Am I the only one going back in time?....

One issue with the newer cars is that they now reach levels of performance completely unusable on the road - for two reasons: performance has increased AND constraints on the road have also increased (for instance, a few decades ago, speed limits were purely theoretical on many roads; they are now more and more strictly enforced).
Another one (as already mentioned) is the ever increasing complexity of the cars, which become collections of black boxes instead of understandable sets of mechanical elements.
And - also important for me - given both above points, the value for money provided by new cars has deteriorated, since they are always more expensive.
I used to always buy the most recent / high end Ferrari I could afford, having gone through 400GT, 348, testarossa, 550, 575, 599 and 488 GTB.
I switched when I considered a Pista to replace my 488 - I elected to keep the 488 and spend some of the saved money to race a Caterham.
Then I had another hesitation with the F8 - but again I kept the 488, and added a 550.
As impressive the 296 is, I don't think I'm likely to buy a new or very recent Ferrari anytime soon - unless I win the lottery and could spend huge money on low priority expenses.

 

After a certain point, the limiting factor becomes tires. If you start driving at F1 speeds, you better replace your tires frequently.

 

Grady and many others did not in my opinion go about a solution in a good way. As far as the differential is concerned and the rest of the transaxle it was very driver dependent. I have known many of those with 6 figure mileage with zero issues, one with over 250,000 with zero trans issues. If you drive it like you stole it they break. So did Daytonas. Trans parts for those dried up very soon after production ended because so many destroyed them. They dont break anymore because the cars are in the hands of adults that no longer drive them like that. 550s break their gear boxes too. Its just and easier cheaper fix.550 electrical system is going to be a very big long term issue.

Ferrari actually does a fair amount of product testing, all over the world too. I used to know one of the engineers doing it too but in the first few months of production GM or Ford has more product feedback than Ferrari gets in a lifetime. Any comparison isn't realistic. Its the price paid for any product made in very small numbers.

 

In my case (and for my self-esteem I assume not only in my case ) the driver is also a limiting factor to be accounted for...

 

Just curious. What is the problem with 550's electrical system. I thought I knew all the things that go bump in the night.

You're right. Grady drives his cars hard.

 

I should also say in my opinion Ferrari street cars make poor track cars. The 2 are far too different to do both jobs well. A retired race car, a 3 series BMW, Corvette or Porsche are all far better choices. Can be bought and modified to be good track cars far less expensively and are far less expensive when they break.
A car with a known fragile gear box and average brakes is not a good starting point. And they really do not handle all that well.

 

Too much of it for starters. Much of it is no longer supported by the contractors who made it and the wiring harness looks like it was made in a backwards 3rd world country and made to last the warrant period. The shocks are a train wreck too. If I had one theyd be long gone in a land fill somewhere.

 

I can't wait to see in 5-10 years time the battery crisis for all the latest hybrid stuffs. The battery replacement cost alone may devalue newer cars to a point that early cars, especially NA cars, are the only ones holding and gaining in value. I heard a LaFerrari battery replacement was some $283k.....

 

And how many batteries for any given make and model will be kept in stock? They are all different, they are very expensive and all have shelf lives.
It not like Pep Boys and their wall of fan belts. Besides, who wants a few million in inventory on stuff going bad on the shelf.

 

I certainly think the cars of that time period are much more fun than current offerings. Good on you! Congratulations on your 360!

 

Here is a nice crib notes thread on 550/456 shortcomings and solutions

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/niftyfivefiftys-guide-to-preparing-a-550-maranello-for-reliable-high-performance-daily-driving.656494/

 

Same emotion. Reading through the posts here, I came to the same conclusion. I’m currently back in the Porsche world, and the simplicity, compact size, and mechanical character of my 911/964 are perfect. The 328 is probably the Ferrari equivalent. These are great to drive, unique, and dependable.

The list of proprietary stuff that’s going to fail in a Portofino or Roma is staggering. You would need real faith in Ferrari’s parts supply pipeline… I like the new Porsche 911/992 Targa, but it’s ridiculously complex. I’m not convinced that cars are getting any more satisfying.

