Help on Cali Purchase, first Fcar

Hello!!

New to California (literally, not just the car) and new to Fchat, have owned a bunch of cars but never felt ready for an Fcar (despite several cars costing the same of more than Cali's I am shopping for), have mostly decided on a first Gen Cali such as 2011 or 2012 maybe getting an updated 2013, one shown specifically below I plan to call on this week and arrange a PPI at local dealer, would love thoughts and feedback from Cali owners and other Fchat, if anyone is in the Bay Area and could see the car in person to help verify condition etc? Would be very appreciative, buy lunch/dinner somewhere nice for the fchat member and a guest/spouse??

Basically I am looking for any interior but black, and (oddly I know) any exterior besides red or yellow. Living in SoCal now and plan on having top down a lot! Will be driving the car so looking for best overall ownership cost for 1-2 years (max I ever owned a car, out of over 40 prior) Anyone familiar with dealer? Seem to have good inventory. Really like the CF wheel and diamond rims, anything else is bonus, like the CF seats, does seem rare, is that good or bad in your opinions? I like the comfort of the regular base Cali power seats, curious how these are.

https://sanfranciscosportscars.com/vehicles/794/2011-ferrari-california

 

I would suggest you take a ride in those seats, in my experience those type of seats tend to not be comfortable for very long. The larger you are the less comfortable they tend to be. If it were me I, and I was buying my first Ferrari, I would stick to a Ferrari dealer, and if possible buy a car that they serviced. Color and options are a personal matter so I will not comment on that, but ownership of these cars can either be an amazing experience or a annoying and costly one. good luck.

 

Morrie gives good advice. Buying from an authorized Ferrari dealer makes sense especially if you are interested in purchasing a California with a Ferrari backed warranty. All CPO Ferrari's now come with 2 years of Power Coverage. I will say though San Francisco Motorsports and specifically Brad Goldstone has a really good reputation. If you are not interested in any type of warranty should definitely pursue the Cali for sale there. Good luck!

 

As far as I know there is no Ferrari CPO 2 year warranty. You can purchase a power warranty for a year (now 2 years for 2015 and newer).

 

All Certified Preowned Ferrari's sold by an authorized Ferrari now come with a Ferrari 2 year Power Approved warranty.

 

Weak points to check into: 1) Motor mounts fail. 2) Improperly located speed sensor wiring in DCT gets chafed through and causes expensive repair. 3) May 2012 recall and replacement of some engines.

Race seats are a rare $7100 option. They came in three sizes. Does your butt fit?

 

Always buy the California with Ferrari 1 or 2 years garantee.
Before buying a car at a non Ferrari dealer ,have the car checked at a Ferrari dealer BEFORE buying it.
DCT problems and roof repairs are very expensive.Car is accident free ?
This car has no Scuderia shields,the racing seats are only manual adjustable,also no front parking sensors.
This car also has a rear parking camera ( not on option list),see small hole in the middle of rear bumper.
Also are Original Ctek(ferrari) battery charger +adapter cable and Red parking cover + 2 red keys inclusive +service book stamped and car history known ?
All service done by Ferrari dealer ?
Free maintenance through 6/24/18 already finished.

 

I’ve owned two Cali’s, 2010 and 2012. I love the first gen cars. Naturally aspirated is awesome. My two cents:

• Buy from an authorized Ferrari dealer
• Get the 2 year Warranty
• Buy a car with less than 8000 miles
• Engine and transmission is bulletproof
• Possible costly issues, engine mounts, DCT and top mechanism

Good luck. You’ll love the car.

 

Makes sense, seats look great and if not power or reasonably comfortable would defeat part of why I am shopping for a Cali, in fact was also considering an R8 (14-15 MY) as another option for that reason

 

Did not realize the CPO was 2 yr power, that is the longest I have ever owned a car so very appealing. That said my local dealer has higher mileage with unfavorable colors for my preference, so if a good of brand dealer like SF motorsports has the actual spec I want at $10k+ less cost I am comfortable with everything except DCT issue.

