"Collectors are our worst kind of customer" and more Amedeo Felisa quotes

Maserati is building one which I believe is scheduled for 2015. Based on the Alfa 4c I believe

 

Look at the "new" 3x8 water pumps as a GREAT example. And they too CANNOT be repaired.

 

First thing that comes to mind is the Toyota 86 GT/Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S on a much different scale. Alfa/Maserati/Ferrari developing more of a sports car than an exotic...

I say that because that's what came to mind when I saw this:

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/scoop/new-ferrari-california-could-receive-turbo-power

 

I can't disagree. Ferraris have a reputation as garage art, and that isn't an asset to the company. I don't know of any other marque where there is such a glut of recent used models (F430, 599, etc.) that have basically no miles on them. I don't know if they "need" to be driven, but the fact that they rarely are distorts the depreciation curve based on mileage. From a financial perspective, you really don't want to be the one who puts that 10,000th mile on your 458.

I'd say anyone collecting the new stuff might as well be collecting dairy products for posterity.

This isn't just Ferrari. Mercedes has been doing Total Unit Replacement for years, for example on the instrument cluster on my ex-'98 SLK where the fuel gauge failed. They brought in a new $1000 gauge cluster from Germany. And Merc has what is probably the best spares network in the automotive world.

I would amend the original quote from "Collectors are our worst kind of customer" to "Our cars are the worst kind of collectibles."

 

My point is that I'm NOT a computer engineer. I'm a doctor Jim. A Doctor. But.. but.. In paying attention to those physics and math classes in college, I actually learned something. I taught myself to code and could build a digital output generator if needed for the electronic parts. It can be done, and the technology can be updated. And yes you can rebuild something that is designed for single use, worn metal.. build it up with electro deposition if needed... if that part for what ever reason can be superceded by another. It's not rocket science... it's applied science.

A 308 running 100 years from now... just as my 360 will be. Interesting you should mention the WUR.. I probably have a similar one in my 928 that is no longer available. I'm rebuilding the spare that I have.. since they no longer build them. It's usually the fuses or transistor that goes, if it's an IC in the unit then you have to substitute. It can be done.. because it's not analog you guys assume that it can't be rebuilt or retrofitted with a modern system. BTW.. while you're there.. can you as them if the quality issue with my dishwasher is because of the American assembly, or the engineering behind it?

You are right.. we'll see. Oh yes, and that also assumes that these cars won't be legislated off the road.

Because they want you to replace the part outright doesn't mean the old part can't be repaired.

 

Changing to the original topic. If ferrari wants to sell its cars to drivers not speculators or collectors or poseurs, then it should do so. Since Ferrari spent over a decade alienating anyone who actualy wanted to drive their cars. Ferrari on its own did this, by only selling to speculators and people who would resell at a premium to the dealer every six months, by not selling to someone who actualy wanted to buy and use the car, by having no stickshift so nimrods would drive them, by having only cermaic brakes so anyone actualy using the car hard had to have 16k jingling about, and a hundred other reasons why ferrari seriously alienated serious drivers.

Ferraris today are both masterpieces of automoive art and performance, as well as beeing cartoonish pastiches of their former selves, designed to perform, while being jewlerly like a rolex for the arrivistas. So ferrari serves both crowds, fashionista poseurs and in theory drivers, only they forgot about the drivers.

 

I understand that some people own many cars at the same time and therefore have limited use of their Ferraris. But when the vast majority of Ferraris have very low mileage over the years, it means that most people are not using them, are not driving them, are not enjoying them as they should. Cars are meant to be driven. Keeping them to lower a depreciation rate (or because it would be too expensive to maintain) is wrong, it distorts the marketplace.

He's right. Too many collectors (compared to total sales) are the worst kind of customers for a brand.

My recently-sold Maserati Quattroporte had been my daily driver for a few years. Will look in the next months for a recent 612 CPO, to be my daily driver too (not a garage queen).

Life is too short, I want to enjoy what I have...

 

What drives me crazy is that Ferrari does not make their money by people driving their cars everyday. If they want that, then they should increase production, lose their exclusivity, and get that new buyer that will drive their cars. I can't think of a single "special" car that is driven everyday. If you see something too much, than the normalcy will kill the magical idea of the marque.

In the mean time, they should stop putting a ferrari horse on everything that they can possibly comarket.....shirts, shoes, jackets, ipod covers, ipod speakers....bla bla bla

Obviously people buy these things because of the special collectable cars.....Any body have any Ford ipod earbuds or wallet they want to sell?