Get the 430. It's a great car and an entirely different drive. And if you find it's not a good fit, you won't get killed on resale.

 

I agree, the F430 is such a beautiful car. The 458 might look newer but I still prefer the 430. Ferrari designs are timeless. I still love the looks of the F355. I told myself back in the days, when I get older. I will get one. Then I drove a Porsche and my dreams of owing a F355 was over. Can't go wrong with a Ferrari.

 

Do a quick google seach about the maintenance nightmares associated with owning a Ferrari. If that doesn't talk you out of Ferrari, nothing will....

 

couldnt have said it any better myself. just an unreal piece of engineering

 

The 430 is a great car. I had a 2008 430 spider and loved it. I moved on to the 458 but I still miss certain aspects of the 430. The yearly service was $2,000. Not much more than the Vantage. Buy a 2007 up. You can still get one with the Ferrari certified wrrty. If the car has not been abused they do not have service problems. I had mine for almost three years and never had problem one. The exotic rule is never buy one that has been wrecked or abused. Whatever brand it is. Make sure it has all service paperwork and a spotless history and you will be fine.
The other side of the coin is the Vantage is far better as a daily car for comfort, storage space, less attention etc. No matter how you look at it a Ferrari is a weekend type car. It just depends on how you are going to use the car. As always, life is short drive what you like.

 

Been thinking the same thing. Never was a big Ferrari fan, but the bug is starting to bite. Would like to add a 430, as I don't want to trade the AM.

 

^^^Yeah, I just don't have the heart to part with my V12V. My problem is that I live in a shared building downtown and only have 2 garage spaces. I could park my M5 in the street, but I'm afraid about finding parking at night and vandalism. I may need to buy a house in order to also get the Ferrari. That makes it an especially expensive car for me!

 

Are there no specialty lots near you? I have a house but no room for my car in the garage and prefer not to have it in the driveway. Chatting with a few car buddies I found out about a condo building near my house where they built a separate underground lot for non-residents to store cars. It's full of exotics and dirt cheap (averages out to ~90 a month if I pre-pay it for the full year). A perfect solution for me.

 

I haven't heard of anything like that, but I guess I should look into it. Another guy in my building parks in a lot across the street, but it's uncovered and wide open. He only parks a pickup truck there, so that works for him.

Edit: Just found a web site called parkopedia. Looks like there are several garages near me with $75-$120/month parking. Not bad! Wheels in my head already starting to spin.

 

Lol, should Leno be getting nervous?

 

Haha, as much as I'd love to have a collection like his, I never will. Maybe in the next life.

 

^^^ I'm in the same boat...I live in the city also and am lucky enough to have 2 car private garage as part of my rowhome/townhome in my neighborhood which is close to the Marina. It was ont of the pre-requisites I gave my agent luckily she was able to find a new construction development with a 5 year tax phase in benefit and all new properties with tandem private 2 car garages per unit. I still have my race car at a shop for which I am finding another one. My SL55 AMG is at my folk's place, the Aston and the Porsche GT2 stay with me and my beloved VW 337 is in the carport in front of the garage sometimes or in front of the house...I am strapped for space and need to move if I am to add another toy...current plan is to sell the SL55 AMG and go from there, I do need to get another truck or SUV to tow my race car, since I sold my dodge Cummins TD 2500 at the end of last year (I miss that truck a lot)...I had it modded with a smarty fuel stack, big MBRP turbo back stainless exhaust, built trans w triple disk TC, modded Valve body, injectors, isspro gauges, big pans, AFE intake and much more...

 

I love the F430 sometimes I feel that F430 looks better than the new Italia but that is just me. I figure another 4-5 years I will be able to enjoy such a car, because I have always as wanted one, not because of the attention they draw, but simply because of how they sound and the beauty of the car and what it means to me. IMO, get the Ferrari.

 

Fortunately (or unfortunately) I don't have a space problem. Have room for 3-4 more cars.

 

^^^Mind if I store a couple of mine in your garage?