Why you sold your Ferrari so soon

A really interesting question. I very good friend of mine, mainly into classic cars, finally bought is dream car, a dry sump 308 GTS. He had chased that car for ages and then... simply it was not up to his expectations.
Reality was no match for the dream.
The car was great, drove perfectly and had no mechanical problems during the less than six months ownership. Again, it was simply not as expected.
He sold it and now drives a Morgan. He is perfectly happy as well. He says that in the future perhaps he will buy Ferrari again, but it is very unlikely.
Ciao
Eugenio

 

This is quite possiably the biggest let down with any exotic. I know a ton of people who have bought their dream car, only to be completely discusted with it in a few short weeks or months. They try to like it, and drive it and enjoy it, but they are just to let down by the whole experiance to even care anymore. They sell and go and buy a BMW M series or an AMG and end up being much happier.

 

A Ferrari is kind of like getting married, many have different personalites and looks, for instance a carb BB would be too loud, raw, exhausting to drive and get too much attention for some as they want something less like a race car and more civilized.

Find the right car for the right person.

 

Poll does not provide option for it became too valuable. I bought a 166MM in '85 raced it for five years and sold in '90 for about fifteen hundred percent more. Bought a nice house, and lived happily ever after. A true fairy tale. GJ

 

Could see more of this in the future, as the 'bottom end' works it's way up. In 1980, there were supposedly around 5 U.S. legal cars that had more than 200 hp. These days, there's a LOT that have > 300 hp.

As the usable differential performance gap narrows between exotics and common stuff, styling & bling make up more & more of the diff. Hardly worth paying big $$$ for bling. Styling's worth sumpin', but not toooo much.

My 328 still looks great to me, still drives very nicely, but is no longer worth the $$$$$ diff I paid.

 

Interesting question. I believe the guys who buy and sell right away are in some way disappointed with the car. If that is the case though they probably didn't have realistic expectations. I realized my dream of Ferrari ownership over two years ago. I have to admit there have been problems, disappointments and more than a little frustration at times. That being said, it's a Ferrari and I still love it!

I guess it all depends on what you're looking for in the first place. For me it was the chance to drive a really cool classic car not the fastest.

 

It might be interesting to see how many disappointed drivers had any previous experience with Italian (or any european) sports cars.

Looking over the history of used Ferraris, I do note that people do tend to either keep them for a while or resell them in a short period.

I suspect that the two most common causes are running costs and effort.

People who put all their money into buying a Ferrari aren't able to maintain it. And an Italian car without thorough maintenance is an endless series of annoying issues. (I suspect that Honda Civic type maintenance accounts for the reputation Italian cars have gotten in the US for poor reliability. Well, that, and any dealer network run by Fiat.)

And I've seen a number of cars sold after a brief ownership marked with repairs for driver-induced issues (clutch, gearbox, etc.). Drivers coming from SUVs or FWD sedans don't like to admit that it takes more than "use the force" to handle a RWD sports car. It's telling that Porsche load their cars up with driver aids.

"Staan; she is yours. After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true." -- Spock

 

The reasons why someone would do this are quite personal and vary for each. Mostly they felt that the purchase would fill a need and it either did rather fast or didn't meet their expectations. I'd bet in most cases they had a hard time laying out all that money, when they step back and think about it and after the rush is gone. Or, prior to ownership they trumped up how wonderful it would be and once they own the thrill quickly vanishes for them. It's hard to say exactly.

 

I think there are aspects of owning a Ferrari that are a bit like dating a stripper. They can be huge fun for dinner or the night but it's annoying and unsettling when they pull out a Glock and start shooting holes in the ceiling for no apparent reason. After a while, sometimes a short while, the issues can just get on your nerves.

There are just so many good performance cars right now that unless you are locked to the cachet of an FCar the above trade off might not be worth it. It's a personal decision but to many, including myself, the performance and styling delta of a Ferrari does not offset the hassle factor.

 

This is hilarious. I do hope you are not speaking from experience... I would describe it as slightly more than "annoying and unsettling" when she pulls out the Glock and starts shooting!!

 

It's best to be calm in both dating strippers and Ferrari ownership. Surprise holes in the ceiling and surprise holes in manifolds take similar temprament.

 

Nope, he means it....excellent analogy...in my case I talked her out of the bullets though......I HATE sheetrock work....

That's exactly it. You learn that that fox you longed for all thru the years takes a lot of effort to reach rewards, they don't always look the best and are actual living breathing people..

However, the people that can reconcile Fantasy vs. Reality....well they sometimes get both!

See your local Jungian psychologist, I am not a professional! LOL!

 

That's it exactly...calm........lack of panic......the knowledge that YOUR inner strength will persevere and succeed!!!

 

I bought a 308 once from a guy who bought it and promptly parked it in his garage and never drove it. He bought it in FL, drove it back to TX, and on his way, the car broke down and it cost him a bundle $$. He finally got it home, and literally never drove it again until he sold it to me.

He was scared to death of the thing.

I drove it about a year, sold it, and actually made $2K profit!

Now...it leaked like a sithe and had multiple issues, but it got me hooked!

 

You're missing the biggest reason for selling a new car - the exceptional profit to be made on the "flip", especially in hard to get cars like 430 Spiders.

 

I agree with the theory that many times they just dont live up to their owners fantasy of what they were going to be like.

I bought a 355 over a year ago and was going to sell my viper as I really dont need two sports cars. But the more I tried to love the 355 and sell the viper the more I realized I enjoyed driving the viper more.

I ended up keeping both but if I wasnt in that financial situation I would have sold the ferrari and bought another viper.

J

 

Operative word here is enjoyed. I sure did, and have great memories. About fifteen race weekend including CSRG, VMR, Monterey Historics, as well as Mille Miglia in '87 and '88. The timing was fortunate for sure. Thanks, George

 

What? You mean you'd rather drive a clown shoe than a Ferrari?

 

Note to self... change underwear before I go to bed. Thats some funny stuff Husker.
Chris

 

I guess it really is different strokes for different folks, but a Viper over a 355?

I can see how someone could buy a 308 and be let down, as its not a fancy car. Its all buisness.

 

The focus of this question seems to be on the negative. I would be curious what percentage of the buyer pool has in fact had these sentiments.

MM