and very expensive when any replacement is required. The stiff suspension also gives the ball joints a very hard time so expect to replace them every 20k miles at a minimum.
Basically the CS is a specialist car that is full on fun, not really designed for using in all conditions and is a bit compromised for everyday, however still rates as one of the best cars I've ever owned.
If you are coming from a 911 and considering an R8 as the other option, honestly I don't think the CS would make a good car for you, a 430 is a much better everyday proposition in terms of comfort and drivability in traffic etc.
Challenge Stradale, should I?
YES - awesome car, low depreciation, rare, different enough for those that know a CS vs a 360.
Will it work?
YES - just as reliable as a 360, easy to get in and out of, fanatastic drive everytime you go out.
Can I use it?
MAYBE - too many miles will unfortunately kill the residual, bit of a freespirt in the wet (only this morning opposite lock moment at 60 on a dual carriageway
) IMO would only have it as a 2nd (or 3rd) car.
YES - awesome car, low depreciation, rare, different enough for those that know a CS vs a 360.
Will it work?
YES - just as reliable as a 360, easy to get in and out of, fanatastic drive everytime you go out.
Can I use it?
MAYBE - too many miles will unfortunately kill the residual, bit of a freespirt in the wet (only this morning opposite lock moment at 60 on a dual carriageway
) IMO would only have it as a 2nd (or 3rd) car.lambo_xx said:
Right, I've had my 911 for just under 18 months and it's fantastic but I fancy a change and seeing as it's coming up to Christmas it's the perfect time.
Now I'm not sure what I really want, but It has to be comfy enough to use everyday, I once had a VX220 and it would have been more comfortable being dragged a along behind it. Now I would also like to be able to use it everyday. I've got another car that I can take to asda and park in multi story car parks, but other than that I need to be able to use it everyday.
I've thought about a 360 Challenge Stradale, I absolutely LOVE the noise it makes and it looks so cool. I'm not really a fan of the standard 360 but that it's immense!
So could I use it everyday? I would probably do maybe 10k a year in it. What is the attention like when you drive it? My 355 has always got pretty positive attention, bar a few chavs calling me a tw*t. I'm also a bit worried that I would be buying it and driving it through winter (obviously not when it's snowing) so am I mad or is winter driving ok as long as it's clean etc regularly? Oh and what's reliability like?
I also thought about a R8 V8 which I like but my main concern is that
1) It won't be as good as my current 911
2) That with the V10 and spyder just out, residuals will plummet and I really don't want to loose a lot of money on a another car.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks
I'm lucky to own both of the cars you are looking at - and to be blunt I wouldn't get a CS for an everyday car. It is a little raw and as Bromers said - it can be a little twitchy in the wet/icy/anything but bone dry ;-) and then if its in race mode its game over! Attention wise it does tend to get a lot - especially when those glorious valves open at 4k ;-) Depreciation wise - whichever way you look at it these things are going to cost to run and cost in depreciation. CS's seem to be a bit more susceptible to mileage depreciation wise for some reason. I've not really worried about mileage as long as its maintained well - and as we know a well maintained used car is better than a garage queen. Costs wise they aren't too expensive to maintain - service can be anywhere from £1k to £2.5k depending on what needs doing,. Tyres can be a bit annoying as they are a special compound made specifically for the car and for some reason Pirelli on make a small batch every year. £1.2k for the 4. Brakes are carbon so no major worries there except for the pads few hundred £'s.. The CS is also very low - so car parks and speed humps can be annoying in town!Now I'm not sure what I really want, but It has to be comfy enough to use everyday, I once had a VX220 and it would have been more comfortable being dragged a along behind it. Now I would also like to be able to use it everyday. I've got another car that I can take to asda and park in multi story car parks, but other than that I need to be able to use it everyday.
I've thought about a 360 Challenge Stradale, I absolutely LOVE the noise it makes and it looks so cool. I'm not really a fan of the standard 360 but that it's immense!
So could I use it everyday? I would probably do maybe 10k a year in it. What is the attention like when you drive it? My 355 has always got pretty positive attention, bar a few chavs calling me a tw*t. I'm also a bit worried that I would be buying it and driving it through winter (obviously not when it's snowing) so am I mad or is winter driving ok as long as it's clean etc regularly? Oh and what's reliability like?
I also thought about a R8 V8 which I like but my main concern is that
1) It won't be as good as my current 911
2) That with the V10 and spyder just out, residuals will plummet and I really don't want to loose a lot of money on a another car.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Apart from all the above its a brilliant car... 10k a year in a cs is probably asking for a little trouble depreciation wise - I may be wrong but that is certainly what the market says.
