thinking about it. would like to sell my 456mgt in switzerland, then get a 612 for a daily here. also, how does grigio ingrid look in person?
Hi Ross. Do you know what? That sounds like a very very good idea and a good investment aswell! The 612 is becoming more and more beautiful in my eyes now, even if it was too Big to be a Ferrari in the beginning.. Grigio Ingrid is a very sophisticated color on that car and is "just right" as it more rare than most other colors, and now the 612 is interesting for enthusiasts and not just rich people who want an expencive car... They use to choose the more normal colors to make trading in the car easier when the finance/lease period is over.. Good luck and post pictures of both cars!! Erik
fantastic car and a really nice colour which was used in the early brochures-very appropriate for a 612 from a historical perspective also.
ok. just wondering how that model handles a lot of use. i bought my 456mgt with 1600 km on the clock, had it completely gone over before purchase (which resulted in 20k worth of maintenance paid for by the seller), and thought i was in fine shape. then used it as a daily over the next 30k km and 9 years, and i ended up having to do all the things that we all know that need to be done with a 456, and it cost me another 30k. so i woudl rather avoid this with a 612, but maybe one with 25k miles on the clock will already be sorted out. re the color, i have seen the original ingrid car, but cant remember seeing a new version of that paint in person. but, i always think the original looks more pale silvery vs the newer one being kind of a champagne gold in pictures. anyway, if somebody on here uses their 612 as a daily, please chime in. and if anybody is selling their 612, pls alert me.
got mine new and after 7 years and 18k all super fast miles, it's better than new! no big issues except for the broken mirror knob and sticky interior, and a burst radiator hose and a leaky tranny gasket, none cost more than a G or 2 to fix so I think it's minor and acceptable. only the sticky interior really pizzesss me off. I never really daily mine but I guess u can but I wouldn't waste the talent and speed of the 612 on commutes, I get a cheap BMW for that. good luck, these are awesome cars. for the price u paying now, u practically stole it!!
These cars run 300.000kms without much trouble if you just use it regulary. Just bring your gas card... (Good for you that you live in the US where gas is almost free now!) we pay almost two dollar per litre (1 gal is 3,8 liters).
I don't use mine daily (most of the time), but I have also had very few problems since I got it new in 2008. I think your plan makes a lot of sense. Certainly, in comparison to the 456, the 612 should make a great daily driver.
if u enjoy stucking in traffic or leaving it by the side of the road or in the mall, i dont find that enjoyable.
my attitude is that i am on this earth once. i am not going to be stupid about it and drive the f40 to the supermarket, but a mass produced (well sort of) car like the 612 should be able to handle daily driving and being in traffic and being parked in malls etc. for 9 years i did that with the 456mgt i am trying to sell at the moment. lots of maintenance of course (no secret for all of you). but life is too short to drive shlock back and forth to work, if you can drive something that makes you feel good. nobody ever lies on their death bed regretting having driven their ferrari too much.....
Grigio Ingrid on my 456M looks more silvery and less gold-brown in person than it does in photographs, but it is definitely an acquired taste, even though Ferrari used it in its brochures.
I don't drive mine daily, but I did a solo 1000 mile drive on a Friday (Chicago to Denver) and another solo 1000 mile drive on the next Monday (Denver to Chicago), with many miles in the mountains in Denver over the weekend. Absolutely awesome car! I traded in my 430 for it, and never looked back. Not too many people pay attention to the car (it's nero daytona), so it's pretty stealthy. Grigio Ingrid is, I think, a beautiful color on a 612. One last thing, there is a BIG difference in the sound between the stock exhaust and the sport exhaust. I like the sport exhaust a lot more.
