Good evening! After a run of Vipers, Mercedes, Porsches, and a raft of other customs, I finally dipped my toe into the world of Ferrari by fulfilling a lifelong dream of owning an '85 308 QV. I LOVE the car, and will have it in the collection as long as I am able to, but I am already looking to add another Ferrari to the fleet. I have three young kids, and up until lately have been spending a lot of time over at the 456 camp doing a lot of research as it looks like a great four seater F-car. While not completely jumping ship there, I am a little leery of the automatics, and as a "daily driver" I am not sure I want to go fully manual either. I didn't realize until a few days ago that decent driver 612's could be had in the mid $100K range, and with good 456's still bringing $55-60K it's not that far of a leap to go the 612 route and drop an '06 E 500 4-matic out of the fleet to help make up the difference. Is there any reason to stay with the 456 camp, or is the 612 just as (or hopefully more!) reliable and realistic a day to day car. I know there have been previous discussions about this, but anyone that has gone from the 456 to the 612 I would love to hear from! Thanks!
I owned a 456 before buying my 612. If purchase price is not an issue, go with the 612. The 456 is a magnificent automobile-- the 612 is simply more so. In terms of raw performance, the 612 is superior but both cars are so capable that you won't ever be able to use either one to the limit on the street, However, in many of the ways that will matter to you in a daily driver, such as HVAC, the 612 is far superior. The 612 also has a more usable back seat, better ergonomics, heated seats, etc. No question-- get a 612.
If you can find a 612 at in the 100k arena its a no brainer. I sold my CL65 for the 612 and extremely happy with the car. I drive it 1/2 the time and added a Range Rover Super Sport. The 612 in St louis would be hard to drive everyday but certainly doable. For the record - New CL65 sold for 200k and three years later with 15k miles it was worth 55. People talk about depreciation in Ferrari's, all daily drivers get hit but at 100k the car listed at 250 - 300 plus. Where will it go, the 612 is stupid cheap! Get the best one you can find for the money if you keep the 612 for four years it will be to your benefit.
Best GT car on the market today. I have a love affair with the 456 and you wont go wrong...but the 612 is in a different league. For the money you are aiming for...its a bargain. Dont waste time!!
Wow! Thanks everyone for the responses! I am definitely going to go this route, and am budgeting for one in the $120-$160,000.00 range. I am listing my E 500 this week, and I will take a draw from my company the first of July so I will be a cash buyer in July! Champagne 612-I DEFINITELY hear you on depreciation-pick the one that hurts the least and go that route! I was really into (and still am somewhat) Land Rovers, and while I actually made money on my '97 Defender 90, I took an absolute flogging when it was time to sell my '08 RR HSE! I loved the truck, but for a $90K+ buy in and $50K one year later it was crazy. The E was also fully loaded and knocking on $70K when we picked it up new a few years ago, and now I'll be happy to see $20K when we sell. It seems as the Ferraris are the best "beating for the buck" as they are a little slower to depreciate, but as there are a select number of vehicles in my fleet that are long termers I am actually not that concerned about it as I plan to drive the wheels off it and hang onto it for quite some time. Is there anything to really watch out for on these? Any reason not to get an '05 or '06? Thanks! Dave
Shifting speed is faster on 2008 and later cars, twin disc clutch too. Most later 2008 cars have the glass roof and Manettino switch on the steering wheel, Bose system with Nav on most.. Seems like for now the later cars are all well above $200K and production seems more limited compared to the earlier ones?
The basic engine was used on the Super America - so this is a proven engine. I would look for the daytona seats, others date the car. If you look at this thread there are pictures showing how I and others updated the car. I took my 06 HGTC and fitted a few items to update the car. If you can find a HGTC or HGTS package you will be much happier in the long run. The sport exhaust and upgrades make a huge driving experience. The OTO's are awesome but I don't like the glass roof.
612 without a doubt. I went from CL65 to M6 to the 612 and there just isn't a better GT car in the market. The prices have dropped to the point that it's a complete steal to buy one. I have an 05 and am very happy with it. Significant changes came to the 08 model year with the OTO options but those are still well over 200K.
