Your opinion is appreciated! F430, 997.2 GT3RS, R8

[attila]

Very recently I got a nice offer: a 2007 Ferrari 430 (not the Scuderia, but the regular 430) very low milage - below 3K. Nice red with tan interior, garage kept (of course) and no damage of any sort.
For the same money however ($130K) you can get a new Porsche GT3 RS or an Audi R8 (v8) or a GTR (and something else).

I cannot drive the car due to the weather right now. I have never driven a F430 or the GT3RS or the Audi R8 for that matter. The closest I got some experience is the 997 911C2S which is not that impressive. I did not like the up and down motion of the front end and I had issues with trail braking etc. Being honest I prefer the Cayman S over the 911S behavior onthe track.
I would appreciate any feedback regarding any difference between the GT3 and regular 911 C2S, or any experience with any of the listed cars.
Thanks

[SUB-ZERO]

C'mon. That should be easy. F430.

Now stop showing off...

-SZ

[Definitive]

F430 FTMFW - All great cars, but nothing feels like a Ferrari!

[SUB-ZERO]

Originally Posted by attila

Very recently I got a nice offer: a 2007 Ferrari 430 (not the Scuderia, but the regular 430) very low milage - below 3K. Nice red with tan interior, garage kept (of course) and no damage of any sort.
For the same money however ($130K) you can get a new Porsche GT3 RS or an Audi R8 (v8) or a GTR (and something else).

I cannot drive the car due to the weather right now. I have never driven a F430 or the GT3RS or the Audi R8 for that matter. The closest I got some experience is the 997 911C2S which is not that impressive. I did not like the up and down motion of the front end and I had issues with trail braking etc. Being honest I prefer the Cayman S over the 911S behavior onthe track.
I would appreciate any feedback regarding any difference between the GT3 and regular 911 C2S, or any experience with any of the listed cars.
Thanks

By the way, have you ever sat in a Ferarri or heard one up close. Well, a buddy of mine owns an F360 Spyder and let me tell you, it is sensory overload to sit in that car. The sound, the leather, the stitching, the beauty...what a machine! The F430 is even more orgasmic.

Nothing has the passion or heritage of a Ferrari....not even the Porsche.

- The Audi is nice..but no passion.

- The Porsche is amazing but no passion and is not as exotic.

- The GTR is a badass car but obviously doesn't have the pedigree of a Porsche or a Ferrari.

Go for the Ferrari man! The maintenance sucks, everyone looks at you when you drive and you can't drive it everywhere. However, when you do drive it, you will be driving one of the baddest cars on the planet...in terms of beauty, performance and exotic factor.

-SZ

[attila]

Originally Posted by SUB-ZERO

C'mon. That should be easy. F430.

Now stop showing off...

-SZ

Ha ha ha,
Thanks though!
Actually, I have to see how much 2009 tax I have to pay first. I was toying with the idea of getting something nice but not now, not so soon.

Somewhat afraid of any potential F430 repair, service etc. There is no reliable F car forum I could fine. plus you cannot drive it to work, even the M3 is somewhat a show off right now!

[SUB-ZERO]

Originally Posted by attila

Ha ha ha,
Thanks though!
Actually, I have to see how much 2009 tax I have to pay first. I was toying with the idea of getting something nice but not now, not so soon.

Somewhat afraid of any potential F430 repair, service etc. There is no reliable F car forum I could fine. plus you cannot drive it to work, even the M3 is somewhat a show off right now!

Drive your beater to work and enjoy the F-car after hours! Also, have you considered a used M3 and an F360? You can probably get both for about $150k (08 e92 and early model F360); you may just have the best of both worlds there.

-SZ

[attila]

I am suprised how many of you would take the Ferrari. I always wanted one, but...it's a used car, in Chicago I am in Omaha, still winter etc.
Wife thinks I am crazy, the car just gona sit in the garage, cannot really drive it to nowhere (and being washed every 2nd week).

I would track it for sure, but not everyday usable. well, I am just trying to find some reasons not to buy the car...

[attila]

Originally Posted by SUB-ZERO

Drive your beater to work and enjoy the F-car after hours! Also, have you considered a used M3 and an F360? You can probably get both for about $150k (08 e92 and early model F360); you may just have the best of both worlds there.

-SZ

I got a 09' e92 M3 and not planning to sell. I just got a call a week ago from a fried with whom I met on a track day and told me about the F430. He new I am sort of planning to get something faster than the M3 but I never really thought about a Ferrari untill now!

[attila]

Originally Posted by shift@red

You cannot get a new GT3RS for that price. You can get a used 997.1 GT3RS for ~125K or so, but not a new 2010 (at least $150K+).
They are all awesome cars. I personally would go with the GT3RS or F430.
A GT3 is a completely different car than a C2S. It is a Porsche Motorsports car where nearly everything has been tuned and sharpened. It is a homologation model for the GT3 RSR race car. The engine is one of the best high revving and free revving cars out there. It pulls on the top end like no other car ive ever experienced. Its suspension is very tight, the turn in is super sharp (tighter steering rack) and the grip is relentless. The car is very scalpel like in every way. It is really a car that demands a lot from the driver and excites every sense you have. It will not be as easy to drive as a cayman S though...it still requires the 911 driving style.

You can get a new 2010 GT3RS for $130-135K the base is $133K if you do not add anything you can get the car $130K out of the door! Just call or email porsche dealerships and make them fight for your business. They will go below MSRP a few grand!

[attila]

My problem with the GT3RS is that it's not available for test drive within 600miles radius. Even regular GT3 is hard to find for testdrive (none in Omaha).

