Should I buy an older and less desired F-car now or wait for my dreamcar, F355?

Correction: ( LESS being relative "to Price/Cost".)
Sorry for the misunderstanding HusterNTexas & T69.
( No disrespect intended! Mondial Cab is Timeless)

 

No one has even mentioned getting a 348. They are almost the same as the 355 and a lot cheaper. If I were you I would do as Tifosi69 said and get into anything you can afford just to see how you like it first. It is possible you will decide that Ferrari ownership is not for you. Getting in as cheap as you can will be a big benefit then as you are bound to lose money when you try to sell later.

 

hmm, driving 12's makes me appreciate my 8's even more! lol

if you can afford it, i agree, why wait? life is too short. as long as it's somewhat reasonable - buy it. but i'd be sure you're going to be happy driving a [ ] since it's not your first choice... don't buy a ferrari just to buy a ferrari. buy it b/c you want that car (even though you would prefer a 355).

 

Ok,
I like all Ferrari's, most of them are great, but some of them just attract me more than others. Isn't that normal? Especially the F355 in my case! I've set my mind to it since it was released. And when I drove it I wanted the F355 GTS or Spider to be the first Ferrari to have and keep it for life. There's something about that car that makes it so special to me, it stole my heart! I can't explain, that particular car seems just perfect to me; the looks, the sound, the drive,... everything! So if I had to choise, It'll be the F355 every time. Call me stupid but I really can't help it . BTW; with less desired, I meant; just a bit less desirable for me. I really don't care what someone else thinks about my car. F.e., most people in my country don't like my current daily driver at all, but that really doesn't matter to me! I love it! No matter what other people think about it.

Of course I would be extremely happy to own another Ferrari-type too, but I'm just affraid that when I buy a 308 or a Mondial now, I'll just have to wait longer to obtain the F355. No doubt about it, these cars (308, Mondial,...) are very nice to drive and really beautiful but personally I'ld like to try having a more recent model, because I think I will have less mechanical problems with these. Maybe I'm wrong with this???

My girlfriend likes Ferrari's too, but not in the same way I do. She knows I'm totally Ferrari crazy since she met me the first time and she likes to drive along when I have one,... Hey, I'm so crazy I even have a little prancing horse tatoo on my schoulder, so... she knows Altough, for her it's not a priority.

About a V12, I never drove one, so I don't really know a lot about it. Just that they look and sound great. I think I'll be happy with "just" a V8 Maybe things will change if I get the change to drive a V12 one day. But I like the looks of a 348 and certainly a F355 more than a Testarossa or a 550... Another controversial thougt, isn't it? Just my personal favour...
A Mondial is a great car, but I don't really need the backseat. It's not neccessary 'caus the Ferrari will not be the family car, I've got other transport for that.

So, I think I'll wait just a little longer to see if I can reach a F355 soon enough. If it's not in my reach the next 2years, I'll buy a 328GTS, 348GTS or late Mondial Cabrio instead. I just wanted to know what you guys would do in this case, thanks for the opinions again Really appreciated.

But after all, guess it always is a personal taste.

Greets, Alex.

 

Believe me, I'm 100% percent certain that Ferrari ownership is something for me. Like I told before, I'm crazy about those cars, the history,... everything.
Really, I'm a die-hard on a mission! I WILL HAVE ONE!!! A lot of people don't seem to understand me. For me it really is a work of art! So much more than a car! Not just a fast and beautiful car like a Porsche f.e. I enjoy driving, listening or looking at it more than anything in the world! I'm possesed!

Greets, Alex.

 

I say only get a starter model if you like it as well.
Don't get it just to "get you over with the waiting time for F355".

My dream car is a F360 Spider, a bit out of reach right now. So I am looking for a F355 GTS, because I truly love it too. Of course if I am given a choice of either for the same price I will take F360 in a heart beat but I love F355 also, so I am getting that when I work on the F360 funds.

Don't settle, unless it 100% pleases you.

 

Having owned 6 cars badged as a Ferrari (two v8s, two V12s & two flat 12s), my advice to someone on a budget is to buy a low cost 12 such as a 330 2+2, 365 2+2, 400GT or even a C4 and experience the ownership of a Ferrari 12. Once your finances allow, you can then move up to a 330GTC, 275, Daytona, Boxer or 550/575.

