Ferrari vs. Others

Eh just go a little further up the street to test drive some McLarens and you'll forget all about this

 

That was my thought.

AMG's and Turbo S's are trim levels, btw, not exotics. At least IMO.

If you're not in love with Ferrari, McLaren is more car for the money. Could get a nice 12C spider within your budget, not a 458 spider though.

I could ultimately head that direction as well. I love Ferrari, but too much ********. Got a '13 Cali for my latest and can't believe all the **** that goes wrong with these cars that Ferrari considers normal or acceptable idiosyncrasies.

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I think the fact that you can test drive a mclaren and a Porsche and you cannot do the same with a Ferrari says volumes. I’m not a mclaren guy but several friends are. They love them. Dealership support and high quality local repair facilities are critical to your positive experience. Check that variable off before you decide on a marque. My .02 . Jon in Delaware

 

Personally I really like the 458 but you aren't going to find a good one for $150K. If you want to try something different try the McLaren 570 which will also cost you a bot more but it will be newer. Also it will be much faster and out handle the 458 and California. The McLaren dealer has some left over stock that I bet you could make a great deal on right now.

 

The love affair with the California is that short lived? That's a shame.

 

I wouldn't really put it that way. There's silly **** that goes wrong on ALL of them, and I've loved every Ferrari I've owned. My favorite in terms of most enjoyment ROI was probably the 612, and that car's windows wouldn't even roll all the way down. The deficiencies in materials were ridiculous, won't list them all as that was years ago. But for instance on the Cali, the leather of course is detatching already in spots. The trunk lid isn't perfectly lined up, big gap which is apparently pretty common. If you line it up properly the trunk won't latch when you close the top. The driver's side mirror case doesn't line up with the stalk because, as they said, the mechanism is "wearing out", on a 4 year old car with 8k miles. You can't fill the car with gas at more than a trickle because some carbon element is full. Full of what? And the service mgr is actually telling me this, fishing for a response whether I consider this acceptable or will assume responsibility. They gave me the car empty and pretended they forgot to gas it up. There's no way they didn't know there was a problem with the gas tank. Oh, and just like two other cars I've had, the vents are sticking so the climate control doesn't always work. And all this is normal Ferrari ********. So it's not my love affair with the Cali that was short lived. I'm used to this crap from Ferrari. My son and I LOVE the Cali and enjoy the hell out of it. But I do think there's a good chance we'll be enjoying a McLaren next.

 

Wow, sorry to hear that. What's interesting to me is it sounds like maybe things have gotten worse over the years. Other than the sticky button issue, my 04 has no sort of quirks (at least that I am aware of) like you are describing. The 328 has some quirks but its a 30 year old car at this point and I cannot separate what may be due to age versus what is because it was made in Maranello. And the thing about the gas when you got the car would piss me off to no end (particularly the dealership's attitude about it). I guess that is another example i can add to things i have heard about FoW that go to why i would never use them for anything (not to mention the "too cool for school" sales guys hanging out on the sales floor when I came to take delivery of the 360 who wouldnt give me the time of day).

 

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360 is definitely a well put together car. But they did have their issues. The precats were a major danger. And you have disposable tie rods and ball joints, every 10-15k miles.

 

True. Luckily mine isnt near that mileage yet to have to worry about it (and likely won't get there, at least any time soon). The bottom line on all of these cars I think is that they have their problem areas - some larger than others - and you better know what you are getting into before you take the plunge, or you can have a very unhappy time.

 

I'm helping a friend in California take a hard look at a 360 that will be in for PPI at FoW on the 9th, and we were just discussing the same thing. You do need to go into Ferrari ownership eyes wide open that they have these kinds of deficiencies. It won't affect my enjoyment of the car. And if FoW makes good, which they have so far, it may not be the last Ferrari I own. My son says we're keeping this car forever. Maybe we will. I don't hate the marque over this stuff. I love Ferrari, love the community as well. But you do have to know what you're getting into.

 

Glad it isn't affecting your love of the car. And having it to share with your son is fantastic; I imagine you get as much enjoyment out of him enjoying the car - if not more - than from the car itself. I hope that all is well with you; hit me up some time (likely when whether gets a bit nicer) if you want to do a drive somewhere or want to play some golf (just joined a club near me and happy to host or find some place public).

