Popularity

The California is looked at as not a 'real' F car by many that own nothing better than a Prius. Just kidding, the Cali took a bashing when it first came out by those that had not seen it and especially not driven one. I must admit that I have not driven a Ferrari older than a 599 but I have had a ride in an F40. The Cali is every bit a Ferrari, and then some. A few of us have had ours on the track, blowing the doors off of the Porsches. Mine now has over 19,000 miles since December 2009, a true daily driver.

You should find plenty of pages on the California here talking about everything from which seating works best for your dog to hopping it up with more HP. I seem to remember a chat about switching from a MAZ as well.

You simply can not go wrong with the California. You will quickly get addicted to the sounds it makes especially the Kapow when it shifts if RPM is between 5 & 7 K.

Rick

 

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Some people can't imagine a Ferrari is a "real Ferrari" if its a 2 + 2. Unfortunately, their view and understanding of Ferrari's line up is goes back about 5 years at best. Some of the best selling vehicles of the 60's were 2 + 2's.

The Italia is sexier. That's it's purpose. The CA is more user friendly. That's it's purpose.

Sexy always wins over practical in any subject.

 

The 458 is the follow-on to the mass produced and very popular 360 and F430 and is what every teenybopper aspires to in the future. The California and the V12s are the GTs of the world for people who want a Ferrari that can be comfortably driven anywhere, any time, and still perform like the Ferraris they are. The 458 is also very livable, more so than the 360 and F430, but suffers in luggage space and other GT attributes, which it sacrifices for performance.

So, the 458 attracts more of the young crowd who post a lot and hope a lot that they will one day own one. Most of the posts in this forum are by California owners who did not have to hope when they decided they wanted a usable Ferrari that can carry kids, groceries and still kick sand in the face of some quite quick cars. They just bought it.

So except for an occasional interloper, like a 575M owner, this forum is mostly filled with mature discussion on the California by real owners. The ratio in the 458 forum is probably less than 10% owners who post.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

^^
Well said. I'd point out that the 575M interloper is a great source of knowledge.

To the OP: also check your display settings at the bottom of the thread screen. The default is to show only threads active in the last 100 days. There are many more pages of older threads with useful information.

 

Good post!

 

Well the photos do not do the California justice. In real life, when I saw one, I loved it! Gorgeous in real life in the flesh. Less expensive than the 458 Italia and great for a daily driver GT convertible hardtop Ferrari. If I could have just one car, it would be a top choice. After all, the Ferrari California costs about same as the Mercedes SL65 AMG which is not as great a car as a Ferrari! So probably will be a great deal in 2-3 years when depreciation hits the California. I do like the Ferrari 458 Italia better but if I was offered a great deal the California would be a great car to own.

 

Coming from Maser, you will NOT be disappointed! I got a ton of info from this board before I got my Cali. The information here is invaluable. If you truly plan to purchase, dedicate some time for perusal here. A Cali and the QP is an excellent stable. The seat you referred to must be the sport seats. These are the only ones which have sizes. The standard or daytonas are one size fits all. The small sport seats are really small for most.

 

One last thought on the 458 vs. California. If I were looking at my first Ferrari I would probably be wanting the 458. It's one of those 'you gotta have one' kind of cars. My first was an '07 430, bought used as a 1-year old car with 2500mi on it. I'm glad i did that. I'm glad i got it out of my system. I'm really happy with my California now. I suppose with the money and garage space i'd love to have both. I've had a tendency to cycle through cars over the last decade and while i've liked many of them........having a Ferrari....any of them....is just on an entirely new level. I will ALWAYS have a Ferrari. That's how you'll feel when you switch from a Maserati.....which is a gorgeous car BTW.

 

Pretty much perfectly sums up the California...although I still think the Cali is sexy

 

I think that's true. It's not a poster-on-your-wall dream car, more of a practical decision. The 458 buyer or aspiring owner is probably more into the performance minutiae/dream car angle, and is probably younger as Terry posted.

Grocery and kid-hauling capabilities aren't going to inspire a lot of posts.

 

I don't find a lot of substance in the "real Ferrari" discussion, but in any event the '60s Ferraris I would want today all have 2 seats.

Practical is for the moment. Glamour is forever.

 

The Ferrari California is a great car and has been given poor reviews for looking like a rich girlfriend lady's car. It has won many automobile reviews when Car and Driver compared it to the cheaper Mercedes SL63 AMG it blew it away. Also, Top Gear had a GT convertible car showdown and it won both the Aston Martin DBS and Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder in the overall competition. The Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder is faster and looks better but is not as liveable as a daily driver as the California. Me- if I was choosing between a Mercedes SL65 AMG and the Ferrari California, for same price point, the Ferrari California wins hands down.

For my first Ferrari, I still would rather buy a Ferrari 458 Italia.
For a daily driver, the Ferrari California is fantastic GT exotic. I predict its value to drop like a rock in major depreciation as its not considered a gotta have it exotic like the 458 Italia or Lambo. So maybe in 3 years when I can buy one for 100k instead of 200k, I will bite. But then again, having the 458 Italia takes the cake. If Ferrari would fix the ugly fat butt the California would like great. The rest of the car looks amazing.

 

Actually, the fat butt is my favourite part of the car. Looks muscular. It's the front I find a bit tame and ordinary.

 

Have to have someplace to put that folding hard top, which is one of the Cali's nicest features, and the high rear end is the price of entry.

Will be interesting to see if the 458 Spider has the rumored rotating top that slots in between interior and engine. Not quite as nice as the full convertible hard top on the Cali, but would be easier to maintain than a cloth top.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

I've heard another rumor that it just slides on top of the glass cover over the engine. I guess we have to wait a few months so see what it's really like.

 

In Algar Ferrari's photos of their remodeled facility, there are photos of a silver California with it's top up. It has every bit the aggressive, kick rear look of a 599, IMO. In fact, it looks pretty fantastic.

 

Actually I find my 430 to be extremely comfortable although admittedly not as elegant as a Cali or 575M.

 

The Cali seems like a wonderful car, with just one exception.
It should be available with a manual tranny IMO.

 

It is, just not apparently here in North America because they have not gotten enough seriously rabid requests for it. Keep trying. Popular numbers seem to be 9-10 produced for Europe and the UK (3) so far.

Losang- I believe the F430 is comfortable, but for a really long trip with a female and luggage....

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

Thanks for letting me know, I just knew that dealers here say its automatic only.

 

Not to get too picky here but the DCT in the California is not an automatic; its a manual transmission that has an automatic mode that you can use if you want. But it really is a manual.

 

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