Admins, please guide me if I have posted in the wrong forum. I thought it would be appropriate to post in the marketplace forum. If you advise to post on another section of our 6speed forum, please let me know where. The General forum didn't lead me to an appropriate sub forum. And I apologize if this has been discussed several times in the past. I tried to do a search with no success considering the two different models of Porsches vs Ferrari.

Hey everyone,

I have had the pleasure of owning three different generations of 911 Turbos. I loved my 1976 Porsche 911 Turbo (930), loved my 2001 996 TwinTurbo and currently have a 2009 CPO 997 TwinTurbo. Clearly, I have been a Porsche enthusiast for years. As well as other toys.

Now I am highly considering getting into the Italian world of Ferrari's. Specifically the Ferrari F430. I understand that maintenance and parts are far more expensive in a Ferrari compared to a Porsche. I get it.

I need some major advice here regarding depreciation of Porsches and Ferraris.

I have the opportunity to buy either a 2005 through 2007 Ferrari F430 Coupe or spider. Certified for 1 year & 12k miles.

Also an opportunity to purchase a CPO Porsche 997.2 Turbo S and/or 991 Turbo or Turbo S.
2 year 50k CPO warranty.

I'm not trying to start a debate or trash talk. My question is quite simple. Which of these specific beautiful cars depreciates the least?

These are low mile beautiful supercars. All under 10,000 miles on the odometer. All are certified by Ferrari or Porsche that I am considering. Ferrari has 1 year 12k miles CPO warranty & Porsche has 2 year 50k CPO warranty (Porsche has a much more extensive CPO warranty program than Ferrari which can be renewed every year for $4k a year up to 12 years of the Birth of the Ferrari).

I'm asking those who have known both exotics and their personal experience with which one depreciated the least! Whether you're an owner or a dealer or just an expert, please advise as to which depreciates the least.

I thought 6speedonline.com would be a great venue to ask this question. If I try a Ferrari forum or a Porsche forum….Well, we know what kind of bias debates can occur....

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

 

Porsche Turbos are REALLY plentiful, especially 996 and later, they do not particularly hold value well - but your question needs more detail, assuming a properly maintained low miles car with records the ferrari probably holds it's value better after the initial depreciation hit. Keep in mind the production numbers for turbo 911s (non special edition cars) are really high, in the thousands/10s of thousands.

That's tough though - Now if you choose a GT variant version of a porsche, GT3, GT2, carrera GT, even a new GT4, they have ungodly value retention and often appreciate rather than depreciate.

My experience though is that most people who own 430s don't particularly like them - they are slow, needy and very flashy, I don't feel they are nearly as rewarding to drive as a 997 is.

also FWIW the 997.1 cars seem to be very highly sought after so if you are looking to NOT lose money consider the .1 997s.

 

Generally speaking the older the car, the slower the depreciation... The true 3-pedal cars are shoulders above the PDK/F1 variants but it also depends on how much you plan to actually drive it? Ferrari values are much more mileage sensitive than Porsches - a 30k turbo is considered low/medium but a 30k F430 is considered high.

 

I must wholeheartedly disagree on a couple points. Having owned a 996tt with 500+ hp and a 997.1 GT3 (among other high hp sports cars), and now owning a 2005 F430 F1, the 911's while fantastic cars, are not imo better cars to drive. This is hardly a complete critique of all cars, but to bullet point:

996tt: Great torque, excellent build quality, uninspired exhaust note, lumpy power curve (even with a good tune), poor stock shifter and suspension. I installed an aftermarket shift kit and PSS10's to rememdy. I wish I still had the car.

997.1 GT3: Linear power, too little torque, too unrefined for daily street use but a great track toy (almost goes without saying), exhaust note is pure flat six sexy.

F430: The F1 is no dual clutch and I'd certainly prefer a manual, but the premium over the F1 is hard to justify. It's hard to imagine a better engine/exhaust note, especially as it reaches redline. The handling balance is sublime and feels like a Cayman with just the right amount of power, i.e. 500hp. The track/street compromise is also the best I've experienced. Quieter in the cabin than either 996tt or GT3 and the ability for it to stick on the track and be supple on the street is black magic.

In sum, I've always been a 911 fan (and still am), but compared to a mid-engined modern-ish Ferrari, I for one will take the prancing horse any day.

 

The biggest depreciation factor will be based on the number of miles driven.

The F430 has a steeper depreciation curve based on mileage.