From other threads seems like I can check if this has been addressed yet & factor that in?

 

Much appreciated, also looking for the NA driving experience and feel like an Fcar, first gene hardtop convertible for under $100k is just an a massive bang for the buck, my last Aston Rapide (for when my kiddo was <2 yr old) cost more and as much as that car holds a special memory hard to believe these Cali’s are in these ranges.

Have noticed on a couple carfax rhe engines mounts, was wondering if that was a common issues.

 

I don’t have much junk in the trunk, and from what I read on fchat so far the DCT is the main concern (second being gremlim roof issues) that I have leaning toward warranty.

Most cars I have owned were just out of warranty (Bentley, Aston, AMG, Porsche, M, etc) but a $30k DCT would really piss me off lol..... guys walks into a dealer, buys a Ferrari for 99k, abruptly spends about about 1/3 the cost in repairs plus downtime, would be pissed!

Also the ceramic discs, common noise or replacement issues or strong history of life and low noise if driven often/spirited?

 

Plan to go chat with local dealer about their inventory, they have 2 extremes, one super low mileage car and one almost 30k, Ferrari westlake in SoCal if anyone down this way has dealt with them?

So pay up for less miles, or save $ and keep racking miles up? I will drive whatever I get on weekends and sometimes during the week when I just can’t wait for weekend!

Another reason a second gen R8 spyder is second option (though far less soul etc), seems worry free for most part and very usable.

 

While the DCT issue is the major concern I don’t know that it’s as wide spread a problem as we think it is based solely on post we see here since a small majority of owners are members here. Another thing to consider is the DCT can now be repaired at Ferrari assuming they have a tech trained to do the repair for about a third of the cost of replacement.

As far as the CCB there was a user who had nearly 100k on his California that had to replace the rotors due to cracks presumably caused by road debris hitting them but still had life left in them. If I recall the pads had been replaced once before and the owner didn’t track the car. So while an expensive repair to do all pads and rotors it certainly appears they have a very good lifespan in regular driving conditions.

As far as the engine mount, and the transmission mount, the California is far from the only Ferrari to suffer from premature failure of the engine mounts. There are a few things to watch for and they should be checked during annual maintainance. If I understood correctly the engine mounts aren’t that large of a repair and not very costly if caught before other components are damaged.

Overall compared to maintainance issues compared to the previous generation Ferrari’s all models 2010 and up should have quite a bit less maintainance issues, but whatnissues you will have still carry the “Ferrari tax”.

 

Take your time and buy the right one. I looked for 6 months before finding the right one. And just because it's a CPO doesn't mean they caught all the issues. Have them raise it on a lift, pull the aero panels and check the engine and transmission for leaks, etc.

I suggest spending some more to find a Cali30 as they are lighter, more powerful, sound better stock, and have most of the early issues worked out.

 

Definitely a Cal 30 if it fits your budget-ideally with the Handling Speciale option.

 

Ok, so comparing between the original post of the 2011 and this 2013 Cali30 at Ferrari dealer in Frisco (their site has it for $7k more ha!) Seems like a good all around package, and Autotrader says it has Service covered to 9/30/20 and would come with 2 year New Power if I am seeing things correctly?

That seems like the best overall deal, with the silver 2011 (assuming the feel of the seats is good etc) being my second favorite option. I am talking to local dealer tomorrow to see if they have tech to fix DCT if needed, and since in SoCal pretty confident someone down here should be able to. All said the warranty is ideal but not afraid of owning without all things considered. I mean... $33k more for a Cali30, as I type this not as sure already, Thoughts? Do like the color combo better.

