having trouble comitting to a purchase...

If you're having second thoughts, hold off and keep your money in the pocket.

 

Chicago is tough. Maybe give it til spring. But maybe prices will be higher. Probably not though.

 

Being the impulsive man that I am the first thing I wanted to write was to tell you to go for it..

But.. I believe in listening to that inner voice. When it speaks, follow it. If something is holding you back, there is likely a reason for it. You might not know what it may be.. but there is a reason. Hold back if it isn't right. There will be a car for you, and when the time is right all the cards will fall into play. We all have concerns about buying such an emotional thing. I had to reassure myself more than once.

If your inner voice is holding you back... listen to it.

 

If you don't want to spend the money, don't spend it.

If you want to spend the money, buy the car you want now and stop worrying. You could search again next spring for another 4 months and then the summer is shot.

It sounds like you're more concerned about the money than the car. If that's the case, keep it in your pocket until you're ready.

Avoid the "grass is greener" syndrome because it doesn't exist. Sure, there's always a better car or better deal out there. The problem is you spend your entire time dreaming instead of living the dream.

 

If you have found the car you want then buy it, life is too short to wait. What else will you do with the money? Stock market? He'll no. You will have a great time just staring at the car this winter and cleaning it up, etc. Go for it and enjoy it.

 

If you think you have missed this season, then buy in Jan/Feb, because March will be spring somewhere and prices will rise. The last thing you wnt is to have a new Ferrari and not to be able to drive/enjoy it. You will likely save $5-10K by waiting until Jan/Feb.

If you have a bad feeling then it could be one of the following;
1. You have a natural hesitation because of the fact its a big ticket item; very normal.
2. Your sub-conches is trying to keep you out of financial trouble. Yes I know a conch is a shell fish, thats what makes this possibility so concerning!
3. The reason you have enough money to buy a F430, is because of this tendency not to spend. Its a good trait!
4. Your wife planted a microchip in your head a week after you told her you were thinking of buying a ferrari. This microchip releases a hormone that causes cognitive dissonance when you try and write checks over $500. I recommend writing 300 checks for $499.
5. In a previous life you bought a sports car and became so obsessed you moved into the garage, withdrew from friends and family, failed to practice good hygiene and the only light you would allow was from one 40 watt light bulb. You were known to eat only blue cheese and for muttering something about paint swirls. Lets not have a repeat.

 

Keep hunting for a lower mile car while your at it. If you were face to face with the seller and car you'd probably be buying. It's pretty hard to resist when your emotions are tugging at you and the car you want is right in front of you.

 

I noticed that there were over 325 for sale listings last winter for the 430 in Dupont alone.
I think that there will be a lot more 430's on the market again this winter, and the prices will become competitive; and more selection.

Who knows, if you are set on this car you are talking about, you may be able to get it for 10K less by waiting.........I have a friend who recently tried to buy a 360 for X price at a local dealer and was turned down. Someone else bought the car and had it for sale again after only 2 months......my friend bought the 360 from this person for 13K less than he offered the dealer.....it worked out for him.

 

Wait until Jan-Feb. Your heart is telling you to wait. The hunt, dream, planning and research is half the fun. Enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Get the garage ready for her... it's great motivation for you to do other positive things while you wait for the right car and situation. (Who knows between now and March the global econ could collapse). Prices will only go down. Buy once you know it's something you know you want to do without doubt. Then enjoy the heck out of it because it's something you waited for, worked for and earned.

 

I looked for a car from Dec to march. Found it in march. But, I live in Scottsdale, except in the summer when I go to the mountains. Dirt roads up here, so no sports cars all summer long! So, any sports cars I have go into storage on June 1 and stay there until Oct.

I got my CS on March 23 and only got ~2 months usage before it now sits for 4 month. Same issue you face...

In the end I bought it so that I did in fact get those 2 months of driving in. Yes, I could have waited and perhaps gotten one in oct for less (then again maybe not given the CS market these past few months).

My decision, fwiw, was to get the car and drive it because life is TOO SHORT. If you have the money for a Ferrari (and its maint) then honestly $10k in value delta buying now or in the late winter shouldn't make or break the financial decision....if that amount really does, then I suggest (only because you asked!) that you may not want to put $100k++ into a car...I mean, its going to depreciate $10k per year for the next few years (order of magnitude) and maint/ins/etc "total ownership costs" are going to be several 000s each year...so even if you buy it in March and drive all summer next year, its going to go down $10k (let's call it) in the first year from that point...I dunno. These are expensive toys, but most of us feel they are worth it in terms of the enjoyment...gotta start at some point!

