I was sick to my stomach for the one week I had to wait between buying the car and bring it home. Looking back, it was fun being sick to my stomach, if that makes any sense. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Makes me kind of glad I only had a weekend between the Friday evening I made an offer on mine and the Monday when I picked it up. I do have to say the most sick in my stomach feeling was the actual Monday morning when I wired the money for the car and waiting on the wire to go though so I could pick-up the car from the person I bought it from. I normally don't use wire transfers, I usually get a bank check, but I guess people don't trust those these days.
So, I thought I'd update this thread a little bit, if for no other reason than to memorialize the epic saga. hehe Tomorrow will mark two weeks that I've had the car, in which time I've added about 800 miles to the odometer. What a thrill of a dream-come-true. Truly. We had just a little delay with the transport driver, who was to pickup the car on Friday the 1st of May, in the morning. He eventually showed-up on Saturday morning. I spent some time in logistics, and I understand things happen..... but I was literally sick to my stomach waiting. I had no appetite, I couldn't sleep, etc; y'all know the drill. Dan L./whatheheck was as amiable as could be through the whole thing. He took some photos of it being loaded at his home, and kept me appraised as it hit the road. Sunday I was a wreck. I'm a religious guy, and I was leading a short study-class with our congregation via ZOOM that morning; But I couldn't focus at all, haha, because the driver called just before we started and told me he'd be to my town by about 5pm. Somehow we got through though, hehe. I live in a neighborhood with congested streets and I learned after shipping several cars over the years that some drivers can't get back out once they get in. So I sent the driver the address to a vacant school parking-lot not far from my home with easy access. If you read the story at the beginning of this thread, you know I wasn't the only one who was anxious for this! I had invited my father and my brothers, and of course my own children who were close enough to participate. I wanted to share the excitement with whoever would appreciate it with me. About 5:30 we got the text that he would be there in 20 minutes. We all congregated and watched, and waited. When we saw the trailer approaching, my heart took a little leap..... I sorta swooned, haha. Literally. My wife laughed at me, and it passed, but I was almost, um; reverent as it pulled to a stop in the lot. And then there it was. The tail-gate dropped, and I haven't stopped smiling since. haha. We unloaded it and let it idle, warming-up while we looked the car over, inspecting condition. I noticed rain spots all over it, which I knew weren't there when Dan loaded it, and the driver told me he'd had to unload it to make another delivery, and it was raining when he did. Otherwise, the car was PRECISELY as Dan L. had represented it to me: PERFECT. First impressions as I sat in MY first Ferrari? Butter. I couldn't stop thinking about butter, as I slid into the seat and smelled the leather everywhere. Smooth; soft; beautiful. My wife insisted that I take my father for the first ride. He protested, but she insisted, so off we went. Both of us grinning ear-to-ear at the sounds. I learned later that my mother confessed to my wife while we were gone that she and my Father, when they were younger, had a "Ferrari" account at the bank where they would squirrel-away extra cash here-n-there. This was the first I'd ever heard of this, or of him liking Ferraris. I mean; it makes sense, but I never knew it. We came back and I loaded-up with the wife and split. what a hoot. she laughed and loved it with me. She could tell I was on cloud 9, but she expressed some appreciation as well, and actually said "this isn't like the others you made me sit in: this is comfortable! (The "others" included a 308, a 348 and a 355; each cars that I had considered over the years, and which had received the kiss-of-death when she shrugged her shoulders and said "well I don;t have to like it; it's your car". ) Fast forward the couple of days it took me to get it inspected and a temp-tag on it (there are some stories; At the DMV the lady refused to give me a temp-tag and was really trying my patience, and then the guys at the IM inspection station who know me too well because at my home we've always had waaaay too many cars... ) Anyway.... I decided to take my own interpretation of what Dan L. and my wife had both said to me; No excuses or apologies for living my dream. We did a bit of an "unveiling" on social media, and then I drove it to the office a few days later, so the crew could get the comments out of their system. Most of them were pretty