Where to Start - Considering a Ferrari

Quality technical information and any special tools you may desire will be challenging. As far as "Black balling warranties" that is highly illegal unless they can prove you caused an issue. Your trouble with getting issues resolved that may come up on a car you are servicing yourself, that will be more of an individual dealer rather than the factory. Some are very punitive if they are not your first stop for everything and others are just happy to see you when you do use them. Some have a very highly developed sense of entitlement. Others are normal human beings. Don't know where you are so cannot comment further.

I had a client that after I did an oil change they refused to sell him an extended warranty. Crazy I know. Other dealers I knew felt the same as I. He was a serial Ferrari buyer and they lost him as a client over it. It was an expensive place to hold their ground.

 

Welcome to FChat!

If you wouldn't count a major repair against your annual maintenance budget, it's hard to imagine how you'd get anywhere near $10k for a modern car, even if you're bringing it to the dealer - nevermind if you do the work yourself. I'm still a relatively new Ferrari owner, so maybe I'm naive. Interested to hear what others say.

Be sure to read up on the PTU issues with the FF/GTC4Lusso.

I'd be prepared for reasonable depreciation if you're going to put 10k miles a year on it (which is great, BTW - drive it and enjoy it). Ferraris hold their value well if you keep the mileage down, but high mileage cars definitely get penalized. You can scrape some data from BaT and get a sense of the curve.

If you find a good FF with 20-30k miles on it, you'll end up paying a lot less in depreciation than with a newer, lower mileage Lusso. You might also consider a 599 or F12. Don't get me wrong, I have a Lusso and love it. But I'd guess it will depreciate more than an FF or 599 from here.

Good luck! Keep us posted on your search.

 

Well, if you're looking at an FF, full factory warranties are already gone so I wouldn't worry about that part as the other available warranty options aren't that great compared to full factory extensions. And a lot of that stuff is hyped up. Ferrari isn't going to care or even know if you're doing your own repairs and they're not going to stop you from buying future ones for doing that on your used car anyway. Also, I seriously don't you'll ever get anywhere near 10k/yr in maintenance/repairs-- you'll be fine.. buy one, enjoy it and you'll be surprised and happy with how inexpensive they are and as you said, will hold their value VERY well.

 

Music to my ears. Enjoy it! Have fun with the research and the search too.

 

I'm 65 and bought my first Ferrari 8 months ago. It's a 2012 FF and had 23k miles on it when purchased and now has 25k miles. It's been a great experience and well worth waiting for. Previously I has a S1 Elise that I worked on myself and this is now in the USA. I use my car every weekend and because of the flexible configuration give people lifts and I've even taken stuff to the recycling centre. Petrol consumption is okish on a good run and other people always keen to chat at the petrol station

 

When the FF was introduced, it certainly garnered a lot of mixed reviews. I didn’t like the styling until I saw it “in the metal” at the NYC showing, and then when I drove one a few months later. The few I’ve seen on the street since have always turned my head - I really like it. And the Lusso even more so.

 

I'm with you on SUVs. They're lost on me.

FYI, if you keep the FF/Lusso in Sport mode, it keeps the front gearbox disengaged. Then, when you need the extra traction, turn the manettino and presto: AWD.

Personally, I think the car feels much better at corner exit in RWD. Plus, I'd imagine you'll get better life out of the front clutch if you drive in Sport mode. (Given the different ratios front and rear, apparently the front clutch needs to slip whenever the front wheels are driven.)

But you get the best of both worlds. It really is an amazing car.

 

I haven't driven a C8, and haven't driven a 911 hard since the early 2000s. At that point, 911s weren't my favorite. It seemed that they started trying to dial out the lift throttle oversteer, but their solution was to dial in massive on-throttle understeer. I gather they've since found a much better answer.

I can compare it to my F8 or McLaren 570. And it's a very different car. It's a heavy GT car, and unsurprisingly, it feels less precise. Steering is slower and it takes longer to set, which can give the sensation of understeer at turn in. But once the weight transfers and sets, it feels quite neutral to me. Unless you try to get on the throttle before the car has taken a set, I find it tends towards mild rotation, not understeer.

Full disclosure: I haven't brought it on a track, so I've barely and rarely explored the limits. And because of that, I think it's possible that the mild rotation sensation is created (or amplified) by the rear wheel steering. Not sure. If anyone has more experience near the limit, I'd love to get their take.

 

I think once you find the right, well-maintained Ferrari for you, it'll treat you well. Like any car, they perform so much better when driven regularly. I've had much better luck with Ferrari reliability than Porsche actually. Enjoy your search!

 

Welcome to Fchat! Surely a lot of information here…

 

I now believe this statement is incorrect. My sincere apologies if I did indeed propagate misinformation.

Doug DeMuro and this random article in Digital Trends both stated that this is the case. However, in the snow this winter, I got the distinct impression that I was still getting power to the front wheels in Sport mode. Which led me to review the owners manual. And, by my reading, it seemed to confirm that Doug and Digital Trends were incorrect.

Anyone know the answer definitively?