Hello, I'm new.

An engine-out service is $6K - $10K.

 

The way I view a sports car is this- I don't redline them or beat the hell out of them. But at the same time, I want to know if I need the power it is there waiting. The last thing I want to have happen is to take my girl out for a drive, and have someone in a Honda honk their horn as they go flying by in their 300HP four door sedan. Call it a personal flaw if you will, but if I am in something that gets attention, then I do not want to be embarrassed.[/QUOTE]

I believe you are really missing the point of Ferrari ownership. In a vintage/classic Ferrari you will almost never be the fastest from stoplight to stoplight. The point is..... the other fellow is going home in a Honda so you have nothing to prove! I personally don't understand how one could ever be embarrassed driving in any Ferrari regardless of the fact that some ricer or mustang might be faster in a straight line.

They are expensive to maintain. On the other hand if you pick the right model and take care of it you will not experience the kind of depreciation you see with buying a new corvette for example. My advice...go ahead jump in...the water's warm. My guess is you'll fall in love and the last thing on your mind, as you're throwing it around some twisty country back road with the scream of a race bred engine behind your ears, is your 1/4 mile time and that ricer hangin out at the 7-11. An inexplainable, and in some ways absurd, giddiness will overtake any other emotion including embarrassment.

 

No offense ZR1, but I just don't think you get it. If you think the only way to compare a 308 to a 348 to a Testarossa is 1/4 mile times then you are sorely missing out on what Ferrari ownership is about. Those models are worlds apart and all very unique...but all seem to equally capture the Ferrari essence.

Your budget puts you in 308/328 territory and even then 3k every other year might not be enough. Given your choice of models, and what you've written, I don't think you'd be happy at all. You would be disappointed in the performance area and would get upset if you were going into your wallet for larger repair costs.

I'm buying a Ferrari because I want a rolling peice of mechanical art. The sound alone makes my hair stand up on the back of my neck. The beautiful design, and the heritage. Performance is important and nice, but secondary. And I'll be taking my Ferrari to a track where it properly belongs...you won't ever see me gunning it from off of a stoplight...that is for the posers.

Perhaps a viper would be a good match for you. Insane torque, IMO a beautiful design, fairly reasonable to maintain (Hell of a lot cheaper than a Ferrari), and easy to work on and modify to be a true beast at the 1/4 mile track. My 2 cents.

 

You'll fit in fine around here...

 

i'd get a Z06

 

Geez. And no one corrected me?! I should proof-read my posts better.

 

"The last thing I want to have happen is to take my girl out for a drive, and have someone in a Honda honk their horn as they go flying by in their 300HP four door sedan."

My answer to this is:
That guy flew by because I let him - out of the graciousness of my heart. He feels he has to prove something. I do not.

I may add:
That guy can only dream of owning a car as this. And nobody wants to take pictures of that other car.

aehaas

 

Yea, but even a 10.9 for a supercar is a joke for a 1/4 mile hot hod.
The point is they are not made for the 1/4 mile.


Darrell.

 

+1 on the z06. If you're looking for brute power you're not going to have maximum enjoyment from a Ferrari. Having driven many Ferrari's on the racetrack and raced T1 Prepped Z06's and driven many C5 Vette's on racetracks, I can tell you that they are very different.

A Ferrari is the girl you take home to mom and dad. The Corvette is the slut you sleep with on the weekends. A Ferrari is about the experience, the finesse, the legacy. It must be a passion that would make your wife jealous.

The Corvette is versatile. It has great qualities that make it a very fuctional street car, track car, and even soccer mom car. It will smoke the tires through 3rd gear and is quite enjoyable. It can drag race and it has a personality of its own.

Based on your descriptions it seems like you need to figure out exactly what you're looking for and make the decision from there. Nothing will be worse than disappointment if you allow your uneducated expectations to overcome a rational decision.

Best of luck and Happy Holidays.

Nick

 

Anybody can own a fast car....they make thousands of them everyday. Anybody can take a "sleeper" car and make it fast...there are thousands of options for adding horsepower. So your car is FAST....big deal.

Not many people can own a Ferrari...they are not price prohibitive for the older models....they are just not that many of them.

I have a Porsche RS America....very well sorted out car. Spooky fast and it'll take the sunglasses right off of your face during hard braking.

However....when I go for a drive...just for fun....I grab the keys to my '87 328. This car has a soul....and is not an expensive car to own for an exotic.

My RS will school a corvette, a NOS subaru and almost anything else in the Boise area...but that's not what it's all about for me. There is something so beautiful about the smell of the leather....whine of the engine...grip of the wheel which makes the 328 so, so engrossing and such a pleasure to drive.

A Ferrari is a unique thing...and I highly recommend the experience to anyone who appreciates such experiences.

 

another corvette guy run off.thank god.

 

Actually he could do any 308 except maybe fibreglass, a decent 328 or a decent 348 except maybe a primo late Spider without any problem at $55K.

I think we made the point about Ferraris being cars for the twisties and not quarter-mile domination. Any of the 308-328-348 are serious fun to drive. Frankly, when I have the 328 out, I don't race anyone. The beauty of the engine/gearbox is that you can rev it to nirvana without doing triple-digit speeds.

True. We all think 308s are common, but truthfully how many do you see when you're out for a spin? Apart from a trip to Ferrari of San Diego last week, I've seen two Ferraris on the road this month - a red Mondial cab in Palm Desert and a silver 360 Spider in Del Mar on Friday. That's it. And like all of you I have Ferrari radar in my genes.

I hope not. He sounds like a Car Guy, and any real car guy absolutely needs to take a spin in a Ferrari. I'd had a few nice cars before the 328, but in hindsight I was clueless till I drove one.

 

Hi ZR1

I think you are a Dodge Viper kind of guy………

 

I can't imagine a greater cruelty than to keep a ferrari on straightaways. What's the big hangup with going really fast, really straight? Is that what the onboard compass is for? Oh wait...that's when you can really drive heel-toe?

 

Nick said;

+1 on the z06. If you're looking for brute power you're not going to have maximum enjoyment from a Ferrari. Having driven many Ferrari's on the racetrack and raced T1 Prepped Z06's and driven many C5 Vette's on racetracks, I can tell you that they are very different.

A Ferrari is the girl you take home to mom and dad. The Corvette is the slut you sleep with on the weekends. A Ferrari is about the experience, the finesse, the legacy. It must be a passion that would make your wife jealous.

The Corvette is versatile. It has great qualities that make it a very fuctional street car, track car, and even soccer mom car. It will smoke the tires through 3rd gear and is quite enjoyable. It can drag race and it has a personality of its own.

Based on your descriptions it seems like you need to figure out exactly what you're looking for and make the decision from there. Nothing will be worse than disappointment if you allow your uneducated expectations to overcome a rational decision.

Best of luck and Happy Holidays.

Nick

Hey Nick
I had to laugh & laugh you sure hit the nail hard on the head.

I have been sleeping with sluts for year’s even married one wife number two!

Now I married a nice Asian girl and also bought a sweet Ferrari Life is good Life is complete!

Regards
Charles

 

not to stir things up more, but did you ever consider an NSX? They can be quick, got looks, and are more in line with how much you want to spend from a maintenance standpoint.

 

Thanks Ed but it will be a while.

 

For the right price everything is for sale!!! Make bids on my girlfriend---Anyone??
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Is was my 328, which is gone. I have the 355F1 now..

 

Starting to sound like a Troll to me!