1st ferrari driving experience, finally

yes, indeed. i am full of desire to buy a Ferrari and have begun the first steps as any would-be owner would do. the dealer is well aware of this.

 

??? how is that BS?

if a replica passed and it didn't sound like a V12, which i've heard before multiple times at a distance, i would be suspicious. especially if it sounded like a Fiero engine!

that restoration, by it's pictures, is among the best i've ever seen --period-- of any restoration. i have seen many car restorations in progress or in finished form. both in pictures and while standing in the actual garage of the event itself. and this has nothing to do with me trying to appear to be anything but highly complimentary of someone's hard work that has payed off. that guy did a spot-on job and deserves every praise imaginable.

and a V12, the way it was restored on that boxer, was an intoxicating sight to behold. and i'd bet it sounds the part. it was immaculate and stare-worthy for quite a while. at least for me, the sight of a well-done automotive presentation can be very engaging to the point where it transfixes me. i was in awe. intoxicated. drunk with engagement to the subject.

i'm giving impressions and opinions inasmuch as many members on this forum do with regularity. if you are bent out of shape because i bashed on the F50 then that is only my opinion. i went to see the car in person at the Petersen Automotive Museum so i could actually understand it better. i went seeking first-hand encounters with these cars because i am curious and highly interested in the company called Ferrari.

and it looked better in person as many of these F-cars do. the only qualm i maintained to have with the F50 is the front end, particularly the giant scooped out areas on the deck lid. or whatever that thing is. i just didn't like that.

but from the rear of the front tires all the way back, it looks beautiful, better than the F40. you must believe me when i say i tried to like the whole F50 but i couldn't. and that is my view only. others like the whole ensemble. but i don't.

many on that thread came to refute my views with due diligence and that is what i expected. i was countered by very cogent points. and the fans of such a car will remain solid in their views. however i do not hate the F50 nor any Ferrari. nor do i hate the owners of such cars. tastes will differ even within the cult of the same brand name.

 

please explain how it is "wimping out" to wait to buy a Ferrari of choice, or to buy one that is not at certain price?

what is problematic with publicly stating such a thing? some members here have no Ferrari, and many members owning a Ferrari did not buy one at full market price. and many people are not buying certain Ferraris because the purchase price is not their target. some people simply wait. others impulse buy. and there is everything in between.

by such logic of "wimping out publicly," this would lump any and all owners of 308s, 308 GT4s, and 328s into the "wimping out publicy" category, then. and they are all "owned." the 3x8 forum should be re-titled as the "wimp" category. this is effectively what you are saying. none of those cars cost anywhere near what a 550 does. yet they are applauded. and i am condemned for wanting something far and above that level.

 

that is true, and likewise i stand by those comments as they still apply without need to drive the car. in my estimation i was not basing my views on aspects that required driving the car.

yes absolutely. more than i was before i drove it; the 550 was never criticised by me ever. it passed my test for what i would consider worth pursuing within my means. not all Ferraris, no matter how expensive or cheap they are, appeal to me in such a way. my Petersen Museum experience verifies this.

yes i know.

my comments were invalid no matter what i said. now they are invalid because i have driven one.

driving a car that i don't envision myself wanting would not much make me want the car whether i drove it or not. and would not much change what points i brought up. for example, the Lexus will more than likely pose a performance challenge to Ferrari whether i state it here or elsewhere. it looks better than the F430 and will more than likely outperform it as implied by Toyota as being it's specific target.

exactly. it's wonderful isn't it?

one has to go into the car to see such a thing to entirely understand it. there are others here who have probably never experienced this for themselves, either. so i am here to impart it. many people posting before the bash-fest were equally as intrigued. i hope for them they still are and see through this ridiculous witch-hunt.

many of the cars must be seen in person to get the full-on effect of their presence. some of them fall short and some of them rise above. please re-read that: some of them fall short and some of them rise above.

for example, the Daytona Spyder looked more boring in person than in pictures. again, this is my opinion only. the F50 looked better in person than in pictures. the 250 GT SWB looked equally as good in pictures or in person but is of course better in person. the Dino looked super fantastic in person compared to the 308, unfortunately. as stated previously, the Dino as maligned as it once was and ignored looked better than the F40. in fact, case in point the F40 looked more mediocre in person.

again, these are my first-hand opinions from seeing the cars next to each other in the same space.

the largest points made in criticism of Ferraris by me were about the F50, which i would not want regardless of how it drives, the LF-A as compared to Ferrari F430 (which i would take over the F430), and the the NSX in how it posed a direct challenge to Ferrari's 348, which it did despite repeated denials to such. this doesn't equate to hating Ferrari whatsoever.