To chip in on this thread, a 612 as a daily driver will depend hugely upon the type of commute you do. I don't use mine as a daily driver but do commute the 20kms each way to my office across Doha 3 - 4 times a week. Its a V12 Ferrari so of course I want to drive it as much as possible. All is fine and on the good days with no traffic, catching the green lights and no other lunatics on the road all is well with the World in F1-S mode. On the other hand, when I repeatedly catch the lights or encounter a 10km tailback where the lunatics have replicated GTA Vice City and taken each other's Landcruisers out, it can be a soulless experience. I derive very little enjoyment from sitting in nose to tail traffic in my VW let alone the 612 or my C6 manual. Also as John930 says above, parking can play on your nerves (Doha drivers adopt the Italian 'touching bumpers' parking method) and mall car park spaces are not 612 sized. I tend to get out of bed, assess the weather and my mood and then choose my ride accordingly. I do feel albeit unscientifically, that using my Scag more has ironed out the small issues and I've added 7,000kms to the car since I got it last October. It now stands at 37k kms so I'm using it a lot considering it only did 30,000kms between 2007 and 2015. Reliability has been good, other than recharging the ac and a new headlight bulb. Back in the UK I used to run my Testarossa nearly everyday on my commute in the Summer. Was completely reliable. Only my 330 gets used sparingly as its more of a special occasion car. In summary I would say do it if you want to but be prepared to grind your teeth in traffic and shell out for more regular serving / petrol.
ross I think an early 612 will be a no brainer as a DD - if it wasn't for the all wheel drive id choose the 612 over my FF as dd. The FF does everything so well it cant be argued with but driving a 612 is pure bliss, even if it doesn't perform as well.
Grigio Ingrid looks really good on a 612. That color was actually named for the Ingrid Bergmann/Rossellini 375 MM. This is Doug's old Grigio Ingrid HGTS 612. The 575M probably shows the color better. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
those are nice pics. i lived in rome at the time and i was at the stadium in rome in 97 where that pic of the rosellini 375mm was taken. that was the event that changed my car life. up to that point i had been a german car enthusiast - a couple of porsche's, an m5, e class etc. THAT weekend turned my head completely around. there was a parade through town with hundreds of ferraris of all kinds, and then the assembly in the old olympic stadium, a race out at carracala etc etc. it was epic. i bought a ferrari jacket and a ferrari tie, and 2 years later bought my first ferrari. good times.
I have a grigio ingrid 612..and I absolutely love it. It would be great as a dd. Solid car is understated..its bullet proof. (Beside the occasional fire someone had)unfortunately i drive 70 miles plus daily to justify that kind of use pkus bad road conditions here in wv Here are pics if you want to see it. Btw im not selling. Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
I daily drove my 2006 612. Great car and very friendly even in urban environment. All of the issues mentioned in this thread are real and common. Maintenance can get a bit pricey, but will not break the bank. Remember that this vehicle is a generation behind the current crop of vehicles (both F cars and other luxury cars). If you don't "need" the latest and greatest in terms of engine ecu, and tech, then you can be very happy with a 612. If you can pick one up in the US$80k range - I'd take that deal all day long.
a few years back, i used ferrari's and lamborghini daily, even long trips like 300 - 600 miles. I got tired after over a year of doing it. During those days, everytime i hop in a rental or loaner, i almost felt like i got a new life. I did not need to care about ppl, did not need to care about front bumper, basically threw everything behind during driving. I mean yes you can drive it everyday, but after awhile, you might just not want to. I can't explain what it is, but that's what happened to me. I finally settle down with fast luxury sedans, like s65, b7, bentley gt, etc. I still drive my ferrari's whenever I can, just not daily basic. I found that I love my ferrari's even more than before Of course, daily any modern ferrari is easy, i think you should be no problem and you should experience it too. For me, I just feel like I graduated from it. Occasional use fits the best in a long run. Just some of my experience to share.
I have a 2005 612 with F1 transmission. It is not the most convenient daily driver because of its size, gas mileage and dated transmission. But the seating position is one of the best in my view, comfortable yet low and sporty and allows you to see over that long beautiful bonnet. I enjoy it even in traffic. The low grumble of the V12 exhaust is enjoyable at 1500 to 3000 revs as it is at 6500+. Walking to the car is a sight I won't tire of and the interior with all that leather is a unique environment to be in. I also have 2 girls, so it does work as the secondary family sedan as well. It isn't an ideal DD in the true sense of that definition, but to me it is a great daily driver and simply love it. That said, I do split my time with a 991 GT3 so I can vary up my car driving experiences. I am very grateful for having two wonderful cars. Taking care of the cars, parking, washing, finding premium gas stations etc I find as a joy - it is part of this wonderful cursed hobby I think fellow car enthusiasts can understand. So if you get the 612. Enjoy.
Great dialogue! Is the 'lag' between gears when driven in automatic significant? A buddy and I test drove one last spins (2005 model) and the lag between first and second was not a great feeling. The car feels like it nosedives in between.
