| Author | Message | ||
| Racer 001 (Mr_0011)
Member Username: Mr_0011 Post Number: 437 Registered: 3-2002 |
I guess I "test drove" a Ferrari... but it wasn't a dealers... somebody elses... It was a Modena coupe w/ F1 paddle shifters... Everything was awesome but the attention I got... I had one guy come up to me... look at my designer shirt (which was a gift), looked at the 360, then told me that I should be spending "my money" elsewhere before I spend it all... As for the car... The exterior is near perfection in real life IMHO... not as edgy as an F355, but not exactly boring... The interior seemed simplistic... but still cool... After starting it and taking off I was really diging the paddle shifters and the steering felt telepathic compaired to the SLK I was using before hand... Another thing I liked is the feeling that there was two engines... One torquey one for low revs, and a high RPM racing one... Depending on the rpms the 360 V8 felt like two different motors working in together... just amazing... And as far as cornering goes, it felt very good... Like it was on rails... I kept thinking of when to give it juice out of the corner in fear of needing to counter steer a $200k car... and although I never floored it out of a corner, not matter how hard I pressed it just went... like it was part of the road... like I said.. on rails... very cool. Once again though... the attention I got wasn't great... it wasn't horrible, but the times I did drive the car I did feel some hate... And sometimes the prestige of the car didn't go hand in hand with my age... For example, I went to the movies with a friend and took the Modena (I asked first... I would never take off with such a car even if I had the keys...)... as I got there I stood behind it in the parking lot and told my friend that I didn't feel to great about leaving such a car out in the open with out being able to keep an eye on it... my friend said that I should have thought of that before we decided to go to a theater and see a flick... I told her I got the point and that there was nothing to do now but just go see the movie and hope the Fcar doesn't get keyed... anywho... after the movie we ran to the car to find two old(er) guys admiring it... One guy told me I have good taste and that it was nice too see a young person driving someting like this instead of a modified Honda with thousands of dollars invested in the sound system, interior, body, etc... I thanked him and said that it's quite high tech too... clutchless manual like racing cars... motor behind the driver... things like that. The man just smiled as he took in the information. A few minutes passed as we started talking about classic cars, hot rods, and new Porsches... I looked at my friend and to my horror she is exchanging phone #'s with the other old guy! It's not like we were together or anything, but I still had interest in her... Then the guy (that was enjoying the chat he had w/ my friend) proceeds to tell me that she would need somebody older and wiser, and that she is only my friend because of my material possesions (never told him the Fcar wasn't mine... never had the chance)... I told the other old guy, nice guy by the name of Rick, that I was sorry but I had to get going... he agreed... later that night I told my friend the way I felt about her... she said she didn't feel the same way... so then I asked her if she would ever call that old guy, the one that could be her father... she said no... if that's true or not I don't know... but point is that I drove the Ferrari and she didn't!  lol | ||
| Amir H. (355spiderman)
New member Username: 355spiderman Post Number: 41 Registered: 5-2002 |
A few months ago i walked in to my local dealer, Foriegn Cars Italia, I was looking at a beutiful 2001 360 6 speed spyder. The car sales manager looks at me and says" Come on test drive it!!!" Ofcourse i could not oblige He dident even ask me for a Drivers license copy, deposit or anything. I told him that i had not driven a stick in 20 years and he said go ahead you cant hurt the car.Only thing that was not pleasent was the asking price of 279,000 for a 2001 spider!!! I recommend FCI to anybody who wants to deal with guys that are professional, and dedicated to Ferrari!!! | ||
| DES (Sickspeed)
Member Username: Sickspeed Post Number: 614 Registered: 8-2002 |
Nebula, you learn something new everyday- i had no idea that the salesman was responsible for the car should something happen to it... However, if i ever had the chance to test drive a Ferrari (without the intent to purchase), i would be too scared to do anything bad to it, fearing that they would foot ME with the bill... And as far as being a huge waste of time for the salesman, i would think that what Chris said would be more accurate; that the salesman would be happy to go for a ride, once in a while... i mean, what waste of time...? How busy can a Ferrari dealership get...? PS Nebula, are any of the things you got away with, story-worthy...? | ||
