F430 must haves?
Discussion
Very personal... but...
My 'must haves'
- Carbon interior (there are a number of 'packs' with later cars available with steering wheel, dash bezel etc. The aluminum trim is probably just as 'expensive' but manages to look like plastic sadly.
- Carbon race seats - look so much better and are very very comfortable - I've done 10hrs driving in a day in them, great lower back support - they were a must have deal breaker when I was looking for a car.
- 'shields' my car doesn't have them and I dont like them, but apparently they are a 'must' for resale for some reason
- aftermarket manifolds without 'pre-cats' - well documented, mine had mrk2 manifolds but I changed them as a precaution anyway
- An independent PPI from someone like AV Engineering as they know the cars inside out and have the Ferrari diagnostics system to interrogate the car to verify clutch/brake wear and mileage.
Good to have
- Late '07 onwards has all the gearbox software and hardware upgrades for better clutch life
- The carbon rear insert looks better than the standard car (IMHO)
- Parking sensors
- Challenge wheels, or scud/16m wheels - they are forged and lighter. Ti bolts are very trick, but also very expensive and tbh a bit pointless
Neutral
- Carbon brakes - look better, work very well, but hugely expensive to replace so seems to have a neutral impact on desirability and resale.
- Aftermarket exhausts. with the standard system and aftermarket manifolds its already too loud for most uk trackdays but sounds great, if it has an aftermarket system make sure it retains some kind of valve system for quiet use - there are plenty of times when waking everyone up isn't ideal.
Don't bother
- Satnav - very dated, has bluetooth, but only for calls, not audio/music
- 'Premium hifi' improved, but still pretty poor
My 'must haves'
- Carbon interior (there are a number of 'packs' with later cars available with steering wheel, dash bezel etc. The aluminum trim is probably just as 'expensive' but manages to look like plastic sadly.
- Carbon race seats - look so much better and are very very comfortable - I've done 10hrs driving in a day in them, great lower back support - they were a must have deal breaker when I was looking for a car.
- 'shields' my car doesn't have them and I dont like them, but apparently they are a 'must' for resale for some reason
- aftermarket manifolds without 'pre-cats' - well documented, mine had mrk2 manifolds but I changed them as a precaution anyway
- An independent PPI from someone like AV Engineering as they know the cars inside out and have the Ferrari diagnostics system to interrogate the car to verify clutch/brake wear and mileage.
Good to have
- Late '07 onwards has all the gearbox software and hardware upgrades for better clutch life
- The carbon rear insert looks better than the standard car (IMHO)
- Parking sensors
- Challenge wheels, or scud/16m wheels - they are forged and lighter. Ti bolts are very trick, but also very expensive and tbh a bit pointless
Neutral
- Carbon brakes - look better, work very well, but hugely expensive to replace so seems to have a neutral impact on desirability and resale.
- Aftermarket exhausts. with the standard system and aftermarket manifolds its already too loud for most uk trackdays but sounds great, if it has an aftermarket system make sure it retains some kind of valve system for quiet use - there are plenty of times when waking everyone up isn't ideal.
Don't bother
- Satnav - very dated, has bluetooth, but only for calls, not audio/music
- 'Premium hifi' improved, but still pretty poor
A very personal question. Personally, a F430 Spider should have a full Ferrari service history and be less than 20000 miles. Full HPI. Colour is very personal, though red sells well. Grigio Silverstone should not be discounted (very upmarket). The vehicle should be totally original and not fitted with after market items. Best purchased with a Ferrari warranty.
I owned an F430 Spider without most of the "must haves". The one I had was the LEDs. I was new to the world of Ferrari's and resale and garage queen land and options and blah blah. I sold it after 5 years and got almost the same money back. In the intervening period I luxuriated in that drivetrain and that 'zaurst sound (spitting blue flames before McLaren thought of it) and created some indelibly burned memories filled with bliss and serotonin in less state and self policed times. In all that time, did I think about (say) carbon race seats, which are lovely, or Daytona seats, which are not so lovely, or any of the other stuff? Not once. If you want an investment, buy emerging market bonds to take benefit from the falling dollar according to one pundit who seems to bring all the acumen that Boris J has in relation to Covid-19 triage policies. If you want to drive the socks off a car that will live in your memory forever and not be garage queened, buy the best looked after best condition one you can, and drive it as if you stole it (within the letter of the law of course).
Why is PH so bloody difficult to upload images to?
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/lBJERyDuQyaXvPbA...
Why is PH so bloody difficult to upload images to?
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/lBJERyDuQyaXvPbA...
There are no must haves, they’re all the same shape, they all drive the same. Buy the cheapest one you can find, replace all the ball joints, fit a set of Michelin Pilots, then thrash it to Italy as soon as they re-open for business.
F1 gearbox, a fantastic driving experience, trapped in time now and never to be recreated. I’m sure manual is good too, but the F1 was pretty much at its best on the 430 and with the right technique, ( and road), It’s uniquely enjoyable .
F1 gearbox, a fantastic driving experience, trapped in time now and never to be recreated. I’m sure manual is good too, but the F1 was pretty much at its best on the 430 and with the right technique, ( and road), It’s uniquely enjoyable .
If you are doing 5K a year, it is a lot of mileage in the Ferrari world and if you are worrying the resale matters. You will lose a lot of money if you buy a say 11k and sell it say 21K in two years time. However if you buy a say 50K car, you won't lose that much for selling it with 60K on the clock.
Shield, carbon zone and service history seem to be the "must" have . Manual box cars tend to be worth more than F1 gear box. Spoken to a Ferrari specialist, they actually say unless you track your car week after week, there isn't much performance benefit for Carbon. As said above it will be ££££ for replacing them.
After mark manifold, ball joints would be nice to have done it before you parted your cash. all other stuff are quite personal. My wife is quite petit, she doesn't like the bucket seat - no height adjustment. Good luck and enjoy the car.
Shield, carbon zone and service history seem to be the "must" have . Manual box cars tend to be worth more than F1 gear box. Spoken to a Ferrari specialist, they actually say unless you track your car week after week, there isn't much performance benefit for Carbon. As said above it will be ££££ for replacing them.
After mark manifold, ball joints would be nice to have done it before you parted your cash. all other stuff are quite personal. My wife is quite petit, she doesn't like the bucket seat - no height adjustment. Good luck and enjoy the car.
Resale: Red, Crema, full main dealer history, scud shields, low mileage. Ball joints and manifolds a big plus too
Some people like to look at Ferrari’s, some people like to drive them!! I like to do both. They are there to be enjoyed
In the end, you get what you pay for, but agree, if your looking put anything over 4K miles a year, buy a slightly higher mileage car which is already taken the hit
Some people like to look at Ferrari’s, some people like to drive them!! I like to do both. They are there to be enjoyed
In the end, you get what you pay for, but agree, if your looking put anything over 4K miles a year, buy a slightly higher mileage car which is already taken the hit
Edited by SRBA on Wednesday 11th March 18:59
Carbon interior parts. Challenge wheels, titanium wheel bolts, shields, Daytona seats with contrasting stitching. all nice to have. Aftermarket manifolds without secondary cats are a must. I tried aftermarket exhaust system but toooo loud :-) Also nice to have (or must get) are Hill engineering top and bottom ball joints and track rod ends. - the originals are made of chocolate.
Bought mine with 4000 miles, sold it with 23000 miles for same money after 4.5 years.
GG33
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