To all of you more fortunate...

Start sniffing around some of the events that you will see posted in your region. If you show a genuine interest and passion for the marque some owner may pick up on that and be willing to give you a taste.

I think if your mechanically and automotively minded then yes you can work on these cars. It's a matter of what you figure your skill level is and what your time is worth. Hope this helps.

 

Welcome.

1. Join FCA, go to events, talk to people.
2. New cars: get a subscription to Forza, old cars: Cavallino.
3. Buy some books, check out FML's online book store. A little of everything there.
4. Hang out here. Ask questions.
5. Go to Caulley. Buy a shirt, chat with the sales guy.

Repeat, and enjoy.

Regards,
Erik

 

Ferrarichat is THE best place for you to start out at! I came here a year and a half ago with similar interests. From the website I met up with a bunch of local owners out in SoCal. A year and a half later I have had more fun in my life than I could have ever imagined, gotten great inspiration twoards buying my own Ferrari one day, and gotten to drive in and ride in some pretty nice Ferraris

The Ferrari community is one big family. Just get yourself connected with your local community, meet people, make friends, and enjoy sharing the passion of Ferrari!

 

Great advice given. Just consider yourself a sponge for knowledge and soak up everything you can get your hands on. I have learned about Ferraris the hard way, by trial and error. So listen to what others have to say. I must say I'm amazed and grateful at the amount of information that is shared on this forum. It is truly a priceless thing. If you are handy with tools and have COMMON SENSE then it is possible to do most of the service work on a Ferrari. If not then be prepared to spend quite a bit of money for service work. Track events are TERRIFIC for learning about these cars. You get to see and hear them, and maybe even go for a ride in one. As has been said, if your passion is true it will be noticed and people will share their experiences with you. I am about two hours drive from you and if you ever come down to Coldwater, let me know and I'll be glad to show you my Testarossa and take you for a spin. My car has lots of stories and will serve as a good example of what to watch out for, when your ready to make a purchase. In my humble opinion, Ferraris are more than a car, they are an emotional experience. I have never once regretted buying my TR.

 

there is an easy EASY answer to this question. Search all of Des's archived questions and responses. The answers you seek are out there. Please avoid the links with pics of overweight women, the answers are not there, in fact you will leave those pages not wanting a F- anymore.. I'm just kidding.

 

Great responses so far. I'll add my 2 cents. Join the local FCA chapter and attend the events. You don't have to be an owner to join. Most people are very nice and willing to share their passion for the marque.

As far as working on one well, they are cars...with internal combustion engines...like most other cars! There's nothing magical or mysterious about the way they work once you get to know your car. If you can read and have any manual dexterity, you can learn how to maintain a Ferrari. You hear about all the outrageous maintenance costs because:
a)people love a good horror story (I usually hear them from non-owners)
b)some owners take their cars to a mechanic for EVERYTHING - nothing wrong with that but costs more - just a fact of life.
c)generally higher cost for parts and the labor costs at most dealerships.
d)The engines are tight and some things are hard to reach easily=more labor.

But there is another side to the story. Hang around the Tech Q&A section and you'll get an idea of the kinds of things owners are doing. For example, I recently repaired my flywheel & clutch. A new flywheel costs $3K. I rebuilt mine for less than $75. I just completed an engine-out service at home (with the help of many people on this board) that would have cost $8-12K at a decent shop. My total cost was around $1K in parts and about 30 hours of single-handed work. If you buy an older model in good condition (308, 328, mondial 8, etc) get a good set of manuals and build a tool set. You will enjoy the heck out of it. Last thing - you can look and ask all you want, but to really appreciate the Ferrari experience I think you have to live with one. Any year, any model - just buy one and enjoy it. I still pause every time I open my garage door to admire my "slow old" 90 348. Good luck!

 

LOL...!


Ed, welcome to FerrariChat... You'll find LOTS of great information here... But you can find information all over... Best thing to do is become a member of the FCA; go to local events, try to get involved... Buy books, read, talk to owners, talk to members here, make it the largest and most obsessive part of your life - wait... scratch that last part; that's for me, personally...

 

Hiya, Jordan! I work in Irvine, lol. Oh, I have a baaad feeling I shall wind up with a few Ferraris over the next few years, lol.

Anyway, if you could suggest who all around here to hang out with, I'd appreciate it!

BTW - Seems I see more exotics in Irvine than anywhere else, even more than Beverly Hills.

- Julie

 

Ed, there should also be a local Ferrari "club" in Ann Arbor. I know two persons living in Ann Arbor, one with a Ferrari 550 Barchetta, and one with a Ferrari 330 GTC. Ask around a little bit ...

 

Julie, Jordan is THE guy to hang out with in Irvine or just about ANYwhere in California... He absolutely loves Ferraris and always seems to find himself right in the middle of events, get-togethers and the like... If i weren't 3,000 miles away, i'd be hanging out with Jordan everyday...

 

.....And, how do you think Jordan would feel about that??

DL

 

If you are around Indy e-mail me and I would love to talk to you and give you a ride. Lake Forest does all my service work as I am not mechanically (at the Ferrari level) trained.