Advice for a new potential owner

I was and am a Porsche owner. A Boxster track car.
I have had my 2011 Cali for 16 months. Have driven it over 11000 miles, multiple 1200 mile round trips to Florida. One issue, a bad window motor in the driver side door. Warranty covered 100%
If you want the car. Buy it, get the new Power warranty and drive it every chance you get. I’ve loved every mile.

 

32K miles on my California with no issues

 

One thing for sure, if isn’t a CPO with 1 year warranty, is at least have the inspection done as if you were purchasing the new power warranty, that way it will catch any issues that may need to be addressed. Since it is from a Ferrari dealer usually you are in good hands.always heard good things about contenintal so there is one less potential worry.

Hopefully you have seen the 2 main issues that can creep up, the DCT sensor issues and top issues, both of which are covered with the new power warranty. The only other issues I’ve heard of are engine mount failure which seems to affect several Ferrari models.

It appears that the more you drive it the more reliable it will be, and there are several with near 100k so as far as Ferrari’s go pretty darn dependable. Good luck with your purchase.

 

Welcome. As far as options, one thing I would look into MagneRide suspension, which seems to be nearly universally lauded as far as options go. There's a lot of red in the interior, so make sure that won't wear on you after a while; it is an intense color, but I think tastefully done in this car. This is a Cali 30, which has the classic good looks of the 1st gen NA Calis (in my very biased opinion) but with 30 more horses and 30 less kg, so that's a good thing.

To get an idea on price, I would go to cars.com, Autotrader, etc. and compare asking price versus Calis with similar mileage and the same year. Of course, being at an authorized dealer you should expect a premium in price. Shawn's advice on the inspection, warranty and two most common big-ticket issues are dead on. The Cali has proven to be a reliable Ferrari, but if you go in with eyes wide open about worst-case scenarios, it is best. I like to tell people, imagine a pile of cash = to the purchase price of the car going up in flames. Poof! If that doesn't make you break out in hives, and you got the dough, and the "Ferrari itch", then scratch it!

Have you driven this car, or any Cali yet? If not, do so if at all practical. But, make sure to take your checkbook with you, 'cause you're going to be hooked!

Best of luck whatever you decide.

T

 

Magneride is good


Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat

 

I would ask, what Porsche's have you had, and what is your driving style. There was a time in my life (which was not that long ago) that I would have not even considered a Calf (or a Calf T which I now own), but after owning one I have come to realize it is the perfect Ferrari for the way I will use it at this point in life. I find it to be a vey comfortable car but when pushed it really comes alive. I have driven cars with and without the suspension upgrade, (they had different types of tires and pressure settings), and on the street driving legally I felt no real difference, which was very surprising to me after all the hype. I'm sure it would be more noticeable on a track. Depending on your ownership experience and driving style, will in my opinion determine whether you like the car. You made no mention of ever driving one before and as others have said I would strongly recommend doing so. I live near Algar Ferrari and have been doing business with them for over 20 years, they had a pretty good selection of California's last time I was in there. Good luck.

 

That interior color combo is gorgeous in my opinion. Site claims <10k miles, but pics of odometer show over 12k miles. I would drive both this car and a CaliT and get a good sense of which you prefer. You can get a 2015 CaliT for sub 150k (There is one in Scottsdale <$150k sub 10k miles with LED wheel and Daytona seats), so not much further off price wise if that's a consideration. I personally prefer the T after driving them, but this Cali you posted does look very nice. You can't really go wrong either way I don't think, it's all down to preference.

 

I would second this post in the fact that I like both the Cali 30 and the California T, both the wife and I prefer the updated interior of the California T slightly more. The Cali 30 has a bit better exaust note and the only Cali 30 I have driven was equipped with the handling speciale package which I hear has a better sounding exaust. But to be honest it really came down to which car we visually liked the best since both cars were very similar. I’d expect to see more Cali T’s become more and more affordable as the months pass by. Driving the cars and really looking at them to see which you prefer visually and have the options that you want or desire may be the deciding factor. But for me either would be great and I am not sure I’d be to bummed out getting one vs the other, but then again I’m not that hard to please so long as it’s a mechanically good carwith the few options I want.

 

Have had Ferraris in the past but restarting the adventure again.

Just picked up a 2015 California T with Magneride suspension. Got two year CPO added.

For me the Cali is going to be a daily driver and I did not want a Porsche. A Ferrari just makes every drive memorable.

I think the Cali T prices are dropping with the Portofinos getting delivered. You should be able to get a low mileage Cali T in in the $130's soon.

https://www.ferrariofgreenwich.com/2015-ferrari-california-t-c-2846.htm

 

I bought mine New Years Eve and it took all 250 miles on the drive home to wipe the smile from my face. It still feels surreal. The particular car you're looking at has been on car gurus.com for 6 months at the least. I know because I bookmarked it during my research for a car. Use car gurus to search as they show how long its been for sale, accidents, if it was a rental, etc. The car I ended up buying was overpriced to me but just right for it's spec. I offered 11K under asking and they took it without rebuttal. Do yourself a favor, offer 10K under, then drop 4500 on the New Power Warranty, and drive the hell outta it!

 

You said picking your Daughters (more than one I am assuming by that) up from school. I would strongly suggest you take your daughters along with you to see one of these cars. The backset of a California is not like the back seat of a 911, it is not a seat. My smallest dog could probably not fit back there.

 

This is good advice, as the rear seats are very small, not really the seats themselves but the leg room. We discovered that only 3 members of our family could fit in one, 2 in front and one in rear behind passenger since the drivers seat needed to be so far back for the driver to comfortably drive safely. This in and of itself doesn’t deter us from a purchase but is good information to have.

 

Funny you should say that! [emoji2]

Image Unavailable, Please Login
Dog in 2011 Cali.

Image Unavailable, Please Login
Dog in 2011 911 S.

She's a 30 lb terrier. And, much prefers riding in the front seat.

In both cases, the passenger seat is set up for my wife who is 5' 8" (ca. 173 cm). So, the suggestion to test back seats is great advice IMO...T

 

Congrats! Best year and last of the NA V8!

 

Congrats. Post up some pics when you can.
T

 

Gorgeous! Classic color. Snazzy interior. Enjoy it.
T

 

Very nice, enjoy!