How to properly enjoy a Ferrari?

Buy one to invest and take it to shows and buy one to drive the hell out of it.

 

I wish to associate my thoughts with the comments made by Todd308TR and Sherpa23. To me that's what its about. Sure the financial side is important for everyone, but if its the paramount factor, I don't think you ever will enjoy one of these cars.

 

For me, a recent joiner to the owner's fold, it is about the passion these inanimate objects incite. It would seem odd to me if I wasn't in the middle of the experience: I'm passionate about driving, maintaining, ogling, or taking pride in ownership. All are valid reasons to having pursued what amounts to a somewhat irrational notion of ownership based on passion. But getting behind the wheel and getting out on the road brings the most passionate response and is what ultimately makes ownership fulfilling for me.

As to the Ferrari (or Ferrari's) of choice: the one(s) that move the meters the furthest on the scale(s) most important to you.

There are lot's of cars you can own but there is only one Ferrari. Perhaps a trite statement, but the choice of which one or ones is up to you based on your priorities and capabilities.

 

If Ferrari cars weren't so well knowen to break down all the time, and repairs were less expensive then higher milage wouldn't matter.

People dont think twice about buying a 5 year old BMW with 100k on the clock, but a 30 year old Ferrari with 40k on the clock is high milage, better run away. It makes no sense too me at all.

Buy it and drive it. Enjoy it, that is what they are for.

 

Thank you! - that's exactly My point.

Enzo Ferrari never made his cars to just to look pretty and go nowhere, they were made to be driven.

The fact of the matter is, people who bought his cars to pose in, or worse still, use as an investment only were looked on with disdain by him.

I suspect he would shake his head with disappointment if he knew how many cars do not get driven as owners are too scared of reducing the cars value. It just wouldn't make any sense to him!


If you could have asked Enzo Ferrari what was the proper way to enjoy a Ferrari then he would have replied: "To enjoy My cars properly you need to drive them, but to enjoy them fully you need to race them!"

 

No, I never used the word enjoyment.....Obvisously you get more enjoyment driving a car.

My point was most people choose to stick to the paradigm, and not suffer the mileage penalty, and a few chants of "drive it" won't change that. Right or wrong, that is the exotic market.

The exception will be if the car is 40 years old and really rare.....THOSE are the caes where mileage doesn't matter.

 

It's simply people not wanting to poney up the money to fix a ferrai that needs work. Most don't want the financial hardship. They want the car, but not the expense to keep it nice.

Older million dollar cars, who cares? Those folks have the bucks to fix them and enjoy them. That's why milage doesn't matter on those machines. Besides, they have been rebuilt numerous times by now, so the number on the clock means nothing.

 

All true.

 

Enzo made his road cars to be sold.
His distain for the end user is legendary.

Unless they were willing to race. Race for the glory of Ferrari.

 

That glory unfortunately no longer exists in reality. Even Ferrari as a company is changing drastically. More a luxury brand then anything to do with it's long past racing history.

 

Once privateer racers got favored consideration. These days teenage pop stars go to the head if the line.

Adapt or die I guess.

 

enjoying a F car is sharing them with your family and seeing their appreciation of what they represent especially if there is more than one to enjoy and compare how they evolved. Great to have pics of offspring still in diapers standing behind the wheel ( "driving" ), then have them take the same cars out years later for a spin and have their kids stand behind the wheel and "drive". Three generations of smiles from growing with the same car represents a lot of joy

 

You can do that with any car. I have pictures of me in diapers behined the wheel of a VW rabbit diesel..still want to find that car.

 

Yes.

 

i have a picture of me in diapers behind the wheel of a ferrari.
my wife took it yesterday

 

I love to read as you goof balls wax poetic over Ferrari. Enzo built cars for a living. What he loved was money.

 

Different people buy Ferraris for very different reasons. In fact, I have concluded that they are buying very different things. Some are buying a piece of art, a collectible, that is to be admired and curated. Those buyers buy a Ferrari rather than a painting, a watch, or other finely crafted item to collect, currate, and admire. Others buy a Ferrari as one of the ultimate examples of a piece of exquisite driving equipment. What they have bought must be driven to appreciated and enjoyed. Both sets of buyers have the right to buy what they have purchased, and I think both enjoy their Ferrari, just in very different ways. Thinking that each should get enjoyment out of what they have bought in the same way is like saying that a person going to an opera should enjoy it in the same way as a person who collects ancient Chinese pottery.

I bought my Ferraris because there is no other car I enjoy driving as much. I have no problem with those who buy a Ferrari as something to be curated. However, what they are buying is much less rare than what I have bought. There are many more pieces of collectible art worthy of curating than there are cars worthy of driving. I will pay the price of depreciation to enjoy what I have bought.

 

But it's not a *penalty*. It is the cost of having the experience. If that cost is not worth it to you, then why own one? I feel lucky every time I can take my car for a drive that the experience I'm getting is worth so much more to me than the cost of depreciation I'm incurring. I've never figured out what that cost is, because I don't care. That's the whole point. If the car depreciates to zero during my ownership, I will cherish the experience I had and have no regrets.

I can understand and appreciate the people who collect works of art, but to me buying a Ferrari and not driving it is like buying a Picasso and not hanging it on the wall to be seen.

 

Sorry but you're wrong! - What he loved was racing!

He built road cars purely to make money to go racing - That's a matter of historical record.

(From: MODERN TIMES | Motor Sport Magazine Archive ):

"....Enzo Ferrari always said he only built road cars to help finance his lust for Grand Prix glory...."

 

Agreed; this year is 55 years of ownership of the blue beast. Of course, it does not have an odometer, so we can just lie about the mileage if and when it is for sale!
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Oh.....I guess Enzo did not love money at all.

 

That was in the early days of Ferrari. Later on he was quite involved in the road car design and production. Yes Enzo for sure liked the money the production cars brought in.

 

Ah so what....we all like and need money...what great shots of the gentleman owning the blue race car...smiles all around.

 

Everyone has already said that the way to enjoy a Ferrari is to drive it.

But I'll add that there's another joy in popping the engine cover and giving a spiel to the admirers who will come up to you in parking lots.


But it's still best when driven.


As for changing cars, I've had my 328 for 15 years now.
I didn't think I'd ever want anything newer.
But, as I get older, and having experienced a Getrag twin clutch in my EVO, I think I might consider one of the newer ones when it gets too hard to climb out of the 328.

 

And I'm sort of on the flip side... long-time (25 years+) fan of Ferrari (since I was a little kid). Also a fan of Porsche, and cars generally, but particularly Ferrari. Started with the 3x8 series and F40, and had a preference for the mid engine cars and looks.

I'm still a fan of Ferrari, but bought a 911 instead and couldn't be happier. Literally was cross shopping 911s and 360s /F430s. It came down to what I really want out of a car now, and that is road feel, connectedness, performance, looks and... some semblance of practicality.

If money was no object, I'd buy a 360CS in a heartbeat as that stirs me more than anything else right now. But I would know that it would rarely get used, and I'm not looking at car purchases for investments at this point in my life...

So, for me at least, my general preference evolved and changed a bit, though I would still love to own a 3x8 series car, and I opted for a different brand entirely. In fact, when I think of my next car purchase, the 911 fits the sports car bill for me so well that it might be a v12 Ferrari that calls -- something a bit more GT-ish.

I would still choose an F40 above all else, but I'm not to deny myself from enjoying other fantastic cars on the journey there. That said, I didn't buy the 911 with an eye to flip or sell it, and anticipate keeping this car (as I have with my past cars).