I have a 2004 996 TT with 30K miles on it. I bought it as my "toy" but it quickly became my daily drive. Of course I have had it serviced regularly but it still amazes me that nothing has ever gone wrong with it. And I've driven it hard, very hard, including high speed runs of several hundred miles in 90-100 degree F temperatures. No overheating, no fading brakes, no loose trim. Just new tires every now and then. At the same time, my 2003 Range Rover has had numerous problems despite being absolutely pampered compared to the Porsche.

But for some reason I'm thinking about a F430 Spider with the F1 tranny. From the looks of it I have to buy second hand and it'll be expensive because I don't like waiting.

Can I expect the F430 to deliver every day drivability and reliability that comes even close to the TT?

How about maintenance cost and frequency? Having never owned a Ferrari my closest experience is based on my neighbor's old Testarossa. That thing was an everything-leaking POS (just like the Range Rovers) that had always a problem or two. And some routine service (20K miles?) that supposedly cost $12K!!! Because of those mental images I always ruled out all Ferraris as expensive jokes but something changed his summer when I drove one. I'm not claiming it was better than the Porsche but it sure was different and enjoyable too.

But I'll only buy one if I can really use it. I don't enjoy cars that are in the garage no matter how good they look. Any thoughts on the subject would be helpful. Thanks!

 

Scheduled maintenance on a 430 is at 5k (about $1000 - 1200), 15k and 30k. Don't know the cost of the 15k and 30k. The 430 has timing chains so the cost associated with the belt replacement on earlier V8s is gone. Ferrari build quality and reliability are at least equal to Porsche standards, in my experience (360 and 430 ownership), and the driving experience is much more intense than Porsche.

Gary