| Nebula Class (Nebulaclass)
Junior Member Username: Nebulaclass Post Number: 60 Registered: 11-2002 |
Hey, I'm not making a judement call here. If you guys get your rocks off doing it, cool! I'm just saying that, from the perspective of a guy who sold Ferraris for a while, it's a BIG waste of time and a total jack-off to have smoke blown up your ass buy a guy wearin' a spiffy suit and playing a good game. On top of that, a lot of jack-offs REALLY disrespect the cars when they drive them, which is completely f*cked up, considering the salesperson is responsible for the $100k+ car, and it's fairly dicked up to do that to the future owner. Again, I'm not making a judgement call on any of you. Just hoping that maybe next time you'll consider a few things that maybe you didn't last time you did it. And DES, I agree completely. There are THOUSANDS of things I've gotten away with! No hard feelings, fellas. | ||
| DES (Sickspeed)
Member Username: Sickspeed Post Number: 602 Registered: 8-2002 |
"All I hear from the passenger seat at top volume is a "colorful adjective"..." ROFLMAO...! Chris, tone it down with the humor- if my boss hears me laughing, he's gonna come in here and then all hell will break lose... | ||
| Robert McNair (Rrm)
Junior Member Username: Rrm Post Number: 188 Registered: 5-2002 |
Nebula as far as me being a "lookie lou" I will tell you something that I left out of this thread because I didn't want to come across as a "jackoff". I was interested in the 911 and 308 and I brought a bank statement in my pocket proving that I could write check for both cars with money left over. I told the ferrari salesman I had proof I could afford the car and he told me that was nice of me but not necesary. I thought that was decent of him. When I test drove the 911 the salesman didn't even ask me. I also had pulled up in my toyo pickup with rust on the tailgate. These salesman realize that you never know and that it is not a good idea to insult your customers. | ||
| Chris Horner (Cmhorner17)
New member Username: Cmhorner17 Post Number: 50 Registered: 4-2002 |
Here's a funny one: My wife wanted to check out a Corvette C7, so we went to a local dealer that had several pre-owned ones on the lot. The salesguy came out to help us, we told him we wanted a couple year old Vette hardtop. So he took us over to some. We pick the one that had the nice Borla exhaust tips coming out of the back. He gets the keys and tells us that we have to go on a drive one at a time because he has to be in the car as well. No problem we tell him. I climb in first. We're driving up the main road, and I'm taking it easy on the car because I don't like to rag on cars until they're warmed up. He's explaining the features to me and telling me some general things about the car. A few miles down the road, he says "You are allowed to get into it a little to see what it can do." "Oh don't worry, I will" I told him as I turned into the turnaround to go the other way. About halfway though, I stomp of the loud pedal (TC turned off before we left and it was unfortunately an automatic). The rear end slides in a nice, controlled, tire-smoking 90 degree turn, hooks up and slams us back in the seat on its way to 80mph. All I hear from the passenger seat at top volume is a "colorful adjective" as his arms each grab a side of the seat. Laughing I slowed back down to the speed limit and said "It has a little bit of power doesn't it?" We get back and he asks if my wife is still interested in driving it. She sure is I say, she gets in and comes back about 15 minutes later. We thank him for his time and tell him we want to compare it to a 911. When we get in my car to leave, my wife looks at me and says, "What did you do to that poor man?" I smile slyly and say "Whatever do you mean?" She says "Well, the first comment he made when I got in was 'We're still alive after your husbands test drive, so it's your turn now.'" I tell her the story, to which she just rolls her eyes and shakes her head, and then asks me when I want to grow up. Now I just need to get her in a F-car to compare :-) | ||
| DES (Sickspeed)
Member Username: Sickspeed Post Number: 601 Registered: 8-2002 |