 

Just spoke with FoW. They've replaced the charcoal cannister gratis. I stand by my opinion they are a decent dealership. Should it have been fixed at time of sale, sure. But let's face it, most ferrari's have five figures in good to do service needs at time sale. With all the ****t that can go wrong with these cars, I don't really fault the dealerships for waiting until you ask. It's not a CPO car.

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Ferrari should bow down and thank owners like Piper who remain loyal to the marque. For the prices they charge, they are fortunate to enjoy the continued loyalty and devotion of owners like Piper when they don't deliver the quality, reliability, and value that should be commensurate with their high prices.

Are Ferrari's strong resale values and superior performance really worth the high price of admission when the deficiencies and headaches such as those cited by Piper chip away at the pleasure of the Ferrari ownership experience? Apparently they are worth it for those who continue to line up to buy new ones...as well as used ones. Go figure.

 

Thanks, but want to set a couple things straight. If I were as great a Ferrari customer as you make it sound, and I am but I'm just not well behaved, I wouldn't speak so freely perhaps. Every owner knows these things. Most try not to talk about it quite so much. I can't be the best customer Ferrari ever saw when I ***** incessantly about the deficiencies. Constructive criticism, but it's not changing so it's pointless.

The other point I'd like to make is, yes, it is worth it. A well sorted Ferrari is a joy. My last one, a 599, actually sold for $10k more than I paid for it. I drove it for free for a year winning contests like shooting fish in a barrel, and it was the lowest priced example on the market at purchase. I've never lost much in maintenance or depreciation on a Ferrari. Buy them just out of warranty, low point in depreciation and calculated risk on maintenance. I've lost more on Corvettes, much more. It is indeed worth it. Just read up here first and know what you're getting into and how to do a proper pre-purchase inspection before diving in. Then hold the people who sold you the car to task on mechanicals as I am FoW. And they are indeed stepping up.

If I go McLaren next time it will be partly over this sort of stuff, and partly because I've tried all the models I'm interested in and didn't find a love of my life among them, yet.

 

Perhaps you should try owning a more classic Ferrari, like a Testarossa? Talk about a love affair lasting 20+ years. You could find one well below your $150k budget.
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I like cars (probably way too much), but my name on this forum, also has the word nut in it, and to most people what I do when it comes buying cars (and other things), makes me more of the second half. These days I tend to try and simplify how I look at cars and call them high revers or torque monsters. There is nothing like the feel of a take off in a torque monster that gives you full torque at under 2200 RPM, those cars for are great when you do not have the road to wind it out. Cars like the AMG and the Turbo S (for me) fall into that category. Cars like the 360/430, Gallardo, they are high revers and when you have the road to yourself (day break my favorite time to drive one of those), and you can wind they out, they are my favorite cars type of cars to drive.. I have owned 4 V8's Ferrari's and 1 V12, and if you asked me if they were the best cars I ever owned, the answer would probably not be yes. There is though something special about them, something that you cannot get from a video or reading, and if FOW will not let you drive a car then call Algar, and take a drive (or a train) up to my area, I'm sure they will let you if you are really interested in purchasing a car. I went the last 10 years without owning one and a little over a month ago I walked into Algar saw a 19 year old time capsule (a 1999 360 with 1200 miles that looked like just came of the assembly line probably not another one like it), that I took one look at and bought on the spot. I guess I missed owning one more than I realized. I would probably say the CA will feel a lot like the AMG, both are very good sporty GT cars. A turbo s is a car that in my opinion is designed to not get someone into too much trouble. It is fast and handles great and its AWD system makes almost any driver look good, but it lacks the visceral feeling (Porsche makes other models more driver focused) of a mid engine car like the Ferrari's or McLaren cars mention in this thread. You will find many different types on owners (and opinions), and reasons why they own a Ferrari on this forum. If I were you OP, I would first decide what you want in a car, is it curb appeal, comfort, features, a good sound system, or driver focused. Do you want a true sports car or a GT car. Once you figure that out it will make things easier to decide what cars are a good fit for your needs. Good luck.