I think I'm done with Ferrari

Different strokes for different folks.

458 Spider is the best car I have ever owned and the most fun to drive. Worth every penny.

I have owned Porsches, BMWs, Mercedes SLs, Mazda Miata, and more. F355 F1 GTS and 360 F1 Spider.

Most trouble free car I have ever owned. Would buy it again in a heartbeat. It is the most fun I have. And it brings joy to others.

Life is good.
Life is better driving a Ferrari.
Best.

 

Very well said.

And everyone that tested it (Top Gear, Fifth Gear etc) had the same opinion.

It also beat everything they put along side it !

Cheers,

Bill

 

You do realize they say that because otherweise Ferrari won't lend them a car the next time?

It might be true, but if it weren't, they would say the same.

 

Hey "Mayor" grab yourself a Miata and slap a snail and EMS on her along with an upgraded suspension and get a car with 300+rwhp that will eat 90+% of all Ferrari's. Just a thought.

 

How right you are!

 

Thanks for your comments, and once again, as I am sure has been said by many, opinions are like *******s. Everybody has one and they are sure their's doesn't stink. So opine all you want, just don't tell others that their opinion is any less valid than yours

I have been in the exotic car world for several decades. I have raced in club racing with Miatas, Alfas, Datsuns and Ferraris. I have had the good fortune to have had some of the world's most thrilling and beautiful cars under my stewardship for the same time period. I have dealt with Ferrari, both directly at the Factory level and as a customer of their dealerships, and the overriding impression I have is that lately their cars are less exciting and thrilling to me than they have even been .They certainly are very competent in their production and a tour of the factory is quite eye opening. But they have removed themselves from the pedestal of being an exotic and allowed other marques, ho-hum daily driver brands like Mercedes and BMW to catch up to them in status and performance. This ironically has come about because they have evolved into a competent modern car builder and the aura of being a very limited production mostly hand built jewel of a car is gone forever. That Aura however remains in the imperfection of the older cars.

A Daytona is a lovely car, and it drives like a dream, but you can be sure that if you subjected it to daily driving duties that something will break, something will catch fire and something will go awry. The Daytona Spyder I had was lovely but it was a euro model with no air conditioning and it creaked and flexed every time it changed direction, but it was GORGEOUS.

Now to the modern cars. A modern M3 convertible with a folding hard top is a much better car than any new Ferrari convertible. It has a better warranty, less stress in driving it, cheaper to insure and is still a rocket in performance. An SL63 AMG is a performance beast that is every bit as good as any modern V8 Ferrari.
The biggest issue is how the dealer network treats you. Ferrari dealers have a hard time. They get very few new cars and unfortunately that makes them into asses for a new customer. The servicing of the cars is an expensive nightmare and their warranties are simply not in line with other high line brands.

Ferrari have chosen to become a modern car company, competing with other high end brands, but they fall woefully short in the overall experience. Therein lies the problem.
I still prefer the old Ferrari world. I know I am getting an imperfect car, but one that has soul and history. Just my opinion mind you

 

Good post, I am not sure what sort of warranty BMW and Mercedes offer in the US but it must be very good to beat the 7 year maintenance plan that Ferrari has, mind you I would assume there is a difference between a maintenance plan and a warranty.

I understand your point though, the older cars due to their imperfections had soul, they weren't all round cars but they did do some things very well and the aura with them is different.

Speaking of Daytona's friend of mine acquired one from a friend of yours here in South Africa....I believe he left his McLaren in your care for a while.

 

He certainly did. It is truly one of the greatest cars ever built.

 

Straight from the horses mouth! It doesn't get more competent than coming from you! I know what you have owned, and your opinion should be taken seriously. Thanks for this comment. I don't doubt it's true when talking about new vs. old Ferraris.

One thing we have to remember, there's as many difference types of owners, as there are cars. One guy saves his whole life, to own a 430 and it's the best and most exciting thing he will ever own and he will love it till the day he dies. And then there's guy like you, who has owned F40's and F50's, 599's and every Ferrari inbetween. Your expectations and standards towards a Ferrari will no doubt be VERY different than the first guy I described. Therefore no one is right, and no one is wrong in this debate.

