driving a ferrari vs. any other car | FerrariChat

driving a ferrari vs. any other car

Discussion in 'Ferrari Discussion (not model specific)' started by ferrariNY22, Sep 9, 2005.

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  1. ferrariNY22

    ferrariNY22 Rookie

    Sep 6, 2005
    6
    I currently do not own an fcar, but it's been my dream since I can remember and it will happen, but until it does I was wondering how much better is it than other cars, sports car, any car, etc. I have a 545i and love it but I just know something like a ferrari has to be like an out of body type experience while driving, with the sound, the handling, the italian leather, I just want to know for those lucky ones out there that have one how can you describe it for vs. other cars.
     
  2. Z0RR0

    Z0RR0 F1 Rookie

    Apr 11, 2004
    3,470
    Montreal, Canada
    Full Name:
    Julien
    It's what you make of it.

    Some will be in heaven when driving the same Ford T their grandfather used to drive, others see perfection in a Corvette, and for others, it's driving around in a Ferrari.
    Don't get your expectations too high, it won't fly, it will probably break down, and you can still get flat tires that you have to change yourself.

    Usually, it's not the car that is technically so different, but moreso a feeling of personal success and achievement.
     
  3. Willis360

    Willis360 F1 Rookie

    Aug 4, 2001
    3,928
    Redmond, WA
    Full Name:
    Willis H
    Experience it yourself. Join your local FCA chapter, meet some owners, and get a ride. You just might be hooked.
     
  4. ferrariNY22

    ferrariNY22 Rookie

    Sep 6, 2005
    6
    I can understand the personal success and achievment aspect, but at the same time, I guess what I was trying to say, is how spectacular of a car is it to drive, understeer/overstear, acceleration, torque, thats what I meant by the feeling of driving compared to others, I understand where you are coming from though, because some cars might now be the most technological advanced machines but still an amazing car to drive.
     
  5. ferrariNY22

    ferrariNY22 Rookie

    Sep 6, 2005
    6
    I meant not the most advanced*
     
  6. hdpt00

    hdpt00 F1 Rookie

    Jul 15, 2005
    2,894
    Earth
    Full Name:
    Brandon
    I got to ride in a 355 this summer down a popular beverly hills street and it was amazing. I've known for a while I always wanted an f-car, but driving in it, even just going 60 or so was amazing. The feeling, the noise, unbelievable. I want one more than ever. I couldn't even imagine a 430.
     
  7. BT

    BT F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Mar 21, 2005
    15,291
    FL / GA
    Full Name:
    Bill Tracy
    The performance, while ordinary in comparisonto today's elite sports cars, feels great in a Ferrari of the 1989 vintage. It has a very raw feel with no power steering and the great sound of the shifter going through the gates. The handling is very crisp with almost instant feedback from the steering telling you what is happening at the tires. Overall it is great partly because it is unique, but mostly because it is well balanced between power, handling, and sensory fulfillment, as well as being a fully involved driving experience.
    BT
     
  8. Bill_OBrien

    Bill_OBrien Formula Junior

    Oct 28, 2004
    416
    Houston, TX
    Full Name:
    Bill O'Brien
    All that I can tell you is save up your money and go rent one for the day. A few years back I had a Porsche 996 C4, I was in vegas and rented a 360 Modena... all I can say is ...wow!! THe guy at the rental place had one piece of advice.."watch out for the top of first gear as you take off cause it will come right up on you".. damn he was right!! First gear seems to last about 2 tenths of a second!!! Amazing car to drive.

    That some weekend I drove a 99 Diablo. Hated the car!! No room for your foot on the gas petal. I even bought expensive Italian pointy shoes and they didn't even help. The Ferrari... like the 911... a dream to drive... like I was driving it for years the first time behind the wheel.

    Oh yea.. and the Ferrari sounded amazing!!!

    Go rent one!!!!!
     
  9. branko

    branko F1 Rookie
    Owner

    Mar 17, 2003
    3,710
    Birmingham, Alabama
    Full Name:
    Branko Medenica
    The sound, the handling, the power, the feel, the look and the wind in your face.........what more needs to be said.
     
