Hello All, This is my first post. I'm seriously looking for a car to take to the tracks in the North East just to compete against my own times. Then maybe with others when I feel comfortable. I have always been fond of the Ferrari automobile and its rich history. I'm looking to purchase a used car that is good on the track and fun to drive in rallies and local gatherings. I plan on signing up for the Sports Car Driving Association events this year. Any input would be helpful as to a good used Ferrari model/year that would fit my bill. Thanks, George
My first track day instructor said: "Never track anything you can't walk away from if you stuff it." This means different things to different people depending on their financial situation. In my financial situation, it excludes all Ferrari products that one would consider using on a racetrack. A used Lotus Elise or a used Porsche Cayman S are both fast enough to have some fun, but not so expensive as to "break the bank". In other words, what is your budget?
Get yourself a good 308GT4 if you want sound, handleing and a prancing horse on the front. Entry cost will be low and you can spend a reasonable amount for a season of racing.
i used a 348 spider in northeast tracks for 5 yrs and was great. manual steering and abs is a good combo with enough hp to move along but not too much. 355 coupe probably better but i liked the open top and lower costs with mine
If the car is to be track only, and not a mostly street driven car, I would skip the Ferrari's and get a less expensive dedicated track machine like a Caterham or Ariel Atom. Light, fast, upgradable, easy to work on, easy to transport, etc.
honda s2000 lotus elise/exige porsche boxster/cayman corvette z06 nissan 350z etc Buy one of those for the track, and a Ferrari for the street. Ferraris are wonderful, but superior track cars they are not, unless you have a fat wallet. I think you will have more enjoyment if you buy a cheap track car and have a weekend-driver Ferrari. The more and more I drive on the track, the cheaper car I want for that purpose.
I made the big mistake of thinking that a F430 would make for a decent occasional track car: http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=225357 -- I wouldn't make the same mistake again and advise others against it too unless they're very confident in their dealer's willingness to back them up. Or wealthy enough not to care. If you want something faster than the default lot of exige/cayman/etc, then consider either a GT3 or a Lotus 2-11. Both are great cars are pretty fast with reasonable running costs. If it has to be Italian, I'd recommend a Gallardo.
I'm very impressed. My first post and received so many excellent points on my situation. I don't have a fat wallet and would race on a tight budget. You guys got me thinking. Thanks for the information. I may wind up racing the miata race cars to see if I like it first and also try and find a used Ferrari that is both good on the track ( just playing around to beat my previous lap times) and is also street legal and enjoyable to use as a weekend cruiser.
webster132, That is some story. I would be pissed if that happened to me. I may just take your advise. George
Just as a for instance: My F355B has been to the track more than 40 times (days) and has almost 5,000 track miles along with 57K total miles on the clock and about 20 minutes total time over redline. {manual tranny} Overall, it costs me $1,500 per track weekend with the car. This includes track fees, food, lodging, gas, oil, tranny fluid, tires, brake fluid, pads, rotors, a couple of DMC rebuilds and a couple of wheel bearings, and a major service. If this kind of cost structure is not in you wallet-size, then do not consider a F355 or F348 as a track car. If it fits, the prepair to have lots of fun.
as webster said, be careful with voided warrantees due to track use. i would recommend towing car from track to nearby shopping center parking lot and THEN calling ferrari. 'i just went to store for some milk and this is what happened when i came out...'
In contrast to Webster, I've put around 1K track miles on my 430 with no issues other than brake pads and soon rotors. Mine is a stick with steel brakes however. Nevertheless, it is not my primary track car for two reasons: 1. an accident would be very expensive, so I don't drive it as hard as I do "lesser" cars and 2. even a club track event day runs into serious money with brakes and tires. Currently I'm using a Porsche Cayman S that I bought used. A previous car I had good luck with was a 2004 STI. I put a lot of track miles on it with zero issues. A number of guys I track with use C5 and C6 vettes. Lots of bang for the buck there and they seem up to the task without failures. It's a great time to buy a track/driver car. There are so many great choices. Dave
+1 I don't want to risk a conviction for 10K. Dave PS: I asked my dealer about warranty work if a car suffered a track day problem and was told they generally did not deny claims. I suppose it depends on the amount and what for. Might also depend on friendly your dealer is. Obviously wear items are never included.
Thats an excellent choice , a friend of mine who owns severl Ferraris raced Miatas and had a great time and polished his skills too. SCCA has an all Miata class and you will have a blast and learn a lot. The competition is very tight. btw a brake rotor for a Miata costs $10. Rotors for my F40 are $1,000 EACH
obviously would never recommend fraud. what i was referring to is that if you were simply a spectator at a track event and you suffered a breakdown while parked, the dealer might misconstrue situation, so to avoid that i would simply take car out of parking lot before calling. for all the fchat lawyers, i say this. if you are purchasing a car that may be tracked, request the dealership void all warrantees prior to delivery and voluntarily pay for all repairs regardless of how they occurred.
Chris Rea swears that the GT4 is the best track car he as ever driven plus he is very competitive in it.
I've seen some nice GT4 racers but you are still stuck w buying expensive and increasingly rare F engine parts and not going terribly fast for your trouble A Porsche 914 is probably a bit faster & a lot cheaper
Probably true, but some folks want to track and/or race a Ferrari, in which case a GT4 makes some sense- (relatively) cheap and easy to run, albeit slow. The real hassle with a GT4 is oil surge- you need to factor in the cost of at least a properly baffled sump or, preferably, a dry-sump conversion.