458 vs california 30

Chacun son gout, c'est la vie...the cars do have differing driving characteristics, and they hit folks in different ways. I'm glad everyone else doesn't want to drive what I have (or else things would get pretty boring), and would concur the 458 delivers a great driving experience. Since I wanted something I could use as a weekend car to drive at distance, and also wanted the looks to be great top up or top down, the California works well for me.

Went to Cars and Coffee in Carlsbad today, parked about 80 feet from the only other Ferrari, a 458 coupe in the same resale red. The normal people in the audience went to both pretty equally, since seeing one or the other is an unusual occurrence for those of us who have to do more than walk into the garage to see a Ferrari. I didn't feel the need to toss rocks at the 458's owner, nor did he seem to have that urge. I also went to HRE's open house nearby later that morning, and got a similar response.

I would disagree about "decent looks" and "alternatives...just as good". The workmanship in F cars is only matched by other handmade cars, the engine, DCT and exhaust is unique to the brand, and the attention others pay to the car (which is both its advantage and disadvantage at times) would allow one to conclude its looks are probably attractive to any reasonable person. As much as I would want to blend in at times, its tough to be subtle in a red exotic car with a sub 4-second 0-60 mph and a top speed in excess of 310 kph.

I don't take offense, and drive the car for my pleasure and not for the impressions of others, so its not a big deal to have someone disagree (we all have a right to be wrong). Reflecting on the post, though, one might consider calling a car prized by the folks on this thread as decent, unavailable and too expensive could do just that.

Best Regards, Bob H

 

I suppose the California is not for you. You should just get a 458 spider. But really, instead of a 458, you should get a corvette. It goes real fast and costs alot less.

 

Your handle says it all, dreamer.

 

If you complain about cost get a corvette or gtr. I daily drove a Carrera s for 4 years and daily drove my California for 1.5 years and there's no comparison. It's moving from jv to varsity.

 

The two cars try to accomplish different things. A 458 is a two seat super car and does it extremely well. The Cali is a 2+ grand tourer with oomph. You can't take two kids in a 458 to breakfast. Nor would I want to derive a 458 200 miles to a weekend destination. I have owned 3 Porsche sports cars including a TT Cab and the Cali experience towers over them. It feels special driving 35 and it is awesome at 110mph. That's what makes it special.

 

I drive 200+ miles in my 458 spider almost daily. No problem. The Porsche Boxster S has more storage but the ride quality is not nearly as good. In fact I will drive the 458 spider over 200 mi today to Denver the long way and will enjoy it immensely. Can hardly wait.

After putting 6500+ mi on the 458 I would definitely order magnaride on a Cali 30.

May the horse be with you.

 

I traded a '10 Cali for a 458 spider. If I were taking a long trip the Cali would be a much better ride. Even in Wet mode the 458 is a stiffer ride. What did surprise me was the DCT on the spider. It seems to shift more smoothly than the Cali but it could be due to the fact my Cali was a '10 model. This is most apparent in the lowest gears.

 

Why compare the two? They are both totally different cars...

I think your comparison with a 911 Carrera S is way off...

 

I've owned just about every exotic car one can own, anyone comparing a Cali to a 911 probably wasn't driving the same 911's I've driven and I've owned at least 6 of them since 1987. That is not to say porsche doesn't build a great car it's just not a Ferrari. As far as comparing a 458 to a Cali I'm tired of reading about it they are 2 very different cars built for different reasons and for different types of drivers. I love driving my Cali it looks great sounds great has all the modern creature features. I will own a 458 spyder however will do that when the prices come down a bit. Won't be hard to find a pristine one considering most owners don't drive them. It's summer time, whichever car someone owns enjoy and drive safe.

 

The 458 is the descendant of the 308. The rear engine coupe has evolved and been tweaked and improved over 35 years!

The California is the first generation car. But imagine in twenty years what she sill be like?
Imagine the Cali with less weight! How much less? how about 300 pounds less.

And more power! How much more power? About 90 HP more!

This is what I think she will be like in 3 cycles or about 20 years!

 

I test drove a '13 Cali with the new handling package with the salesman letting me push it hard on a winding up and down fast road,, and when I got back in my 991s, it was then that I really appreciated how the 991 feels like it's on rails. Too bad, I really wanted the Cali. Not to take issue, but have you driven the 991? Much different than previous years 911's. I've also owned a '10 458.

