OK, Im new on here, been reading all the topics for some time, joined Ferrari Chat some months ago, I have aspired to one day own a Ferrari and on a few occasions been very close to buying a used 458 spider, I finally decided this year to jump in with both feet and placed a deposit on a new 488 spider, OK, It is a delivery of circa 2 years when I placed the order and accept fully that I have no history with Ferrari and cannot complain, In actual fact its just awesome knowing Ive placed the order waiting quite happily and popping into the dealership from time to time for a coffee and a chat, So, whats the problem? Theres a 458 Speciale in the showroom, considerably dearer than the 488 new build but its just stunning, I left the showroom confused,,, A lovely 488 Spider that just looks stunning but the Speciale looks another level, Is that cos I cant wait? I'm hooked? do I or do I not go for it? I currently drive a new R8 and is a great car but just not at the same level as the Ferrari badge for me so time to move on!!! Thoughts and views appreciated, 1 Marko
Nothing like a Speciale and last of the NA cars. What could be better? You can always get a 488 but not a Speciale. If Rosso Corsa with NART its simply not a point to debate
Owned a Speciale. For me it was just ok compared to Italia. Barring impending recession, prices should hold flat at just under $400k
Ferrari has a good prestige name. I thing the Audi R8 is a better drivers car. I have a 458 and a Audi R8 V10 among many other cars. My 458 has been very easy to live with i.e very reliable. I have not driven a 488. Drive the car before you commit and i would drive other cars to compare. I aalso own a Adventador but I have not driven the huracan by Lamborghini I would drive one of those to be sure how they compare. I just sold my M3 but they are a great drivers car. Happy hunting Lee
I too am waiting for my allocation for a new 488 but the thought of letting go my 458 when the time comes still casts doubt in my mind. By the time you get your allocation, there will be used 488 coupe or spiders around/below MSRP. That's not the case with the Speciale in years to come. The Speciale will be a much better investment and is arguably by many a better car than the 488. Moreover, 2 years from now, the 488 "Speciale" would have been announced and that will be a much better investment as well. The R8 v10 is not in the same space as the 458/488. It's undeniably 'German', well engineered, well built, almost perfect as a daily driver. Styling lacks visual impact and the overall package lacks drama and certainly will not be an investment overtime. The Speciale is among a handful of cars that appreciate in value overtime. That makes it truly 'special' among cars.
Once you tried the Speciale, you won't want any turbocharged anymore. Unless you are a drag race guy. But if you are really into open roof, Speciale doesn't have one (it has but price is nonsense). IMO, tried a 458 spider , Speciale, and 488 coupe. You'd have decision very soon after that.
Imo you should get the 458 speciale and enjoy it while you are waiting for the 488 spider. You may or may not want the 488 anymore if you enjoy the na speciale
I would go for the Speciale, the NA engine is amazingly unbelievable, the sound and the feeling. The 488 is a great car too of course, but for me i would take the speciale
Too be determined. It could also lose more than an R8's worth of value. It's not a LE car, they made a lot, and it's $400K. There is a lot of room to fall. There's no guarantee being the "last" of the NAs is going to work miracles for the value any time soon.
I'd buy the Speciale if you're confident it won't drop much in price and you won't drive it too much. If you drive it 10K miles, prepare to lose a lot. During the time you own it, the 488 Spiders will become plentiful and ordering new ones will take like 6 months and allocation will be easy to come by.
Personally I'd go for speciale as well. As others have said you'll always be able to pickup a 488 later, and it will be easier/less costly to do so.
Speciale. No question. Forget about price and possible future value. It's a naturally aspirated drivers car!
Speciale. How lucky is the guy whose first Ferrari might be a Speciale! Congratulations What color are you looking at? If it has a NART stripe then all the better. BTW, welcome to Ferrari chat. What part of the world do you live? Ferrari will always make faster cars, but IMHO it's very unlikely that they will ever make another car that is as exciting and beautiful as a Speciale.
Speciale will be a classic in the future, 488 will be just another Ferrari in the future. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
For the same dollars as the non limited edition Speciale, I have bought the 16M. In fact I traded my Speciale for one. The 16M is a more raw, visceral driving experience and has the huge added benefit of being a truly limited edition Ferrari. My quick response above of "Scud," saves you almost half the investment and gets you the same driving experience sans toplessness. You can also drive that car without feeling your investment slide through your fingers due to mileage. It might sound awful to say, but comparatively, the 488 is a GT car versus the Scud/16M. It's just a really, really fast GT car, lol. Nothing said before is wrong. The Speciale is more special and rare than will be a 488; however, take it to the next level, at the same price point would be my recommendation.
Speciale owner with a 488 Spider on order. Happily for me, the Speciale will stay when the 488 arrives all being well. The Speciale is everything that people say it is; razor sharp, knife-edged, an extension of your thoughts, wonderful engine with tremendous n/a power and torque. It drives brilliantly, better than CS or Scud in my view (and presumably Ferrari's or they wouldn't have signed it off for production). But....things do depend on what you want to own. A 488 Spider also drives brilliantly. It is a little more usable, not really as a dd but even as a weekend warrior. It is blisteringly fast, the kind of speed where your concentration levels need to be at ABSOLUTE maximum if you squeeze the pedal hard. The talk of raw this, raw that, is only really a few percentage points over the concentration thing. If you want the ultimate buzz, the Speciale is at 100%. The spider gets to 90% or 95% of that though, and with an open roof and more civilised gait. For some the extra 5 or 10% is everything. Perhaps that's you, perhaps not. So, it perhaps comes down to money. I wouldn't be buying an over MSRP Speciale as an investment unless you will keep it a long time and won't feel worse about your purchase in 2 years if it is trading at well below MSRP and you want out. With a new car, you also get to choose it yourself. A little piece of Ferrari history gets written the way you want it, and that's a nice feeling. You can't lose in this choice. I'm from the UK and early 488 spiders won't lose too much for a few years. 458 Spiders didn't and they were 'used' by around 2012 - not exactly wonderful in the UK economy then, so even if things go south a bit I would expect the same. If that's different where you are it might change things towards Speciale. In the end then, drive both, work out what you want and probably don't worry too much about the money. It's your first Ferrari - make sure you heighten the pleasure by buying what you want, not what will please others (unless it's your wife of course... )
Since you have time between your Spider; I would consider getting into a Speciale. It is an amazing car. It's almost not fair to compare how the car is compared to the Italia. I had both the Speciale and 488 Spider to choose the 'right' one. I have to say the Spider won for me purely because of the open top and off throttle exhaust noise. What I miss is the open glass to the engine; just amazing, all the carbon everywhere, the interior appear more extreme...it was nice to get the glove box back.
Wow, thanks guys, you really have messed my head in,,,It seems my head is saying one thing and my heart the other,,,,Your right, I need to test drive the Speciale, Ill make plans to do so this weekend,,I shall let you know how I get on,,,Im from Manchester UK, Theres quite some available in the UK but my local dealer have one in stock that just makes me smile when I sit in it,,,,I really do not think I could of specked it any better,The big sway could be my wife, she doesnt want the sider option!!!! enough said,,,Catch up sometime soon and thank you all for the welcome and advice,,,,Marko