Ferraris are not without shortcomings. as an owner, one must accept these shortcomings and realize that the entire ensemble is magical and worth the ownership experience regardless. but all cars are this way. not just Ferraris. i could go on a rant about the 550's shortcomings but that is not the topic of this thread. and if i did, they would be denied even if they were true.

cool. is there a YouTube link to that?

thank you, John

 

oh yes correct. sorry. i am still learning. that "flat 12" sure was intoxicating, then.

the boxer engine configuration is used on the Subaru and the Porsche "Boxster," yes?

so now you are framing me as a self-proclaimed "expert" when i am no such thing and never implied such a condition!

the sound of a 12 cylinder engine and a Fiero engine are quite dissimilar!

i have heard 12 cylinder engines cruising around LA in Lamborghinis and Ferraris over the years. they have a very telltale sound when passing by. how is that making me an expert? where are you getting that from, then? i am a newbie to Ferrari nomenclature and experiences. but i have heard different kinds of engines on the streets as many of us have.

i don't quite understand what you are saying. the 550M is not a cheap dinette set. or a Harley?

praises are given to those who purchase a 308 but i am condemned because i am looking for a 550, test drove one, and am weighing my options?

please explain this rationale. i don't quite understand it.

 

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please cite examples of opinions that i have that are disqualified due to lack of experience. and then explain what form of experience i would need to create a more valid opinion.

 

hahaha that's a funny commercial.

has nothing to do with anything here but is hilarious. the other ones on that site are good, too. thanks.

 

it's styling is more than likely the reason. that car's image is seldom featured over the F40 or GTO. it's image is all that most ever see or experience. and it's image is not up to par with the others. this is more than likely a large reason why it has not been as popular even though it is rarer and more valued in a collectible sense, a market sense.

it looks way better in person from the side and 3/4 rear view. i wish they would have gone all the way. it's a definite evolution over the F40 which was actually surprisingly more stale in person than in pictures. this is my opinion only.

the market for the F50 is not the same as the popularity of the F50. the market values the car much higher than it is popularly consumed in the pop media culture of car fanatics and screaming masses. the Ferrari market is not always = with popularity. i made this very clear in the thread.

take the 166 Spyder Corsa --very valuable in the market, and super rare, but is not popular whatsoever with the throngs of car fans buying merchandise. seldom to never is the 166 Corsa's image used to sell anything or brand anything or draw attention to anything. but the F40's image still is. as is the 288 GTO. that was my answer to that thread's premise.

it takes no such special qualifications to see these points. rarity in a market does not automatically make that item more popular or widely regarded. rarity can also act against something, having few ever knowing of it's existence. i have a hunch that this also works against the F50's "popularity." it's seldom exposed.

there are other examples of Ferrari styling choices being received with lukewarm attention, with popularity suffering as a consequence. would you like to know of more examples?

someday i will drive an F50. it's gotten to be quite a popular topic of conversation lately!

the opinions of the F50 as well differ from those actually owning Ferraris. i don't doubt it's a hell of a ride. i have never denied that at all. i would probably have a smile firmly stretched onto my face while driving it as i did with the 550. it's a Ferrari! but as well, i doubt most Ferrari owners with opinions have driven all Ferraris. i would wager that most Ferrari owners have never driven an F50.

at the Petersen Automotive Musesum, with multiple cars in close quarters, i was more drawn to the 550 than the F50. that is just a reflection of my own tastes and sensibilities surfacing. i admire the front-engined GT V12 Ferrari idiom the best of all for Ferrari layouts. i like other types but the front-engined GT Ferrari is my favourite setup.

the market primarily holds important the styling and rarity. those 2 factors are the pillars of the market forces. other factors may intervene, but styling and/or rarity matter most. one may be there without the other and that will affect the market. pop culture in general is not masturbating to the 1947 Spyder Corsa. but investor collectors/aficionados certainly are. why? ---> rarity.

in real estate it's location and lot size. the house itself is not as important as those 2 major pillars. the house itself could be fairly visually challenged, but it's location and lot size will more than somewhat redeem it. i own such a rental unit.

thank you. i don't hate you. and i don't hate those who hate me on this board.

i will learn more and continue to talk as long as i feel i have a strong case to make. or convey an experience. if i don't have a case, i will not post anything. my mouth is actually shut and nowhere seen on most threads and forums.

if you take an honest look, i actually don't post to many threads here. but the few i do post in go to several pages and tend to be among the most "popular."

i hope you're enjoying this one; i'm sure it will flip another page!

 

yes really.

i'm going for the car i want. not settling for less.

 

i understand that, yes. i like those cars a great deal. i will probably own one at some point. my infatuation has shifted nearly completely to the 550. it just has. it began to shift before i drove it. once i saw it at the Petersen i was like "damn. now i have to go for this one." do you know what i mean?

i see your point. but that isn't necessarily me. i'm shopping for the one that best suits my specific needs. and the timing is important. i intend to buy as anyone else has bought. i've driven one car, have seen one car. next......

yes that got cold and then is hot again. i just emailed him 2 days ago to check in. he revealed that he had to sort some things out. was busy, then i got busy. he's doing it as a favour. so i must be sensitive to his availability. i don't want to come off as bothersome or needy. but it's coming up, though. i will post about it. he has (allegedly) a lamborghini i may be able to drive that same day. pretty cool, eh? i've never driven one.

let's see how that pans out.