 

Traded my 2013 991 cab s for the Cali no comparison in the 2 cars IMO

 

Respectfully, no need to refer to the car as an over budget Maserati project renamed... Discussions abound re the California & the F-Series Jaguar, Maserati, the Corvette, Porsches, etc., etc., ad nauseum. The new Corvette looks at lot like the F12, so those owners might also be overpaying just for shields on the front fenders. Each to his own; they all have four wheels, great styling, individual quirks, advantages and disadvantages. They all also have wind tunnels and aerodynamics applied in the design phase, so they inevitably will resemble each other somewhat.

A friend with a new Nissan GTR notes his car is faster than mine, and also faster than your 991. We're both breathing fumes to someone else most all the time if the match-up of a narrow range of specs is used. The dreams of others don't bother me unless I suffer for them in return. Since it is not the case here, have a great time with your 458 & we'll chat later. Bob H

 

This thread topic is full of "Fail".

Based on the OP point of view, you might as well compare the Aventador with a Bentley...

There is no value or contribution to the board in this thread whatsoever...

 

Let me see, you've been posting many times on FChatter about your fondness (dreaming) for the 458, repeatedly telling everyone how you plan to buy one …since last August, and you obviously still haven't bought one yet or you'd be happy driving it instead of trying to cause mischief.

So you don't own a 458 or a California but all the same, in your own words "...I don't mean to offend any california owner. And my opinion is probably something you have heard countless times. But I thought you might want to hear it from a non-owner…".

What kind of bizarre perverse reasoning is that - you don't want to offend us by repeating what you believe to be unkind remarks by non-owners but what the heck, you want to do it anyway?

No one here is putting down 458 owners or Porsche owners for their car choices. And yet you are apparently trying to provoke people to respond with negative comments on other people's cars in order to refute your derogatory remarks.

You are either accident prone or you are trying to cause mischief.

 

Cali is a pure GT. 458 is a pure sports car.

They shouldn’t be compared as rivals because they’re not.

However, as a 458 spider owner, I should say cali 30 it’s also an amazing car. For most of the drivers, differences would only be perceived if these could track them, which, normally, they can’t.

 

michael you are correct in your observations and point. For example i have never owned a Porsche and not really a big fan for no real reason however i have never felt the need to go to the porsche forum to tell everyone about it.. 458 dreamer should probably stick with his porsche it is a great car and many thousands of people enjoy them ...

 

HAHAHAHA! It somehow strikes me funny that there are trolls on a Ferrari forum, denigrating one Ferrari vs another one, not owning either one. Hahaha, a troll indeed is here, and as I contemplated a post that would highlight the differences that I see between the models it occurred to me that feeding a troll should be fun, not serious. So, keep dreaming, Mr. Troll! Hahaha! You crack me up!

 

Not worth replying to trolls like that guys! Let him come up with his smart comments on his own ;-)

 

I own a 07, 997 Carrera S and have owned a 10 Cali. 13 458 Coupe and 13 458 Spider. I would be happy to discuss the differences amongst the three. If interested PM me. No need to bloat this thread any more than what it is.

 

if you ever have owned at least 10 modern Porsches and Ferraris,,,,,
you will agree with me that,,,

911 is a Div II high school JV baseball team
California is a Major League team but has no more than 40% winning percentage,,,,,

 

True or false, good or bad, I have ZERO respect for critics from non-owners who start comparing apples to watermelons, then reveal their true intention of trying to justify their lesser cars as the better one... and on the wrong forum. They just look like jealous, sore losers. The Cali is not perfect (no car is), but criticizing it based on a test-drive would make me feel stupid, especially on a Ferrari forum. Not to mention he has only bad things to say about the car he can't afford... and nothing bad about the car he supposedly owns and knows well. Even if the OP is a successful guy, he comes across more like a depressed teenager driving a Pinto.

The issue with this thread is CREDIBILITY. I have 2 questions for the OP: 1. Would you take parental advice from Michael Lohan? That's exactly the way you come across this forum. And 2. Although it's true a Cali is not 2-1/2 times better than a 991S, if you're not wearing a $10 watch from Walmart (it does the same job as a $300 one... or a $10,000 one), you're just a hypocrite talking about value only when you can't afford it. Enough said. Have a great week ahead folks.