Not much but how many 458 owners are first time buyers with no F car to ditch? Many 458 buyers own a 430 coupe or Scud. Scud prices have dropped huge ... 09 Scud with 1500 miles for 219 on ebay. The 458 owners have two choices dump their old car or keep it. Either way the 458 hit Scuds and coupes. A spider guy is a spider guy, California set the new std. for F cars. Tranny Magna Ride Injection Conv Hardtop - so yes when the new spider arrives it will hit the spiders, the spiders have not been hit as a result of the 458 coupe. Ferrari is building all thier cars for dd's and taking maint out of the equation. Who would have thought Ferrari would have rear cams.
Why would they do this???? What in the heck are the dealers going to do to make up for the loss in profit dollars within the service department? Or, is Ferrari planning on using the higher volume of production as an offset to the longer service intervals?
They are doing it because 1) customers are demanding it as the initial cost of the purchase rises. The fear of crushing maintenance costs is one thing that stops first time buyers from purchasing new or used cars. 2) resale values drop as maintenance costs rise. Dealers make a lot of money from used car sales. And an overall drop in resale value hurts new car sales. This is true for any car brand but very true for the upper luxury end of the market. 3) routine maintenance is not a big money maker anyway. Going from 40 hours of labor in routine service to 12 over a 5 year period is practically nothing. But, it sounds good to a perspective buyer. 4) Ferrari would like to get the average mileage per car per customer up. The more the cars appear practical, the more people aside from the hard core weekend drivers they can attract into their market. In addition, the factory wants to cut down on warranty repair. As they make systems more reliable and less tempermental, they have fewer repairs made for free. Fewer warranty repairs means more profit. Making the cars more reliable or reducing maintenance costs is a win-win-win for Ferrari, the dealers, and the customer. There is no down side.
They are trying to gain more customers. They are probably even stealing Porsche buyers who earlier bought Porsches because of their daily driver capabilities. I think it's a good strategy in the long run.
how do you think this will affect: - the price of of the spider with all the added complexity of a folding hardtop? - the sales of the hardtop when you can get the best of both worlds with a spider? well I supposed we'll have to wait and see
Well thanks BDELP and maybe now I feel better that I didn't get the 458... it's my first Ferrari... not sure if it will be last let's hope not... the good news is that in the future, it has liquidity as it will sell but rarity... probably not like the 458. Who knows maybe it will tank. I am sure there will be lots of people in 1-2 years look for used ones... so when it comes time to sell, I should be ok... it will be like a 911. I have been fixated that as a first Ferrari, it would be the wrong one to get... when I get to 70... and show off this pix to my grand kids (even if it is my only Ferrari ever owned), will they find the 458 hotter? probably... but the other side of the coin is that the California has many firsts... so it was REVOLUTIONARY... anyway... off topic.
If it has as metal folding top, that's one less customer here, but honestly get real, on a front engined California maybe, on a rear engined 458 there is simply no where for it to go, so this is likely a b***** story
I admit that the metal drop top is not to die for - but the California set the new and future standards. The metal will have folds and it will be beautiful in form and function. A guy who wants a spider doesn't care how the top looks when it's up. The new 599 convertible added some HP to compensate for the weight over the std. 599. Rag tops are buh bye.
I don't really see how the california changed anything as far as the hardtop game goes. The Mercedes SL has had a beautiful hardtop for almost a decade. while I can't say i've really studied the Cali's hardtop, i dont see any designs as far as aesthetically that any other company hasn't already done. Even so, just because one car in a lineup is a hardtop doesnt mean rag tops are done for. The new 599 roadster or whatever is supposed to be a rag top. The Mercedes SLR roadster is a ragtop as well as the Audi R8, lamborghini LP640, Ferrari F430, Alfa Romeo 8C etc...
I just don't see how they can make a mid engined car with complex folding hardtop and make it pretty at the same time. Looking at the 458 lines it's virtually impossible (and not really needed as Spider should have a light and simple ragtop by definition,otherwise it just becomes another convertible)
i hope the glass engine cover remains in the newly designed spider. this feature distinguishes the 458 from so many other vehicles. the R8 convertible, by the way, has shed the glass cover. if ferrari does the same, it wold be a mistake imho.
In the R8 they couldn't keep the glass cover, because the roof (and maybe also parts of the mechanism) has to be stored there when it's down.
BDELP's comment is general and I am sure that every market has its' own attributes. Personally I really doubt that Ferrari will sell as many Calis as 458's in HK. It is not about supply - it is demand. In 2011 anyone will be able to walk into the HK dealer and order a new Cali right away and there may even be cars in stock for sale at a discount like 599. Cali waiting list is in disintegration mode just like 599 list in 08. HK is very much a mid-engine V8 market. 458 Spider is coming soon and that will be the final blow to the Cali waiting list. Cali will not be like the 911 as it is double the price and there are many fewer buyers at that price point
So, if it is going to be a retractable hard top, does this mean that 458 Italia Coupe sales are going to plummit? Look at it this way, why buy a coupe, when you could have a Spider and a Coupe...all in one. Anybody else get where I'm coming from? -G.B.
I do. I guess what you're trying to say is, if the new spider has a retractable HT then, it technically is a coupe (or atleast it appears as one with the top up) - Until you press the button and voila! Spider..... I would think the sales might go down a little bit in the coupe but you also have to consider that the spider would be a little heavier and not as rigid? This is just speculation of course but it might hold some truth....
I still don't get how they are going to pull this off? If I'm not mistaken it will be the first mid-engine hardtop ever? Won't the weight distribution be thrown off when the top is up or down? Will we loose the glass engine display? I just hope it's a good old soft top convertible. Makes perfect sense in everyway.
I understand (maybe incorrectly) that the new MacLaren will be a folding h/top. If that's the case I'm sure it will take 458 sales unles Ferrari follow suit. As long as it's not really ugly I think a folding h/top is the way to go on cars of this price. The folding s/top is pretty complicated so I would have thought loosing a bit of space behind the seats is a small price to pay. Even loosing the engine window.
