488 Porsche guy considering a 488

Do it. The 488 is better IMO. Mid engine is so much more fun to drive. But it also takes getting used to having a car where accident damage or lots of miles cost more than a base Cayman in resale value. (You didn't specify, so I'm assuming you aren't a Porsche Carrera GT owner, if you are, ignore us)

Unless you are wanting to buy a new car, I would buy from any reputable dealer that has the car/spec you want. I live in Texas and have never bought a Ferrari out of Texas. :-D If you are dying to get a new one fast, buy from your closest dealer and than tell them you also want to place an order for something with $200k in standard options, they'll make room for ya then. If you want to buy something both new and special, order one of everything and a fleet of new Portofino's with custom everything so they call you when a special series car is available.

 

As a brand new owner of the 488 and multiple cool car owner including a 997 C4S I would say the 488 is a great choice.
Just from my observations, Unless you are a multiple buyer of new F-Car models and vying for a place on the preferred advanced allocation group list, I suggest that you buy from reputable exotic dealers with a good inventory of quality cars.
From my experience, condition says a lot about how the car was treated and service records help identify if there are any major or repetitive issues that have been dealt with or at least can indicate a trend for a potential bad purchase.
Higher mileage cars that are well maintained will usually provide for proven reliability.
Good luck with your search and take pics

 

Great line of thinking, you will be glad you got into a Ferrari. As great as Porsche's may be, there is nothing as thrilling and special as driving a Ferrari, and the 488's are in a good price range. I think you may be able to get a 2016-2017 Spider in the mid 200K range. If you think you want to order a new Ferrari in the future, and certainly if you want to develop a good relationship with your local dealer, then you can buy from a dealer as it helps. They can also offer you extended warranty. Don't be afraid to buy a good car on the open market if its a great deal, and checks out on a good pre purchase inspection.

 

Come to the dark side, we have cookies.

I can't really answer your questions but can give you my impressions as a fellow 20+ year Porschephile. Owned 12ish and have 4 currently (76 3.2 swap, 96 C2, 15 Macan, 16 GT4). Never felt like a "porsche guy" and definitely didn't feel like a "ferrari guy". Long story short (my intro post is overdue), wanted to experience 9k redline for a bit and thought that'd be a GT3 but just when I got to where I felt good pulling the trigger on a custom build/PTS/CXX, ADMs and all the reindeer games the dealers have been pulling priced me out. A driver quality 458 fell in my lap a couple weeks ago in my price range, and I jumped at it.

So far, I'm smitten. There's been a few hiccups, some aligned with the "high" 36k miles and driver quality and others (like the failing infotainment HDD) not. As I'm now settling into it, I'm having deja vu to my early Porsche days when I suddenly "got it" and understood what all the hype was about.

I will add that my fears about "ferrari guys" seems to be overblown. So far the interactions I've had on this forum and fb groups seem to be a bunch of great people who love and drive their cars and the tone seems like confrontational than RL. Perhaps if you're enthusiastic enough to be on forums, you're not the sort to be flexing at Cars & Coffee for your instagram feed.

 

Take the plunge! Like many already replying, I too have a history of fun Porsche 'experiences' ('73 911 (RS conversion), '89 928 S4, '02 911 TT, '07 997 C4S, and current '12 911 TT (all manuals)). I purchased a well optioned 2016 488 GTB with 6k miles last summer, and it has been a fantastic first Ferrari. I went for a purchase from a dealer and wanted Ferrari Approved for a little piece of mind. You won't regret it, just take your time and find the right one with good maintenance history and PPI. Good luck and keep us updated on your progress!

 

As others have mentioned go for it. It's seems the natural car guy order of things goes as follows.

BMW/Merc --> Porsche ---> Ferrari


You won't be disappointed.


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FWIW , Ferrari of Tampa has my old 488 spider for sale again. I never had an issue with the car in my 3 years of owning it. It’s a Nero Daytona Spider I originally specked some years back. Disclaimer: they own this car and doesn’t belong to me.
Ryan is my salesperson there. Good luck hunting.

 

Great choice I sent u a dm

 

I daily drove various 911s (SCs, 3.2 Carreras, 930, lots of 993s, 996, 997, 991s) from 1990 till 2015 when I bought an F430 ... have not looked back since. Just do it

I had a realization early on at a stoplight when there was a 911 across from me ... I was driving a Ferrari and did not wish that I was behind the wheel of that 911. But when I was driving a 911 and would see a Ferrari across from me at the light, I would always wish I was driving that instead. I still love Porsches (we have a Macan, too) but there were a couple of instances where I was thinking about trading on a 991 Turbo S, but each time after driving the Turbo I got back in the Ferrari and drove the same route and the sound and feel was so much more of an event I could not do it (991 Turbo S is a heck of a car but it just felt clinical next to the Ferrari). This was when I had a 2013 California 30 and then a 2015 California T, which I still own. To me, the California T is the car you can replace a 911 with and drive daily, which I do, and at 32k miles it has been bulletproof ... but as a weekend toy I think a 458 or 488 would be just exactly perfect. But ... drive it a lot and it will be good to you. Don't let it sit around.

That being said, idly considering replacing my Alfa Giulia with a 911 right now ... and keeping the F-car.

 

This is exactly how I feel. You put a 458 in CT Off and go have fun, get a little sideways and have no chance of actually crashing. A 911 is built NOT to have any fun unless setting a lap time is the goal. With the engine on top of the tires, the last thing is wants to do is have fun leaving a stop sign. Throw in a four wheel drive version, and a 911 isn't fun, but it does seat kiddos, so it has that going for it.

 

I think you'll enjoy it. Yes, definitely go drive one first to see if it fits you. I usually buy from dealers because there's not too many private sellers around. However, just because its CPO doesn't mean too much. I would definitely inspect the condition beforehand. I don't do the warranty because it never really pencils out. A ton of great threads on that. Also, don't be afraid to buy out of state if you find the spec you want. I live on the West coast and have bought five cars from the East coast. Not a problem.

 

add the rarri, you wont regret it


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Was and am still a Porsche fan (991 C4S, 991 GT3, 991.2 GT3 RS, 992 C2s).

First Ferrari was a 488.

Now a Pista owner (among others).

Both great brands. Both have their pros/cons. Can't go wrong either way.

Only way to go wrong is to be exclusive to one brand.

Own both. Drive both. And try as many others as possible.

Life is short. Too short to be a slave to just one brand of cars.

Good luck with the hunt.

 

That I don’t know because they have sold it since to a second buyer who traded it back on a F8 from them who only added 1500 miles . Take a look at the Carfax to get the exact trade in times and mileage.

 

Recently traded my 992 GT3 for a 488 GTB after 8 years of P-car ownership - zero regrets. So far, the 488 is more emotional and feels a little more "special" to drive. More like a living thing than a machine.

I went CPO for peace of mind and don't regret that either. Bought from Ferrari Silicon Valley and honestly it was the best dealership experience of my life.

With that said, owning both is the right answer. Will be adding an older 911 to the collection at some point.

 

My logic was simple - I'd rather own a car that's taken a depreciation hit rather than a car that's worth way over MSRP because of "market dynamics". It's much nicer to have a 300k+ car that's taken the hit already than a 200k car worth 250k+ because of hype.

I'll PM you re. SV.

 

I got rid of my 991.2 GT3 RS as it turned out not to be a good grocery getter. Although it did work somewhat.

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I love my 997 but Your 993 is a sweet car. Enjoy.

It’s great to have cars that you bring into rotation and they feel new again. I buy what I love and never sell