Why do we put up with them (Ferraris)??

Hey Billy, how ya doin?

You bring up a good question, for which I have no answer!

As you know, I've owned these money pits for over 40 years and still have a few. I've asked myself the same question many times.

I've decided the answer is, we're all nuts!!!

 

Brother Bill,


For me, it's a strange combination of love and hate. When it's "right" it's better than anything and when it's wrong we somehow remember "how it can be" so we don't walk away.

Ferrari is basically the "mistress" you never had.......So I'm told

Ferrari over the years had created (in it's own right and by passionate owners) it's own allure that goes beyond the actuall ownership of the car.

IMO, it's similar to the Harley allure. There are cheaper, better, more reliable bikes that I could own, but yet I can't bring myself to part with it...why? It's the sound the feel and the way the machine makes you fell when you ride or drive it.

Lambo, Porsche, Bentley, Aston, Duzzy, Shelby (pre whore days)...all the great marks, build/built passionate cars. Each marks has their own disciples but more often than not, it's ferrari that has somehow through history combined the speed, lifestlye, looks and exclusivity that makes it the most sought after drug in the Auto world.

Just throwin it out there.

 

You ask a question that, more than likely, will never be answered. I think that what was said previously sums it up quite well, and most outsiders would say the same thing:

We're freakin' stupid crazy.

Try to go any deeper and you'll drive yourself silly.

 

I dated a girl like that in my younger days. Bi+ch nearly killed me! Still miss her sometimes! LOL

 

Sometimes I think the same , but is speed the reason why we drive a Ferrari ? I bet my modified R1 can take most cars on the street, but that is not a fair comparison is it? What size engines do the sports cars you refer to have 5,6, 7 liters? The great thing is that if we can afford to maintain a Ferrari the Ford or Chevy is not a problem But we irrationally choose a Ferrari. I do question your "The unreliability"
statement though. I regularly drove my 355 and my current 360 and have never broken down or been stranded. My 545 is in a shop right now in Gilroy, so I am "stuck" with the 360 as a daily driver. So far so good. In talking to Ferrari mechanics about reliability of the older cars, they have often mentioned that owners store the cars for long periods of time and then take them out and hammer them without
checking for dried cracked hoses, proper warm-up, etc....

I agree the looks of the car sell more than the motor, but it is also the mystique surrounding the name.

 

WOW, that's happened to me more than once and I still think about them; even married one of them.

I guess you could say we're all just, 'gluttons for punishment!' Yup, that's gotta be the answer.

 

This should prove to be an interesting thread, especially as it was started by current owners. I know why I'm looking for one and thanks to Ferrarichat comments and my own experiences with a motley collection of aged Euros (think Cleese with a branch..), I believe I know what to expect, reliability wise and $$$$wise.

There are lots of faster, better engineered exotics out there which would undoubtedly be less troublesome and easier to maintain, however there isn't one I'd WANT more.

Size 2 for the straight-jacket please.

 

It's sort of like that younger/older woman who keeps flirting with you dropping subtle, then obvious hints. You know you are not suppose to go there, but the mystery and ego burst keep bringing you back.

 

I admit the 'mileage thing' gets me a bit. I'm not keen on being an odometer slave, but my car's over 20K miles already so it will never be one of those 300-mile time capsules.

Apart from that, what keeps me interested?

I suppose the engine sound and the gated shifter are exotic. But the looks and proportions get me every time - and it's not strictly cosmetic. You have a perspective of the road in these cars that can't be had anywhere else. If you walk up to a 328 (I'll use that because I walk up to one every day), the tail lights are about even with the tops of the seatbacks. You drop into the seat and sight along the road, rather than looking down on it, SUV-style. Even Porsche 911s are very tall in comparison.

You are tucked into this car like nothing else I've driven. If you've fantasized about being Schumacher, or any other race car driver, nothing comes close to Ferrari.