 

Buy it and invest in some snow tires Weather doesn't stop me from driving my Ferrari when I want to.

 

I certainly understand. I had buyers remorse spending a lot of money and especially in this economy, but I don't regret it. Just wait for the right car with the color, service work completed, and mileage. Oh, and the right price and you will feel better. Just my 2cents.

 

I am in Chicago too , bought the car last week and totally love it. We don't have that many good warm days to enjoy , but i plan to make the most of it. If money is an issue , i say wait and buy in Jan...but who knows what cars are available then. I wanted a 6 speed and it was quite rare and had to jump and get the deal done.

 

My question is....are you sure its about spending the money or is it possibly something bothering you about the car you are looking to buy? I have been in the same shoes before. Usually when I get cold feet on buying something their is a reason...If it is strictly about spending the money DO IT NOW! The f430 is a great car and until you get this car out of your system you wont stop thinking about it, life is too short. Good luck and make sure the f430 you are seeking is exactly what you want! I wanted a f430 for years and finally purchased one 3 months ago. I love my f430 and the Ferrari gives me emotions no other car has, and I have had a ton of cars! Either way Good Luck!

-Ryan

 

I wish I bought earlier.. missed out on some great drives.. I say go for it. Life is short. If I get hit buy a bus tomorrow I can say I lived it up..

 

I completely understand your hesitance, especially with the winter coming up. I'm in Columbus, OH so similar weather here coming up. I was very close to closing on a CS about 2 weeks ago until the seller just completely stopped responding to me and I was getting bad vibes the whole time for a variety of reasons, including near zero service records for 18k miles with some track usage (and perhaps more importantly, I also decided I only want rossa corsa, not rossa scuderia). I've decided to stop looking until ~Feb (its agony to find the right car and teeter on the buy/not buy decision). If the right car comes along at a good winter discount, $5k-$10k lower perhaps around Feb, I'll happily but it and be impatient for drives on the snow/salt days, and in my loony mind that makes the whole thing more rational somehow.

The money part itself scares the **** out of me a bit as well, but perhaps for different reasons than most. Most have saved/sacrificed a long time to get the F car and rationalize the amount of $ to how many hours/jobs ect it took to get there, and that is a big hump to surpass. I'm the exact opposite. I graduated law school in May of 2010 and decided to put off taking the bar and practicing so I could devote all my time toward investments, arbitrage, and commodities trading. Despite my parents going ape**** over this decision, it was the best decision I ever made in my entire life and absolutely the only reason I have the potential to buy a Ferrari now. My problem is that I have zero guarantee that I can replicate past successes in the future given many one time/niche opportunities, and I'm at a point now where I can stick with a reasonable priced home and more reasonable priced cars and I'll for sure never have to work as an attorney (I absoultely don't want to) IF I remain conservative with my expenses. On the other hand, I absolutely get the "life is short," "you only get one time on this rock" comments. As an "almost attorney" I'm also probably very conservative when it comes to spending money on big ticket items, yet for some reason have been comfortable taking a hell of a lot of risk with investments. I suppose it's just difficult to do both.

So, bshah, lets make a dual promise we both get into F cars by Spring and stop worrying so much .

 

Sorry. I don't understand. Either you are a buyer or you are not. You seem to fall in the latter bracket so therefore don't buy.

It IS a lot of money for a car. It doesn't make sense. It never will unless you are filthy rich and then it still may not make sense.

Go with your gut feeling. Don't ask others to make your decision.

BTW good luck to you.

 

This the final manifestation of 'information constipation'.

You spend so much time gathering information, asking questions, searching, finding the perfect one, and then when push comes to shove, you can't pull the trigger.

It's sort of like looking for the perfect girl..... searching and searching, and then you find her and when push comes to shove you can't close the deal.

A little viagra will help for the latter. A little guts will help with the former!

 

When you are born................you start to die.

Do you want a Ferrari or not ? You can always resell it if you don't like it.............

 

I understand your frustration... I to am in the market for a 430 however I haven't found that deal wheee I am like "I have to jump on it" but I have come to terms with spending a certain amount of money I know that by buying a Ferrari I am not throwing it away there will still be some value there at the end of the day. If worst comes to worst and The values arr coming to a threshold where I don't want to see any more of my money out the window then I will contemplating selling. Make sur yu find the car you want for the price you want in good condition and you feel good about your purchase. Plain and simple you have to feel good about how yu spend your money, if yu don't feel good about it then don't buy it. There is no point to doing something if at the end of the day yu will just regret it. Just take comfort in whatever decision you make.

 

This....

 

When in doubt, do without!

 

I thought it was "when in doubt pull out?" Lol