i concur with Chris that, at least from a customer service aspect of things, you never really know who or what you're dealing with... Plenty of times, the half-wit that calls here, mumbling and severely deteriorating my patience turns out to be an A-client and he's the guy i have to call back, all syrupy-sweet... Several months ago, i was in DESperate need of wiper blaDES and visited my local Aid Auto store... the blaDES were overpriced (but i didn't know that at the time) however, when i went over to a gentleman stocking a shelf and inquired as to the location of the above-mentioned product, he led me right to it, also informing me that i was entitled to a free gallon of windshield wiper fluid... Since he was so curteous, i asked for help regarding something else... On my way out, i noticed a sign on the window offering free wiper blade installation... Since i had never put my wiper blaDES on, before and the rain and darkness just added to my inexperience, i decided to go back inside and request the help of anyone available... i was immediately tended to, told to drive my car around to the garage where two gentleman each put a blade on, efficiently and pretty damn quick... When i tried to tip them, they refused, saying they were happy to help... Later that very same night, my friend called me, asked me if i wanted go to Target with her, as she needed new blaDES, as well... i suggested she go to Aid, however, she informed me that Target had wiper blaDES for more than half of what Aid charged... In any case, i'll be going back to Aid for my next set of blaDES, seeing as how the customer service rivals any other store in the area... i've already told everyone i know that they should go there... My point is, as Chris pointed out, you can never really be sure who you're dealing with and thus, assuming someone is a "jack off", might just cost you... | ||
| Chris Horner (Cmhorner17)
New member Username: Cmhorner17 Post Number: 49 Registered: 4-2002 |
I worked in the car business for three years and had more than my share of "jack-offs". But you know what? I would spend some time with them, let them have a little fun, and could get legetimate referrals from those "jack-offs". As you probably know, referral business is MUCH easier to close than a walk-in. Plus I didn't mind too much going for a short joy ride. Sometimes the ones that I thought were "jack-offs" surprised me by showing up with a check in hand. And more often than not, they commented that I was the only one who took time to help them. You just never know. I guarantee you this - the people who were cool when I would go to their dealership, whether I was joyriding or seriously looking at a car, do get legitimate referrals from me. The ones who acted stupid or were woefully incompetent are the ones I encourage everyone I know to stay away from. I'm sure some thought (rather knew) that I was just goofing off and talking a good line, but they took a few minutes to help me anyway. Not trying to justify anything, but when you're on the sales side of the desk, you just don't know who you are dealing with. Most of my family, friends, and professional associates know that if they are looking for a car, I probably know someone who sells whatever they happen to be looking at. They know I am a car nut through and through, plus have met a lot of people when I worked in auto sales and when I was "experience-gathering." And the salespeople who get those referrals get total lay-down customers. In and out, one more on the board for the month. Doesn't seem like it harms them too much. The ones who were stupid and incompetent and unprofessional, well honestly, I didn't mind wasting their time. | ||
| DES (Sickspeed)
Member Username: Sickspeed Post Number: 595 Registered: 8-2002 |
Nebula, everyone gets by or gets away with something, at some point... no matter who you are... It's not like anyone was hurt or any cars were damaged or anyone was taken advantage of... No one lost any money, no one stole anything, no one died- everyone saw something they really liked and just wanted to take a test drive... There's really no harm in that... in the end, no one lost, so i don't think anyone here is a jack off... | ||
| Nebula Class (Nebulaclass)
Junior Member Username: Nebulaclass Post Number: 59 Registered: 11-2002 |
You guys are real heros. I'm sure the sealespeople appreciated the waste of time. You guys are what is called a "Jack-Off" in the car business. | ||
| DES (Sickspeed)
Member Username: Sickspeed Post Number: 590 Registered: 8-2002 |
Oh, man... my first car (Chevrolet Celebrity station wagon) had a huge brake problem (needed rotors REALLY BADLY- the whole front of the car would shake as i just barely came to a stop!)... Since i've had my Sentra (February, '02) i've had pads put on, twice... 0-60 sucks in my car, but boy, 60-0 isn't too bad... | ||
| Rob Lay (Rob328gts)
Board Administrator Username: Rob328gts Post Number: 3077 Registered: 12-2000 |