Onto the R8 - its perfect in my mind for what I use it for; I use it most days in town and its absolutely brilliant. Can't rate it highly enough tbh. On the track its fantastic too. And sure there will be loads of people along to hammer me down saying I should have bought a Lambo - true I could have for the £'s I spent on it but for me the R8 ticked all my boxes perfectly. Some people say it isn't special enough - not sure on that comment I love driving it and it does feel special to me - not as special as the CS - granted! Its hugely capable - rewarding (especially with TC off) and it gets more attention than the CS without a doubt (perhaps that's due to the Christmas lights on the front).
I've had a Porsche Turbo and rate the R8 over that - it was an early 996 variant though so not the same as a 997. With the V10 out some of the residuals have been hit - but there are some bargain cars out there at the moment and it makes a great second hand proposition. Mine is quietly for sale at the moment, and I think some of the early cars are now a lot of car for the money - Obviously that's IMHO.
Have you considered a 430? They are very use able every day!
tony h said:
agree with other current and former cs owners- its too extreme for everyday use and will suffer if your commute includes speed humps or multi storey car parks.
as a second car it's unbeatable imho
Yip I agree with comments above great car but not for everyday use, perfect fun car though as a second car it's unbeatable imho
The other problem you will suffer from if you use a CS in the winter is that the calipers will sieze up as they have no rubber protectors to keep the sh*t out and these are very expensive.
Ok thanks everyone for your help. It's much appreciated.
SonnyM said:
Haven't driven a CS but have driven F430 and that is one amazing car with an amazing soundtrack too.
You should seriously consider the F430 if the CS is too hardcore for everyday use.
The thing is I just don't like the 430, it just doesn't do anything for me, it's a bit boring (in my opinion) to look at. Where as the CS just "does it" for me, but I take your point that a 430 is probably far easier to live with. You should seriously consider the F430 if the CS is too hardcore for everyday use.
Edited by lambo_xx on Friday 23 October 20:14
SpeedYellow said:
Having used Ferrari's everyday (to a degree) for several years hopefully I can help a bit.
First point is that Ferrari's are not built like German cars and do suffer badly from corrosion still, even 360's. So when you say everyday, you'll end up not using the car for a few months during the winter when there is any chance of salt on the roads, if you do the car will deteriorate very quickly, all the nice alloy bits suffer very badly and the car will start to look shabby very quickly. Even parking them outside in the rain lots doesn't help them, even more so on the CS where you do get rain water dripping down over the engine through all the vents above it and when driving in the rain the Challenge grill on the back is great at letting lots of muck into the engine bay. If you are not worried about dirty engines and looking a bit ropey it's not a problem, but will hit you when you sell it with something as special as a CS. All Ferrari's suffer badly from paint damage, stone chips etc when used for everyday commuting.
Taking the CS specifically (I did own one when they were new) you have some additional things to think about. The car does run very low so if everyday use you will find some issues with ramps and slopes (car parks, petrol stations etc) that need careful driving not to scrape the car. As for everyday comfort, the sports seats are great when you are on it, but not the best for long runs, I didn't have a stereo in mine, and even the ones that do have then are realistically crap. The car is quite buzzy inside for everyday use and rattle and creaks a bit compared to 911's or R8's. The carbon brakes are stunning when pushing on but again a bit dead and noisy for everyday use in traffic and very expensive when any replacement is required. The stiff suspension also gives the ball joints a very hard time so expect to replace them every 20k miles at a minimum.
Basically the CS is a specialist car that is full on fun, not really designed for using in all conditions and is a bit compromised for everyday, however still rates as one of the best cars I've ever owned.
If you are coming from a 911 and considering an R8 as the other option, honestly I don't think the CS would make a good car for you, a 430 is a much better everyday proposition in terms of comfort and drivability in traffic etc.
Ok thanks for your help. I really really want one, but the sensible part of me is telling me now is not the time to buy one. I think I should just wait till winters over to buy one because realistically I think I would be pretty worried about driving one when it's icy etc. First point is that Ferrari's are not built like German cars and do suffer badly from corrosion still, even 360's. So when you say everyday, you'll end up not using the car for a few months during the winter when there is any chance of salt on the roads, if you do the car will deteriorate very quickly, all the nice alloy bits suffer very badly and the car will start to look shabby very quickly. Even parking them outside in the rain lots doesn't help them, even more so on the CS where you do get rain water dripping down over the engine through all the vents above it and when driving in the rain the Challenge grill on the back is great at letting lots of muck into the engine bay. If you are not worried about dirty engines and looking a bit ropey it's not a problem, but will hit you when you sell it with something as special as a CS. All Ferrari's suffer badly from paint damage, stone chips etc when used for everyday commuting.
Taking the CS specifically (I did own one when they were new) you have some additional things to think about. The car does run very low so if everyday use you will find some issues with ramps and slopes (car parks, petrol stations etc) that need careful driving not to scrape the car. As for everyday comfort, the sports seats are great when you are on it, but not the best for long runs, I didn't have a stereo in mine, and even the ones that do have then are realistically crap. The car is quite buzzy inside for everyday use and rattle and creaks a bit compared to 911's or R8's. The carbon brakes are stunning when pushing on but again a bit dead and noisy for everyday use in traffic and very expensive when any replacement is required. The stiff suspension also gives the ball joints a very hard time so expect to replace them every 20k miles at a minimum.