I think you'd admit the driving experience is different. I don't fully understand the science behind the flat-plane crankshaft, but revving the engine (with Tubi) in my car still gives me shivers (and you know it isn't the a/c doing that...) It sounds like an F1 car in comparison to all the sound-insulated, neutered sports cars on the road now. The power, even in a 328, is overkill for public roads. I know, 6.0 sec to 60 isn't fast anymore, but stoplight drag racing isn't my thing anyway. I even like popping the bonnet afterward to check the oil. Pop the bonnet on my Audi and you see a mess of plastic and warning labels. On the Ferrari, it's like a shrine to the engine.

The car is a celebrity in my neighborhood. I can't pull it out without kids' eyes bulging out. Some Time Warner cable salesman was going door to door last Friday, and I had the misfortune of being on my way out to collect the mail, with the garage door open. The conversation immediately turned to the Ferrari. A Porsche owner came over to my house just for a ride in it. A millionaire friend from Las Vegas who just bought a Porsche 996 Turbo cab dropped by to see it, even if his car cost more (and probably will for a couple of years yet). I feel like an ambassador of great sports car design in a world of drab minivans and SUVs. Somehow, that matters to me.

As far as other cars, who really knows what a McLaren, Spyker or Saleen are? Or a Panoz? They're all one-offs with no past (as far as the public is concerned) and could be gone tomorrow. Ferrari is Ferrari. There's nothing left to explain. I love cars and motorsports, and Ferrari ownership is like a public affirmation. So, yeah, the horse on the back of the car means a lot to me. You have to be pretty hardcore into cars to own a Ferrari. I don't mind people knowing that, in a world full of soft and fat BMWs and Japanese luxo-sedans that I can't tell apart.

As far as sacrifices, my Ferrari has so far been more reliable than my '02 BMW was. However, when it needs, my Ferrari mechanic's shop is a place I could hang out for an hour or two or four and be fascinated, whereas the Jeep or Audi or whatever dealer's service department is about as fun as a doctor's office.

No, I don't drive it in the rain, but I learned long ago that there are daily drivers and there are special cars. I'm fortunate that I can afford a nice daily driver and a classic Ferrari in the garage next to it. Mostly I'm proud that a 21-year old Ferrari can look so clean and well-kept, so driving it in the rain isn't something I'd really want to do anyway. Is any car worth a $5000 service bill every few years? I guess you have to add up all the preceding and decide.

 

If you can still ask yourself that question when you're behind the wheel, then sell it.


PS: I do drive my Ferrari in the rain. I've got over 60K on the odo. So what? That only matters if I sell it.
I've had my 328 for almost eight years now, and haven't regretted any of it.

 

I think many people own them simply for bragging rights. Ferraris have little to no depreciation so it's money just sitting there and it gives you something to talk about with golf buddies and it's nice to take out once a month.

Now as to why I own them, simple, I have driven many cars, some making over 1,000hp. Nothing compares to a Ferrari and that is it. When I drive a Ferrari I really have an experience that cannot be replicated in any other automobile or anyting else. The experience is such an addicting fix that I have turned my Ferrari into a daily driver and have made the decision to daily drive a Ferrari until I have children.

I clicked reply thinking that I'd have alot more to say but the experience cannot be put into words. If the Ferrari has lost its magical touch and you are having trouble justifying, it is time to sell it and move on. The car is not for everyone and does lose its touch overtime to some.

 

I begin to ask myself this type of question when it has been awhile since I have seen a Ferrari (I have a Maserati). I start to think the whole thing is crazy....and then....kablamo!....one day I'm sitting at a light and a bright red Ferrari goes cruising by....and my heart stops....and I know again why I love them...and one day will get a really nice one.
I love my wife (and mother of my sons) with all my heart and would never doing anything to hurt anyone of them...in fact I would gladly die if need be to protect them....yet when walking down the street if I see a drop-dead gorgeous babe...my heart stops...and for a few fleeting fantasy seconds (or hours) I wish to "possess" her......
I suppose the Ferrari tickles the same center of our hypothalamus......somewhere near to the supraoptic chiasm.....

;-)

 

Q: Why do we bang our heads against the wall?


A: Because it feels so good when we stop!

