Advice required: 2006 Manual vs 2008 low mileage F430

[Knightwing23]

Hi guys,

I'm a new member about to embark on my first Ferrari ownership experience. I'm in the market for an F430 coupe, and need some advice. I've narrowed down the choice to 2 vehicles, and keeping in mind this is purchase of heart and mind (Investment) I need some advice.

In the rosso corner we have a 2008 F1 coupe with the

Carbon ceramic brakes
Carbon challenge rear grill
Carbon interior centre dash
Carbon air surrounds
Carbon steering wheel
Carbon padels
Challenge alloy wheels
Red brake calipers
Rosso stitching
Daytona seats
Electric seats

Low mileage under 6k with full Ferrari Service

Or in the Black corner a 2006 Manual under 25k miles full Ferrari service history, standard F1 coupe.

Both are similarly priced, but I can't decide between the 2, I know and understand the manual will be more desirable , but the low mileage and options on the red car have me thinking.

Help?

[Paza3]

Recently purchased a f430 in the last few weeks, the only advice I could give is avoid this mind set "Investment". I personally went for the newest car I could get with the best history and my first Ferrari was always going to be red. I've purchased my 430 thinking if I don't lose 10k in depreciation in 2 years I be ok with that

[Mike01606]

It would be an easy decision for me to but the low mileage, red, optioned car.....
If possible drive both and make your mind up.
Your paying a hefty premium for the manual so see if the “extra engagement”, “clickety clack” etc is worth it to you.


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[Modificato]

Pros and cons with both cars IMO.

1) A nine year old car that has done less than 700 miles a year could be a money pit waiting to happen - if you to start to drive it regularly.

2) Dried up seals, brittle hoses, to add to the inevitable (soon to happen) cracked headers, broken exhaust brackets etc.

When you first buy a Ferrari it seems a no-Brainer to buy the lowest mileage car you can but there are consequences for a high performance machine never having ‘performed’ much.

Been there done that.

Having said that the red car seems the best bet here as other than the novelty value of the manual box the manual cars were significantly lower cost in period and (the ones I have seen) are generally lower spec cars representing an entry level into F430 ownership then - but not now as the nostalgia driven market niche for manual cars became a thing once Ferrari stopped making manual cars.

In the black corner 20k miles is really significant as it is the period when things like brake discs, clutches, release bearings, and ball joints need doing. If you buy a car that has already had these things done then you could well be in for a lower cost of ownership than that with the lower mile car. In addition you could well make money and drive ‘free’ if the clickety-clack market endures.

I would advise you have them both independently mechanically inspected by someone who really really knows the tipo - full service history is NO guarantee against many underlying issues. My own F430 was bought as a low mileage Ferrari approved car that I put 7,000 miles on within a year - the next service was brutal.

Good luck but go into it fully informed as you can.

[sssdu01]

When I got my manual 430 all the experts would say that F1 was the Ferrari everyone wanted, and the manual gearbox was bad. This was reflected in the price which was at least £10K less than F1 cars. The dealer was struggling to shift my car and its not poverty spec, as it has every option from new with all the carbon you could get in 2006 . Wind the clock forward and today (Using Voicey price watch data ) its now worth about £30K more than an F1 car.

I think that manual cars will hold their value better than F1 as its the last manual V8 mid engined. Also they probably cost a bit less in the long term as its less complicated than F1.

If you drive a twin plate F1 Ferrari it just makes the older F1 seem clunky and awkward, so in your position my choice would be the manual 430 or an F1 458, (but I would want to have a look at the historic market trends etc to try and work out if the 458 market has bottomed out yet). Also the 458 is probably the first production car I drove that left me thinking I might struggle to keep up with the engines potential if it had a manual box - drive one and you will know what I mean, and I suspect this was one of the reasons why Ferrari didnt bother with the manual option.

In my opinion if you are worried about the future value then go with the manual car. Its also very important to get it checked out and also need to see all the bills and service details, as Mod said its very easy to discover you need exahust/balljoints/engine mount/etc sorted out and if you throw in an F1 clutch, this can leave you with a £20K bill

[Modificato]

Wise words...
Also to add...
They dispensed with the manual in pursuit of performance BUT also as it would have been virtually impossible to pass EU emissions without an auto mode that performs well on the test

I believe the manual premium will last a generation for nostalgia then settle back to a closer parity.

Collectors who want that box ticked (last manual V8) seem to have already made their moves.

Recent articles suggest the F1 in the 430 is the best of the single clutch V8 bunch and driving mine in auto compares very well with the twin clutch car and is better emotionally when driving hard. The F1 superfast that I have in the
599 is even better but not a yes/no better. A manual 599 is pretty much undriveable I am told due to a clutch pack and flywheel that is specified for the F1 and the very real mental processing / speed / engine issue mentioned above. A good 430 up on its tip toes is an overwhelmingly good experience F1 or Manual

Getting a highly optioned manual car is a real unicorn and I would hang onto that if that's the case.

[Knightwing23]

Guys,

Thank you for all the advice, really appreciate it. Modificato is there an independent inspector you can recommend or on this site?

[MWStewart]

For me I think the manual would win out, even though as Mod correctly states: most manual's are poorly specced.

I think the standard F1 system is awful.

[thecook]

Each to their own but I love the F1 in my 2005. To me it is hugely engaging in that you have to think about getting it just right. And when pushing on the kick in the back is magic.


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[cgt]

I've owned a 2007 manual 430 with high spec (Ceramics, bucket seats) but in all honesty you should buy a manual 360 and save a lot of money. There isn't much to differentiate and justify the price difference at the age these cars are now.

A 360 will deliver similar thrills, less to go wrong (e-diff particularly) and by far my biggest gripe with the 430 is that it won't sound as good as a 360 even with a sports exhaust.

I've also had an F1 360 which I didn't get on with at all, and having driven F1 430's I am still not a fan of that transmission. The 458 transmission is a night and day step change over F1. The only F1 I have gotten on with and enjoyed was that in the 599, as much for the torque characteristics of that lovely V12 as for the quicker shift.