good about it, because they know who I am. But there were the inevitable comments from those who are never happy. tant-pis, as the French would say. The other day I stopped at the grocery store on my way home. I parked it in the way-back, so that I could stare at it as I walked all the way to it from the store; unfortunately, I found when I came out that a big pickup had parked RIGHT next to it, blocking my view. But as I got closer I saw that there were people int he truck taking pictures of the car. Now remember; I STILL live on the "Wrong side" of the tracks. But this is home. I tell people all the time" these are my people, and I am their King", haha. So I walked-up and made a motion for them to roll-down the window. the truck was full of cub-scouts who had seen it and wanted to get closer. I was SO GLAD that Dan L. had prepared me for this scenario! I asked them if they wanted to sit in it and get their picture. I answered their questions, I told them it was like a dream for me too, and then I popped the trunk and gave each of the 4 of them a 1:24-scale Ferrari that I stashed in there so I could carry-on the tradition Dan L. began. (Dan, I DID ask their scoutleader, who was the father of one of the boys, if it was okay before I did so) On Mother's day, my wife wanted to go for a drive. We all loaded-up into our "enthusiast cars" and headed for the canyons in a bit of a caravan. The next 4 hours we spent running up and down the mountain roads, in this order: F430 - Mini-Cooper S - Alfa Giulia - PT Cruiser. MY wife spontaneously declared that she really likes the car..... which is just stunning to me. I'm glad though. Very, Very glad. Two days ago I tied-into the first "repair"; the Iconel controller that runs the valves on the Kline exhaust needed to have the antenna wire extended, which I did. As I was re-assembling, I managed to drop a bolt.... down past the motor onto the tray. I fished and I fished but I couldn't find it, so OFF came the rear valance. What a Beautiful design. It's a work of art. I find myself sneaking to the garage late at night.... where I sit and stare at it. I have an appointment with my local dealer two weeks from now. I'm nervous; The group which recently purchased the Ferrari dealership locally has made me wary of their service departments. I've had bad dealings with them at Jaguar, at Mercedes and at JEEP. I'm nervous. But I spoke with them on the phone and told them I'd like to come review the service-history with them, and then have them look the car over stem-to-stern. With 43k miles on it, I want to plan for the best maintenance path possible. I like to wrench my own cars (and frankly, I'm better at it than most of the "parts-swappers" at the dealership service departments) but there are some procedures that will require specialized equipment, tools and training. Together we can determine how to divide-up the work to be done. I'm excited. it is still a dream. I'm floating. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks for posting an update and sharing your story and experience Dan. I read every word. I enjoyed reading it. Thanks also for the nice things you said about me. Sincerely appreciated. Congrats again on making your dream car come true. Enjoy, keep smiling, be proud of your accomplishments, and remain humble. And I'm happy to hear that you're keeping my tradition of letting kids sit in the driver's seat, have their pictures taken and hand out Ferrari toy cars. They will never forget that kind gesture ever and will be forever grateful to you. Those are future Ferrari owners. Dan L. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I've owned this car for 4 weeks now, and I've put 1100 miles on it. I imagine that's not atypical for a first Ferrari? Haha I can't stop giggling. It's so surreal for me. So far: I've adjusted the engine cover latch, as it was popping open while driving. I've added an extension wire to the antenna for the iconel exhaust valve controller. (Looks like I'll be back in there again) I've dropped the rear diffuser to retrieve a screw i dropped in there.... !!! Haha And I've rearranged the garage to make room for an all- Ferrari section of shelves. I've also ordered everything i need for an in-depth annual service, which will give me time to do a couple things to it to personalize; Including getting the Ferrari air horns on there!! And I'm going to wire dan's lights in the engine bay to come on with the taillights, rather than the license plate light, because he'd also installed a scud ing remote relay for the marker lights. And.... My license plates arrived this week. Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
I dunno man... that ex Duhamel blade was pretty sexy. BTW, how did you ever race with your “frame”? Congratulations on the 06 F430 Spider.... that’s what I got.... the coincidences just keep on coming.
