612 as everyday car?

I have a client in Baltimore who drives his 612 everyday. Titanium with Grey.
If you want some feedback, I can put you in touch with him.
Rafi

 

I meet someone today at a car show who drives his 612 everyday from Beverly Hills to the San Fernando Valley. He loves it. I have a 2005 612
that I only wish I could drive it everyday. Due to the road conditions I only
drive it on weekends. This car is meant for everyday use. Go for it.

 

It's grigio titanium, correct? I take the reverse route, and see this car virtually every day.

 

That's the one.

 

PM "Eric" here -- he has 40,000 miles on his 612 and absolutely loves it to pieces.

 

You guys should swap houses! ;-)

 

But when I'm able to afford a 612 or a 575, the cost of servicing these stallions will not enter my mind.

These cars, and when I say "these" I mean Ferraris, Lambos, the CGT, Zondas etc, are very specialized beasts. They contain an enormous amount of engineering sophistication that requires a certain level of expertise in their maintenance. This is especially so with recent Ferraris that are using electronics to be able to be true all-around cars, from the road to the track and back to the road, hence the subject of this thread.

To me, it just comes with the territory. As long as I have confidence in the dealership, i.e. that they're not shafting me, the service is the price of entry. It's almost the same with fine restaurants, hotels, clothing etc.

If I wanted a car I could fix myself I'd buy a Honda or a Ford, even though these days they're much more difficult to do yourself.

Enjoy the drive. What's a few grand here and there to keep you stallions in top-shape?


Forza,


Cavallini

 

If you can't afford the servicing, tyres or fuel then don't buy one. New or used.

Our 612 is our ONLY CAR and we drive it everywhere and use it regularly, it's needed nothing more than the normal servicing and a couple of normal 'new car' snagging items (rattles, squeeks). I bought the car to drive it...

 

The engine family for the 550/575/612 is the same.The 550/575 and 612 do not require engine out service for anything but a major non normal engine repair.
The annual/mileage service costs would not be much different than for a 550/575 based on miles driven or time accrued.

 

I have driven the 612 on many occations, and it has never ceased to amaze. The power is limitless, or atleast on MD roads. I know of many people who use their 456s as daily drivers, and it is a very user friendly car. A buddy of mine out in California owns a GT, and uses it to go grocery shopping. Its very functional. Nice trunk space, and a fine backseat - in the 612. And not to mention, you can take it to work at 200 mph.

Depending on where you live, your local Ferrari dealership should know exectly how to handle your car without ripping you off. They see these cars in and out all the time because they are so ordinary (in terms of a superexotic.) I'd say you have nothing to loose! Go for it!


FORZA FERRARI
-Jon

 

Is that some sort of attempt at humor??
The only thing a Ferrari dealer does consistantly is rip you off.

 

Driving the car a lot and hard will most definitely bring down the resale value and may even make the car very hard to sell. That's the reason why you're seeing so few miles on them.
There's no way I can say this with any sort of authority backing me up, but I do THINK that the 612 could easily be used as a daily driver in terms of durability.

 

Most Ferraris are low mileage because they are driven on weekends and special occassions. I know a few people who drive their cars daily without any problems. Of course, high mileage Ferraris lose money but that would be true of any car. Reliability is not an issue. The big service will be due whether or not you drive the car as it is also time dependent. So, your savings are relatively small with extremely low mileage. Average use on the 12 cylinders is perhaps about 3K miles per year. That covers driving almost every weekend on the east coast when there isn't snow, salt, ash, or heavy rain.

Good luck,
K

 

Most who buy Ferrari's view them as works of art , as well as, a vehicle. Personally, as the owner of several cars, I am much more comfortable driving either my BMW or Mercedes, than my Ferrari. More comfortable, less worry about accidents and crazy people, gas mileage, finding a parking place, shifting, etc. etc., and I save the Ferrari for days when I can find places to let it run the way it was built to run, but that is just me.

To answer your questions - any modern Ferrari can be driven daily and maintenance may vary considerably based on amount and type of driving but fair to say somewhere between $2,000-5,000 would be safe.

Good luck

 

Back to your specific questions, for one thing, the engine services will probably be no different cost wise than the 456/550/575. They don't require engine-out for the major services either, have the same basic engine, and as such I would expect have similar costs for service. We've had the 15K and 30K done on ours and I don't beleive they were any cheaper or more expensive than our 456s were. Less than a Testarossa, more than a BMW.

Resale of all 2+2 Ferraris has always been worst of the Ferrari line. It's a great 2+2, but still the most unloved of the curent line. I can't imagine any reason why the 612 will show any lesser rate of depreciation than any other 2+2 in the Ferrari History. Higher mileage will only add to the depreciation. How much is anybodies guess, as there are no high mileage 612s on the market. If I were to guess, I'd take a look at the wholesale market for high mileage 456s, figure the rate of deprciation, and apply that rate to the 612.

