meanderings as consider Ferrari again..

All,

So, I am at 7 decades on this planet, and have owned all sorts of vehicles. Right now I am considering a Ferrari again. Perhaps a Roma, perhaps a Cali T. I want another convertible.

I am also a motorcycle rider, since 1967. And I currently own a Moto Guzzi V7 and an Aprilia Tuono 660: very different bikes. One a charming, low hp beauty full of character and torque. The other a high tech screamer, agile and very fast. Previous to the Ape, I owned a MV Agusta Dragster RR. The MV, well, it was a terror, and I think an analog for a Ferrari Roma, or California T: exotic, very fast, quirky, approach with respect, rare, and can be a maintenance and parts "challenge".

I realized I have a major bias against German cars after owning a miserable BMW 330i, and also VW Scirocco--unreliable. I love all things Italian. My best cars have been Mazdas. An upside here: what appears to be a fantastic Ferrari dealer, and very close.

On a Guzzi ride yesterday, on our southeast Pennsylvania, USA curvy, hilly, congested roads, with Amish horse buggies (with their residue), and lots of recent storm debris, and pot holes, and trucks it hit me. "It is more fun to ride a slow bike fast, than a fast bike slow".

So, for now I am backing away from a Ferrari. All that hp and tech would be wasted here, I think. And I truly love an old style manual transmission. The DCT with paddles? Hmm. And the high tech interface? Perhaps like my Aprilia: so many custom menus and settings.

However, I have not closed the door on Ferrari completely.

I want to avoid buyers remorse. Yes, I am an engineer, retired, but also a thinker and experienced.

A concern: the attention a Ferrari draws. Some of that attention, perhaps not so healthy.

Thoughts? I may go back to a Miata with manual. I had one before my Corvette C7, with a manual and convertible.

Grazie...

 

Lol, not looking for convincing. But, I am looking for shared experience and advice. I want to make the right choice and decision.

Buyer's remorse is not fun, particularly in the Ferrari price range.

In the motorcycle world, I have seen a lot of riders make horrid decisions, and have major buyers remorse. Why is that? Impulse buys, pushy dealers, deal too good to walk away from. Mostly the mistakes are: bike geometry wrong (too high, low, stretched, heavy, light). Or, way too powerful. Or, not enough power for rider's weight and riding goals. Or, a dealer goes under: no parts, no service. I had both a Triumph dealer and MV dealer and Moto Guzzi dealer go poof on me in the Houston area. ALL amazing machines, and frankly it was frustrating. So, I really look at committed dealer support (I appear to have that).

Suitability for area matters, a lot. I have lived all over the US: CO, WY, AK, TX, LA and now PA. I have also lived in North Africa and traveled extensively. I remember being in Amsterdam, city center, and watching a guy back his Ferrari (V12 of some sort), out of his garage, then creep along in traffic. I suppose eventually he made it to a highway. But Holland is not Ferrari territory -- congested, flat roads, lots of stops, etc. Saw similar in Varenna, Italy our last trip there: decent for a Moto Guzzi V7 to cruise around Lake Como, a waste for a fast car. Paris and London? Feh.

I like shoes that fit. Thanks for bearing with me.

 

Cigarzman,
Thanks, you are giving me options to explore. Portofino. Grazie.

 

More pondering from my luddite, engineering brain. Good discussion, got a lead--check out the Portofino. Will research, I am doing homework here. I still plan on visiting my local dealer in Newtown Square, PA. They have a Cali T in white/red that may draw me in? I wonder what visibility is like inside the cabin, with the top down? The manager has been responsive, and professional and courteous with initial email contacts. I like that a lot.

Meandering down the road: I remember a time when cars were frankly, just damn cool. My dad had a 1957 Ford Town and Country Squire station wagon, in two tone red/white, white walls, and red and white interior. AM radio and side window vents. Clunky and primitive, but gorgeous. I tried to find one a few years ago: no luck, extremely rare, and scammers waiting to pounce. Then he had a 1963 Ford Galaxy 500 in white. Jumbo V8 four barrel. Back seat big enough for four kids, and that car would haul, and it was gorgeous. Most cars today are the same old design. Lots of SUVs, all clones. Small cars becoming rare. Sports cars are pretty rare. Corvettes I like, but only certain C* models, same with some muscle cars. A C7 Vette still turns my head. C8 not so much.

Italians have a sense of design. Anyone who has traveled there, enjoys history and architecture, and food and wine and shoes and a custom shirt knows that. The Italians do it with style. Vespa scooter? Yes indeed. Home of the best motorcycles. Montepulciano or a Barolo? Give me Florence over Paris any day and Venice is supreme, especially for wandering. My Italian DNA, about 30%, appears to be from Legio XX, the Valeria Victoria. A lot of Scots have the same residual DNA.

I am developing a list of questions about the Cali T: years to avoid, mechanical aspects to beware, best options, opinions, likes, dislikes. Right now life is extremely busy with first grandson on the way in a month. But, I am figuring...Spring will come. Or maybe a cold February winter day in PA when my dealer is quiet, sales guys are bored, and cash talks. We will see. Patience wins. Molto bene.

 

The boxster is the closest thing to the Elise, but much more livable. It’s underpowered and an absolute blast. You can ring out a ton of fun in it without driving at the insane speeds needed to get the same fun out of a Ferrari.

So my advice is forget the Miata, get a boxter.[/QUOTE]

bb,
Thanks for this comment. I shopped in Houston for a Boxster, for a while. After test driving yet another beat up one, at a dealer where the sales guy did not even bother to wash the car, I drove to my Mazda dealer. And I tested a new Miata, and I bought it and traded my daughter's Mazda 3. Loved the Miata a couple years, then drove a buddy's C7 Corvette with M7, convertible. And then searched and found a similar C7 and enjoyed the heck out of it.

I keep going back to: "it is more fun to drive a slow bike fast, than a fast bike slow". My local roads are congested, hilly and curvy: waste for a high HP car. A neighbor has a C8 Vette: he charges about in first and second gear. Maybe he gets it up to 70 mph on the local, choked with trucks interstate here in SE PA? Bottom line is I don't want to expend my time, energy and money with a Ferrari repair shop. Cali to Portofino to now Roma are the convertible options....and the Roma's are just now becoming available?

I may sniff at the Boxsters again? I want to make a good decision, and not have buyer's remorse.

 

Grigio,

I hear you: heart vs brain. Some of my heart decisions have worked out: MV Agusta Dragster RR. Even though my dealer went poof, I managed to keep it running via help from a forum, and an independent mechanic, and having an extra bike. I think a Ferrari is analog to the MV in many ways. As an old guy, I am patient. Why Ferrari? I am asking that. Carpe Diem? Even my Aprilia Tuono 660 has way, way too much HP and speed for these roads, but it sure is fun to twist the throttle.

Roma Spider availability? Used Portofino? Sniffing about. Grazie.

 

I think a right optioned Portofino would work for me. Looking. Thanks.