 

I agree.

It may be that, in the future, all battery units will be constructed of standardized lego-style modules but right now, during this initial period of innovation and transition, all battery units are custom which means they could also become obsolete.

I recently attended a technical presentation on the issues at play in automobile battery design and learned that the innovators don’t feel like they are anywhere near the end point of design and performance.

 

For me - the newer cars just rented space in my head temporarily. When I had the chance to get something special - I thought of getting a 675LT. Then owning one would beg the question of why not get the 765LT ... or then the next version. The 512TR owned real-estate in my brain, so I went that direction.

I also tended to get along with the old car crowd much better than the new car crowd.

 

This is an educational thread for me. I guess if your pockets are deep enough to afford these ultra modern Ferraris, you will have the wherewithal to maintain them. Im sure that just as their are specialists that cater to all the very old and older Ferraris, that there will also be the same for the ultra modern battery assisted Ferraris . So when things break or go bad, there will always be a way to fix and or rebuild them. I really love the F8 ! Im pretty sure that they will always be way out of reach for me, same for the 488 I would imagine. If I were in the market for lets say a 550, which is a car that I would guess I could afford at some point, I would make sure that all the things that Ferrari screwed up on the car, were fixed by the owner that was selling it. I also love the newer 911 s that have the 7 speed manual gearboxes, I could see myself owning one of them along with my 328. As I always have said, its a shame that Ferraris quality has really gone to **** the last few decades.

Big G

 

there was a time where I felt sportscars were a little slow and I was buying the next model for the speed but beyond the 458 spec I felt the power was completely unusable on the twisty roads I like to drive on and borderline dangerous to do so etc
the roads are more congested than ever now so it makes sense to me to seek something older, lighter and more raw than 2000kg 700+hp new ferrari

 

I had that epiphany years ago test driving the meek then-new BMW Z4.

I accelerated well above the speed limit and it still felt like I was hardly moving. I didn’t like the feeling.

Maybe I am just a cheap date.

 

Agree
500-650hp and 1500kg rtr weight is really perfect

I find with all the power u cannot hone your driving skills
Although it is fun feeling like a rocket pilot and race driver here and there

But if you own a ferrari these are not the reasons you own them

 

I wish Ferrari would make something like the Lotus Emira

 

The issue is that you get a relatively useless (on public roads) performance bump and a lot of garnish (soft close boot, for example) in trade for added weight and complexity. This complexity contributes to the perception that quality is declining. It's why a 1986-89 Mercedes SL is bulletproof and a 2003 Mercedes SL is a maintenance time bomb. There's very little to fail in the R107. Ditto the Porsche 3.2 Carrera compared to the 991/992, and the Ferrari 328 versus all of sticky button generations. If the newer cars were more enjoyable, maybe it wouldn't matter. But when we go out in the 911/964, it feels special. Loud, but special...

 

Must have A/C.


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If we are to believe the news we are still far from settling on the type of batteries that will eventually be used. We are even further from standardization of fitment.
Look at our current world. Look at all the stuff that would make sense for standardization that is not standardized. We are a very long way off from that and if it happens it will only be because it is financially advantageous for the industry to do so, not because it is financially advantageous for us if they did so.

 

Soft close boot is a good example but my favorite is Mercedes interior rear view mirror is now power adjustable. You no longer have to stress yourself by reaching up to adjust it It is of course done so it is tied into the button that adjusts seat and mirrors for specific drivers but at what cost?

I get it, people love this crap but look at what it has done. It seems like no one has heard the term "Rule of unintended consequences".

I told my other half (also a car person) a few years ago any car we will ever buy has already been built.

 

This is why we have a whole generation now that will not buy or continue to own a car like a modern Ferrari without an expensive extended warranty.

If you are that pessimistic about a car, maybe its a bad choice?

 

Definitely. But the a/c in the 328 was adequate, and in the 911/964 it's actually good.