I think I'm done with Ferrari

I agree with a lot of what you have said but I have a question for you. If you are a Ferrari historian and as you stated a "former employee of the factory offices in NJ, family friend of the late Luigi Chinetti, and all around "former" lover of the brand" how is it that you just drove your first Ferrari last week and why did you wait so long? If I had your connections I would have already had numerous drives of different models under my belt.

I am not bashing you I am just curious.

 

MY FIRST "FF", not first Ferrari. Ive driven more Ferraris than I can count

 

My mistake, carry on sir.

 

Great post. I agree with practically everything you wrote and feel the same has been done with the Porsche brand. But at least F still has racing pedigree in F1. Porsche pulled out of big time prototype racing under Weideking after the 1998 season and will finally return in 2014. Meanwhile, the Cayman, Cayenne, Panamera, and soon to be released Cajun have all hit the market. I understand the rationale for the Boxster and the Cayman. Hell, maybe even the Cayenne. But the brand has been so watered down and diluted that I probably see 5-20 Porsches a day in Upstate NY. Very rarely do I see an air cooled car anymore. Sad......

I will not buy a new P car ever again, and will instead focus on some air cooled relics. Just picked up a dual purpose street/track 964 to hammer on. Love the sounds, the smells, and the feel. Other than the Mezger engined GT3s, I have zero desire for a modern car.

 

How about bank clerks driving/owning one?

 

Wow.....
I have to admit I agree though.
I had a 550, which I thought was very cool to drive (when it worked). The new Ferraris leave me a little cold.

Porsches....yikes...just as likely to see a housewife in a 911 coasting through the parking lot in auto while chatting on the phione as an enthusiast. They leave me ice cold.

I can see getting pre-1980 cars going forward for the rest of my life.

 

You had the wrong (Ferrari, rather than Porsche) 550.

 

You should see how many housewives and posers in CDM/Newport Beach drive NEW Ferrari's.

Every single one is a poser with the throttle blips done for them by a computer and the car paid for by some clueless bastard.

I am so sick of seeing fast cars being driven slow and sounding like someone knows what they are doing. The fabricated exhaust sounds and computer shifting is deplorable. The brand is being destroyed right before our eyes here in OC.

Something very similar happened to sport bikes in the early 90's when enthusiasts were outnumbered by white and black trash thugs acting like *******s on the street. It got to be that if you weren't racing one, you wouldn't be caught dead riding one on the street.
The sport bike sales numbers are down about 65% from the high water mark.

I expect Ferrari will start to lose and lose big FAST once the reality of who is buying these new cars becomes obvious. It has already started in Southern California.

It is a shame.

 

I expect Ferrari will start to lose and lose big FAST once the reality of who is buying these new cars becomes obvious. It has already started in Southern California.

It is a shame.[/QUOTE]

I may be the only one that feels this way but I agree for one other reason. As is often true the people selling the Brand, namely the Ferrari dealers, don't have the knowledge or class to represent the Brand of Ferrari. One is treated better at a Toyota dealership. What has happened is the dealers actually believe and have an illusion that they are in some way responsible for building a Ferrari. The last time I checked, the cars were built in Maranello not at your local Ferrari dealership. The only thing that separates one dealer from another then is customer service, period. We as buyers can buy these cars anywhere. They don't get that and when they finally do it might be too late. The astute dealerships will flourish and the other wannabees will close up shop still scratching their heads and wondering why.

 

I don't think Ferrari is going to lose a thing. They can lose their soul, but they'll always be status symbols and will always sell every car produced. In a way, some of this was inevitable. Is Ferrari supposed to keep a lineup of gated shifters when their entire world is going DCT?

Styling is subjective. I find FF freakish, but I like 458 and loved the F12 when I first saw it, though I've cooled a bit there and actually like 599 better now.

 

OK, so "bank clerks" in 308 GTS's is fine!

Balance has been restored in my universe.

