612 LOOKING GOOD!!!!

The 612 is the freekin ugliest thing to come out of Ferrari in decades. I hate the looks of that car. If you think the 456 prices dropped like a rock wait till you see how fast this thing looses it's value. When people said they wanted Toyota like reliability from a Ferrari, that doesn't mean they want Toyota styling either. I bet you get a free paid of the Fila clown shoes when you buy the car. Oh that car is so freeking uuuuuglyyyyy!!!!!! I don't care if it has a little Cavalino on the back. That thing is nasty. The front of it looks like Jarjar Binks. Do they have to give Lucas money in order not to voilate copy right laws? The only place you would catch me driving that thing is in a demolition derby. This thing looks NOTHING like consept design. The concept sketch is sleek looking. The actual car looks like an accountant designed it. What a bastardization of what was concieved. I hate it.

 

Now, this is an interesting point that is the subject of more than one currently active thread. Is the 62 year old age the average for those buying NEW Ferraris? My guess is yes. There is no real way to account for every Ferrari that changes hands privately. So, I think that if you account for all Ferraris sold, the number will be much lower. Thoughts?

That being said, Ferrari is obviously only interested in those customers who are buying the cars FROM THEM, so they have no real incentive to appeal to customers other than those buying new.

If I walked into a 12-year olds room and they had a 612 poster on their wall, I would think there was something wrong with them.

 

It was new cars.... actually it was new 12's, which since 1994 has meant front engine cars.

 

wouldn't surprise me too much to see the average of NEW
Fcar buyers to be in the 50s, as these are so expensive
new...gotta remember, the last many years have been
somewhat of an aberration:

* in the late 80's-early 90s', speculation drove Fcar prices
higher than would otherwise have been the case.
* slight stalling of pricing in mid-90s
* late 90s, 'dot bomb' crowd supported this stuff(however,
check the FML anytime and see pages of 360s for sale )
* early 2000s, economy dead, Euro UP, UP, UP, if you
gots to work fer a living, you probably ain't gonna be
a NEW Fcar buyer...
* depreciation hit will help scare off anyone who has to
think about whether they can afford an Fcar.

If all one did was look at a chart/graph of NEW Fcar prices
over the last 15 yrs or so, it would be easy to conclude that
the cars are worth the $$, and that the upward trending
is probably an accurate read on the market.

Little analysis/common sense might lead one to conclude
otherwise, however...

Also, remember how Ferrari blabs about 'exclusivity' ??
Well, they're still peddling around 4000 cars/year, but
world is a lot bigger place than 10-15 yrs ago, so that
tells you they either can't sell into the old channels, or
they're raising prices so much they want to expand out
to other channels, looking for the less frequent rich dude
in other parts of the world(Russia, Asia, etc).

The younger crowd in 30s-40s age range that would buy
a NEW Fcar is probably mainly diehard car buffs, Fcar nuts.
And, of course, anyone on THIS board qualifies as an
Fcar nut

 

Most of the 12 year olds had TRs and Lambos on their posters,not 400is in the past.
Why would you expect to change that now?

 

I don't know why the big-shots that run Ferrari changed from sexy to retro ?
I wish someone could explain it to me?

I think they are afraid of Lambo's big money backing, and want to give them a wide berth when it comes to $300k mid engine sexy 12's from now on Could be embarrassing to lose to a tractor factory, so you stay clear of getting in the fight, (ferrair knows how to protect their mystique).

....or they know the older guys that loved the F-cars of the 50's and 60's have 300k to spend.... and the market is ripe for the picking. I bet its a bit of both.

 

I will keep this short and simple: the 612 is beautiful.

 

YUCK!

 

Looks like a genetically mutated Pontiac TA and Grand Am love child! YUCK!

 

I did not like any of the 612 pics.

then I saw it live in NYC a few weeks ago when Paul Poirier of Wide World of Cars was babysitting the 612 and Maserati 4porte in front of LeCirque. When all the rich people went in to eat, I had a nice Ferrarichat with him and he let me sit in the car.

The 612 carries on the 40+ year tradition of the Ferrari 2+2 - it is a big, elegant, reserved grand tourer w/ buckets of power. It 's not meant to grab your attention and then beat the hell out of it. That's what the other F-cars are for.

Having seen it in person, I am now a fan of the 612 and think it carries on the tradition of the Ferrari 2+2 marvelously.

 

Not the case at all with the 355. Instant classic.

 

If you compare the 612's styling to the competition what is there that really looks much better in a 2+2? Compared it to say the new Bentley or Aston Martin I'd say styling wise the 612 has it beat.

Also, I can understand the aging F-purchaser especially the way Ferrari sells their cars. Typically the guy that buys the most F-cars gets first crack. So, to get into the club takes time and a lot of $$$ to establish the relationship. I'd be willing to bet on resales Ferrari has seen a drop in demographics, age wise. They would have the current ownership figures at FNA as they keep track of warranty and servicing. They'd know.

I think that Ferrari can control the demographics by their car designs. Hence the 360 for ages up to say early 50's and typically Maranello's for those who don't want to drive a "mid life crisis" looking car. All FWIW......

 

the 911 beats a 360 in performance? and i though only people with at least half a brain post on this site!!!!! and the gallardo is UGLY!!! GET your eyes checked!!!!!

 

the ferraris of the eightys were unreliable cars with substandard performance...and please do not use obsene language on this web site...show a little class!!!!!!and ferrari is not done, your opinions are in the minority

 

I think it looks really good interior wise, With bigger wheels it would look great far better then 456.

 

When the BMW 745 came out I hated it ,but know I like it ,it grew on me ,I hope the same for the 612

 

Don't like it. I did a little more after the Toronto Canada Autoshow, but still doesn't get me going. What I do know is that I like the 456 ALOT more!

 

Not at first...
There were lots of complaints that the 355 looked too much like the 308.

 

Wow, really? I don't see that at all. I thought the 355 looked great and quite different.

 

Why so harsh with the criticism? Many, many car enthusiasts LOVE the looks of the 360, and I agree. I like the 355, but much prefer the 360. The sales figures speak volumes, even after 5 years of production the waiting list is many months long. Whether you like to admit it or not, the 360 is admired the world over for its stunning shape.

Gary

 

Thanks for the best laugh of the day! My second car, an '02 M3, handles any 911 (not talking GT2 or 3 here) with no problem, and my 360 is another quantum leap in performance above that.

Gary

 

LOL, what fantasyland are you living in?

 

Sales figures at this level mean nothing sport. 90%+ of all F-car owners do it for the BADGE on the front, period. You won't find them hanging out on F-chat all day either, lol.

If we go by sales figures to judge taste at the high level then I guess Cristal is better than Dom, Sizzler is better than Ruth's Chris, and Ford is better than Ferrari right?

The 360 may be "admired the world over" but it's been in a segment with ZERO competition until just recently, and with a badge on the front that every jacka$$ with money has to have at least two of. Donald Trump owns a 2001 Titanium 360 Spyder that he bought new. Know how many miles it has on it? 70. Case closed.

 

I said done for me, not done for the Paris Hilton-set guy. Ferrari will never be done to the audience that has money to spend, regardless of whether they're creating cars that are compelling to purists or not.

Big differance.

 

Agree with Mako99. Never heard this before. The 355 was universally loved, right from the beginning. Quote from Market Report:

"And the F355 went onto receive almost universal praise from owners, journalists and enthusiasts alike, this new model appealing as much to hardened Ferraristi as the man on the street so appealing was it's beauty."