Thinking about buying my first Ferrari

If the time has come for you in which you desire to buy a Ferrari then do it, if after time it you feel it is not for you then you can always sell and get something else. Let me tell you a corvette will never ever give you the special feeling of owning a real exotic, the corvette is a performer but it is not a special car. The Ferrari will make you feel good every single time you drive it. I have sometimes woken up in the middle of the night and just go and drive it and have an early breakfast. If you can afford it don't pass on it now, maybe tomorrow the chance is gone. Good Luck...

 

Well stated, Testacojones. I had a couple vettes in my time and after about 6 months, the fun just wore off. I have had my 308 for almost 8 years and everyday is as exciting as the day I bought it. I had a 1958 Vette that was in mint condition in 1990, people barely looked at it even at car shows. My 1978 308 at the last car show it was in, I had to beat people off with a stick to even be able to sit by it.

 

Ooh **** this I am a horrible person, I am buying a 99 360 Modena. I changed my mind, i've been thinking about it all day long. Going back down to the Fcar dealership in Seattle, hoping the one they have is still there and i'll hopefully drive away with it tomorrow or later this week.

 

I think you will make wise choice, with no regrets. If you own a ferrari it will be hard to park it, get out , and walk away without turning around to look at it as you do, few cars have that kind of effect on people.

 

The modena is a V12 right? I'm sure it is but I just want to be sure. I'm taking a day off of work today to go down to the ferrari dealer in a hour or so to buy the car. I'm excited.

Nope not a V12, but thats ok, I know I would still enjoy it. However I also saw a Maranello on ebay being sold for $109,000. Its at a dealership in San Dieago. Maybe i'll call them up and see if they will just sell me the car and and ship it to me (assuming I pay for shipping of course). I've already test driven a maranello and that is the Ferrari that I absolutely want to have the most.

 

no it's a v8, the current v12's are 575m and the 612.

But it does have 400hp

(edit) I saw where your edit beat me, oops. You would not be disappointed with either car, just depends on which suits you best. I would DIFFINATLEY drive both models before purchasing. They are two VERY different animals !!

 

Good enough for me, it can still go vroom and make people look at me.

 

If the only reason you want the car is so it's goes vrroom and poeple will look at you, buy a lambo. (you'll get more attention, if that's what your after)

The yellow modena they had at FoS looked sweet !!

 

I don't really like the look of Lambo's and they are way to expensive. A modena looks better, and I think you are wrong about the amount of looks it'll get. It will get the same amount as any Lambo. Especially in the area I live in, where the best we have here is someone who owns three Dodge Vipers, otherwise you don't see exotic cars around here.

 

If all you want is for people to look at you, forget the car and spend your money on psychological counselling.

 

Now now, what was that all about? You are reading inbetween the lines here. That wasn't the only thing I mentioned for why I wanted a Fcar. You should try reading the entire thread next time. Besides if you buy a Fcar you get the looks and attention from people standard, regardless of whether or not you want it. Its there to stay until the Ferrari becomes a car that anyone can own. I'm not a Fcar owner yet and even I understand that. So are you really surprised that someone would be ok with the attention they get from owning a Fcar? If you can't handle that then you shouldn't own one.

 

I see your point, absolutely, but even if he was buying it for attention alone it would be money better invested in a Ferrari than giving it to a psychological counselor.

 

Anyways my point is that you better not being getting on your high horse here because that wasn't the reason why I truely wanted a Fcar.

Now anyways I would like for you guys to guess what is sitting in my garage right now?

 

i am in the same boat ..looking at my first F car ..
currently set on the 2002-2003 360 ..
planning on spending 125ish and then 25k for incedentals that will come along ..

i wanted to see if folks around bay area can point me to some get togethers so i can ride in one of these babies

thanx all

signed

gs


ps: congratulations tman !!!

 

Tool: i think people here have been very giving of their advice and time, but at least to me, you have exceeded your newbie status and now must actually do something for yourself. For example, you could actually go buy a book about ferrari and learn what the various models are, so you'd know, before you think about buying one, that the 360 is not only an 8 cyl. car, but follows a certain line of thinking in the ferrari universe. Similarly, if a 550 is what you really want, chances are you could get one even cheaper than a 360 if bought well. But, i certainly wouldn't be buying a car off e-bay without a thorough vetting ( as in history, PPI, etc.). As to your views of Lambo's, maybe when your taste matures a bit, you'll appreciate their sheer outrageousness.