 

Ferrari is a company and in business to make money. They must evolve or disappear. What comes next is all a mix of subjective and objective and varies depending on our individual experiences.

Personally, I love the modern cars, and I have a deep appreciation for the vintage ones. I hang out with owners of both.

"As a matter of fact some of my best friends are........." (wink wink)

I think the unfortunate side of dealing with any high fashion item is there is a lot of BS that comes with it and sometimes you just have enough of it. Taking a break from it is one way to handle it.

My take is these cars are meant to evoke an emotional response- so even if its strongly negative- they are achieving one of their goals. Someone else will love it and some of those people will buy it. And the cycle continues....

 

Couple of counterpoints:

1. To some people a Ferrari is like high end jewelry. It shows that you have made it. These are the same people who like to upgrade their Benz and Range Rover every 2-3 years. They do the same with their Ferraris. It is a status symbol to them, not an Exotic with the history/heritage of Maranello.

2. Ferrari build quality has come a LONG way. The F458 has the build quality of a NSX or a 911. Thats a good thing BUT many people still prefer to own a Ferrari as long as it is under warranty. You can only do that with a relatively new model.

 

In general, people just love to complain.

The old one's were unreliable and poorly made, the new ones are much more reliable, better engineered, but lack soul,too easy to drive and on and on.

It's like the unknown rock back you loved and then once they start to become more mainstream you stop liking them, they aren't "cool" anymore, damn sell outs!

Regardless, interesting thread, good read.

To the OP, you live in perhaps one of the lamest places in the country to own/drive a Ferrari, no wonder you get so little enjoyment and focus more on the negatives.

I've lived in cities a large part of my life and unfortunately have to go to vegas 2-3 a year for business. The stop light to stop light, endless traffic can take the joy out of life, no matter what you are driving.

Great restaurants and clubs, but besides that, the place is a dump, filled with some of the scummiest people in the world!

 

I agree with you except for this point, if you don't live in the NYC or L.A. areas you don't see another Ferrari, they are still rare even if the brand isn't.

 

Agreed LA is up there and having lived in MIA for about 13+ years, I used to say the same thing. I would never own a ferrari or any sports care there, you have no where to enjoy it.

You're stuck in traffic on US1, you're stuck in traffic on 95, the causeways can be a nice drive but you're often stuck in traffic there as well. And of course once you get across the causway, bumper to bumper on SOBE. That city used to be nice btw when I first moved there in the 90's. It's now trash, filled with ghetto/thug types and most the locals like myself stopped going a LONG time ago. From a glamorous place, to something out of a rap video.

Basically, you drive to a restaurant or club and park, total waste. Yet there are more Ferrari's and exotics in general there, then anywhere I've ever been!

Every day I drive on stunning roads that would make just about any car a pure joy to drive, ESPECIALLY a ferrari.

I firmly believe, the place is a key factor here.

 

I agree with the Mayor re modern Ferraris. They are simply not worth it. In terms of real performance, on public streets, there are literally dozens of cars that are as good or better, at being pure impractical sports cars. Something as simple as a Benz SL AMG will run rings around a 458 in everyday use. It will go as fast from stoplight to stoplight, is easier to maintain, quality is 100 times better, it won't rattle, the GPS/Music interface is outstanding and is just as good as any Ferrari as lady bait.

Hell, an M3 (or the upcoming M4) is better all around than a new Ferrari

The older cars, (Daytonas and earlier) are like buying art and have a sense of passion about them. They are not daily drivers and are genuinely gorgeous, whereas modern Ferraris are appliances, with less than average warranties and greater than average chances of suffering some or other malfunction.

 

+1000

For all of you affluent types who have owned multiple Ferraris (The Mayor) or those of you even more fortunate to own a vintage one (410SA), get off your elitist high horse.