 

+ a billion

 

There isn't another marque which can touch the combined exclusivity, racing heritage and mystique of Ferrari. The cars themselves offer a unique blend of style and personal driver connection which are paralleled by at best, a handful of others, but none offer the distinct indefatiguable aural burble of F1 lineage so clearly. However , I can easily understand why the affair, in varying degrees, sours for some owners after all their preventative maintenance, special care and warm caresses return little in the way of sanguine moments. There's nothing worse than a spectacular drive on a beautiful day in between bouts of 'What's that noise/tick/clonk/smell ?', ' Why'd it do that ???' and 'I wonder how much that'll cost ?'.
Granted, I'm speaking of older models in general and some owners experience very few problems, but even for the majority of car enthusiasts, being faced with half of the hurdles Ferraris can frequently offer up, would be more than their sanity would allow for.
You folks are special. Disturbed, but special.

 

At least a certain percentile of owners buy them for the same reason why a dog licks his balls: because he can.

I doubt very much many of those types haunt this forum since if you are geek enough to spend your time talking (typing) about your love of the F-car, then I think you tend to be more of a true "fan" and not so much a member of the "look at me"-tribe.

my .02

 

I think you've nailed it!

 

Yep +1

 

I'm in that kind of trouble now, stop reminding me of how stupid I am

 

Because they are cool, PERIOD!!

Don't even ask what makes them cool, just accept that they are and that's why you like them. When I say cool it's not about what other people think, or how others think they look or what they think about me because I drive one. It is cool when I take it for a drive. It's about how it makes me feel, not everyone else!!

Pure, simple (or not so much) pleasure!!

 

Bill.........BILL........are you there?

 

You can modify a Honda Civic to outrun anything on the road in a straight line.
You can buy a Noble, Atom, Lotus, or Caterham and outrun anything on the road in a turn
You can buy a muscle car, toss a huge engine in it and have the loudest and meanest sounding car in the world producing the most hp.

As far as looks and exclusivity, well, that you'll have to pay for. Lambo, Ferrari, Saleen, Pagani, etc.. Exotic cars are exotic because they're rare and different looking, and the only way for that to happen is for a car to be either really really horrible so nobody buys it or for it to be so expensive nobody can afford it. Ferrari's combine all of this without being excessive. They're very good looking, but they have the performance to back up the looks. They're fast, but not too fast for the brakes to handle. They're not too fast for the suspension to handle in turns. They're fast even with a very luxurious interior. They're very well rounded overall. They may not be the absolute best in any category, but they do rank pretty high in every category at once, which is hard to do in a car. Yes, you can modify a Mustang to beat an F430 in a straight line. But it will not beat it in a turn. It will not beat it in the quality of the interior or in exclusivity, or exotic looks. It will beat it in one single category only, and that is why a Mustang will never be considered the equal of a Ferrari, no matter how fast that Mustang is. You can ALWAYS modify a car in one category to make it better than anything else.

As far as maintenance and reliability, well let's face it, a Ferrari is no Toyota when it comes to long term reliability. It's not made for that. It's made from more expensive materials in small numbers and engineered to push more performance out of the engine than most everyday cars do. Then again, you're right in some aspects, Ferrari's SHOULD be more reliable, but they do seem to be getting better in that aspect with the 360 and even moreso in the F430. But on the other hand I think the high cost of maintenance adds to the exotic nature of the car. If a 308 were as reliable and cheap to maintain as a Miata or S2000 there would be alot more ordinary people driving 308's around. I think alot of exotic car owners secretly like the high maintenance costs as it prevents more people from being able to afford the cars. Just about anyone could save up for years and years, sacrifice, cut spending and eventually buy a Ferrari F430. But once most people got the car they still couldn't afford to drive it because maintenance costs are more than they can afford.

 

If going from point "A" to point "B" fast is your goal. there are more economical and reliable was to do it, that also look nice. I have other cars for doing that. The Ferrari gives me feelings of passion and fun while driven and working on it that makes time slip away. I have found few cars that give me the same injoyment.

 

I resemble that comment and agree with all you said