Hi All I'm starting to look at Cali T but I wont be making the leap until April 2020 I would just like to know from your experience is there any options I NEED to have and any that I NEED to stay away from. I know I want the christmas tree steering wheel for sure Thanks in advance Nick
My car was heavily optioned, it is full of carbon fiber, apple car play, High power audio, interior, diamond stitching, and though it is nice to have all that stuff I would have probably not built it that way if I had done it myself. You have 10 months and you are going to see a lot of cars with a lot of different options, color combinations and mileage. I cannot think of an option that you have to have, my car has the carbon fiber steering wheel with the shift indicators, it is nice but you will learn to hear when it is time to shift and it is a bit gimmicky for a street car.
Hi Nick... +1 on everything Morrie said. If you are not going to keep it long - CF wheel/LED lights, fender shields and Magneride suspension - seem to be critical, but likely not as critical to resale as color, mileage and condition. There is a Handling Speciale package for the T, which many here favor. I would read some threads on that. If this is a keeper, then in my opinion the only options that matter are those that you want. For myself, when I was in the hunt the most important options to me were color - interior and exterior - I wanted an exterior color that was uncommon, not loud (no red or yellow), not black (shows dirt too well). As far as an interior color, I wanted something not too outlandish, not too bright and a good complement to the exterior color. After searching/educating myself for ~1.5 years, I decided on avorio over ciocolatto, or rather I should say, in the end my wife decided for me. With my operating parameters in mind, I just loaded every car selling app on my phone, and just keep looking @ pics. There is also a Cali picture thread that showed a myriad of options, colors, etc. Calis that I thought were nice, I texted to my wife for a thumbs up/down. Good luck in the hunt...T
I would highly recommend the HS pacakage. Other than that Carnut and tomc are experts. I would take their recommendations.
CF steering wheel is probably the one thing I wouldn't want to have to do later. Premium stereo I'm also glad to not have to upgrade with anything more than a subwoofer. I'm upgrading a bunch of carbon fiber but I don't think I could do an aftermarket carbon fiber steering wheel and I sure as hell wouldn't want to buy one after the fact from Ferrari. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using FerrariChat.com mobile app
I guess I should add one more thing, make sure the car you get is one that was well taken care if and it is your first Ferrari, my advise would be to buy from a Ferrari dealer and make sure you get a warranty with it. For Ferrari, these cars are very reliable, but this is not a Honda and when stuff goes sideways, it can be costly.
Thanks carnut I've just purchased a sales brochure from that era to try and help me. I've had a few Maserati so I'm not unaware of big bills when things go wrong. Nick
Magneride is a must. HS does not match the GT philosophy of the California T IMHO. It makes the car stiffer for daily use but not sporty enough for the track. There is a great review on the forum by someone who bought the HS package and regreted doing so. Premium hifi is a must too if you plan to listen to music. With the option the sound is barely good ! You also want the full electric seats and the carbon driver zone. The rest is to make the car unique.
IMHO you should stick with the above advise even if you now think you are going to keep the car long. You just never know.
Disagree with the HS comment. I think it is awesome. I drove one with it and without it and the handling is better with the HS. Just my two cents. No regrets.
I have weighed in over the HS vs non HS debate a few times, and I had my T out and there is nothing I cannot do in my car (legally and not acting like an idiot), that I could do in a car with the HS package. There is unfortunately reality and what we wish to believe (the willful suspension of reality is very easy for normal brained people). I would agree drive both cars the way you would drive them, if you feel there is a difference for your driving style, well then get one with the package on it.
IMO the optimal handling parameters are a car with HS with the Magneride on. I think the Cali T HS is better than the standard cali, cali t, cali 30 hs, and even the portofino...
I think I must have watched this video a thousand times back In 2017 trying to decide on the HS package. Finally test drove a Cali T with and without the HS package back to back and surprisingly the one WITHOUT the HS package was better suited for my driving habits. The absence of the HS package did not affect the resale value also. In summary there is no substitute for test driving yourself to come up with your own informed decision. Good luck!!