Haha.... so, that's the kicker, ain't it? I wasn't one of the fast guys, in part because of my "frame" as you so delicately described my fat butt, hehe. I mean, I wasn't a slouch, but I was a much better teacher-of-the-new-guys than I ever was a racer. (Like the old saying: "those who can't; teach") ;-) As it turns out, those years of teaching on bikes pays dividends in a car. I think bike guys "get it" because we have to. And then there's the fear: people ask me now why I'm not scared of turn 3-4 at Miller (now UMC). I ask them "scared of what? When you've done that wide open on a superbike, there's not much to scare ya in a car" I'm excited to get the f430 out there next month. My current track car is a momentum car, where the 430 has some hp behind it. It'll be fun learning some new lines (and trying to keep it off the 'gators) Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
Congrats on your first! I'm hoping to experience the same feelings soon enough. Yours is a great spec; red with yellow calipers and Challenge wheels.
The first thing I would remove. I never thought of enjoying a beverage when driving my Ferrari. Kind of was too caught up with handling the car and enjoying the ride. No food or drinks in my Ferrari for the driver or passenger.
Dude, I'm a fair-skinned red head and I live in a desert.... i need a bottle of water within reach at all times... ;-) Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
So, I read the whole thing. Very well done and my first thought was, gee, the rest of us are gonna feel a bit inadequate now posting our “hey guys look at my cool new car” posts! My second thought was, don’t know how much I love spiders. Then I looked at your pictures and thought damn, that car with those seats and that clean is so good looking, I get it. Love the 430, I have a scud, and waiting on a 360 Manual driver that should be here any day. I completely get that nervous anticipation and can’t wait until it’s in my hands. Congrats on you new ride Car Guy!
Time for another update, I think. Having received the car on May 3, that means I've now owned the car for 7 weeks. In that time I've put on about 2100 miles; 300 miles/week? I keep telling myself that the car was made to be driven, and damn the torpedoes. (y'all with your comments about "worthless" Ferraris, due to mileage.... ain't helping! haha). In the end, my friend Larry Miller (who built Miller Motorsports Park, and owned the largest collection of Shelby's in the world at one point) always told me "it ain;t a car if you don't drive it". Some of those miles have been epic canyon cruises with my wife (and my kids behind us in their own convertibles). (Pic below) One of those trips included a very pleasant exchange of information (well, mostly one-way) between myself and a City Police-Woman. (Also pic below) Some of those miles have been with other supercars. (Pic below) Some of those miles have been with customers (Pic below) some of those miles have been to share with the children of co-workers. (pic below) And, because my "List" of things that will make me complete included it: some of those miles have been logged on the racetrack. (Links to video, below) This will not become a regular habit for me, as it's too hard on a street car. But it had to be done so I could say I had. The car has been everything I ever wanted it to be. I've discovered that most of the "haters" stop hating when they realize I don't think I'm any different from them, and I love to share it. I drive with a smile on my face that shouts to the world "it doesn't matter what is going wrong; from behind this wheel, all is right with the world!" I regularly invite people to sit in the car and enjoy the sensation. (I usually wait until they are seated before I say something like "I sure hope the guy who owns this car doesn't show-up any time soon!" I always get panicked looks, and then we're friends, haha) I have given away about a dozen 1:24-scale Ferrari models to youngsters (To whom I preach the superiority of Ferrari). I've spent hours cleaning her. It's hard to believe, I know, but I've found hidden places on the car that the previous owner's meticulous cleaning rituals hadn't touched! It's quite satisfying to pull the rag away and see dirt on it! haha. I'm still waiting on my QuickJack lift, so I haven't done the annual service yet. But I DID install braided brake lines and bled the brakes with Motul SRF before heading to the track the first time. I opened-up the passenger door and adjusted the window so that it sealed better to the top. I installed the mic for the Alpine stereo that's in it; it works great with the top down, 'til about 50mph. haha. I still need to sort-out the controller on the exhaust, or I might just bite the bullet and do the Forza controller. The inconel controller form Klein is so pretty, and tasteful, but it doesn't work correctly. I also need to take a look at the LED lights in the side-markers mounted in the front bumper. When I first start the car, they flash for a few minutes, and then go out. I need to take a peek at what's in there. So some things to keep me busy when I find some time to lay hands on her. All In All; Still livin' the dream.