An 08 can be had for less than 200K if you have miles, was recently offered 175 for mine with 16K on it as a trade. I'm pretty sure it would struggle to make more than 200 retail. Awesome vehicle and in many ways the best thing Ferrari makes. Understated, comfortable, fast, very usable on all road types. I even chased my 16M (with a friend driving) in my 612 on the tail of the dragon (hundreds of switchbacks in 12 miles, all 2nd/3rd gear) and the 612 did amazingly well. When we did the 4 cars across america trip with the Mantide, McLaren, 16M, the 612 was always the most desirable for the long miles, and never really outclassed on the fun stuff. Its really surprisingly fast. Then there's the noise esp with the GTC exhaust. Once you've heard that sound, you'll struggle to not buy the car if you have the means
Good to hear - I have run with a lot of cars and it has never let me down. The HGTC sport exhaust is better than any car I have ever heard. I had the F-shop take out the rear tubes so they always run open. It makes that car sound like one mean mother! It took the guy 4 minutes tops.
This has been asked several times, but no one seems to come up with some real production numbers on the 612? Can anyone help on this? By year or total run of 612's? Thanks, John
612 is my favorite looking ferrari, and i have a few. But it is more like a bentley GT with good handling. If u just have one ferrari, i would recommend the 430 with the great prices now, and it is no less a daily driveable car than the 612. But if u already have a ferrari or a sportier car than u HAVE to get the 612. I think with the handling pack and exhaust it can be ur only car of the family, however, i have only used the back seats 3 times in almost a year, so dont count that as a plus for the 612, it is not "that" big and convenient. i have also never understood of using a ferrari to ran errands or commuting, get a good bmw 4door and buy a 430 for good times. Even if i have kids, i dont think my kids can not have a headache when i ride my horses.
I'll add some commentary on kids/612. I have 7 & 9 yo boys. They fit happily and comfortably in the back of the 612, and I regularly use it for daily driver stuff. School run, weekend chores. We also use it for family weekend trips down to NYC. It has way more space in the back than my other daily which is a 997TT. My 9 year old no longer really fits comfortably in the P-car, his head is against the roof already (w/o a booster), but even small adults can fit in the back of the 612. The only key to not getting the noise headache when cruising in the 612 w/GTC exhaust is to not drive exactly 80mph. That is when the valves in the exhaust open in 6th and you get some resonance at that speed. 78mph- or 82mph+ are fine.
^^^^^^^^ exactly what i dont get. i tried using it in the city, but even with the new tranny its way more jerky than any decent beater. I applaud people who can use it like u.
When I am in town, I use my 612 as a daily driver. Its so smooth in comfort mode...almost seamless when its in auto. Its just perfect. I also like the fact that its a bit raw...makes you feel your driving a ferrari not a benz. My fav GT car by far.
612 is the bomb. can be daily driven and i love it because i have 2 car seats and i take my 4 and 3 year olds around all the time. the OTO sounds insane too!
You can make it shift very smoothly, it just requires some coordination with the throttle. I've found that in automatic mode, I can make it upshift by lifting off the throttle at 3-5000 RPM, and it does it very smoothly. If you let it upshift at light throttle and fairly low RPM without taking your foot off the gas, then it's jerky. If you lift as it's shifting, or right before, then it's really smooth. The problem with automatic mode generally, is that you don't know when it's going to shift, and thus you can't lift just before it shifts. However, if you make it shift by coming off the gas, it's quite smooth. It also seems to be a bit less smooth when it's cold-- for the first few shifts.
That works too, although in traffic or a downtown setting, where I usually use automatic mode, I'd prefer it to keep the revs down.
everybody's tolerance is of course different, but i find the auto mode in 430s and scuds are almost lexus like smooth around town, and the 612/599 is just jerky, almost as bad as the M5 which like u said, u cant anticipate the time of the shifts, while in much lesser cars they shift unnoticeablely. and if u think the 612 cold shift problem is bad, try the 599! thats why i drive my cars like a crazy mofo, then it becomes awesome and ultra smooth. It is the bomb like someone said, but just not with kids and going miss daisy style.
Good to hear all the feed back-especially from those with kids! My kids are 3, 4, and 7, so "comfort" in the back seat isn't a huge concern quite yet. This will be MY daily driver, and as such most of the time I will have one or fewer kids with me. I am using the E 500 and an F 250 Super Duty right now as daily drivers, and I will be keeping the Ford, as well as the wife's family truckster Escalade. I am not so concerned about passenger comfort as I am reliability of the car. From what I am gathering here it sounds like it should do just fine! Thanks again!