The first Ferrari I ever drove and looked at was a scary experience for a second. I was really in the market, so they let me take it to Norwoods for a PPI. It was a White 1983 QV. I was very careful and wasn't pushing it at all. I got on 635 and was tooling along until a usual traffic jam. I went to ease on the brakes and there was no brake pressure! I don't know what I did, but it worked. I think a combination of pumping, engine braking, and screaming stopped it just in time about a foot off the bumper in front. I went ahead with the PPI, but didn't buy that car because of that and other reasons. | ||
| Kevin Horner (Boz)
Junior Member Username: Boz Post Number: 52 Registered: 8-2002 |
I saw a Jag XJR on the lot at the local Ford dealer and it looked sad. So I decided to make it happy. I call the dealer in the morning to set up an appointment for lunch time. I get forwarded to Willie (not William, not Bill, Willie). I tell him I'm interested in the "XJR you have on the lot." He stutters and says, "the ummm... the Contour?" "No," I say, "the JAGUAR." "Oh oh oh oh oh oh!" is the reply. Right a way I know the car won't be ready when I get there. Nonetheless, he assures me it will. So my brother and I go over there in a brand new Land Cruiser. The car is parked and clearly not ready. I walk into the showroom and ask for Willie. 3 vague points of a finger later I track down two people, one of whom turns out to be Willie. "Where's the car?" I ask. "It's right out there," he says as he points to a white XJ6 that I've never seen before. So I explain not so sternly that I am looking at the black XJ-R! and he says, "Ohhhh, you wanted the XJ-R! Oh, ok let me get that for you!" So we wait while he preps the car. Meantime, my brother has publicly chastised me for looking to buy a Jag at a Ford dealer. So Willie brings the car around and we get in. The engine diagnostic screen says "low coolant." It's a cold November day in Michigan and the stone-cold car says "low coolant." So I roll down the window and say, "Hey, Willie! Low coolant, is that a problem?" "No, no," he says, "I had it checked out." Then he adds, "you may want to be careful in (this city) because the cops are out." I reply, "Ok, I just won't go to (that city)." The drive was pretty nice. Willie let us go by ourselves. I really love that Jag. It's the only sport sedan I've driven that allows me to lay a couple hundred feet of rubber. If the car did have a coolant problem, I didn't see it. Nonetheless, I would never have bought the car from the dealer, and certainly not from Willie. | ||
| Greg Rodgers (Joechristmas)
Member Username: Joechristmas Post Number: 563 Registered: 3-2001 |
I have a short one but that is funny. I am going to test drive my first Ferrari. I am excited. He gives me the key and I put it in the ignition and try to turn it but there is some resistance. I try again but with slightly more force and snap. The key broke off in the ignition. I couldn't believe it. I got it out of the ignition but still. | ||
| DES (Sickspeed)
Member Username: Sickspeed Post Number: 576 Registered: 8-2002 |
MORE PLEASE...! (these are awesome, guys...!) | ||
| Robert McNair (Rrm)
Junior Member Username: Rrm Post Number: 187 Registered: 5-2002 |
My goal last spring was to test drive my dream cars. First was an 83 euro 308 gtsi. I drove 2 hours to see the car asked the dealer if I could test drive it he said sure. Needless to say I was elated. I ran the car thru 1st 2nd and third and was very suprised at the pull it had. Dealer also told me he was excited as it was the first time he had ever driven a Ferrari. He was respectful of the car as I was as far as scraping the front spoiler excetera. 2nd test drive was a 96 911. I stopped by a hi end dealer just to look around and saw this car, just for the heck of it I asked the salesman for a test drive he said sure. We went out and he explained the powerband of the car to me and told me a lot about it's performance charecteristics. Out on the highway he encouraged me to get into it which I did. We then got onto a two lane road and came up to a stop sign were he told me take a left get the car straightened out and I want to see a 1st 2 nd 3 rd gear redline! I said alright! I would have to say that was the best test drive I have been on! | ||
| Jordan Witherspoon (Jordan747_400)
Junior Member Username: Jordan747_400 Post Number: 62 Registered: 12-2002 |
Im still working on a Ferrari test drive...they are darn near impossible to get! Im hoping to find a lot like the one you found just to drive the car *never buy it lol* I have test driven an old 84 911 Targa and that was fun! That thing had a lot of power considering how old it was. I also drove a Z3 which wasnt too bad...nothing too special either. Both cars were the same price and I would have taken the P-car over the Z3 any day of the week! | ||
