What is happening with the Pista market?

Wow. I just picked up an almost identical spec about 6 weeks ago for $520K. Mine had 12k miles but still…..

Market has gone absolutely bonkers. My dealer told me he moved on for a little over 700 recently.

 

Most high end cars in Japan including luxobarges are LHD as it's a status symbol to have LHD in their country. There are some, but very few RHD exotic cars.

I've noticed the big price difference in Japan and EU vs USA. My best guess is a lot more US buyers are more into the investment/speculating aspect on how much it will make them in the future. Whereas in Japan and EU I see cars with more miles and even some modifications you won't see here (especially Lamborghini in Japan). It's starting to make sense for those of us with either multiple residences overseas or frequent visitors of those places to buy and keep there and use there rather than have one here. That's not even going into things like better road quality and lower risks of theft and car accidents of having an exotic in Japan vs US for example.

 

Do you think that will apply to the 488 to some degree as well? Last-ish of true ICE V8 but with a great sounding exhaust (yes I understand not compared to a 458). The F8 needs a lot of expensive aftermarket work with tuning to get it sounding better which may be a turn off for future buyers/enthusiasts? Yes the performance is less, GTB vs F8, but it's likely not noticeable unless you take the cars to 9/10ths of their ability on a track. Maybe this is wishful thinking for me as a 488 owner haha.

 

I’m not really good at predicting the future, but my hunch is that the 488 won’t see a huge price jump. It’s like the 348-355-36-430-458—they’ve had their ups and downs over the years, just like other Ferraris. And hey, that’s perfectly normal!

To me, the 488 is an amazing car. It’s super fun to drive, and it’s got all the Ferrari looks you’d expect. Even though some folks on Ferrari Chat might say otherwise, people outside the forum always seemed to be drawn to my 488 for the 4 years I owned one, and they loved talking about it.

Just like the F8, even though it seems like fewer were made than the Pista, the prices have pretty much leveled off over the last year. There’s been a tiny, ever-so-slight increase, but nothing crazy.

 

Yeah I don't expect them to go up in price much. I think pista's because of the rarity (real or perceived) looks and performance will be up there for a while if not forever. Then the 458 speciale for obvious reasons and the 458's in general. But my hunch is that the F8 and 488 will round out the bottom of these "last of non hybrid V8's" but the 488 won't drop that much further.

I guess I should've clarified. I bought my 488 recently because I finally decided it was time to get a Ferrari and I had the means. I find the car incredibly beautiful and more than enough power. I'm driving it like I stole it every time and don't think twice about mileage. It's funny you mention others. EVERY time I drive it I get looks, thumbs up and kids or drivers asking me to rev it. And it's a 7 year old car! Now I don't expect it to become a collectors item. But I also don't think it'll drop too much more from where it is now. Especially given the design path and hybrid path they've taken since after the F8 (849 yikes!). As well as the great sounding exhaust before they had to further put the muzzle on with GPF filters. Again maybe wishful thinking but I'm still gonna enjoy the crap out of my car whether it depreciates another $100K from now in 5-10 years or stays relatively flat. Just would be an added bonus if it didn't haha.. Always appreciate other's viewpoints.

 

Speaking of Pista….Ive noticed that when I go to car shows I see way more Pista than F8. Not sure what that means but something I notice.

 

I read through this thread and it s a very good conversation. I also wondered what in the world happened to Pista and Speciale prices. Supply and demand are definitely drivers for product pricing. But I also wonder if some of this is driven by dealers (All dealers, large and small). There is a trigger somewhere that raises the prices on a car such that it occurs in a very short time. We saw what happened during COVID.

So could some dealer influence the market by increasing prices on a certain model and then the other dealers react to the price adjustment which then causes a rush on inventory as speculators move to get in on the next appreciating item? I'm not implying the these cars are not "special", but a such a large jump in prices over such a short time is peculiar.

Simply some random thoughts.