Merged: Can't buy a new Ferrari!

I think someone that is already on "the list" would petition FNA about changing the list. I know I wouldn't.

 

In a situation where the maker has a small production, worldwide, for the past fifty years, why would that maker not reward those individuals who have allowed the company to survive and to prosper to be the first to buy the next product. Come on you've got to be kidding!

 

i do understand that people get unhappy when they can't buy something they want to buy. especially something like a ferrari. i've been there too.

but if you look at it from the dealer's perspective for a moment it's an entirely rational behavior pattern. and if you look at it from the loyal, repeat customer's perspective it's even more rational.

there is a very limited supply of cars. although ferrari has been regularly upping production each year now, it's still, definitely, "limited".

my dealer has customers who have bought a dozen ferraris over the past dozen or so years from them.

if my dealer is going to get 50 430s and he's got 75 repeat customers, he damn well better NOT sell you one as far as i'm concerned. i know that's obnoxious to say, but the problem is that he has too few cars to meet demand, so he has to take care of his best customers first. you're not a "best customer" - you're a first timer. maybe you'll be a "best customer" someday, but you're not yet.

you need to play the game like everybody else does: buy a pre-owned ferrari from your dealer and work your way into the system. alternatively, you can just write the check on the secondary market and you can own a 430 the week they start shipping. i'd argue the first option is a more rational one, but it's a free country.

this isn't dealers being rude or engaging in a bad business practice. they will pre-sell every 430 they get, and they're going to pre-sell them to customers who've bought cars from them before.

doody.

ps: i fully believe that many dealerships put on airs and are snooty about this crapola, that IS bad business behavior, and is unfortunate. but the net net is the same: you're not likely to get a 430 from them.

 

Which is why I don't understand FCI. My dad bought 8-9 successive cars from them, but now they treat him like crap and won't fix the 360 for us. They also won't get us on the 360 or 430 list, we have been on the 'list' for a Spider for 2-3 years but my dad gave in and bought a used 02.

 

You want to buy a new Ferrari here you go:

http://fmsocal.ultrafancy.net/~fmsocal/vehicle.php?listing=218

It's a brand new Stradale and it's going for sticker at $212K or so. The only thing is it's orange

Sorry, the F430 is a supply demand thing and strictly a business decision for Ferrari. They are going to sell to those who've they made the most money off of in the past and possibly to those they think they can make money off of in the future, bottom line. I don't think this will change any time soon. Maybe if you spiff a GM you might have more luck. Right now it appears that the demand far outweighs the supply. Heck the car isn't even here yet and won't be for a while. Patience is a virtue

 

I just have a few notable complaints about the "rational" way of getting in the system.

1) You aren't buying the car you want, you are buying a car you might like, but not the one you want.

2) There will virtually always be a huge amount of people out there who will pay the dealer more and have more loyalty than you from the dealer, and likely even if you do "play the game" you won't be getting a car, you'll be getting a spot on the waiting list somewhere.

3) So if you do play the game, you still get screwed, instead of getting the car you want, you get a different model, and instead of eventually getting a new one when you want it, you get the privilege of being on the bottom of a 3 year waiting list.

Over-all, the "poor" get screwed and the "rich" get what they want. Which frankly, is fine. There is no particular reason why the dealers need to be "fair" with anyone.

And unfortunately for me, that means when I am able to afford a Ferrari. I'll buy a Porsche instead.

 

Same as Schumi's F2004 correct? Scuderia Rossa??? Correct me on the name, I'm sure I have it wrong! But IMO, the most suitable color for the Stradale.

 

I think if you find the right dealership, they might find you a Ferrari. My experience w/ dealerships is who you know & press flesh w/. Talk to the higher ups if you need to. When I told the sales manager of Mazda of SAV that his salesmen sucked & I bought a Miata in cash from JAX because, he listened.

 

So if Schumi or Rod Stewart or some other rich celebrity wanted to purchase a 430 or the like, would they be given preferential treatment by virtue of their status/profile?

 

well, for starters, i wouldn't and you shouldn't deal with dealers who sell for premiums over sticker. they're scumbags. the margin on these things is already impressive - gouging customers for over sticker is unacceptable.

that said, if you can afford 185, you can afford to buy one on the open market for 200. so to some extent it's the same issue: play the game, get on the lists, and wait. or if you need it today, write the check. note that most of the financing companies will lend/lease on these inflated prices.

FCI changed hands a few years back. i did business with them a couple years ago and don't plan on ever doing business with them again. complain to FNA.

doody.

 

I agree on the first comment. I simply mean you will either run into the first or the second, and possibly both when you try to buy one new.

The second comment, that is exactly what I mean by the "poor" and the "rich." In this case the "poor" are either those without the history with the dealer or those who refuse to be gouged on the open market. While the rich are the ones with the dealer history or are willing to to cough up the extra cash.

 

OMG, a rosso dino CS! How badass!

 

In the end it is the MARKET that dictates how they choose to be treated. If Ferrari dealers lose enough SALES and REVENUE odds are they would have to rethink their service. Obviously they can abuse everyone as they sell all their allotted inventory.

Rumor is that Ferrari may soon start producing more cars per year to lower the backlog AND ALSO due to seeing sales lost to other marquees (Lambo, MB, etc) due to impatient buyers.

As for today, they can sh*t on your porch and you MUST SMILE as they do it IF you want to be on their sacred list... only to wait many months to get a new model at full list price. Oh, and for all those months they have your down payment do they give you any interest on your funds? Nope! Banks enjoy making MILLIONS 'living off the float.'

Truly hope someone at Ferrari in Italy is reading this as many dealers appear to be abusing their 'power.' This is one of the many reasons why i choose to not purchase a car from their dealer network.

 

Hey, you can choose where you want to spend your dough. The F-game may not be for you.