 

Ooh don't get me wrong, I greatly appreciate the advice you guys have given me and I took every bit of it into consideration. But still I am going to do what I feel is right. The only one that truely knows my wants are is me. Without this forum I wouldn't even consider buying a Fcar because I always felt it was way over my head and that I would never be able to properly handle owning one.

I got my Modena, and I am extremely happy with it. It was one of the top cars Fcars on my list. Yes the Maranello was at the very top, but that doesn't mean I couldn't live without it. It will just be the second Fcar I will likely own.

Now that I do have one I know what to do and how to take care of it. I am honestly happy with any Fcar, V8 or V12. Most of you seemed to insist on a V12, which I can agree with, but this Modena sounds nice and I wasnt even trying to push it on my way home and it was going real fast. I feel like a kid, so excuse me if this all makes me 10 times as stupid but it is a huge step up from my Saab. So I think you can all understand where I am coming from.

Do you guys want pics by the way?

 

Where are the pics man !!!

Is it the yellow one they had at FoS ?

What do you think about the way she drives ? MORE INFO !!

 

Toolfan, congratulations on the car. Don't let the V-8 haters get you down. It's a fantastic machine regardless of the number of cylinders. Even when people discuss my lowly 328, the bottom line is.....it's still a Ferrari!

 

Congratulations, I know you will enjoy your Ferrari. I have owned a 328GTS and a Testarossa and I don't think the V8s are any less fun, but the other way around, at times I found the 328 more fun than the Testarossa. By the way did you buy a 360 manual or F1? I find myself in the same position right now as I don't know if to buy a Gallardo or a 360, If I buy the 360 that might help me to get a F430 sooner. Post some pics!

 

Don't jump!
Talk to people who own the cars, members of Ferrari Club of America. look at Ferrari Market letter. Talk to a very competent person who knows the cars, and what it takes to make them run and run well. Be sure to have your emotions in check, it is difficult but if you can find a mentor as in someone who repairs the cars like a Patrick Ottis or a Brian Crall visit him and ask some questions. Do you want a car now or are you willing to put in some time to research what is reliable and what is available.
Take your time, the journey will be fun.
Winston

 

It ended up not being the yellow one at FoS, I ended up finding out about someone selling the exact same car, a bit more miles on it though but I got the car cheaper and it was serviced and everything and was in great condition.

The car drives great. I haven't pushed it hard though. The most i've had with driving a real fast sports car is a 2005 Corvette, this however is worlds apart from that. A Vette is a great ride, but the modena is just a hundred times better. Faster acceleration and as far as I know a bit higher of a top speed, the 05 vette can do 190.

The most I got it to was 80mph on the freeway in a 70mph zone. I was driving it around earlier before I posted this just getting a feel for the car and learning how to drive it. I am going to try to find a sports/race car type driving school that can teach me how to properly drive it. I always wanted to learn how to properly race a car on a track and this is a great car to do it in.

 

CONGRATS !!!

What year ? Color ? F1 ? DETAILS, we love details.

 

Get the pics up!!! Trust me, you won't regret the purchase.

 

Yellow, 1999, F1 transmission, feels like having sex, umm... what else?

I love the yellow, it was either red or yellow that I wanted. Didn't care which one. Red is the best though, but Fcars are beautiful in yellow too.

Not sure what to tell you about it that you guys probably dont already know. I'm still learning all I can about it, reading the manual. I find it very easy to drive at normal speeds. Anything I should know about it though at higher speeds? I can't see myself ever being disappoitned with this car. I've already test driven a few Ferrari's from last week, and gotten a feel for them, but I think the only real way I am going to get come to a true opinion a car is to buy it and drive it for a while. Test driving and talking to people really just gives you a idea, in the end that doesnt mean you'll like the car people recommend to you. So in essence I think I took a risk buying the car but I weighed the risks carefully and I just can't see myself being disappointed. I know I won't be.

Horrible excuse but its night time and I don't have good lighting in my garage. The pics would just turn out crappy.

Gotta find a good race car driving school in my area now.

 

Here are two schools I found in Washington state if anyone else is interested

I bought this car to have fun everyonce in a while. I love driving and I want to get the most out of this car that I can. So I want to learn everything about it and how to properly handle it. Racing and learning at the sametime is fun. And doing it on a race track is great!

I'd like to find a drag race strip too. The only ones in my area are the illegal ones though. That really sucks, lots of people would love to race their cars but there aren't many area's (atleast in Washington) to do it. So you end up with people doing it on streets, I hear them in my area all the time racing. Its annoying and incredibly stupid and unsafe.

http://www.irdc-racing.com/schools.htm#school
http://www.bmwpugetsound.com/driving_schools.html (I think this one is for BMW cars only though)