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=504342780&zip=91320&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fsearchresults.xhtml%3Fzip%3D91320%26minPrice%3D35000%26startYear%3D2000%26maxMileage%3D45000%26sortBy%3DderivedpriceASC%26vehicleStyleCodes%3DCONVERT%26incremental%3Dall%26firstRecord%3D75%26marketExtension%3Don%26endYear%3D2015%26makeCodeList%3DFER%252CLAM%26searchRadius%3D500&minPrice=35000&startYear=2000&numRecords=25&vehicleStyleCodes=CONVERT&firstRecord=75&endYear=2015&makeCodeList=FER%2CLAM&searchRadius=500&makeCode1=FER&modelCode1=FERCALIF&clickType=listing

The itch is growing and to Fireman's post, if it takes some waiting it will be worth it, getting harder to shop with the extra daylight now and temps warming bit by bit in SoCal! Still haven't ruled out an R8 Spyder 2014-2015 (I know kind of apples and oranges) both fit my driving style

 

Stop using Autotrader and checkout cargurus, you can filter out cars used a rentals, cars with carfax history, etc. And I test drove a R8 next to my Cali30 for grins and the transmission was absolute trash, it's not even close. Just take your time and weigh all the options on the Cali. In F world it's usually best to buy the last year of something for resale values and reliability. The 2014 Cali30 was the last N/A V8 engine next to the 458's.

 

I would really suggest taking a drive in the car with the sport buckets. I am not a big guy (5'8" 152lbs), but I am not young either and those seats did not help my back after a 15 minute cruise. I would agree unless you plan on turning the R8 into a RWD car (then it can be fun), it is about as boring as watching grass grow. Just an FYI I got a recall notice in the mail for airbags, (lists a lot of models including CA) yesterday. Though unless I read it wrong only applies to passenger side. If that matters to you, I suggest you ask the dealers if the recall was done.

 

In Europa the price of the California T from 2014/2015 is only 10 to 15k more than the Cali 30 from 2013.
The Cali T is a much much powerful car than the cali 30.
pls think of paying a little more and also having free maintenance unitl 2021/ 2022.
I see a Cali T for $ 12.700 more than the Cali 30 and only 12400 miles on it at Ferrari San Francisco incl 2 year approved warranty.

 

Yeah I am 5'11 168, on the relatively younger side (mid 30's) and am definitely concerned about the seats being to "race/harsh" ie: my Aston Vantage roadster was a rough ride for a GT car and did bug me, large part of CA is the relative comfort, I do enjoy the regular seats with no complaints (at least on test drive and rental prior), guess the idea of a color combo I like under $100k (and I do like how the CF seat backs look naturally) drew me in, especially when another Fchat member said they could vouch for that dealer, in the end so many car options in the $85-125k range these days!

 

You are ignoring the good reasons why a low mileage newer CaliT is only slightly more expensive than the older Cali30.

At city speeds, you are not actually getting an advantage from the turbocharger unless you are risking a speeding ticket and most people cannot drive these cars at 190+ mph where extra HP actually makes a difference. More power at these levels of performance is mainly for misguided bragging rights unless you track. Ferrari officially stated they did not want to make turbo models. They still don't, which is why their V12 cars are not turbo.

I would suggest test-driving the cars and then buy the car you actually like better, not because you think it's "a better deal" on paper. These cars are not investments.

FWIW, turbo usage was imposed by GLOBALIST emissions regulators because of the now largely debunked carbon tax—human global warming—climate change scaremongering. The US is not even imposing a carbon tax. This was a sick joke on car owners and tax payers.

 

NAILED IT

 

I have a 2011 Cali with under 10000 and needs engine mounts, quoted at $1800 , the car is great and first generation sounds that come with it -

 

Great looking combo. Titanio over what appears to be iroko. If owning it for 2 years, then selling, you might want to get a lower mileage example. Many F car owners are mileage adverse and you're getting close to 20K on the odo. Of course, these cars seem to suffer most from just sitting, so a well driven example should be sorted out. Drive it, if it's "the one", you'll know after driving it. Almost 3 years and 15 K miles into my Ferrari adventure, also a 2011 Cali, and loving it! It's a great car.

Also, I'd advise you to talk up other F owners about service, as a good service experience is an important part of the F-car experience...T