 

He died in a Plane Crash… Very sad indeed!

ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6565&highlight

 

Alex,

Like myself, you're in Love with the 355 (GTS or Spider)
I'm on the same mission as you are. It is THE Car I want
to have, drive and keep! No one is going to persuade you
to purchase something you don't want. You'll find many
"opinions" on this site when you pose the question: What
should I do?/What would you do? (Fill in the Blanks).

When considering the context of your original post,
Including: You and your Girl Friend having a Child,
(more usually follow), the likelihood of a larger Home
to accommodate everyone. The progression of these don't
usually include a Ferrari in the short term (3 to 5 years ),
without some major sacrifices. It would be wise have at
least 6 months (or 1 yrs) Salary in the Bank for the potential
unforeseen occurrences that CAN NOT be touched.

 

Hi Alex,

take the 328. Right now. Waiting could be a mistake. Celebrate youth!
IMO this car fits better to your private circumstances.
Many 355 will wait for you in good shape.

no regrets

cinquevalvole

 

Just wanna add on something, after reading ChuckEBaby's post.

Most of us who earn money the "hard"(relatively) way, is constantly "struggling"(relatively) to reach the next chapter in life, so if you keep waiting, you might not ever get what you always wanted, at least not until you are much older, by then you might not desire the toys as much as you do now.

Heck, the best time to rip in a Ferrari will be in college time if you ask me, lol. Other than getting good grades you pretty much have no responsibilities or restriction. Of course unless you have a trust funds you don't have the money for it, so cased closed for most of us.
When you get out of school, have a decent job, that again will be the very good time to own. However, a smart person, will save the money and fulfill other priorities in life, for example buy a home, or let me money grow to make more money instead of spending it. That way, maybe you don't have all the toys or look cool as the guy who makes the same money as you but spend it all, but years down the road you will be much more comfortable financially than him. So, again case closed, no Ferrari.

After that, you have almost no break.
You want to save up for rainy days, you are in relationship, you get married, you might need new house, you might have kids, blah blah, just never stop until your kids done with college, scary

Using myself as example, out of school at 23, bought a home at 25, saved up a decent portfolio in the next few years, and bought a 2nd home(planning to have family) at 30. That was almost the perfect time for a Ferrari, but wife's 100k kitchen project won over my F-car project. Now I am 31, wife is 29 soon, and we plan to have kids. Again, Ferrari dream is about to bust. So I am getting one right now, otherwise I probably will never get one.

If you truly love the car, and will have the means to buy it in the near future. You figure out what you want in life, have a plan, and follow it, and don't look back.

 

348 vs 355:

Hi,
this might be a little of topic but how big is the difference between the 348 and the 355 performance wise? On paper they seem to weigh both around 1400kg. The 348ts is supposed to have about 295hp and the 355 about 375hp. But I saw tests showing that a 355 had problems to even reach the factory claimed top speed of 295km/ and that the 348 with a good exhaust etc. will even easily exceed the factory claimed 275km/h (real speed not speedometer speed).
This leads me to the idea that in fact the performance difference is a lot less than around 80hp? Any opinions about that?

Sebastian

 

I'm going to say the same to you that I've said to my friends:

Get the Ferrari first. Get it before you get married, get it before you have kids. It is highly likely that if you don't get it now, you won't get one. There's always a good reason to put the purchase off "one more year," and that year will never come. I've seen too many friends delay a dream for the 'responsible' thing to do and never ever go back to that dream. If you talk to them later, they'll admit that they wished they had followed that dream when they had the chance.

Of course, my local friends didn't listen either

 

Mmm,

It's not easy.
If I buy a 308/Mondial now, I will be a very happy F-driver very soon but I might never get my beloved F355 if things go wrong ! Or I definately will have it much later then I planned or liked .

If I keep on saving and working to get F355 money, chances are I may never own a Ferrari at all if things go wrong (I don't want to think about that! )... or ...I might have it quicker than I thought if everything works out fine

Then again, I've still got time and no intention to going bankrupt or to die in the near future...
Very sad story about the man who bought his dreamcar too late...

