Why so much Cali hate?

Sad to say, but it might have actually been a better car than those real maserati bi-turbos of the day...

 

That is probably true.

 

I thought the four cylinder was a K-car engine with a cosworth head and trident valve cover and the v-6 was a Mitsubishi engine with a few tridents bolted on?

 

"To those who wondered if it were a "real" Maserati, I always just flipped open the glove compartment door to show its brown & gold Maserati factory sticker, same as in the Biturbos."

Go figure.

 

I guess I have to trust the sticker!

 

about depreciation and luxury appliances and so forth. But none of that negates the fact that for DRIVERS who want to drive their Ferrari every day like I do my Mondial, the Cali is the best car money can buy. Not, In the top ten. Not, Wonderful driver for empty Alpine roads. Not, Fun but totally impractical. Not, A gorgeous antique, but too rare and valuable to drive on public roads. No, none of that, simply The BEST! No, not perfect. Gentlemen, perfect does not exist. The Ferrari California does, and is coming soon to showroom near you.

But, hey, garage art is important. I understand.

 

A number of very wise F-Chatters have forecast the depreciation value of the California in 4 or 5 years. Other equally esteemed Fchatters have predicted that the California will be available at a discount on the second hand market within a few months after US deliveries commence.

Since you folks are so smart, can you state some predictions for the DOW in 3 months, 6 months or next year?

Your input is greatly appreciated!

 

After reviewing all the comments: I have come up with the "top 10 California Whiners List" so we can put this thread to it's final resting place. Here you go:

10) Its a daily driver with its dual clutch gearbox
9) Ferrari just isn't the same since 1972
8) It's going to depreciate
7) It's has a worse power-to-weight ratio than an F430
6) It's going to increase overall production
5) It has (oh the shame!) a cupholder
4) Girls will buy it
3) It's really a Maserati
2) It has an ugly butt
1) I just like to whine about anything new

There. It's all been said. Can we move on?

 

LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL ..................VERY GOOD!!!

 

Sssshhhhhh... Reality scares them.

...Talk-up the fine silk robes.

 

What's practical about a car that requires a trunk bulkhead pass-through to accommodate one set of golf clubs?

 

They're in it for the keyfob.

Ever wonder why late model Ferrari spare keys are so expensive? It's another logo licensing opportunity.

Except, an M5 cab is such a better choice at a third the price.

 

Pepto Pink isn't its best side, but at least it's a timeless Pininfarina beauty.

 

Actually, you've completely missed the largest point: It's a cheap fungible commodity, it is not artisanal.

Toyota could do it at less than half the price, if their marketing a-holes could convince anyone to be desperate enough to buy a $125k Toyota.

Toyota could never do a BB, or even a 355 or 550; not in a million years.

FFS... Honda did a much better 348 and the earth is still shaking in Maranello.

 

Lets see.

Daily Drivers

275 GTB 65K miles
308 GTB 85K miles
TR 155K miles
Maser Coupe 20K miles
Alfa 8C just geting started.

All of the above in the rain, sleet, snow, bumper to bumper on the West Side Highway, the Cross Bronx Expressway, and thousands of track miles.

Sunday Ferrari Drivers including thousands of track miles, various Historic Events and through rush hour European traffic.

166 SC
208 GTB Turbo
330 P 3/4
412 P
Dino Competizione
P 4/5 (Also in the snow)

You say "that for DRIVERS who want to drive their Ferrari every day like I do my Mondial, the Cali is the best car money can buy."

I say it's too ugly for me and if I wasn't very happy with my 8C would be getting a 16M for my next daily which is a much better and better looking car than the Cali or wait for the 470 which I believe will be even better and better looking than the 16M.

Thanks for playing.

 

Number 9 and number 1.

 

That's all swell, but misses the point. I didn't say that you couldn't use an F40 (my pick if I had your level of stable) as a daily driver. If I had the dough, I probably would try one on for size.

But I don't think in the end that I would enjoy an F40 day-in and day-out as much as I would enjoy a Cali. It has trunk space. It is front engined. It has rear seats. It has a convertible top that disappears. (Watch that last one: I mean that it has a convertible top that disappears when it's up - you think you're driving a coupe.)

Would I rather have an 8C? Maybe, probably, yes, except no clutch pedal. That's a problem, a big expensive problem. Plus it is less likely that 8cs will ever depreciate enough for me to afford one. Oh well. I'll cry myself to sleep after parking my heavily depreciated California.

 

Your statement: "except no clutch pedal. That's a problem, a big expensive problem." is silly. I've never had any mechanical issue with the paddle gearboxes in any of my cars. On the track paddle shifters are faster and the odds of the California's folding hardtop becoming a maintence/money issue down the line are IMO a much larger concern than a paddle shifter's maintenance costs.

 

LOL! If I bought an 8c, the first thing that would happen is that I would yank the slushbox and install a real transmission - a manual transmission with a foot operated clutch. If the 8c comes with a DSG, I might, instead, engineer a clutch pedal to operate the clutches manually, (the computer would still have to be involved of course).

Either way, we are talking about a very expensive project. The "problem" is that I can't stand to drive a car that doesn't have the third pedal. Silly? Perhaps, but I yam what I yam.

 

Isn't the 8C a much more expensive limited production car with carbon fiber panels? It's also a hardtop. (Soft-top convertible verion coming soon?)

Given these differences, the Cali is a pretty good deal- 3.9sec 0-62mph with a nice flat crank sound. I would love to see lap times at Fiorano between the two cars- the soft GT vs hard edged racer.

The concern about how folding aluminum panels with very tight tolerances will stand up over time is a valid one. The Cali has undergone a fair amount of testing where potential problems can be identified and sorted out. The folding hardtop mechanism is probably adapted from the Merc SL which seems to be a pretty reliable system, though.

But there is always warranty coverage!

I thought the real objection about this car is that some don't think she is beautiful.

 

OK my prediction the Dow will be at 6000 in 12 months

 

At the current rate of DOW free fall, 12 months might be optimistic...! I hope you are wrong... Regardless, even if the Dow rises like a Phoenix, we will still have the depreciation curve of a Cali to remind us of what could have been.

 

Number 8

 

#4 - should say, "marketed to girls"