Anyone want to talk me out of it?

Bob, basically if you can afford to buy a Ferrari, you will be able to pay for service costs. You really do need a garage or somewhere to garage the car, if only solely for piece of mind. personally I could not sleep at nites knowing my brand new ?????? was outside, open to vandalism etc. If this is going to be the case your better off not buying a Ferrari. Buy a second hand Chevy, with scratch marks, dents etc already there.
There is no denying however the fun you would have if you decided to buy a Ferrari and were able to enjoy owing one.

 

If not now....When ?

 

The servicing and running costs, the worry, yes. Especially so, because once you acquire your 360, you'll never be able to let go of it, unless it's to replace it with another Ferrari. And there's no AA for F-addicts, which is what we all become.

My youngest, aged 11, is staring secondary school (high school) in the next school year and if she doesn't get accepted at one of the four good public schools we have applied for in our borough, her mother wants us to pay for private education. Which might mean selling the TR.

Out of the question, I said, her moral compass is askew. Sacrificing the TR for the sake of the child's education is blasphemy. A complete non-starter. We're in deadlock. The cold war might heat up.

Back to your parking problem. Would you be able to place your 360 under a top-of-the range outdoor cover, or will this just attract the wrong sort of attention ? I do agree with all the suggestions made so far, that you arrange for off-street parking if you can, it is really worth it. Not just to protect the car and lessen the risk of vandalism, but surely it will make a difference to your insurance premium too, no? It certainly does in my case. I live in an apartment block without private parking and so have rented space in a municipal underground car park nearby.

 

Hi Rene and everyone again. Regarding parking. I live in a two story townhouse with one parking space right out front (uncovered). I conceivably could install a portable cover but it would have to be approved by the Townhome Association and may not be because of uniformity with other homes. On the up-side, the area I live in is nice and mostly all nice people. I have seen other Jags and nice cars (but no Ferrari) living here. As an aside, I had a two year flirtation with another Italian (Maserati coupe) and it stayed out front ok. No vandalism worries, just weather worries. Is the Ferrari watertight??? -Bob.

 

If it were me I'd buy a six speed after the 16kUSD$ f1 pump thread.

 

If you can't afford a garage, you can't afford a Ferrari.

 

Sounds like it is going to be your only car. If it is going to be a daily driver, and I think 7000 miles a year is twice the average for a 360, here is what I would do: Try to get a high milage, euro spec car with good records and a good mechanical PPI. If you drive it a lot it is going to pick up road rash, the seats will wear, the sun will damage the paint/leather, etc. So it is never again going to be the kind of car dealers sell. Most in dealers have less than 10K miles and the cars are 6 to 7 years old.

Driving more will probably not increase maintenance too much as most people hit the fluids and belt changes due to time well before their milage limits. You might have to replace the clutch on an F1 more often and it is a big hit; same for breaks if done at a dealer.

Outside is sort of sad for an F car. It attracts so much attention, not all of it good, and the elements are brutal, but it sounds like it is your only option.

Also, if it is your only car you have to be able to live without it for stretches. Once mine was at a dealer for a month waiting for a part.

 

LOL!! Thanks for the laugh. I almost had coffee coming out my nose over that line.

You need to do what my SO did, find a girl with a garage. Park in her garage in exchage for driving privledges. Works for me!

 

I would seriously rent a garage/storage space. I know that people use carports in Florida (we have them in California), but the indirect sunlight still kills paint and interiors. And those portable covers are an eyesore -- your HOA will probably torpedo the idea, unless you're the HOA president, which isn't a bad idea.

I don't think a Maserati coupe attracts half the attention any Ferrari does.

Amen.

Amen.

I'm assuming the transporter truck got caught in traffic. Otherwise you're right, the delay here is getting unbearable.

 

I agree with many- I wouldn't buy a ferrari and keep it outside, especially given the amount of leather in a 360 (it's EVERYWHERE) and the sun in Florida. Nor would I use this as a daily driver/only car. If you can find a garage space and buy a used car- anything- a 150,000 mile toyota corolla or something to run around in- you'd be better off. If you go to sell a 360 that has been sitting out in the Florida sun for 2-3 years, the car will be worth significantly less due to leather shrinkage and perhaps paint that is not top notch. The savings of not renting a space and getting an everyday car will be eclipsed by the cost of either re-doing all the leather and/or reduced resale value. If you know you have a 360 you will not mind driving an older car day to day, especially in bad weather. Take a picture of the 360 and post it on the dash of the other car if you need to

You are incorrect. We are talking 364 days tops here

 

This is a red flag - in order to own a Ferrari, you cannot balk at or worry about service

 

No Garage=No Ferrari

IMHO.....set up a garage first. Then buy your dream car!

 

...the answer is ... I just might go for the Ferrari anyway. Even if I cant garage it. We shall see. It should be next year this time... can you wait for it? I like the argument that we are only in this position once in Life. Thanks for all your input. -Bob.

 

Bob,... here's my serious answer.

360's are nearing the bottom of the depreciation curve, but are going to start the increasing maint cost curve.