As far as practicality as an everyday car, that's going to have to be your call. We drive ours everywhere with no more issues than any other car with low ground clearance, low profile tires, and all aluminum bodywork. If door dings, rock chips, etc are going to weigh heavily on your mind, then maybe it's not going to be the car you want it to be.

If you're willing to accept the costs of maint and repair of incidents, along with eventual low trade-in value, the car is an incredible beast that will keep a smile on your face every time you get into it, be it for a sprint to the corner store, or a trek cross-country.

 

Too many newish 612s sitting in the service bay at an unnamed dealer I know of (at least one has been there for a month with a wheel off and the hood up). I don't think any brand new model Ferrari should be viewed as reliable compared to other marques. I have often thought about what it would be like to own just one car...and have it be a Ferrari.

 

Take the engine out for a service?

can someone explain this to me?

What kind of service are we talking? oil and filter or plugs etc?

 

I have a Massertti Q that I drive everyday to work and I'm Thinking 612 as a daily driver as well in L.A. The car with 40k miles will be worth 120k at best and maybe less. The question for me is a 215k plus car safe in everyday traffic and streets?

 

Considering the fact that (with some exceptions) a car is one of the worst investments you can make.....

Considering that the bigger and more expensive the car is, the more money you'll lose when selling it....

Considering a 4 seater Ferrari is without a doubt the most depreciated model of them all, anytime....

You'd better buy the car and keep it for 40 years if you want some benefit, other than simple driving pleasure. As Jason Plato (Fifth Gear) said after testing it, I'd love to have one... but I'd hate to pay for it.

Personally, I would have one, without a doubt.

 

Very few cars, even Ferrari's are "investments". Sure prices of Daytona's, 275 GTB/4's, etc. have skyrocketed but that is not going to last too much longer IMO. The economy will tank as it always does, and personally I am banking on that happening in the next two years.

Beyond that, a person has to look at what a 612 is. It is a 2+2 and history shows us that they are always kind of the little bastard of the family. Look at 456's and their prices and the demand for them. Look at the 412 and 400.

A really good example is the 365 GTC/4 and the Daytona. Huge price difference. So the person who is going to purchase a 612 is a buyer who has different needs.

I am seriously looking at purchasing a 612 in the next 4 months or so. Sure I would love to get a 430, or especially the new 599 (finally saw one up close today in Vegas), but my needs are a little different than that for now. I will get the flashy one in a couple of years when I have more garage space.

I know I am purchasing a car that will start to tank, and tank farily quickly in value, especially since I plan to put quite a few miles on it. Even if I didn't put a lot of miles on the car it is still going to fall in price quite a bit. How much is hard to say. I think the 412 is a good example. I don't remember how much they were new but I am thinking they were in the low 100's maybe even as much as $120,000. Now that car is "worth" anywhere from around $30,000 (for a very decent car) to as much as $50,000 for a very overpriced one. I have serious doubt's anyone is pay much more than $40,000 for a tip top one and that would take quite awhile for it to sell.

I guess you just know that going into them. The 612 hasn't really been selling all that well as far as I can see. Personally I have been turned off by the front end of the car. But the 456 is somewhat dated now so I have been researching the 612 and seriously looked at one today.

After sitting in this car I am sold! It is much better than the 456, or 456M. Much more room, all the nice new technology and a *****ing stereo (for stock). I could care less about a stereo in a 599 or 430 because to me they wouldn't be driven constantly. However the 612 I am looking as an everyday car. I love the sound of the 12 cylinder but I also want to listen to some Clapton, Pink Floyd, Drop Box or Metallica from time to time .

Plus the 612 surprisingly has some very decent room in the back seats!

 

i spoke about this in another thread (help me decide) in the main section. i am also thinking of buying a 612 as a daily driver. i have found one that is already being used as such by a fellow waiting for his 599 to come. so he has sorted out all the niggles, and taken the depreciation hit - thanks ! and i plan to buy it around $150k and plan to lose at least $50k in the next 5 years. BUT, i have other cars that sit around gathering dust, and maybe holding their value, because i cannot drive them everywhere for all sorts of reasons. whereas i consider the 612 to be entirely capable of remaining healthy while carrying me around daily AND performing while doing so.

so take the plunge. frankly, if you can afford to consider this option, you can also afford the maintenance and any potential hassles you may encounter. the worst case scenario is the one you already know - you will take a massive depreciation hit. period. so get over that, and get in the car and drive !

 

I'm trying to find a slighlty used 612 for a daily driver as well. I think they are perfect for it.