Ive been with the CS for a week and thought I share some of my fears I am scared to drive the CS hard, thinking something will break I am super sensitive to any noise the car generates, thinking something is about to break Every time I push the start button, I have a fear coming over me that some kind of warning light will display . Of course, this is all in my mind, being my first Ferrari and I am sure Ill overcome this soon! Now some more . It takes extra concentration to drive, almost like driving for the first time The car feels extra wide and is very sensitive to any steering inputs. I feel like a first time car owner, having silly questions in my head such as if I might damage the engine if I wash the car? I feel like someone is going to rear end me as just about BMW/Maxima driver wants to pass me at a 100 mph or tailgate me . I think these might be Lambo owners lusting after the F-car Onto the positives I have an unattached garage but strangely I find myself visiting her every night before bedtime (never did with my GTR/911 TT/Lotus). It bring me pleasure to just observe her and longing for the weekend when we can be together on the road. Its amazing how it sounds for a street car, almost like a F1 car, except with the volume turned down some. Almost rock star status anywhere I take her and of course countless thumbs ups and camera phone photos. I cant believe I waited 36 years to pull the trigger and I am just thankful to have the ability to experience the Ferrari mystic!
Based on your somewhat unusual fears you should get rid of this car ASAP. I will take if off your hands. PM me to get proper instructions. I used to be afraid that beautiful girls in their 20s would run my Ferrari off the road and rape me. I have pretty much gotten over this fear.
If you drive the car as it was intended to be driven you will experience less problems than letting it sit like a sculpture. Drive and enjoy.
i have driven my cs 10k km in the last year. hard. i have tracked it at imola, mugello, the mille miglie, and besides those weapons grade drives, i have taken it back and forth to florence, turin, and monaco - i came back to geneva from monaco in 3 hours and 15 minutes - dont try this first time out. it has been vmaxed many times. i have replaced front rotors and pads, the flat underpanel and rear diffuser, all 4 tires, and had the front bumper painted. believe me, it is not fragile. this car works. not only does it work, but it is very fast, tough, and reliable under extreme conditions and high pressure. you are fortunate enough to own one of the greatest machines ever to leave maranello. drive it. drive it a lot. and drive it hard and loud !!
I want your life! That sounds so much more interesting than two days at Firebird Raceway and a few runs around the desert in AZ...makes me feel like I'm mis-treating my CS... To the OP - you will have to get over the "fear" that stuff will break to enjoy owning the car. Stuff likely will and weird warnings will flash and repairs will happen. If you don't want to deal with that (time, money, headache and heartache), a Ferrari may not be right for you... [here is where some members post that they drive their f-car XXXXXX miles per day/week/month/year and nothing ever goes wrong and its like a Lexus in reliability and like a Kia in terms of cost of maint...all I can say is YMMV!]
LOL! Did you get over this fear when you discovered it was actually a rather pleasant thing to have happen to you, Phil? All the best, Andrew.
Very funny post and so true! Even though I am not a first time Ferrari owner, I just acquired a Stradale as well; but it's so true, I have the same fears (and joys)... Seriosuly, these cars are made to be driven hard. A friend of mine drove his Stradale for 10,000 miles (before he sold it) as hard as anyone can drive a car; on and off the track; nothing happened to his car. He routine serviced it and sold it; too much excitement and attention not good for him! Enjoy it in good health.
that's all part of the new F car syndrome...... last about 4 mths..... then you realize that they aren't really built like PsOS
I think this phobia arises from purchasing anything expensive. Due to the cost, owners feel pressure when they push it in fear of hurting it. In all actuality, these cars are more than capable of beating beat up and driven hard. I had a brand-new 2006 Mustang GT a few years back. I sold it with 75,000 miles and beat the living snot out of it (don't let the guy I sold it to know that! Ha!), and.....It had not a single problem. Don't worry! Drive!
I LOVE it when the good looking soccer moms in their minivans pull up to me, smile, and undress me with their eyes! I KNOW I bought the right car everytime that happens! Now, I wonder when one of them will actually execute on their intent! Hasnt happened yet but I can keep driving and dreaming! LOL! JL
Haha.. This is the truth!! I was terrified of driving my Fcar and always listened for noises, looked for leaks etc .. Now the only noise I like to hear is the engine at 8k+ Jr
I was the same way. I didn't want to drive it too hard so I wouldn't break it. These cars are meant to be driven. I still look at my car every night before I go to bed. It's been 2 1/2 years. That never goes away. Works of art! Just drive it!
Wow, that's a lot of irrational fears. My advice: find an autocross school near you and drive the cr@p out of it. Or at least go find an empty road and get it up to speed and slam on the brakes. Its good practice for you in case you have an emergency. And you'll realize the car is designed to exert and survive G-forces that you are never going to get anywhere close to in normal driving... or even typical vigorous driving. Oh, and get an infrared thermometer and take some readings inside the engine bay after some hard runs... and observe the holes along the windows that let the rain pour into the engine bay... the engine is designed to get wet while simultaneously handling tremendous temperature differences. Really, there's almost nothing you can do, other than running into something or operating the clutch stupidly, that is going to break your CS! Relax and have fun. HOWEVER, that last fear... that one is NOT irrational. Most sightseers are just fellow enthusiasts... wave kindly. However, some are morons who seem to be happy to risk your life and theirs in order to get a close-up picture of your car while weaving through traffic. Sometimes there's not an easy way to handle safely. Then there's the bigger morons that want to race but can barely handle the horsepower in their cars and don't have the brakes that match. Be careful out there.
You probably spent a lot of time thinking about owning a Ferrari, researched the cars, read the reviews, talked to owners, then after much consideration you pulled the trigger and bought one. Now, every time you drive it you think to yourself, "holy cow, I'm diving a Ferrari, and I OWN IT!' So, after all that anticipation and time spent doing the research your worried that evil fate will rise from Hell to spoil the dream that has become reality. Relax, the fear will pass, fate has bigger problems on its hands just check out the evening news.
LOL...yea I agree.. Having said that, when I first got my Stradale, the one thing that was a bit un-nerving was driving through a bit of gravel. Of course with a Stradale (as opposed to say a normal 360) I heard every little rock hitting the under tray. I just had to inspect the car with a flash light when I got home - thinking I would spot gravel encased on every little bit. Of course, there was nothing. No gravel.
