Well, I didn't mean to suggest the 488 wasn't faster on the track. I'm sure it would be, given that it's more powerful and twin turbo and all. What I meant was driving it (for fun) around the track wasn't all that appealing to me. I would definitely fall into your category there of the slower of the two giving me more confidence when I drive them. I found the same thing with my motorcycle. I used to have a 2005 R1 and the friend I rode with most of the time had a much faster 2013. I did most of the maintenance on his bike for him, as a favor, and when I would test ride his bike it was clearly faster. Way more torque for sure; the first time I rolled the throttle on at 80 MPH, the thing nearly shot out from under me. I can only imagine what the new Yamaha's are like. However, even though it was faster (especially at lower RPM's), I personally didn't feel nearly as confident on the 2013 as I did on the older 2004 or 2005 bikes. I like right down the street from Laguna Seca. A lot of guys are faster around the track on 600 cc' bikes instead of 1000 cc bikes - even though the 1 liter bikes have nearly twice the power. So you tell me, why are some guys faster around the track on a bike with almost half the cc's? A lot of it boils down to how confident you feel. With regard to cars, I much prefer driving the 458. Whether I'm driving high speeds or driving to the post office to check my mail. I still say it's sort of hard to imagine driving a 488 aggressively on the street or track and enjoying how it shifts under full power. To me, it seems like there is a horrific hesitation, which upsets the car and causes a pause. I mean seriously, am I the only one who feels the car bog down when you shift at full speed? It feels like someone is kicking the car down the road half the time, in-between shifts. To me it's comically bad, even if it is faster around Fiorano in the end. If you like it or don't mind it, fine with me. Ray
But I like your profile picture. Who is that girl? (totally just trying to distract people from the 458 vs 488 debate again)
Haha.. That's Abi, my girlfriend. Yeah, she can definitely be very distracting, that's for sure The bike picture is from maybe 5 or 6 years ago, when we first met. Ray Image Unavailable, Please Login
She shaved her head shortly after that photo was taken. Then she dyed it blonde and then bright pink as I remember. The last photo is from a couple weeks ago, after I trimmed her bangs for her (saving $90 I might add). She's definitely entertaining; couldn't dream of a better partner in life Some of you will certainly enjoy hearing that she liked my 488 GTB over my beloved 458 Italia also. Haha... yeah, so aside from that, she's a great partner :-D Ray Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Gonna go have dinner. No offense to anyone that loves their 488. I just prefer the 458. I hope I don't come across too poorly when it comes to expressing my opinions about the 488 vs. the 458. My experience with the 488 was just a sore spot, so I'm sure my views are terribly slanted. If anyone else would like to post photos of their wives and/or girlfriends, fine by me! Ray
This is absolutely the best "458 vs 488" threads after Abi pictures are posted. She likes 488 too, so I hope the debate is officially over for the remainder of time on this thread.
I was told yesterday that the F8 Spider won't be hitting the street here in the US for another year. My dealer isn't going to have a F8 demo until next spring so no hope of driving one for a while. Meanwhile, he has 3 Portofinos available and one is a 2019 only 4 months old and asking $10k below MSRP with only 700 miles on it. That's surprising to me. In addition, there is a beautiful untitled RC with a lot of options for $275k that someone backed out of. There were a lot of 488s to choose from but when the 488 first came out there were a lot of 458s to choose from. I know this because I was shopping the 488 four years ago when they first started hitting the showroom floors. There were also 2 812s for sale and the sales guy noted that while there were plenty in the market now, if Ferrari decides that one must own the 812 coupe first in order to get the 812 GTS, those 812s would be gone fairly quickly.
Similar experience with @wrs. my Local F dealer expect F8 demo after the first of the year. Looks like that is the outlook for the US. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
Thanks guys, great insights, great opinions, and exactly what i was seeking- everyone 2 cents. I truly appreciate it! Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
The 458 isnt the only competitor for used 488s, you also have to look at comparable used mclaren, lamborghini and porsche models. mclaren suffers from reliability concerns but the other two dont. Its a complex exercise. Thumbs up for Ray's pics too Sent from my SM-N920V using FerrariChat.com mobile app
OK I'll bite wife in the 87 328 sold a few years ago. I have some more interesting pics but don't think she would appreciate me posting After spending several days in the 458 and 488 I'm looking for a 488 now. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
There will be much more needed than just an 812 SF for an 812 GTS. While the dealers are responsible for submitting the clients to Maranello as potential 812 GTS buyers, Maranello has some demands. It's not so much just about owning cars, it's a points system. How many cars, how many Corse Pilota events done, Classiche rallies and events like the one from the 19th to the 23th this month, Corse Cliente etc. It all counts. The 812 GTS is a very desirable car and many have been waiting for it. Owning a car or two, including an 812 SF, will not get you in the door.
