my 2 cents not being an owner but 1) having spent significant time in a 360 2) Some time in the 430 3) looking to buy an F car as a DD now..

360 is great looking the CS will be a classic for sure , as far as the regular 360/360spyder they sound great (need exhaust though) and they are just plain old fun to drive on the street, it like a go cart you feel alot more connected then in any Porsche. A close friend of mine drove his 355 18k miles, his 360 24k miles and had no problems with either or, the 355 was a bigger cost in the maintenance department , but I too have been exploring the costs and it is something people have in their minds that these cars cost huge sums of money when they go to the shop and I have found that to be untrue, other then my friend AJ whom I mentioned above another friend of mine drove his 360 10k+ miles and also had experienced no breakdowns and minimal maintenance costs. I have spoken with a few of the 550 owners here as that is what I am considering as a DAILY DRIVER and they have all told me other then the 15k service they are relatively inexpensive to own and operate. The 430 as an overall car has vast improvements over the 360, don’t let the similar lines and looks fool you its funny no one mentioned if you get into the technical aspects that this is not even the same car as a 360 at all it shares almost none of the same components, trust me when the 430 was announced and my friend whom I mentioned above was getting one I laughed and told him they looked the same how much difference could there be well that was a serious mistake as I got a 1 hour lecture on the differences. Just on the fun side the exhaust note of the car is great stock and the shift speeds are much faster just shy of the shift speeds of the Enzo which are just shy of F1 actual gearbox

The only 2 cents I have coming from 4 Porsches is the following statement Porsche=boring perfection Ferrari=Exhilarating Excitement no matter 360 or 430

 

It's not just you. I totally agree with you. I just failed to respond to the 360 has no torque issues. The cars are fantastic when driven where they are supposed to be. 5500 to 8000 rpms. Drive it there and torque is never a question. This low rpm issue is the main reason I got rid of my 996 and won't have another car that doesn't have a rev point exceeding 7k on the dash. Cars aren't fun at 3000 rpms and they really aren't fun when they run out of rev's at 6500.

 

Lets put it this way :
-430 destroys 360 - 997TT destroys 430 in acceleration
-430 is better than 360 in handling
-430 destroys 997 TT in handling feel it feels very solid more like a race car
-430 F1 tranny is a dream
-430 and 997 TT brake performance is very good

 

I will agree Road and Track will tell you that the above statements are almost true. "Destroys" is the wrong word. Performance on a page is different then on the street. I don't think my 430 destroys my 360 at all. They are very similar. (actually same body model number by Ferrari) The new 997 Turbo is quick but there is a reason the Ferrari's are $100k more. They are both BETTER cars. Believe me I am not a Porsche hater I love them. Just reality.

 

i liked the 360 over the 540 hp 996tt for the following reasons. more challenging to drive, more useable power -yes you need to rev high but it just the right amount of power for the twists and turns of street driving, power its not, the 430 that i have now is a different animal then the 360, much higher level of grip and power but much harder to seek even the remote limits on the street..really fun and the car is a compromise from the 996tt blistering 0-60. but 0-60 gets old very quick

 

i agree except the i don't agree the 430 grips a whole lot more over the 360. it does grip more.

WELL SAID about the TT. 6 speeders are too hung up on 0-60. Most of the guys on this forum use their cars getting on the freeway and that's it. Yes the TT will beat me into traffic. I also had a 600hp TT-S Porsche and wouldn't trade 4 of them for my RS. turning = fun. Fast Straight =Boring. Unless your in the NHRA where 0-300= 5 seconds

 

F430 is leaps and bounds a more advanced, better handling, more fun to drive than the 360. Nothing wrong with the 360, I still love driving it, but the 430 is a much larger jump in performance, refinement, and development as a car than the jump from 355-360.

-My $0.02