First Ferrari purchase

That's odd to hear, and I am sorry to hear you had this experience. The first time I entered a dealership, I wore shorts, a T-shirt, and a baseball cap. I was attended to right away. So, your experience sounds very odd to me. I had a similarly positive experience in another dealership close to me. Again, I was not in my Sunday Best in both instances, though this is Silicon Valley, where a homeless-looking kid beside you might be a billionaire.

Now when you say they didn't seem interested in selling you the car, do you mean they were not interested in negotiating or they just blew you off?
The former is quite normal, the latter is inexcusable.

If they didn't even give you the time of day, I would not deal with that dealer, it may set the tone for the relationship. As it happens I was invited to a F1 viewing at said dealership this very Sunday, which should give you an idea of how the relationship *should* be yeah?

 

It sounds like you may not have been there in person and if so that is typical of dealers everywhere regardless of brand - target a specific advertised car (probably California more likely to be in an official dealer than 360/430) and call with a view to visiting & testing even if you end up not buying it

 

There's always the option of purchasing NOT through a dealer...

There's AutoTrader, Bring-A-Trailer, etc.

Deals to be had as the market seems to be down right now with crypto in the toilet and banks getting wobbly!

Kevin

 

Hi Colin ! And Welcome to the insanity!!!!!!!!! STOP WASTING TIME give me a call I’m happy to help you.
Mike 973-610-7111
https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/anyone-that-wants-to-buy-or-sell-a-ferrari-the-right-way.586271/

 

First of all, welcome to the forums, and congratulations on almost completing your first Ferrari purchase. You are looking at some cool cars!

Sorry that your first experience at your local dealership has not been great (thus far). I would try to get back in contact one more time and see if maybe you just caught someone at a bad time or the wrong person. Any more than a second chance, and I feel like you are doing all of the work, and it should not be that way. However, I believe everyone deserves a second chance, and this seems like a fair option.

With that said, YellowCompass above seems to have a lot of satisfied customers, and another user has already pointed out the non-Ferrari dealership options, as well as your own notation of Ferrari St. Louis, so it does seem like you have quite a few options.

If I may add my own option for you, and I hope I am not crossing any lines here, is that Ferrari Lake Forest is truly a fantastic dealership. I went in there about a month ago and was treated absolutely fantastically. From the front desk on, everyone was top-notch. On top of that, their lineup is unbelievable! One of their guys is actually registered on this site as well (I can pass his information to you). Other F-Chatters gave them shoutouts in this thread, "Best Dealers to Visit", so I am not the only one that feels this way.

In any case, I feel like you have all the bases covered now to make a purchase, and I hope you can do so without any more trouble. Again, welcome to the forums and best of luck!

 

Another vote for here for LFSC! They are my local dealer and I love the team there. Great crew with a highly professional service department.

 

Yes I agree Lake Forest Ferrari!!!! is awesome!
Call Baker Heflin over there great guy he will definitely help you
Baker / cell 312-415-8624

 

Bruce Anderson owner of Maranello AUTO-SPORTS is a very close friend of mine and just an incredible tech !! Ferrari/Lamborghini a little bit of a drive but well worth it I hope this helps
http://www.maranelloautosports.com/

 

My vote is F430. That was my first Ferrari and its a great car. I still miss the low exhaust note.

 

my two cents would be to really narrow your search to the model you really want and then go get the best one you can afford from a reputable source. Once you find cars that fit what you want, then ask us if seller/dealer, etc is reputable. why do more work than needed. Mike is great to work with. the Cali, 360 and 430 are markedly different animals. Make sure you drive one of each before making a decision on which one you want.

 

Not unusual, authorized dealers don't want to sell old less expensive cars (non-vintage), nor do they want to work on them.....my experience.