You Can't Take Them With You...

It has been my experience with the 6 Ferraris I have owned that the more I drive them, the cheaper they are to own. And, wildwarrior, if you drive 100 miles or so every other Sunday then you should be putting 2600 miles or so a year on your Ferrari, not 1500.

 

I have recently started to drive it more because I have heard from several people that the more use= less maintenance philosophy is correct. It makes sense to me. DO NOT like being in the rain though.

 

The least expensive way to own a Ferrari is to drive the 15K or 30K miles between majors every 5 years between the majors. You can drive more and the expense stays the same, but drive less and the expense goes through the roof. Then you sit back and say things like: "Gee, I just paid $5K for a car I only drive 4 times a year" or some such rot.

Buy them, drive then, maintain them, love them.

 

Thanks for the info Mitch, you have confirmed what I have heard.

 

yup so when I have time, I drive. It's just recently I have not had any time to enjoy my cars/bikes Plus with starting Law school soon, the mileage will go down lower

 

I think driving any expensive car,let alone a Ferrai,especially on a daily basis is all relative to one's financial situation.The guy who put 50,000 miles on his F-50,i guess,has so much money that taking a loss on that car meant nothing to him.On the other hand there's another guy who just bought a F-355 but is not as financially successful as the F-50 guy,so how would you expect him to put 50,000 miles on his car,takes a 40% depreciation and be able to smile ?
Later, Yasir

 

If you can't afford to eat the depreciation you shouldn't buy the car in the first place.
If you can't afford to eat the maintanence you shouldn't buy the car in the first place.

Really no difference than not being able to afford gas, oil, and tires....

 

Holy ****...! i agree with Mitch (TWICE!) and Frank Parker...! Both, at the same time, in the same thread...! That's amazing...! A little weird, but still amazing...


Yasir, the fellow who used to own the F50k (as it was so rightfully named), sold it to someone else who thoroughly enjoys it; he now drives a 1962 330 TRI/LM (s/n 0808)... When i saw him in New Orleans, i had to ask him if the Forza article was true; i said to him: "Is it true you really drive this thing to work, everyday...?"

His reply? "Yeah, 3 or 4 times a week..."

i really don't think it's a matter of money to him; he just enjoys his cars and uses them for what they were truly intended for...

 

When summer comes, I commute in the 355, and will do so in the 360. Life is short, no reason not to enjoy it. Why buy a car and not drive it? They sure aren't going to appreciate.

Art

 

Lighten up just a bit Mitch, eh?

 

I drive as often as I can. I left full insurance on over the winter, and as a result, I've now driven my 328 11 out of 12 months. Not bad for the midwest.

 

tritone - don't think Mitch's post was that heavy, just realistic.

And if someone considering stretching their finances to buy a Ferrari reads it, and then decides to wait, he could have done them a favour.

Better a car used 50k p.a. and cherished than 500 miles p.a. and only had the bare min. (or less) done. If prospective purchasers took this on board more often, massive depreciation wouldn't happen through mileage alone and more people would see more Ferraris being used as what they were designed for (fun transport).

added to let you know I'm not getting arsey about this

 

Yeah, I smiled when I read that article. Very cool man indeed, wasn't his name Chuck Wagner? Something of the like I think, he had Phill Hill sign his 330 TRI/LM, right? I could be thinking of a different fellow though.

 

Murph -

Rereading Mitch's post, it's not that I disagree completely with the point of view, it's more just the tone of voice.

Looked at objectively, I can't really afford my Ferrari; circumstances dictate I
don't drive it very much, I pay scary $$ to maintain it; that's just my choice.
I love the car, so I'll deal with those circumstances. Other owners may enjoy different circumstances.

Just bothers me when someone gets too "preachy" about this (or any)
F-subject. OK, end of my pout!

PS: If he ever gave it even a moments thought (unlikely), I suspect Enzo himself didn't necessarily expect buyers to 'drive it every day'; probably just when they had the time for a quick weekend in Monte Carlo ....

James

 

Oh come on, hasn't this load of crap been beaten to death a long time ago?
We all do what ever in the hell we like. I personally do not drive my cars very much. This is mainly because I don't have the time to do it. It also means that I personally would rather work than drive my car. Who the hell cares?
Does anybody feel like beating up on Mr. Shirley, or maybe the Wangs need to be chastized for not running their cars often enough. After all if you have 20 or so cars it would be hard to "drive them like Enzo intended" wouldn't it?
I personally don't really care how Enzo would want me to drive my car.