Had all these cars and I’ll just say I feel more alive when driving 458’s than 488’s. The latter is of course a better car in all respects except sound. But I’d take a 458 all day over the 488.
This myth has been dead for years now. I was offered 812 GTS allocation and turned it down, never even owned an 812 SF. They're just nowhere near as beautiful as the F12. Allocations are all dealer based, the only recent exception was the LaF, and in that case dealers still had to narrow down their clients list and then Ferrari corporate chose from those submitted. You're correct in that the more things you participate in the better your chances of a dealer giving you an allocation, but it all comes down to $$$ now as there's a direct correlation between attendance and money spent. Dealer is what sets allocations now.
I agree. This is my observation as well. Ferrari dealers is really following what Porsche dealers has been doing the whole time, controlling the allocation all by themselves (except those of 918 and GT2RS). Porsche dealers simply give the allocations to whoever have more money to pay the mark up, regardless of so called loyalty. The only difference I observe is the P car dealer can sell new cars with mark up whereas F car dealers "technically" cannot. Ergo, the so called points system exists more within the Ferrari dealer themselves. It is not uncommon to hear some "atypical" experiences by someone who live in an area which has 3 or 4 ferrari dealers within 100 miles or someone who actually does not have any dealer within 100 miles. The dealers do compete with each other for potential clients that can go anywhere if they fall into the said geographical zones. Oh well, grass is never greener ANYWHERE!
We interrupt our regularly scheduled discussion of 488 values to bring you another photo of Abi Image Unavailable, Please Login
I'm curious... does this statement fall more into the "personal opinion" category or the "objective fact" category? As much as Ferrari probably wants to hang onto all their old traditions of "you get this car, but you don't get that car - unless you jump through XYZ hoop", the fact of the matter is that they are now a publicly traded company. They have shareholders to consider, not to mention earnings estimates and expectations on Wall Street to meet. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think the days of being overly picky about who you do or don't sell cars to is simply going to have to make way for good ol' fashioned profits at all costs. Ray
I am just repeating what the sales guy told me. He didn't say I could get an 812 GTS if I bought the 812 SF just that they would be snapped up if Ferrari were to make the requirement to own the coupe before the convertible. I was just mentioning to him that there were a good number of 812s available on the market. He has two on his showroom floor, both nice specs. My wife is so hot for the Portofino that I might trade across my 488 Spider for the nice red one they have that is untitled (her 60th is Oct 6). I would be stuck with the AMG GTC Roadster in that case but if it makes the wife happy, maybe I will do it. I am getting a bit bored with the 488 at this point and the Porto sounds great as well as looks great. The thing that surprises me is that the 4 month old Portofino they took in trade on a 488 is being offered at $10k below MSRP according to the sales guy. It only has 700 miles on it so it's a new car basically but this is how you get discounts from normal dealers like say MB. Maybe it's an aberration but I don't think so.
Happy birthday to your wife there! Silicon Valley Ferrari had 4 or 5 812 Superfasts last time I checked also. Not sure why there are suddenly so many, unless people are rolling out of them to get into the 812 GTS allocations or something. I personally don't think all that many people are hot for the Portofino. I've seen them parked at Ferrari of SF and only just taken a brief look. Same with the California; just an odd ball car for not sure what reason. I'd probably take a Tesla model S over a Portofino or California, frankly. As far as the new stuff, I've pretty much thrown in the towel; so that basically locks me into either another 458 or maybe a Lusso or a used 812 Superfast in a few years. Right now, I'm starting a new company, so no time for play toys anyway. Ray
There goes Mr. Ray Johns for the win. Impeccable taste in cars and women. I’d advise you to refrain from posting more photos of Abi, otherwise we may have to name her Ferrarichat Muse. Kindest regards, Nuno.