Looking to get updated on the Ferrari market after being away 10 years

Greetings -

Nearly 20 years ago I fulfilled my lifelong Ferrari lust and bought a 2021 360 Spider manual transmission car from a well known independent local dealer. While I was originally overjoyed to finally own the car little things started to annoy me. Nothing major, but the number of them began to wear on me. All were addressed, but cumulatively the costs added up. Still, the joy of learning how to shift accurately without clanking the chrome shift guides was wonderful.

As the years wore on a belt service, new tires, various electrical issues, sticky switches and more kept me from fully loving the car. I also realized that while my dream 360 was a red/tan car with shields and Daytona seats, my silver/blue convertible wasn’t quite “the look” I really wanted. When the catalytic converters failed inspection all of these things led to get frustrated it, and I sold it just a month after prices went through the roof. Within a year my car was resold for more than $50k more than I sold it for, and continued higher. I learned the lesson - three pedal Ferraris are special, regardless of body type or color/equipment.

So now the point of my post. I’ll be 75 next year, and over the last few years my been challenged many times including several surgeries, some significant. My wife and I both have arthritis, and getting into/out of sports cars takes some effort. I’m 5’7”; she’s 5’. A pillars often interfere with optimal seat placement for each of us, especially her. She also no longer enjoys a manual transmission, largely arthritis related. Years ago she could nearly out drive me. Her DD is a 2021 BMW 330e, plug in hybrid. She likes the torque, and much of her driving is short runs. Still, on longer rides the suspension and comfort in her car is far better than mine. She’s driven various BMWs for nearly 25 years.

Since selling the 360 I’ve bought a Mustang GT, Miata RF, a 1991 Alfa spider, VW GTI and a few motorcycles. Needless to say they aren’t Ferraris, but all had manual transmissions. I bought them because I live in a fairly large city, traffic is heavy, speed enforcement is aggressive, and there are few places to enjoy the simple fun of driving. The cars I bought were inexpensive, at least compared to Ferrari, Porsche, and for the most part fun to drive. In recognition of that my DD is a Tesla Y AWD (yeah, I know). The instant torque is addicting, and with aging eyes and weaker eyesight the standard autodrive is handy at night and bad weather.

Along with this, used F cars remain far higher than pre-COVID, and repair/parts costs have moved higher and parts are harder to find. I’ve looked as Aston Martin V8, several newer cars (C8 Corvette), but few new cars have manual transmissions, and those that do are mostly focused on tech and high HP/speed, neither of which appeal to me as much as handling and steering feel. I drove my friends CTV-5 Blackwing, a very nice car, but frankly the interior materials were hard to overlook. I even considered the newly updated Tesla 3 Performance. I thought about the California or FF, but in some of the places I explore driving a Mustang or Miata isn’t an attention getter, unlike any Ferrari. Still, time is passing and I’m not getting younger.

So, finally, what would you do? I’ve had a great car run, and I’m perfectly content, but I can’t help feeling that itch from time to time.

 

I very much appreciate the replies. Sadly, your comments seem to confirm what I thought. I guess the lack of any available new Porsche 911 models confirms that the "secret is out". The local Chevrolet dealer has a new C8, base model almost no options, for $72K. On paper that's a lot of car, and seeing in it person I noticed that it copied my 2001 360 Spider's class viewing panel. It made me nostalgic for my old car. I'm not a "Corvette guy", but at $75K or so with fees/taxes it doesn't seem like a terrible buy, and is cheaper than any Ferrari that I'd consider owning. The problem is that buying something because it's a good deal, instead of because I "gotta have it" hasn't worked out well for me over the years. Still, it's a lot of car and compared to older C7 cars it seems to be as close to a Ferrari as I'm likely to find in today's market. All I need is some encouragement to pull the C8 trigger. And at $75K for a new 'Vette it doesn't seem as if the risk is too large?

What say thee?

 

You have some good suggestions, and I appreciate them. For now, given the elevated Porsche prices, and my uncertainty about what to do, I'll likely wait a bit. That Z4 does seem pretty sweet! A 6 cylinder, manual tranny and convertible all in one! Miata's big brother. And what is the "Cherry on Top" is it has better specs and prices compared to the Porsche Cayman. Thanks for the suggestion!