 

I must disagree with everyone here. I didn't realize cars depreciate any longer. I mean, any old semi-ok but EXTREMELY slow Porsche now costs more than a new one. Let's not even talk about Ferraris's or anything Italian. I hear the next collector cars will be Minivans as mom's and dad's wax nostalgic about their grand old days in them. I say buy either one and in 5 years it will be worth double.

 

+1

Have a 997.2 Turbo and a Scud.

Ferrari's are going up in value and absolutely no comparison when it comes to the fun factor.

As a side note: if you are worried about the depreciation on cars that have already taken a major hit then maybe you're barking up the wrong tree...just sayin'

 

Having a lot of experience with both, I think that they both depreciate about the same from a percentage point of view. Of course each specific situation is different so I am generalizing. At least they don''t depreciate as much as Bentley's and Aston's but that is little comfort when the cold reality hits you when you go to trade the car in.

 

Is this a trick question!!??

 

Much appreciate everyone's responses & no this isn't a trick question. To sum it up, I'd like my next toy to retain it's value as much as possible (as I'm sure mostly everyone else wants as well). And my next toy will be one of the above mentioned in original post. Hence, my inquiry. Again, thanks to those who provided constructive feedback.

Edit to my original post: Ferrari certification is 1 year & Unlimited miles starting from date of purchase. (I originally stated 12k miles in error instead of unlimited). A great plan for a first time Ferrari owner.

 

I agree with several of the comments here. You mentioned the cost of ownership, which I do not think can be discounted. The running costs will add up fast vs general maintenance on the 911.

If your biggest factor is purely which of the two will depreciate the least my guess would be the the Ferrari as long as you don't drive it. Once you mile up a Ferrari the value falls off a cliff and the tolerance for miles on a Turbo is higher(although also affected). Go put 20-30,000 miles on a F430 over the next few years. Trying to resell that car in a field of garage queens will be tough.

If you are going to keep the miles modest then pay for passion of the prancing horse and try the Ferrari. You have already had the 911's. Its a more exclusive car to enjoy and if not worried about having the fastest car around I am sure you'll enjoy the looks and sounds of the Ferrari. Why don't you check in over at ferrarichat for their take as well.

 

I think from your choices strictly, that you go with the 997 Turbo S.

A base 2005 430 while still exhilarating is already looking dated, imo.
It's also a base model and the Scuds or F1 are what really maintain value more than those.

The Turbo S is very limited production and I'd say it's even in the same realm as the 430. While they've sold 100k+ of the 997 generation of 911's the Turbo S is that sweet sweet magic that you kinda wish you had just spent the extra $$ on instead of the regular TT.

You're getting more warranty and reliability with the Porsche, you can also very easily purchase an extension after that from EasyCare or similar for not much that will protect all the gadgets at no cost to you so from a strictly financial look at the cars, the Turbo S is the better option.

That said if you want to ride around breaking necks and being "noticed" the Italians do it best.

 

Totally disagree. I've owned an F430 for nearly two years now, the only maintenance is $1250 for two-year service (all fluids). The car has nearly 27000 miles and still on original clutch.

And slow...? Although F430 is 200 lbs heavier than the Scuderia version, an F430 with aftermarket headers (no precats) will make the same/a bit more power than a Scuderia (Scuderia oem headers don't have precats). And you can replace the heavy stock electric seats and headers/cats/exhaust for ~150 lbs weight savings.

Here are some videos of Scuderia vs 991 GT3 etc and 997.2 Turbo PDK

 

If you're focusing on depreciation, you're focusing on cost of ownership, which is the only real way to determine how much a vehicle will cost you.

Since you asked a generic depreciation question, your focusing on depreciation by age. There is also depreciation by mileage. Then there is repairs, maintenance, insurance, fuel, etc etc etc. These costs can easily supercede the cost of depreciation by year.

While I'm far from market expert on the two brands, I would have to definitely give the win to porsche based on educated guesses. Depreciation by time is probably similar. Maintenance and repairs is probably a nod to the porsche. The big factor is depreciation by mileage. When it's comes to miles, the general public is a lot more comfortable buying a german flat 6 than a flat plane italian v8.

That being said, one needs to really add up all the costs and figure out the cost per mile and factor it in by how much enjoyment you will get from those dollars. One could compare two $150k vehicles and one of them could very easily cost twice as much to get from point A to point B all while the depreciation by time on those vehicles is similar.

On the flip side - Ignorance is bliss, knowing the exact cost per mile on your sports car is like knowing how many grams of fat you consumed at your favorite steak house.

 

get both