Going to Order my First Ferrari - Portofino - Advice please!!

Hello!

Next week I am heading to the dealer to order my first Ferrari.
I am no stranger to sports cars as I've had many (Many Corvettes, Z06, FType R, 911 and 911 Turbo, a Used 430).

I am after many years of working finally able to afford the Car I always wanted - a Ferrari. I always loved the California and thought it was just beautiful but the Portofino is on another level.

I have a couple questions - What are the "must have options". After building a few online I think I really only want the fender shields / logos and the reverse camera / sensors and possibly the screen on the passenger side. Maybe the Darker Rims.

Does Ferrari kill you with options like Porsche? I just took delivery of a 911 Turbo and had 30k of options on the car and now that the car arrived I think i wasted 15k on unnecessary options.

Does anyone know how much they charge for things like Shields, Passenger screen, parking sensors and camera, black rims, ......

Thanks!!

 

oh also would add sports exhaust

 

This thread has a price list (yes, they kill you on options):

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/ordering-portofino-spec-advise-first-car.569240/page-2#post-145922141

I'd also do the LED Steering Wheel, and color calipers.

 

ouch holy I thought Porsche was bad with options!!

 

I'd guess the must haves are the shields, electric seats, and carbon wheel with led's and magnaride (HS if it becomes available). If I were able to order one new I'd check every box I wanted reguardless of future value or lack thereof simply because were I specing one I'd want what I want.

 

thank you for the reply.
Ive had a ton of sports cars but this will be the first Ferrari.

Electric Seats are power seats? Otherwise the are manual? Also Carbon Fiber with LED is the steering wheel?

 

The std. seats should still be electric and I believe 8 way. Difference is the full elect. has heated seats, lumbar, and memory. Pretty much any Camry from 2010 has this for free minus the memory. Ferrari you pay...

The steering wheel is the Carbon w/ LED. Check out some pics, it's pretty cool. Lights come on to help w/ shift points. Why look down at the tach when you can see lights in front of your eyes. It's a Ferrari thing, roots in F1 racing. I thought it might be gimmicky too till I drove a car w/ it recently. Whatever Ferrari I buy is going to have that. Almost like the passenger display, something newish that is a Ferrari thing. Could prob. go either way on the passenger display, but with the option there... how many other cars out there have it? So if I'm spec'ing, I click that one too.

 

MagneRide is a definite must in my book. After that, get what you like. If it were me, I would order the full electric seats for the heating option (cranky old back! ). The F-chat dogma is that Ferrari are hard sells if they do not have the shields. So, if you're planning on keeping it for only a few years - order those. Good luck on your order...T

 

The salespeople are pressured to sell at least $50k in options these days. Let us know after your visit to place your order.

 

I dont think I need 50k in options. Looking at that list I could probably get away with 25k.

I live in Canada the car is supposed to start at 245 Can. I can handle 275 ish. I have a brand new 911 turbo as possible trade bait if i like the Portofino but I really need to love it because it is a definite downgrade in performance.

 

If your'e considering the comparative ownership of a Ferrari to a Porsche, I'd respectfully say that your heart's not into the ownership of a Maranello work of art, and your head is not understanding of what Ferrariste are. Certainly a 911 and a Portofino are two very distinctly different animals. I'd say the same to someone considering a Lamborghini or a McLaren. I'm not disparaging any of those three alternative cars, They are just very different, similar to liking a DaVinci versus a Warhol.

 

Ferraris aren't the fastest, nor the most nimble but they are a pleasure to drive every time you get behind the wheel. There is something special about a Ferrari. If you like your Porsche more I sure wouldn't trade up to a Ferrari.

 

I'm in a dilemma. If I want pure performance I still with the turbo. But I've always wanted a Ferrari and love the convertible and 2 small seats in back (I have 2 small kids). I'm almost over performance and I have a Corvette ZR1 incoming which will take care of that itch for me.

What I really want is a 488 but I can't afford one right now and I only buy new cars and wouldn't consider a used one.

I guess I'll go check out the Portofino next week then decide.

 

I see you mentioned a budget of $275k "ish". If you want my opinion, if you really prefer a 488, you can probably get a used one in that range. Also keep in mind that the future depreciation of a used 488 will be much less than a new Portofino; meaning that in two or three years, the 488 will be worth a lot more than the Portofino even though their prices may be quite similar now.

 

I haven't regretted trading my 991tts for the Cali T HS. I have owned mine for over a year now and enjoyed driving my Cali T immensely. The Portofino should be even better than the Cali T HS and those extra two seats do make a difference. My 10 year old grandson fits fine in the back of my car.

 

One other consideration might be delivery period - my guess is you'd be looking at Spring 2020 best case based on comments in other threads - a 488 used or even new would be available far sooner

 

There are several used but new California T's at dealers. Really nice prices. Save money drive a modern Ferrari. My guess is you will move the Porsche to the back of the garage and the Ferrari will become the daily driver. I test drove a 911 Turbo S and thought it was an awesome car, but too smooth. I got back in my Ferrari to leave and wow. I realized I love driving the Ferrari. And you can track the California T. My guess is the California T would be 100k less right now.

 

Right it will be catching up. However, I disagree with the soft characterization of the Cali T. I would apply that to the Cali 30 and regular Cali. I had mine out on COTA in an open lapping session during the Ferrari Challenge and I think it handled better than my tts did. The car is very different in cornering that the Porsche was. It feels like it's more planted and that I can be more aggressive with the speed in the turns. Particularly in the big skid pad (16-18).

 

Yep. And that says nothing about the braking.

What I find interesting is most people talk about the cars performance, but if you ask about them driving it on the track, the answer is, "no way, it will cause it to deprecate too much. I don't even drive it in the rain".

Ferrari is n awesome care. The California T is incredible t drive - on the road or on the track.

 

I would agree that any of the California models weren't geared toward tracking. Not to say you can't track it but from the first time I rented one I sure enjoyed cruising in it. And it was very comfortable on the longer trips we take when in the Vegas area. It would be fair to say I personally might be just as happy with a Maserati Granturismo but I really like the hardtop convertible option with the California. I can't say as much for the convertible models of the Granturismo. Personally I don't like cloth convertible tops and I had to convince myself to even consider a California to begin with before I ever drove one. But that changed once I did drive one and as a result I have rented one several times since then.

I highly doubt I'll ever track a california if I ultimately ever get one. Heck even if I get a 430 I'll probably never track it but I will drive what ever I get quite a bit on the highway on weekend getaways and just driving enjoyment all together. Ultimately if your looking for a car to track I'm sure most everyone would be much happier with something other then a California or portofino especially comparing one to cars that have some serious track abilities. One thing I like more about the portofino is the claim of more leg room in the back seat area. The back seat is the major point of issue with my wife since only 3 of the 4 family members would be able to fit comfortably. Ultimately since this will be a play toy car my wife is leaving it up to me and I haven't fully decided yet but the California (specifically the Cali 30) is a very strong prospect. If it makes me a girly man I guess I can live with that lol.

 

the post above about the 911 Turbo being too smooth is correct.
I had a 2017 Corvette Z06. It was amazing. Loud, Brash and Fast. I could spin out the back end on demand. The Turbo is too controlled, too smooth but an amazing every day super car.

I just made an appointment to drive / check out the Portofino on Wedesday next week. I will make a decision then.

I will have no issue keeping the Turbo but If I love the Porofino I'm getting it.

 

M

ake sure engine is warm, tires are warm and brakes are warm. Makes a huge difference with this car. Then push it.