I guess my question is do (any) Ferrari owners do their own maintenance? I'm sure if I brought the NSX is for this kind of fluid change it would run into some money (several hundred easy) but I think NSX owners are more prone to wanting to get their hands dirty. I was watching Jay Leno's garage where they were looking over a Bugatti Veyron and pretty much the only thing you can do to that car is check the oil. Jay didn't like it.....he likes to tinker.
There are many that do on the early cars up to the 360, 430 and later I don't see it as often. I can sympathize with Jay, yourself and people like you but I keep that for the older stuff in the garage - have a `67 Corvette and had an `85 308 GTB that I played with a bit as they are still relatively simple.
great review and most Fcar owners when the Maint is coming up they sell the car let someon else deal with the 14K cost for maint
yet another person saying NSX is better. we hear ya man
There is rarely that kind of maintenance and yes, most buyers will insure they find a car with all maint. up to date.
Question for you AZNSX001, how does the Challenge Stradale and the NSX compare? If you could only have one which would you choose?
They are night and day, CS has more power, ungodly brakes, interior is bathed in carbon and little else (no carpet, floormats, etc) There is no cruise, but lots of great noise and a firm unforgiving ride with less visibility than the NSX. The X on the other hand is what everyone here has come to find out, a smooth riding, fantastically engineered and timeless car that lends itself as much to a grocery run as it does a two hour jaunt on your favorite roads. It has enough power without having too much to use on a regular basis, it's extremely comfortable on long trips (my first drive was over 400 miles from seller's house in CA to AZ) and is unbelievably civilized for the amount of fun-factor it provides. The gearing is a little long which takes away some performance but was done in order to give the car the aforementioned benefits. The one thing that struck me other than the build quality of the NSX (which is superior to the CS) was the exceptional visibility, I feel I've now owned the car with the best visibility and hands down the worst (Ford GT).
Forgot to answer your second question - The NSX, hands down. Biggest reason being that it has 3 pedals.
Love the CS. I think the kicker for me is that my NSX is turbocharged. If my NSX was NA, the comparison would of been different. I drove a F430 with F1 and I think it is a huge improvement over the 360. But, a 458 is a huge improvement over the 430.......
When comparing an NA NSX to either the 360 or 430 there is little comparison in the way of power as both cars have more HP and are geared more aggressively than the X. The X still has the edge on build quality, comfort, maint. cost.......I can't for the life of me figure out how the Italians have yet to master glue and rubber, it's baffling. Oh, the 458 is no more fun to drive than your mom's Buick, it's just faster and looks cooler. The DCT is, simply stated - too good. I've never driven a car with such a detached driving experience and it seems that more and more people that are gravitating toward the gates of Maranello are wanting less and less of a true sports car. That's one of the reasons I'm choosing to go back in a time a bit with my next selections.
There is a guy here that bought a 360 for cheap. Like 60k. He knew it needed work. I think he ended up putting over 25K. Ouch. Would have been better off to buy a more expensive car that didn't need work.
The rule is the same no matter the marquee, buy the best car you can afford in a particular category and save yourself the headache. It's easy to get lost in bringing an F-car up to spec due to the parts cost, there are ways around it but you really need to know what your doing and have strong relationships with people in the space.
- - - Updated - - -
So you prefer ones that's been driven over a low mile garage queen? Whats the theory behind this?
If you are game to do a bit of research you'll find the following comments to be pretty accurate. I've found that an F-car that is driven at least 5K/yr has fewer issues, or that is has experienced its demons and they have been addressed. This was true with the valve guide issue in the 355 (it generally shows up pre-25K miles), the variator in the 360 (recalled after 9 mos. of production) and the exhaust headers on the 430's (also recalled midway through 2005-2006 production). I've also found that the seals, hoses and moving parts perform as they should when they are regularly used, something that carries over to just about any car really but can save you a tremendous amount of money on an F-car. Many in the F-car world equate low miles with value, and it's true that car's with higher mileage take a bit of hit over low mile cars, but the cost to own is less in both initial cost and maintenance needs so which car is really better? It comes down to whether or not your part of the park and polish crowd or the drive and enjoy owners group, neither is better but I know where I belong. If I wanted to stare at an exotic I would get a really nice print or commission someone to paint one but I think I'll drive the wheels off of them instead and take all those great memories with me.
Sorry I should have clarified- I meant numbers for maintenance not sale prices. I appreciate the sale price information too but the range is so large it really does depend on which is the right car for you as a buyer. Thanks for letting us pick your brain! I also would love an Italian in the future but have always been scared by what I think are absurd maintenance costs.
I listed the maint. numbers for the 360, the 430 is less by prob $2K every 3 years or so based on the lack of belt changes. The most expensive are probably the 355's for 8 cyl cars and Testarossa for 12 cyl cars, I would budget $3K annually for a well sorted 355 and Testarossa. I would also make sure I knew going in that the 355 had no valve guide issues ($25K fix when all said and done) and that the differential in the Testarossa had been addressed ($4K fix to avoid $10K in damage) unless you have a late 512 TR which has an improved diff from the factory. The most inexpensive 12 cyl to own is the 550/575 series with manual gearbox. The 550 only needs lower intake hose replacement to replace weak factory items and 575 motor mounts to be a rock solid GT car that you could drive coast to coast as many times as you would like. They have a $1500-2000 service every 5 years but only regular maint. in between.
- - - Updated - - -
Regarding pricing, here are two charts that I put together on pricing fairly recently based on a survey on Autotrader listings
The second chart really shows you what
AZNSX001 is referring to with the special edition 360 & 430.
The interesting question is where will 360 prices end up. I think they may end up falling below 355 prices and hit the $50k range making them the first really affordable Ferraris for the masses given their relatively low maintenance requirements (compared to the F355). Condition will be king on pricing though with the well maintained and pristine cars still commanding $80+
Good data but remember, most F-car sales don't take place off of AT. Many of these cars trade hands from one owner to another or via forums like Fchat. Even more are traded in for the latest and "greatest" so they end up back in the hands of Fcar dealers. F355 is much more fun car to drive if your wallet can stand the pressure and it makes the worlds greatest noise bar only a pre-2014 Formula 1 car.
