Why the 360?

Just curious as to why the 360 started such long waiting lists for Ferrari? I remeber with the 355 you could walk in and order any config you wanted and have it in a couple of months, but with the 360 your talking many years with these lists. Also why have some of you chosen the 360 over say the 575 with no waiting list? Lastly, and I'm not trying to be anti-ferrari, I personally love the look of the 360 and spider, but we know that it has never been ahead of the competition, even when it first came out it was already behind the Porsche Turbo. I want to put a deposit down for an F430 spider, but I know by the time I would get one, it will be so far behind the competition that it might not be worth the wait! What are your thoughts?

 

I think the dot com bubble created lots of new demand. And this demand hit all at once. Sort of like a traffic jam, the after-effects (ie, waiting lists) continued long after the initial cause disappeared...

 

You have to recall buying a car is as much about personal taste as it is about performance, looks, practicality etc.
Each person has different requirements for each category. Some want the be all and end all of performance, others the sleekiest most elegant body. Others "connect" with one car more then another.

A simple example is myself. I could buy a 360 if I really wanted to...but I have no desire. For that much money I would rather a F512M everytime no question. But the 360 seems to move people more..

 

There are some pattern for Ferrari buyers:
1) admired Ferrari for long time, and want the first one you fell in love
2) admired Ferrari for long time, and wants the newest one.
3) have a lot of money so why not buy a brand name, Ferrari, so go to a dealer & order one. These people only have access to what is currently made & sold by a dealer, 360, 575, & 612.

I think I may overlooked other types...

360 does look very GOOD, so I can understand it is selling very well. What I cannot understand is why new 360 buyers wait that long for new one? More likely they have money to get the used one right now, and trade it in when new one arrives. Am I being too naive??

 

At my old dealer people WOULD often buy a used car until their new one arrived, usually a 355 which we often had in good supply. Also long waiting lists were commonplace when the Testarossa was in production.

 

It should read "There are some patterns for 1st time Ferrari buyers".

I cannot edit now my old post. why??

 

That makes more sense! You try older one, so can compare, too.

 

I knew a chap who bought a hardly-used rosso/crema 360 spider, paying a premium, whilst he waited for his new ferrari to arrive, which was: a 360 spider in rosso/crema.

nuts, but it's his money...


I think a lot of waiting lists are due to people who order rare cars hoping to sell their place in the queue for a quick buck.

The 355 seemed to get total acclaim immediately- suddenly everyone wanted this Ferrari as they could use it every day. The 360 has moved the game on even further.

Also,there is a whole new strata of demand coming from Russia, Far East etc.

 

"Window of Opportunity" to edit expires 1 hour after initial post time.

 

its not about behide the compatition who cares if the turbo is faster your not going home in a ferrari its the name the heritage and the lines oohhhh the lines in these cars kill everyother car in the world that is what appeals to me not the power. Does a porsche have the sound of a ferrari?

HEll NO!

 

I agree with a lot of what you all are saying, but we know Ferrari has the ability to knock every car out of the ring in both looks and performance and I think they owe it to their customers to do it. I personally wouldn't mind paying more money if Ferrari would build cars that also could compete performance wise and its not just the 360. The 575 is even worse compared to its competition. If Lamborghini made a car that still kept there classic lines, but wasn't as wild and abnoxious as the murci, a car with a little classier lines and colors available, I think Ferrari would have a lot of trouble.