  10. 285ferrari

    285ferrari Two Time F1 World Champ
    Sponsor

    Sep 11, 2004
    20,845
    Southern Md
    Full Name:
    Robbie
    I have had plenty of hi-po cars in my lifetime--Camaros, Mustangs, etc. and none of them drive like my Fcar. It is a totally different experience. Just getting used the the shifting is an experience like no other--I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!
     
  11. judge4re

    judge4re F1 World Champ

    Apr 26, 2003
    13,477
    Never home
    Full Name:
    Dr. Dumb Ass
    Do you have a particular model in mind? They've made a few hundred different cars by now, they're all a bit different from each other.
     
  12. bwassam

    bwassam Formula Junior

    Jan 3, 2005
    635
    North Bend, Oregon
    Full Name:
    Robert Wassam
    I too have owned a number of hot rods, race cars, and hi-performance street cars before buying my 308. None of them had the pazazz that the Ferrari has. I have found that for me, Ferrari's are special. To my wife, they're just another car. She finds them hard to get into and out of, so she would rather take the Chevy. So, in the end, your future Ferrari will be what you make of it.

    Bob Wassam
     
  13. Doug.

    Doug. F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Apr 16, 2004
    2,948
    Las Vegas, NV
    It depends heavily on the person and what you make of it.

    For me, there is nothing like it. I have piloted Mustangs, Corvette's and Trans-Am's that have in excess of 600 horsepower, and use nitrous. They are wicked fun rides that snap your head back and break necks...but, when I got into a Ferrari (360)...it was a more deep feeling for me. The styling, the history, and the overall driving feel is just soothing, but at the same time exciting as hell and thrilling. The super-low height, and completely original sounding exhaust/engine. You just know your experiencing something very special.

    You know...I really cant explain exactly how it feels. A Ferrari is the only car that does that to me.
     
  14. Ingenere

    Ingenere F1 Veteran
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Dec 11, 2001
    6,336
    On the Limit
    Full Name:
    Dino
    I have been around Ferraris and Italian exotics for over 20 years and they still put a smile on my face. Its about the sound, the handling and (at least with the older cars), the skill in driving it correctly. There is nothing like it!

    Ciao.....Dino
     
  15. ferrari4evr1

    ferrari4evr1 Formula 3

    May 8, 2005
    1,249

    Priceless............
     
  16. DGS

    DGS Six Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    May 27, 2003
    60,049
    MidTN
    Full Name:
    DGS
    There isn't a simple answer to this one.

    Today, a friend asked if I had put away the Italians for the winter. I drove the 328 to work today. I told him that they don't get parked until it gets too cold for the tires.

    He didn't understand. (All tires are tires are just rubber, no?)

    Some people will look at a Ferrari and notice that it's noisy, it's hard to shift (for the uninitiated), it's hard to maneuver in a parking lot, it has a small trunk, etc.

    Others will notice that the raw numbers (esp 0-60) on older Ferraris are lower than modern ricers.

    One comment I've often seen about the Mitsu EVO (my winter rat) is that it's an easy car to drive fast. But then it doesn't get much quicker. On paper, the EVO should be faster around a race track than the 328. The 328 is not an easy car to drive quickly. (And not so easy to drive slowly, either.)

    But the 328 is so well balanced, tuned, and refined, that I find the 328 far more enjoyable to drive.

    But that's just me: I've been driving italian sports cars since Nixon was pres., so I'm used to them. The EVO can be a fun car, but it's got lots of annoying issues -- like an awkward clutch, a huge turbo lag, etc. Maybe someone who grew up on ricers would be used to that instead, and would evaluate the two differently.

    If you look at the history on used Ferraris, you find that most previous owners keep the car for either a year or less, or for close to a decade.

    You either love it or hate it.
     
  17. kerrari

    kerrari Two Time F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Oct 22, 2004
    23,482
    Coolum Beach AUSTRALIA
    Full Name:
    Karen H.
    Don't want to sound *****y but frankly if that's what you think about driving a Ferrari - I hope you never get one (they should only go to people who love them for themselves).