Yes!

That's it, it isn't rosso scuderia.

 

Remember folks when the 360 Modena came out in '99, MSRP was $155K? and they were selling 2nd or 3rd hand well over $220K for couple of years. I remembered formerly Ferrari o LG called me up and ask if I would be interested in a 360 spider F1. The asking price was $295K!! It rediculious! Most of the people getting their hand on the first wave of the new F430 will be-car related industries people (sellers, brokers, tunners...). Once they got their cars, drove it for a few months, flipping will be invetible. I'm not surprise the F430 will be selling well over $260K 2nd hand. FNA should have a clause for people that get their car early that they can not flip it for 2 or more years (ie. F50 when it first came out). That would put speculators out of the equation. The list shoud be shorter or only true F-cars enthusiast would get their cars 1st @ MSRP. My 0.02c

 

Buy a 575M or move to europe. Problem solved. It's much less of a problem over here...

Joking aside it has got to be very frustrating, and to be honest I'm not sure Ferrari is going themselves any favours in the long run with this strategey.

If they up the production numbers, it becomes a different problem, though - all of a sudden there's too many on the roads, which lowers desirability, and again scares some customers away. My personal opinion is that there's already too many 360's around.

 

Doody is right on the money.

However, you can't fault the dealer. I've been told there are only 1,150 430's for the US. When demand outpaces supply dealers are tasked with creating lists of clients who are "approved" to purchase the new model. It's clear there are going to be some disappointed people out there. And disappointed clients is not a position that any dealer wants to be in.

So how do you create a list? Chronologically, putting the first to contact the dealer and risking alienating their most frequent customers? By putting the "best" clients at the top of the list and bypassing those who expressed interest early? By seeing who offers the best "incentive" to get on the list?

I feel for the dealers because it puts them in an uncomfortable position.

BTW-Remember when the new Viper came out? Same thing, in order to get one you had to be a previous owner. Nothing wrong of the concept of customer loyalty.

 

hear hear. i think a model that says the selling dealer gets ROFR buy-back at MSRP for some period of time (6, 12, 18, 24 months - whatever) would put a serious crimp in the flippers and brokers. now the dealers would get those windfalls BUT if the shops are run properly, the "right customers" will at least have car options, if not pricing options. and the dealers will mark-up, but quite possibly more leniently - 'cuz for them it's ALL about keeping their best customers their best customers - they can make the extra ten gees on the NEXT car he buys.

it's a theory.

doody.

 

The problem is that the dealers are making money on the flip. This is the way that it was explained to me:

1. If you order a car from a Ferrari Dealership, FNA strongly discourages dealers from selling at anything other than MSRP. Legally, FNA cannot require a dealer to sell at MSRP, but you don't playa da game, you don't gitta no mo cars.

(BTW, not even the dealer knows what invoice will be on a specific car until FNA puts in on the truck.)

2. So Dealer X sells the first 430 that hits the ground to Long-Time Loyal Customer who even brought, shock, a 348 from him in 1992.

3. Long-time loyal customer might take the car for a weekend, or maybe not. At any rate, Dealer X hawks the car on the public market because FNA doesn't care what happens to resale cars.

4. Dealer Y knows that Jim-Bob is just about to bust a gut because he is afraid that Bubba will get a 430 before him. Apparently, in the Titty Bar world, being second doesn't get you much love. So Dealer Y calls Jim-Bob and tells him that he can get him a car for $50k over invoice. Jim-Bob gets excited and has his people send over the dough in a brown bag.

5. Dealer Y puts an extra $10k to $15k in his pocket. Dealer X puts an extra $10k to $15k in his pocket, and Long-Time Loyal Customer gets an extra $10k to $15k, which he uses to order another car.

So who is the Bad Boy here? Not Dealer X. Not Dealer Y. Not Long-Time Loyal Customer.

Nope, the Bad Boy is Jim-Bob. If you didn't have the Jim-Bobs, you wouldn't have flippers. But if Jim-Bob doesn't have the latest car, he can't get no love from the dancers. So in the end, all is right with the world.

Actually, there is a benefit for enthusiasts in this game. Because the flippers drive the inital market price beyond MSRP, those who do get to buy at MSRP and don't flip wind up with a honeymoon period in their depreciation cycle. That is, instead of the car going down in value from the MSRP, the real point of beginning is MSRP plus any market premiums.

Dale

 

Save your money and get a Gallardo. It's a better car than the F430 and you can buy them new off the show room floor for about $170K. I have a Ferrari and really love it, but sometimes people go over the edge with the Ferrari mystic.
Good luck and getting an F430.
Ciao,
Jim

 

If as you say the Gallardo is a better car then why is it not selling? the only reason you can pick them up off the show room floor at 170K is because they are not selling, no such problem with Ferrari hence the problems stated here.

 

I think every dealer is different, my Ferrari experience had been nothing but great. I walked into my local dealer four years ago, they did not know me but they treated me with respect. I was lucky enough that day to test drive both a 355 and a 360. The salesman explained in detail how things work with Ferrari and about the very long waiting list. He told me that they get about 3 new cars in a month. I asked him how they stayed in business getting just three cars a month. He told me used cars, service and parts keep the dealership in business. I put two and two together and realized they need to sell cars to customer they know so that they get the service business and get these cars back in trade when new models arrive. I thought to myself I'm glad my business does not work like that. Since I had never experienced anything like this before I decided to find how true my salesmans statemates were. Turned out that is the way things work, so I went back bought a used 360 F1 coupe and got my name on the list. I purchased three cars so far from my dealer and I am now looking for a 575. I can not fault the way my dealer does business, he was very upfront with me from the very beginning.

 

Not selling DOES NOT mean it is a lesser car.

It IS called Supply and Demand.