| Chris Horner (Cmhorner17)
New member Username: Cmhorner17 Post Number: 46 Registered: 4-2002 |
This is kind of a continuation of the "Best car you've driven" thread in the general discussion. Here's one to start: the 308GTSi that my brother and I drove off the gypsy lot in Michigan. This story isn't as much exciting as it is sad when someone gets a Ferrari, doesn't really understand what they have, and tries to sell it like they know. First, it was weird that it was even there. This was a car lot in Farmington Hills that usually has some nice classic and muscle cars. One morning driving by, I noticed a Viper and 308 sitting out there too. I couldn't believe my eyes. My brother Kevin was in the area on business. So we decided to go check it out. We get there, Kevin is in a suit, I'm dressed in business casual clothes and we're walking around the car. The salesguy comes out and from 40ft away yells "Ya just lookin'?" I looked at him and said no. He looked confused and smarted back "Oh. Ya just browsin'?" I gave him a rather annoyed look and said "No, we want to look at this car...right....here" pointing at the 308. "oh oh oh ok let me get the keys." So he brings out the keys and we open it up, start it up, listen to it run, try to operate the non-functioning power windows. All he tells us about the car is that it was a Tennessee car and it's an 1982 model. So we tell him we need a test drive. He tells us the price is $28,000 and asks if that's ok. We tell him it's ok as long as the car drives right and passes a PPI. So he says we have to talk to the owner of the store first. I say "Great, let's go." The owner comes out, tells us the car has a salvage title because it was stolen for 30 days and not recovered until 45 days later and asks if that bothers us. Again, we repeat not nessecarily as long as it drives right and we see the maintenance records. Well, naturally he bought the car at auction so it has no records, no books, no anything with it. Then he goes on telling us how it has a European odometer on it, so it really is reading in km, not miles. So I asked him if it was a grey market car. "Oh no of course not" he replies and tries to reason with us that it can't be because the car was in Tennessee since 1985 (remember it's an 1982 model). I suggested we take a look at the VIN together. I lift up the engine cover to see the VIN plate, and sure enough it showed a European country code. "See this number? If it was a car for North America, it would be a A. This one says B; it's a European model." I closed the lid. His lips become a thin line as he mutters "We'll that's good to know." My next question is obvious - where are the EPA/DOT papers for this car. Well, it didn't have those either. He asked if that bothered us. We thought about it, and decided since Michigan doesn't have a pipe sniffer, that was a rather minor concern, but we DEFINITELY need to drive it now to see what kind of shape it's in. That's not a problem he tells us, as long as we go one at the time and his employee goes with us. We didn't care. They had to move the Viper to get the Ferrari out. I don't know if the owner was trying to show off or what, but he starts the Viper with a roar, sending a big plume of smoke out of the tailpipes. Then as he was maneurvering the Viper around the parking lot, he kept revving the engine a lot more often and a lot higher than he had to, sending more unburnt fuel through the system, and burning a nice amount of oil in the process (we had more fun watching the oil smoke come out than listening to him rev the engine) We rolled our eyes at each other as Kevin went over to the 308. The salesguy took Kevin first. The salesguy doesn't know how to drive the car, because in the course of 3 minutes, Kevin tells me, he forces the shifter into 2nd while it's cold (we all know how much 308 transmissions love that) slips the clutch all the time, and tackles the steepest, gnarliest, rock-filled driveway head on without slowing down, thus adding more paint problems to the front spoiler. They switch and Kevin drives back, putting the car through it's paces. Then he takes me out, again slipping the clutch constantly, shifting like a moron, and scrapes the spoiler on the SAME driveway. So I drive back (boy do I love the sound of Ferrari engines!) When he asks us what we think, we tell him that we decided that the salvage title and no records and that it's a grey market car do bother us, so we'll keep looking. They didn't seem too happy. They didn't seem too surprised either. At least it served to fuel our passion for these cars and remind us that we definitely need to have (a legitimate) one. |