    For me, driving the 308 is summed up by what was actually an Alfa Romeo
    slogan - the line (as in lineage), the style, the power (even though the pure horsepower of an old girl like mine is way surpassed by modern ricers, there's no way they can put it down and use it with the same panache).
     
  18. burriana

    burriana Formula 3

    Jul 8, 2004
    1,675
    North Yorkshire UK
    Full Name:
    AL
    There is no other car on this earth like a Ferrari, never has been, never will be. The style, the heritage, the passion.

    There are so many ways to sum up the whole experience, but that's what it is a "whole" experience, no one point in particular.

    My car is way fast enough to put an enormous grin on both my face and those in the cars that I pass, the colour and look of the car has people grabbing camera phones wherever I go, the howl of the engine and exhaust is awesome, the feel good factor just pootling around moorland roads on a sunny morning is second to none and ... well, I 've never really had any great desire to put any other car logo on my garage wall.

    You are driving one of the world's finest pieces of automotive history/art and you never really own it for keeps, you just look after it for the next lucky person down the line.

    :)
     
  19. steve f

    steve f F1 World Champ

    Mar 15, 2004
    12,119
    12cylinder town
    Full Name:
    steve
    well everybody looks and points at you
     
  20. Ricard

    Ricard Formula Junior

    Jan 23, 2004
    867
    Donington Park
    Full Name:
    Richard C
    Hmmm, no offence, but European cars tend to drive better (ie handle) than US cars. So in the that respect a Ferrari would be out of this world. However they are an acquired taste in my experience. The wide track at the rear, seating position, control positions and handling are all unique and take time to get used to. I would drive an integrale much harder than the 355.

    There is the whole atmosphere of driving one, whenever I do I think about the Italian craftsman that have been going to work in Maranello for the last 60 years and I like the handbuilt feel. Like its been created by somebody who cares and who I respect. Having said that they do have their flaws (check the forum) but the emotion they contain is mega (for me - half Italian etc).

    On the other hand a lot of my peers (one of which races a 360 professionally - LeMans etc) thinks that Ferrari's are all sh.. boxes! Thats because he looks at them without emotion. But, then, he doesn't understand why I have bought a 355!

    If you want the best handling/fun car to drive ever (in my opinion and I have driven everything European) then try a BMW M3 CSL - thats put the biggest smile on my face as far "driving" is concerned. But for the same money I would rather own an F355.
     
  21. Ferrari 328 Euro

    Ferrari 328 Euro Formula Junior

    Jul 19, 2004
    423
    Salem, MA
    Full Name:
    Brandon
    There are a lot of worthy cars out there, but to me a Ferrari is Friggin Heaven on Earth.... Hands down! No if's, and's, or but's!
     
  22. scuderia15

    scuderia15 Formula Junior

    Aug 18, 2005
    272
    I had a chance, actually the privilege, of being a passenger in a 348 challenge, and the unbelievable engine note had me speechless the entire ride. If i were blind i would get one just to rev the engine. Would u consider that for any other kind of car?
     
  23. venusone

    venusone F1 Rookie

    Mar 20, 2004
    3,238
    My Z car at 430hp is clearly faster than my Ferrari. But Art is all that & the Italians said it all. Dude, an American V8 sounds nothing like an Italian V8. Its all in the song & shape of the art form. Both have there places & make a stand.
     
  24. ferrariNY22

    ferrariNY22 Rookie

    Sep 6, 2005
    6
    thanks guys for all your insight, now it's just making that dream come true, I think someone said, Ferrari is not just a car but a lifestyle and thats what I saw, and realized when I read all of your replies.
     
  25. Ingenere

    Ingenere F1 Veteran
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Dec 11, 2001
    6,336
    On the Limit
    Full Name:
    Dino
    I believe I was the giver of that ride!! It was my pleasure to make that happen and you know that the offer is always out there. You have to admit the SL55 was pretty special too!
     

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