We're just all different

 

The great thing is he really drives the car and enjoys it as intended.

Perhaps the real problem with new Ferrari's is they have become too perfect, as much as that sounds like a contradiction in terms.

Another school of though suggests they have just become too fast and they are less entertaining at low speed than the older cars which were more difficult to drive and the reward was to master them, maybe today the cars are too easy to drive, again a contradiction to some.

Make no mistake down here in Africa, 280 km/h in a 458 is a thrill, throwing one around some mountain passes is a thrill and a special experience.

Everyone has different expectations but there is one thing we can all be glad for is that Ferrari is still around and that they created many, many great cars.

For me they are all special in their own unique way, in their day most were idolized by many.

 

Good point Jacques.

I do think the modern Ferraris don't have enough opportunity to display their awesome performance, even on the track. but they are still awesome.

The older ones are a b***h to drive, but hearing a V12 Daytona or flat 12 Boxer, or even a well tuned V8 308 blasting up a windy, country road is spine chilling stuff even at 100 km/h.

 

I have had the chance to drive some serious cars and one really sticks out, even after all these years. The Challenge Stradale is perhaps the perfect combination between usability, built quality, affordability, speed and rawness.

So maybe give it a try.

 

I still prefer the old Ferrari world. I know I am getting an imperfect car, but one that has soul and history. Just my opinion mind you[/QUOTE]

My first Ferrari was a dd (1962 SWB 250 GT ) and I put 100k miles on it in the ten years I owned it, never had any kind of problem and always got me to where I was going, so IMHO it was a perfect car.

I also find my 550 to be perfect and drive it all the time.

So I'm a happy Ferrari guy.

Cheers,

Bill
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My first Ferrari was a dd (1962 SWB 250 GT ) and I put 100k miles on it in the ten years I owned it, never had any kind of problem and always got me to where I was going, so IMHO it was a perfect car.

I also find my 550 to be perfect and drive it all the time.

So I'm a happy Ferrari guy.

Cheers,

Bill[/QUOTE]

I speak under correction but that's a Drogo bodied 250, stunning car!

 

I speak under correction but that's a Drogo bodied 250, stunning car![/QUOTE]

are you certain, Jacques? my first reaction after looking was Vignale, but I could be wrong. It is gorgeous. As is the blu TdF Maranello, a flawless, timeless design and as fine a road car as Ferrari has made.

Most of the rest of the palaver on the thread is........palaver

 

are you certain, Jacques? my first reaction after looking was Vignale, but I could be wrong. It is gorgeous. As is the blu TdF Maranello, a flawless, timeless design and as fine a road car as Ferrari has made.

Most of the rest of the palaver on the thread is........palaver[/QUOTE]

I don't think the 550 is TdF. It looks a little light.

Here is a 575 in TdF
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And a 365GT in TdF
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Wow that 250 gt is stunning!

 

Do not!

 

I don't think the 550 is TdF. It looks a little light.

Here is a 575 in TdF[/QUOTE]

It is TDF different light
cheers

 

It is TDF different light
cheers[/QUOTE]

No. Don't think so. It is way too light. Looks like a Blu Chiaro or something along those lines. I have had several TdF colored cars and it's dark, in whatever light you see it. In fact in bright sunlight it can even look close to black

 

No. Don't think so. It is way too light. Looks like a Blu Chiaro or something along those lines. I have had several TdF colored cars and it's dark, in whatever light you see it. In fact in bright sunlight it can even look close to black[/QUOTE

Well, let me see should i take a picture of the build doc or maybe since I have owned the car for many years you will be kind enough to take my word for it..... The car is TDF.

cheers,

Bill

 

Okay. No problem. I guess light plays a huge factor

 

Us? We? Us? Funny, I don't recall voting for you to represent my opinion here. Unlike you I won't claim to speak for anyone else, but I personally would appreciate it if you would stop pretending to represent any sort of consensus opinion here - your opinions as expressed here are yours, and yours alone - they carry the same weight as any other individual opinion, but I don't see that you have any right or claim to represent any group of forum members as you do in the above quoted text.