So I think I'll keep on trying to stick with my initial plan; I'll try to resist all those nice, shiny 308 and Mondial beauties for a while (that's going to be hard, I like those cars too!), working and saving hard in the meantime to get F355 money as soon as possible (passing 328 and 348 money on the way). Maybe prices of my favourite model will go down a bit and I'll could have it even sooner!

I'll regulary make a re-evaluation to see how fast the F355 comes closer. If I see it takes too long, I will go for the F3xx-series car that suits my budget best at that time... From now, I will minimum wait 6months to buy, maximum 8years (note; that's an absolut deadline, a worst case scenario, I'll try to get it much, much sooner! If I don't have it at 35, I never will and that's NOT gonna happen!). If things work out the way I planned them at this moment I will buy a perfect F355 for my 32th birthday, a 348 for my 29th or a 328/Mondial for my 28th AND have a house and a kid then. Untill then, I will enjoy seeing and hearing my favourite cars both on the road and on the track, knowing I WILL have one.
And of course, drive one from time to time...

BTW the F355 will be a keeper, I will NEVER sell it once I obtained one...!

At this point, that's how I think about it, of course I don't know what the future will bring, I could either be dead or own 3 Ferrari's including an Enzo an a castle within the next year ,... who knows...?

Thanks for the replies.

Greets, Alex.
Enjoy your Ferrari('s) if you have it already or keep thinking about and working towards your future F-car if you haven't.

I WILL!!!

 

Tillman,

Best response to this post so far, I agree 100%!
Buy it "WHILE" he can decide for himself…

But Alex has already conceded that He AND his Girl Friend
are THINKING about having a BABY. Of course they will need
a larger House etc., he won't be making the decisions alone.
That's why I asked if she shares his views on the Subject.

"The problem is his Love (Girl Friend/Child) vs Passion (Ferrari).
(Something has gotta give…. Hence the understanding. )

Girl Friends have short-term memories when the become Wives!
( And if there is money in the Bank, she'll find a way to spend it!)


I wish him well either way!

 

Look, A Ferrari is about as practical as home zoo. There is never any "logical" reason to get one. Nobody NEEDS a Ferrari. No matter how much money you have, there are many more practical things to spend the money on. Investments, your kid's college, your parents, world hunger, whatever.
My humble F Car buying decison guide:
1) Do you want one?
2) Can you afford it (and maintenance) without sacrificing little luxuries like food, shelter and your credit rating?
If "yes" to 1 and 2, get any Ferrari that you can afford. I was waiting and waiting then, almost on impulse, got one. It is a bottom of its value Mondial, so I should get most of my money back to put towards another, if I choose. More important, I'm never going to look back and say "damn, I'm so sorry I bought a Ferrari."
Hope this helps. Now go get one.

 

I knew that I would never be able to afford an F355 or newer model, so I went with the best car my budget would allow, and that's a 328. It's still a Ferrari, the styling is still totally modern (as long as the headlights aren't up!) and it still attracts stares and admiration everywhere. Aside from sheer performance, what more could you want?

 

how badly do you want financial independence vs. toys? A house is almost always a much better investment than an Fcar. I waited and it took a dozen years from marriage to be ready to get the Fcar. The waiting, education, and looking is fun too - some say most of the fun. And don't forget that $10k to cleanup any F-car you purchase. There was a great thread a few months back about a Mondial purchase that had "minor" problems that added up. But then I threw every $0.01 I had prior to marriage into show horses - and that's a completely different story!

There's lots of fun cars out there that are more practical than an F355. I went for a SVT Mustang conv. as a practice car - all alluminum dohc 32v, same perf. specs as a 328, I thought of it as a 328 in training. A long stretch but worked for me. Now I'm taking parkerfe's advice and looking for BBi's.

 

I would say get one now. I have a 308qv and love it. I live in Indy and it was a great day for a drive. Had the top out. Of course tonight we are supposed to get 6 inches of snow! Also the cars hold value well so you will more then likely be able to sell if for around what you paid for it. When you are ready for the 355 just trade up. That is what I have always planned on doing. Now though I find myself wanting to keep the 308 AND get the 355.....or maybe a 12......

