F12 or 488 Spider ?

have an offer from the dealer that the F12 and 488 Spider are on the same price. F12 model year 2017 and 488 Spider model year 2018. Both about having similarity in configurations and both in all new conditioned. I will drive it mostly for pleasure in the weekend and plan to keep it forever .... this is my first Ferrari ....my another sport car is 991 Carrera S which I have had for 5 years and will keep it forever too.
Which one will you choose ?

Thanks you for all your advice.


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This will my only Ferrari ....


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F12, but it would be nice to drive with the top down. JD

 

Where do you plan to drive to? I’m lucky to have both but they are quite different cars. The F12 has an amazing engine and sound, but is more laid back compared to the go-kart like 488. You can fit a lot more luggage into the F12. Tough choice. Drive both first and go with the one that speaks to you.

 

I have both as well. My 488 is a great drivers car, open road, track it's awesome. My F12, hands down my favorite car I've ever owned. I love driving it, looking at it. As Gullwing points out, way different cars and use case matters here. If I could only keep one it would be my F12. And the 2017 run outs are awesome cars. Just my $.02

 

Similar to responses above I have owned both. If this is a car to keep forever (I think we all say that at some point but always seem to buckle) I would go f12. The 488 is fantastic but the F12 is special and is one of the greatest v12’s Ferrari has ever created...imho. Plus it’s a very different experience from the P car.

 

jcl: are both cars similarly optioned? Typically, options can add high five and even six figures to the MSRP.

2d question: are they both in a color(s), paint and interior, that you can really live with happily? This is a more important question than you may realize with your first Ferrari, especially since this will be your forever Ferrari.

 

Yes both car have similar options with full carbon interior and some exterior carbon. Both have the
same colour too that’s Rossa Corsa which I like.


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If they are both Rosso Corsa then I’d go with the 488. It’s much more of a V8 colour and doesn’t really suit the F12. (IMHO)

 

Hi what do you mean by 2017 run outs are awesome cars. Are there any differences from earlier model years ?


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Hi you mean the 488 is a sport car and same type as 991. So the driving experience is little similar ... and F12 is a GT car .... it is a very different experience from 991. I got it correct ?
Please advice me. Thanks


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Not sure if I would equate 911 variants (except the GT series) with the mid engine F car. Also, do you like the so called "raw" factor?

I think you should test drive both car in and out to make a well informed decision.

 

Let me echo what others have said - you should drive both cars, even if for just a couple of miles, and after that drive you will know which one you prefer. Both are superb cars, but they are very different from each other.

 

I'm not certain anyone could make this choice after 'just a couple of miles'. Reason: their purposes are so very different. As JCL pointed out, the 488 is a sports car, the F12 a 'grand touring' car. the 488 is a day drive in the mountains or on track; the F12 works on track but will shine on a two-week trip through the Colorado Rockies or the Austrian/Swiss/Italian Alps. e.g. I loved my old F355 berlinetta but it was a pain in the axx to get into and out of, not really so comfortable to drive down to Watkins Glen and home - about 500 miles. Whereas my 575M Maranello is a joy to drive anywhere. The comparisons are apt.

 

Perhaps. I've found that my first car impressions stick with me. I was in love with my TDF in the first 0.5mi - the shifting, the exhaust note, and the way the car pointed into corners as though seeking the apex. I had the opposite impression of the normal F12: a little muted, a little too "GT" for my (admittedly edgy) tastes. The 458 grabbed me from the first time I pointed it through a corner, while the 488 felt more powerful but at the same time less exciting. The LF was instantly my favorite sports car ever, and has remained so.

I think the OP will know almost immediately which car he prefers. He may discover he prefers them both, which is a different sort of problem...

 

Ben, I couldn't argue with you for you. But you knew you wanted a sports car as compared with a GT. They are different animals. A Ferrari first-timer will almost certainly not know that distinction

 

If its your only F, go with the NA V12.

 

I would say they are somewhat analogous. Not wanting to whip this board into a frenzy so I would say again, somewhat. I have owned a bunch of 911’s and agree with the comment by iloveferraris around the GT series being closer. Point is one is a more of a true sports car and the other is a GT but not like any Other GT out there. I was happy to use my F12 as a daily...not so much on the 458/488. Do some driving in each as others have noted.

 

I've owned both. I still have the F12 if that tells you anything. It's AMAZING. I've had an FF, 458, 488, California, and F12. Nothing compares to the F12.

 

Interior and build is superior on F12. Easy.

 

F12 is the answer you want. It does everything minus serious track work, but the 488 sucks too to be honest.
If you aren't a scared individual and have your skills in order the f12 is a exhilarating treat to drive.
Do these 2 things and you will get the best car you ever owned and that even most owners don't even know.
1)Get a proper corner weight and alignment, start with factory, a bit lower and with a bit more camber, adjust to what you are searching for/want from the car.
2) do the exhaust valves mod (always open) or do ipe back boxes and maybe mid pipe. There is nothing like a ferrari v12 sound and it adds so much to the experience it is not even funny how much difference this makes.
3) drive with tc off, if you are brave esc off to, but tc alone off, if you have the skills (if you don't just go learn, you will get your money worth 10 fold out of every car you own).
The f12 with tc off is a complete new car to race or other mode. It's so rewarding, and moves much more freely.

You can rack up 40k miles in a year and have such a great time at every drive from the usual boring highway drive, to some city drive between lights, to b roads and back roads, to spirited drives.

Oh and a sedated test drive of the f12, especially without the 'mods' might not shown how truly great the car is. The ferrari v8 usually shine faster but fade equally as fast, specially the 488. The f12 takes time and deliberated effort to get to known, but you will get much more out of it.
Oh and it is much more practical, minus bumper to bumper traffic that will drain your the fumes out of your tank if you are not careful.

 

Yeah...what he said ^^^