I would estimate running costs at 1.50/mile. Unfortunately with a ferrari you are never more than one revolution from a high dollar repair. $10-20K service bills are not the norm for 360's but do happen (without an accident)

As you will be keeping the car outside... a coupe makes more sense.
As you intend on 7K miles per year, start with a high miles car. (in the Ferrari world this means anything over 3,000 miles). I'd go for a car 30K miles.
Be prepared for the car to be vandalized.

The real answer is are you prepared for this to cost you 25-30K if it turns remotely sour (meaning a 10K repair, 10k loss at sale, 5k registration taxes, plus some running costs.)

All that said,... call your insurance company. rates will be higher for an outdoor car...

 

Don't worry about not being able to garage it. I've had Porsche 911's of various vintages, BMW, Aston Martin, Jaguar XKE, MGB, MB SL55, Ferrari 355, Ferrari F430....all kept outside year round. They all get/got rained on, snowed on, bird crapped on, etc. None of them melted. None of them rusted any more than any of their garaged brethren (assuming the brethren were driven in anything other than PERFECT weather and weren't stored in humidity and temp controlled garages). And by the way, they get WET (oh the horror of it all!!) if you wash them.

Buy a car cover or don't....they can scratch the paint if they blow around in the wind which is worse than letting it sit in the sun. Buy a solar sunscreen for the windshield to keep the sun off the leather. Use Leatherique on the leather once a year. For that matter throw towels or blankets over the seat and dash....screw it...who cares what anyone thinks. Are you buying it for resale or to enjoy it? In Florida weather I'd certainly use it as a daily driver! I used my 355 as a daily driver without any issues. Same with the 430! Anything after the 348 can be used as a daily driver. Get the belts serviced when you should, change the fluids when you should, and you should get a lifetime out of the car. Mine have sat in blazing sun (it gets pretty damn hot in the DC area...trust me!) and the paint shop did not have any problems matching paint when I had the bumper of the 430 resprayed due to a season of track rash or matching the pain on another car after a minor fender bender in the city. These are just cars....nothing more or less. Very capable cars to be sure, but just cars. Beautiful cars to be sure, but just cars. The rest is all about the mystique. It's lovely to think about and it's a great marketing tool, but these are mass-produced automobiles from the 21st century, not handmade masterpieces from days of yore. The days of hand beaten panels (other than to fix screw-up in manufacturing) are long gone. They cut the leather on a big table with laser lofting tools. They use robots to build the V8 engines. And they made a lot of 360's. A whole lot. In the 60 they were building hundreds of cars a year....now it's thousands. that's OK...it will allow them to stay in business even if they can't figure out how to win an F1 title anymore....not that a lot of folks care that much anymore since it's become nothing but a silly circus thanks to Bernie and Max and I don't see Todt changing that anytime soon.

In Europe, they DRIVE their cars. 360's and 430's are driven everyday. They have lots of mileage on them because they are treated as cars. I have no idea why anyone would own one of these cars and not drive it whenever they had the chance. These cars are more capable than 95% of those who drive them. But again, they are just cars.

Screw it...if you want it and "have the means", buy it. Mine were parked in apartment building parking lots, storage areas, and now in my driveway.....all without benefit of garage. It makes it a pain to work on them if it's cold or wet, but with a coat of wax they survive just fine thank you! Here's photos to prove it!

I say GO FOR IT! This life is not a dress rehearsal and, to the best of anyone's knowledge, you don't get a second shot at it, so enjoy it while you can. You could get hit by a bus tomorrow.....go buy the car.

Post pictures of it sitting outside in a rain storm...it will drive the purists crazy!
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+1

 

There are about 17,000 360s out there of the different variants. Buy one with some miles and drive it to the end of its life - it will make the last decades of yours a lot better!

 

Well, first I read Simon and got depressed and ran in to tell the wife I couldnt do the Ferrari after all.. but then I read Fasthound and got happier. :] -Bob.

 

I like it Ryalex!.... -Bob.

 

There were a lot of 360's built. I don't think they are at the bottom of the depreciation, within a few years we'll see them in the 30's but you wouldn't want one of those. You can park it outside. Like any car it will get a little more wear, but if you keep wax on it and drive it regularly it will likely be more driveable than one that sits in a bubble.

For me I have a older convertible so I pay for a 10X20 storage unit and when I'm home I take my regular vehicle to swap them out. When I'm home the car sits in a carport. I also just got back from a 1500 mile trip and the car sat outside at hotels and at a hospital and a condo complex, no vandalism. I think you will be fine.

I agree with buying one with more miles on it. 30K miles with all the proper maintenance records and a good PPI will give you a car you can enjoy.

As an aside, my car is sucking me dry financially, but I'm loving every minute of it.

 

You are making me nervous -- "bleeding me dry financially".... can you put that into yearly dollars??? But, I like your take on leaving it outside. -Bob.

 

If you can comfortably afford it where you are not sacrificing in other areas of your life, then go for it!

 

If they go into the 30's... I'm going to buy a couple more... just because.

Excluding a slavage car.. I doubt they will depreciate that low...

 

I like your thinking! Throw that book out the window Bob!! LOL

Sunshine can't make it worthless.

Check it off the list! lol

 

Go for it after you've found an indoor storage solution, not before. With a year to retirement and ownership, time is on your side. With a ferrari, looking is indeed part of the fun.

I bought my first Ferrari about two years before I retired, am now on the second, and would like to round it out with a 550 or 575 before my time is up.