I have dreamt of, and waited, nearly 40 years before recently acquiring my first, a 360 Modena. Every time I drive it, whether on a canyon run or around town, is an occasion. I even feel the need to dress better when driving it as I wouldn't want to look like some homeless guy that just stole it. Yes, I do actually drive it REALLY hard, and if my wife will let me, someday I'm taking it to a track day as I have previous cars.

410SA: I don't understand how you can say that a Daytona is not a daily driver yet complain in the same post that an M3 is a better around-town car than a 458. Both are two-seat sportscars with singular purpose, so why are you holding them to different standards? I'm sorry I don't have eight figures to bid on the recently-sold 275 GTS/4 NART, but that doesn't make me any less of an afficionado than you, or my 360 less of a Ferrari than your Super America. Yours and mine were both performance benchmarks at their respective ponts in history. And I appreciate all generations of Ferraris and have a great deal of passion/appreciation/reverence for the marque whenever I drive mine. Yes, the majority of modern Ferrari owners see it as more of a fashion accessory, but that isn't the fault of Ferrari, nor does it diminish the "passion"of modern examples for those of us who truly appreciate the marque. But hey, thanks for looking down on those of us not fortunate enough to own a vintage Fcar. Elitism at its worst.

Mayor: Yes, the salesmen at Ferrari dealers are dicks, but that's only if you need the latest and greatest. Otherwise, get it second-hand from anyone else and you won't have to deal with depreciation or jackasses. As for not being able to utilize a modern Fcar around town, well, what other hypercar would be preferrable? If you want excitement around town, get a Miata (trust me, I had a '99). As for not being able to really drive a 458 in Vegas, I rented a 458 for a mere six hours and immediately took it out to Northshore Drive on Lake Mead and drove it as it was meant to be driven, so I'm calling BS on that complaint. That rental was the reason I now have a 360, and if I could afford a 458, no doubt I would own one.

For those of you whining about a lack of passion or involvement in modern Ferraris, the problem is you, not the cars themselves.

 

LMAO!

 

All the guy said is that he likes the old ones and doesn't like the new ones. Why are you taking this personally?

 

I am quite late to seeing this post but I have generally enjoyed reading your posts in the past so here is my take.

With respect reading the above, the problem seems to be less to do with the actual car but rather the environment in which you are driving it. To drive a Ferrari on a winding coastal or mountain road is to experience driving joy, driving around Las Vegas doesn't sound like much fun to me and seems to contribute to a lot of the problems you mention above, in particular the boredom you mention.

The problem with parts is inherent to virtually all exotics, so this isn't unique to Ferrari.

Based on your posts in the past it seems you travel a lot, in light of this why not take out a membership to a supercar club, that way you can drive in perhaps better locations and choose from a variety of cars without having to worry about insurance, repair costs and wear and tear. The cost to join the club would be a fraction of the aforementioned costs.

As far as quality goes, its still variable, there are good examples and no so good examples but overall the level of quality is risen dramatically since the 348/355.

I agree with others, take a break, do you still have a Alfa 4C on order?

 

Oh no, I hit a nerve with the term "elitist" as you repeat it numerous times throughout your post. You want a tissue? You stated your case 800 posts ago, but still need to *****/whine/ defend yourself to the rest of us. We get it, so why the hell are you still here? Using your logic, Ferrari should become more primitive, not more advanced. If you want something more raw, get a Scud or Speciale. But what do I know, I don't have 38,000 posts in five years like yourself, so clearly my opinion carries no weight.

You're calling me the poor baby? I'm proud to be a Ferrari owner. And yes, I am thankful that others like yourself are willing to take that depreciation hit (what the hell do you expect) but it's not like anyone put a gun to your head. You hypocritically talk about how great it is that there are differing opinions in this thread, but take offense at mine. I didn't feel the need to resort to name-calling, but in your case, I guess wealth isn't directly proportional to class.

Do us all a favor and stop merely threatening to leave. But I'm sure you won't, so go ahead and flame on....