 

Another problem I have is that I'll love every car that I own or will own a bit too much. I find it very hard to sell them after a few joyful years together. I would like to keep every good car I buy and stick with them for life (Is that strange?), but that's almost impossible I'm affraid.
That's also one of the reasons why I'm still driving the first Fiat I bought, while a lot of people change their cars regulary. (Another reason is it saves me money for the F-car )

Now, if you know I can't sell a Italian economy hatchback like my Fiat, how would I feel when I have to sell a Ferrari soon after I bought it?! That would be a disaster! So when I buy one, I want to be sure I can keep and maintain it for a long time or for life, not for a year or so. I could do that now but I won't be able to cover unexpected life-costs anymore then, with the risk of having to sell the car or be in trouble if I don't sell, if things go wrong.
My girlfriend definately wants a kid first women! And maybe I'ld better secure that first, altough I'll have to wait for my Ferrari a little longer then. I could leave her for the Ferrari but that's not really an option, 'cause I still do love her and I will get the Ferrari anyway sooner or later.
Of course I also have the passion for Ferrari and therefore I created a special F-account for my dreamcar every euro that flows to that account is strictly for a Ferrari one day, no exeptions, I'll never touch that money for something else. Because I've always saved as much as possible of my total income when I could for that purpose (and trying to keep doing that), I know that I certainly will have one one day if things go the way I planned.

Thing is, when I buy a 308/Mondial now AND have a kid AND buy a house almost at the same time, I would be VERY happy NOW, but I'm affraid I won't be able to save as much as I do now and may never get a F355.

If I'm patient and wait a bit longer, I would have a few more years without a Ferrari, but... I WILL have a more recent model for sure and be EXTREMELY happy THEN (again, if things go the way I planned them)
BTW, the exact date for kid and the house aren't decided yet either, it could take some time before I made up my mind...

What I personally would like to do is Ferrari first, then house, then kid. But if I'll do this, I will have a Ferrari, but no relationship anymore. Mmm, of course it wouldn't be hard to find a date with such a car Then again, at the moment that's not an option

Greets, Alex.

 

1. Set a goal and do something each and every day to bring yourself closer toward your goal.

2. If you want a 355, then make that your goal - accept no substitute.

3. Never compromise – or you’ll live in a world of regret

 

Good point, I really wanted a TR back when I bought my first Ferrari a 308QV. I found the 308QV to have excellent handling, great looks but a bit low on hp. The 308 however got me into the FCA & I made tons of great friends & that was 15 years ago. So from my experience I would say get a 308 or a 328 & you'll get a taste for the experience of owning a Ferrari

Life could be a lot worse than having a beautiful 308 in your garage

 

"Life could be a lot worse than having a beautiful 308 in your garage"

True, you could have a beautiful 308 in your garage,
with bent valves and cracked pistons due to a slipped timing belt,
because while you had the money to purchase an old 308,
you didn't have any extra to keep up with the expensive maintenance on the vehicle because you were trying to support a wife and new child.

Make no mistake, I truly enjoy old Ferraris...
I just feel that buying a Ferrari should not be done by conducting a pole.
You will know when it is time to buy, and which model to buy,
better than anyone else on this board.
Everyone has their own opinion, and their favorite model Ferrari they will suggest.

What I might suggest may not be what you want to hear, but...
I would do as much research as possible on the models you are thinking of buying. And over the course of a years time, yes I said a year...
If you still have the urge, then you will be prepared for Ferrari ownership.
Instead of buying because of Ferrari fever, with the extra urging of a Ferrari chat board.

 

I had a friend who was in perfect health, about 40 had 2 kids & a 328 & a succesful business. While he was waiting for the Viper GTS to come out so he could buy one he dropped dead of a brain aneurism. Awful, & I really miss him.

John Lennon," Life is what happens while you are making other plans."

Nobody has a guarantee that they will wake up tommorow morning, Nobody

 

Wait it out man.

Make sure your mind stays focused on the PERFECT Ferrari for you!

REMEMBER:

"Whatsoever things ye ask for when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them," said Jesus.

You need not hesitate about asking largely; "it is your Father's pleasure to give you the kingdom, " said Jesus.