Basically the CS is a specialist car that is full on fun, not really designed for using in all conditions and is a bit compromised for everyday, however still rates as one of the best cars I've ever owned.
If you are coming from a 911 and considering an R8 as the other option, honestly I don't think the CS would make a good car for you, a 430 is a much better everyday proposition in terms of comfort and drivability in traffic etc.
lambo_xx said:
SpeedYellow said:
Having used Ferrari's everyday (to a degree) for several years hopefully I can help a bit.
First point is that Ferrari's are not built like German cars and do suffer badly from corrosion still, even 360's. So when you say everyday, you'll end up not using the car for a few months during the winter when there is any chance of salt on the roads, if you do the car will deteriorate very quickly, all the nice alloy bits suffer very badly and the car will start to look shabby very quickly. Even parking them outside in the rain lots doesn't help them, even more so on the CS where you do get rain water dripping down over the engine through all the vents above it and when driving in the rain the Challenge grill on the back is great at letting lots of muck into the engine bay. If you are not worried about dirty engines and looking a bit ropey it's not a problem, but will hit you when you sell it with something as special as a CS. All Ferrari's suffer badly from paint damage, stone chips etc when used for everyday commuting.
Taking the CS specifically (I did own one when they were new) you have some additional things to think about. The car does run very low so if everyday use you will find some issues with ramps and slopes (car parks, petrol stations etc) that need careful driving not to scrape the car. As for everyday comfort, the sports seats are great when you are on it, but not the best for long runs, I didn't have a stereo in mine, and even the ones that do have then are realistically crap. The car is quite buzzy inside for everyday use and rattle and creaks a bit compared to 911's or R8's. The carbon brakes are stunning when pushing on but again a bit dead and noisy for everyday use in traffic and very expensive when any replacement is required. The stiff suspension also gives the ball joints a very hard time so expect to replace them every 20k miles at a minimum.
Basically the CS is a specialist car that is full on fun, not really designed for using in all conditions and is a bit compromised for everyday, however still rates as one of the best cars I've ever owned.
If you are coming from a 911 and considering an R8 as the other option, honestly I don't think the CS would make a good car for you, a 430 is a much better everyday proposition in terms of comfort and drivability in traffic etc.
Ok thanks for your help. I really really want one, but the sensible part of me is telling me now is not the time to buy one. I think I should just wait till winters over to buy one because realistically I think I would be pretty worried about driving one when it's icy etc. First point is that Ferrari's are not built like German cars and do suffer badly from corrosion still, even 360's. So when you say everyday, you'll end up not using the car for a few months during the winter when there is any chance of salt on the roads, if you do the car will deteriorate very quickly, all the nice alloy bits suffer very badly and the car will start to look shabby very quickly. Even parking them outside in the rain lots doesn't help them, even more so on the CS where you do get rain water dripping down over the engine through all the vents above it and when driving in the rain the Challenge grill on the back is great at letting lots of muck into the engine bay. If you are not worried about dirty engines and looking a bit ropey it's not a problem, but will hit you when you sell it with something as special as a CS. All Ferrari's suffer badly from paint damage, stone chips etc when used for everyday commuting.
Taking the CS specifically (I did own one when they were new) you have some additional things to think about. The car does run very low so if everyday use you will find some issues with ramps and slopes (car parks, petrol stations etc) that need careful driving not to scrape the car. As for everyday comfort, the sports seats are great when you are on it, but not the best for long runs, I didn't have a stereo in mine, and even the ones that do have then are realistically crap. The car is quite buzzy inside for everyday use and rattle and creaks a bit compared to 911's or R8's. The carbon brakes are stunning when pushing on but again a bit dead and noisy for everyday use in traffic and very expensive when any replacement is required. The stiff suspension also gives the ball joints a very hard time so expect to replace them every 20k miles at a minimum.
Basically the CS is a specialist car that is full on fun, not really designed for using in all conditions and is a bit compromised for everyday, however still rates as one of the best cars I've ever owned.
If you are coming from a 911 and considering an R8 as the other option, honestly I don't think the CS would make a good car for you, a 430 is a much better everyday proposition in terms of comfort and drivability in traffic etc.
WCZ said:
i've always found it odd that people can dislike the standard 360 but like the CS, visually they are so similar!
I have to say, I completely agree with lambo_XX, I love the 355, standard 360 does nothing for me, love the 360CS and 430 does nothing for me either. Couldn't really tell you what it is though, I do think the standard 360 is a bit on the high side though.Sorry, can't help with your decision, good luck with it though, nice decision to have to make
Gassing Station | Supercar General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff