Yes I am Insane: 400i Daily Driver | Page 2 | FerrariChat

Yes I am Insane: 400i Daily Driver

Discussion in '365 GT4 2+2/400/412' started by aleventhal, Nov 2, 2005.

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  1. Koby

    Koby Formula 3

    Dec 14, 2003
    2,307
    The Borough, NJ
    Full Name:
    Jason Kobies
    Very interesting color, it looks compeltely different in the last two pics than the outdoor shots.
     
  2. tifosi12

    tifosi12 Four Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Oct 3, 2002
    48,581
    @ the wheel
    Full Name:
    Andreas
    Yeah, I noticed that too. Mistakes like that bother me less than the fact that the article simply lacked any real substance. I'd love to hear what it takes to restore and maintain these cars. It is nice to hear from one owner's experience, but that by itself is just that: One owner.

    In essence this could have been a great report and it remained a write up about the reporter getting a ride in the afternoon.
     
  3. Horsefly

    Horsefly F1 Veteran

    May 14, 2002
    6,929
    Don't you just love the roomy engine compartment of the 400?
     
  4. andrewg

    andrewg F1 Rookie
    BANNED

    Sep 10, 2002
    4,667
    Chester, England
    Full Name:
    AndrewG
    Maybe the author meant they changed from 6 tail lights to four?
     
  5. aleventhal

    aleventhal Formula Junior

    Jan 11, 2005
    654
    Millbrook, NY
    Full Name:
    Alexander Leventhal
    Yeah - I noticed that to. I guess it is the lighting. The color is Marrone Mettalizato, and it is original (never repainted). To the eye it does not really look different indoors or out, but to the camera, well, that is a different story.....
     
  6. Anteriore

    Anteriore Formula Junior

    Jan 4, 2004
    863
    Netherlands
    Full Name:
    Ramon
    Yes. 365s had 6 (with one or a few exceptions), 400-412 had 4 rearlights.
     
  7. Birdman

    Birdman F1 Veteran

    Jun 20, 2003
    6,687
    North shore, MA
    Full Name:
    THE Birdman
    Alex, you are my hero!!!

    I toyed with the idea of using a Mondial as a daily driver and I decided not to based on two things.

    1. I drove ours in the snow once.
    2. Lack of rustproofing.

    Our Mondial remains a fair-weather daily driver (Spring, summer and fall) but gets put to bed for the winter and I drive a Toyota which is reliable and disposible.

    To say that the Mondial is not a good car in the snow would be a gross understatement! I much prefer front or all-wheel drive in the snow.

    A 456 would be an interesting choice for an all-year-around driver because I think it's mostly aluminum and won't rust. (Not sure about that though...) The Mondial (and perhaps the 400?) will rust if you look at it funny.

    Birdman
     
  8. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Nov 19, 2001
    22,574
    The Brickyard
    Full Name:
    The Bad Guy
    Well I just saw a 400i for sale with 110,000 miles on the clock. Are you planning on beating that?
     
  9. boffin218

    boffin218 Formula Junior

    Oct 8, 2005
    888
    Philadelphia
    Full Name:
    Chris
    I think it's a great idea. I've always wondered if one could do it/half-dreamed about doing it. Please keep us posted!
     
  10. 208 GT4

    208 GT4 Formula 3

    Dec 27, 2003
    1,763
    Brighton (UK)
    Full Name:
    Dan
    Let's face it, if any Ferrari was designed to be used day to day then the 400 is it?

    I strongly suspect (and hope!) that you'll have far fewer problems per mile than most...especially Ferraris of that age.

    Also, love the plate...who said Americans have no sense of Irony? ;)
     
  11. Koby

    Koby Formula 3

    Dec 14, 2003
    2,307
    The Borough, NJ
    Full Name:
    Jason Kobies
    Which one does it look more like? :)
     
  12. Spasso

    Spasso F1 World Champ

    Feb 16, 2003
    14,648
    Land of Slugs & Moss
    Full Name:
    Han Solo
    Love your plate!

    You might try approaching Boyd Coddington or Chip Foose about manufacturing a set of stock reproduction rims for your car in non-metric sizes unless of course there are some that will fit from Superformance?
     
  13. KTG

    KTG Formula Junior

    May 16, 2005
    820
    Chicago,IL
    Not sure why this car always get such a bad wrap.......
    I think it looks bella
     
    goezfaster likes this.
  14. hank sound

    hank sound F1 Veteran

    Jan 31, 2004
    5,953
    Burbank, CA
    Full Name:
    Hank Garfield
    I love the "bris" plate - LMAO!!!!
    I have a feeling you're going to appreciate the fact that you DON'T live just 6 blocks from work:) Your 400 is really beautiful. Enjoy.