[KonigsTiger]

I have not driven the new GT3 RS but the old GT3 RS IMO is more fun on track than the F430 Coupe (is the F430 a Coupe?). Although I should add that I would take the F430 simply because of better looks and well, that assume sound and super great gear box. Lovely car to drive especially as a cruiser etc... also pretty nice on track but GT3 would be better in this case. All the other cars??? R8 is ok but is out of its league here. GTR??? I am not even going to answer that.

[TheKosherStogie]

Driven GT3 RS and F430... I prefer the GT3RS...that thing is just a track monster...the porsche feels tighter, more rigid and nothing beats the steering feel to me.

But the sounds, the look, the name and the engine in the ferrari is well....perfect

[graider]

F430 or brand new r8 v10 (15k more which is not much more consider you can afford a 130k car already). The R8 is no question the better DD and you can drive it all year round with AWD. It is probably the most comfy out of all those cars you mentioned as well.

if you don't like the handling characteristic of the Porsche c2s, you won't like the gt3rs either. btw, I think the 997.1 gt3 rs is better looking than the new 997.2 gt3 rs with that hideous wing and paint scheme. oh and the retard string door handle. I mean it is ok if you mainly track your car, but it maybe too much for a street car due to the way it looks.

i have a feeling that you don't track your car, but mainly looking for a street car. In that case, all the track advantage the rs has is out of the window.

[consolidated]

Originally Posted by attila

You can get a new 2010 GT3RS for $130-135K the base is $133K if you do not add anything you can get the car $130K out of the door! Just call or email porsche dealerships and make them fight for your business. They will go below MSRP a few grand!

You might take a closer look, the RS's are coming in very low numbers. Most are gobbled up at over MSRP, some at sticker or a gratuitous $2K off. My local dealer is getting two and has a list of 6 buyers, they won't even take deposit money.

If you find an RS at below sticker, buy it! and the F430.

[attila]

Yes, the F430 is a coupe with the F1 gearbox.
I know the GTR is not a direct competitor of the F430 but when I thought about getting a new, fast, mainly track day car, the GTR was on my list (Ferrari wasn't)
I am not sure I like the blink factor of the Ferrari. I would like to drive it first. I read a bunch of review on these cars in the last three days, but without any first hand experience is kinda taking deep breath and jump. (and a lots of money involved)

I just don't know how different the GT3 is from the 911 C2S. I expected something different maybe. My M3 felt much more under controll - or I should say - could kept under controll under late braking into corners, felt more benign, more stable mid corner and easier on the limits. I span the 911 twice in corners where the Cayman S and the M3 were easy. On the other hand the C2S was nice accelerating from corner exits.

[shchow]

As everyone said, get the Ferrari.
The F430 is arguably one of the best all around sports car. The combination of handling, aural presence, panache. Your other choices don't really compare (maybe GT2).
If your are worried about maintenance costs/issues, well, what's that saying...If you have to ask...

[attila]

I do not want to come through here as a moron with a bunch of money. $130K is a BIG sum for me, especially before knowing how much tax I need to pay this year. I am somewhat old fashioned financially - don't like to finance anything. (started inthe US 12 years ago with $21,000 / year pretax. (Still saved 30% of my income!) Anyway i do not want to lecture anyone either.
I will not go over 130K, period.

I will research the GT3RS better today.

[cap_freez]

In my experience, Ferraris are very nice and very fast cars but somewhat unreliable. And even though the germans don't have the same ''exotic'' factor I would stick with the germans. I do however understand what you mean when you say you prefer the cayman handling over the 911, and in that respect, you would probably enjoy the ferrari better. So if I were in your shoes at this exact moment I'd probably go for the R8.

[SUB-ZERO]

Originally Posted by graider

F430 or brand new r8 v10 (15k more which is not much more consider you can afford a 130k car already). The R8 is no question the better DD and you can drive it all year round with AWD. It is probably the most comfy out of all those cars you mentioned as well.

if you don't like the handling characteristic of the Porsche c2s, you won't like the gt3rs either. btw, I think the 997.1 gt3 rs is better looking than the new 997.2 gt3 rs with that hideous wing and paint scheme. oh and the retard string door handle. I mean it is ok if you mainly track your car, but it maybe too much for a street car due to the way it looks.

i have a feeling that you don't track your car, but mainly looking for a street car. In that case, all the track advantage the rs has is out of the window.

I just saw the R8 V10 at the DC car show last night and it is visually stunning, especially with the CF blade and deep red interior. However, the price tag on that thing was like $175k.

-SZ

[attila]

Originally Posted by shchow

As everyone said, get the Ferrari.
The F430 is arguably one of the best all around sports car. The combination of handling, aural presence, panache. Your other choices don't really compare (maybe GT2).
If your are worried about maintenance costs/issues, well, what's that saying...If you have to ask...

It's not really the cost, but who would you trust to repair the F430? i am doing almost everything on the M3 partially because I like to do it but partially because not too many mechanic I trust. No ferrari dealership here! The closest is in Denver or Chicago.

By the way would you buy a car without a testdrive??

[graider]

Originally Posted by SUB-ZERO

I just saw the R8 V10 at the DC car show last night and it is visually stunning, especially with the CF blade and deep red interior. However, the price tag on that thing was like $175k.

-SZ

probably a fully load one though. base msrp 146k

[attila]

My wife - who is my resident and just walked in - said " for that much she would let me have a girlfriend for a year" if I am having midlife crisis.
Very tempting I have to say!