    Cheers, Hank
     
  15. PassionIsFerrari

    PassionIsFerrari Formula 3

    Aug 15, 2004
    2,454
    Yeap, that or the 456.
     
  16. jungathart

    jungathart Guest

    Jun 11, 2004
    3,376
    NoVA, AmeriKa
    Full Name:
    Komrade Jung
    Alex,
    Congrats! I am openly a fan of the 365/400s. These were the Ferraris for the top-of-the-food-chain types who already have red Ferraris elsewhere in the stalls.
    Love the metallic brown..., but of course, I am biased for metallics :)
     
  17. Tifosi66

    Tifosi66 Formula 3

    Nov 30, 2004
    1,786
    Jiang Jia Jie
    Full Name:
    Li-Ge
    Alex, congrats...you're my hero too!!!
     
  18. snj5

    snj5 F1 World Champ

    Feb 22, 2003
    10,213
    San Antonio
    Full Name:
    Russ Turner
    Brilliant.
    The car, the usage and the plates!
    Have fun!
     
  19. CliffBeer

    CliffBeer Formula 3

    Apr 3, 2005
    2,198
    Seattle, Washington
    Full Name:
    Cliff
    Way to go Alex. Nothing strange about using a Ferrari for a daily driver. Engine rebuild costs on a per-mile basis will not be insignificant as you pile on the miles, but who cares - you should be able to get 100,000 miles or more before a major $20K engine rebuild routine, so, not that bad considering a new Honda is $30K these days. The 400 was made for that kind of distance commuting (although, probably pretty thirsty on gas) so she should be a solid performer. Nice subtle color combo - looks like a clean car! I also use my Ferrari as a daily driver and a blast up the highway is a great way to start the work day. You might, however, be surprised by the degree of misconceptions and negative comments likely to come from a few co-workers (who are just jealous...).
     
  20. GTE

    GTE F1 World Champ

    Jun 24, 2004
    10,117
    The Netherlands
    Full Name:
    Marnix

    Same here!

    Love the licenseplate!
     
  21. judge4re

    judge4re F1 World Champ

    Apr 26, 2003
    13,477
    Never home
    Full Name:
    Dr. Dumb Ass
    I used my 365 as a daily for about 6 months, and used to drive it at least twice a week to the office before going to China.

    It will be put back into service again soon!

    Great car, welcome to the club.
     
  22. aleventhal

    aleventhal Formula Junior

    Jan 11, 2005
    654
    Millbrook, NY
    Full Name:
    Alexander Leventhal
    Sure gonna try - will keep everyone informed!!!!

    Alex
     
  23. aleventhal

    aleventhal Formula Junior

    Jan 11, 2005
    654
    Millbrook, NY
    Full Name:
    Alexander Leventhal
    Engine rebuild is in the cards (runs GREAT but burns oil) - since my Boxer engine is currently apart, I know what this entails. Since this car cost less than my A8L DEPRECIATED in ONE year, I have no problem justifying the cost.

    I do have one problem that I could use help with - my fuse box / relay board has deteriorated (like they all do - same problem as Will Hubble's F40) and this causes me to intermittently lose the left bank fuel pump (tapping on the relay board makes it come back on). New or NOS seem to not exist. Any ideas on where to find a new one or a different solution? I thought about wiring the left fuel pump to the right, but this seems like a bad idea....any thoughts?

    Alex
     
  24. Ashman

    Ashman Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Sep 5, 2002
    31,629
    MA
    Full Name:
    John
    Alex

    Good luck with that. The fuse and relay panel are known weak points on the 400i and they are notorious for deteriorating connections that end up oveheating the panel and, in the worst case, breaking the connection for something, such as a fuel pump (ask me how I know). I have improved things by cleaning the connections and resoldering a few but I too would be on the lookout for a better long term solution.

    I would definitely not even think about wiring both fuel pumps up to one side for the simple reason that I think the wires would not handle the extra draw of power well.

    Before you tear everything apart, are you sure that the fuel pump relay is good? I had a similar problem with, oddly enough, the left side pump, and it was fixed by plugging in a new relay. If you don't have a new one handy, take one from another non-essential circuit and try that, keeping in mind that there are two different part numbers used for the relays. They all look alike unless you look at the part number stamped on them.

    But I'm sure that you have tried that.

    Best of luck with the 400i!

    John
     
  25. dave_fonz_164

    dave_fonz_164 Formula 3

    Mar 11, 2004
    1,658
    Montreal, Canada
    Full Name:
    Davide Giuseppe F.
    Hillarious license plate

    very cool idea, i wouldnt see a problem using it daily, maybe it might suffer a little bit more in those extremely cold winter days but otherwise it should become more reliable with miles.
     

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