Buying a Ferrari (in this case, probably a California)

great first post. Regarding your question about buying at a dealer or not. I would definitely buy a car that is under warranty from a dealer if you buy a california it should not be hard to find a car the dealer sold new and then did the service work which is very valuable from a piece of mind standpoint. Now if you chose an older non warranty car it is less important but if you have a local dealer I would try to buy from the dealer. I love my California it is a great car and has been trouble free in the two years since I bought it (new).
So what ever your choice they are great cars the modern ones are very reliable. although you will have some little nuisance things like a lousy sound system etc to deal with but other then that best of luck

 

For frame of reference, the first picture is a roll aboard bag and back pack, which both fit nicely in the California.

The second photo shows my golf clubs in the trunk, with the rear seats folded down. It is a Sun Mountain golf bag, not one of those huge leather type rigs.

In both of those pictures I was able to put the top down without a problem.
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Welcome. I think the answer to your question depends on your risk tolerance and whether you anticipate buying a new one in the future.

If you buy from your local Factory-authorized dealer, you will have established a relationship that gets factored into your status on the waiting list to buy a new car. Like just about any other business, loyal customers tend to get higher priority.

For me, unless the car is a late model, low mileage example under warranty being sold by a reputable Factory authorized dealer, I would personally inspect the car and also have a professional pre-purchase inspection (PPI) done. My view is that I would be buying a very expensive used car and would not want to be surprised with problems that should have been factored into the purchase price.

If the car is an "almost-new" one still under warranty being sold by a Factory-authorized dealer, I might take a little more risk depending on mileage and remaining period on the warranty. I might also pay to have the dealer issue a Power warranty ("certified pre-owned").

There are many honest independent dealers and individual sellers. Some Factory dealers may be careless or not fully disclose problems. Unless you are prepared the bear the consequences of relying solely on someone's words, PPI is the best way to avoid bad purchases. You've most likely learned this with your P-cars. Caveat Emptor as they say.

Good luck & have fun with your search! Part of the joy of ownership is the anticipation.

 

yes mine has rear seats that fold own and it works out perfect. My wife and 9 year daughter also love the car.
Larry

 

Welcome to fchat. I seem to recall your handle from 6speed. I too went from a 997.1 c2s to a Cali. No regrets whatsoever and I've taken her to the golf course as well. Excellent daily driver.

 

I agree it's best to buy from a Ferrari dealership, especially if you have a local one. However, I found out the hard way (twice already) you can't trust a Ferrari dealership blindly. For starters, they have a conflict of interest: looking for their interests or yours. They should be looking for yours 100% at least in the vehicle condition aspect of the deal, but that's not the case most of the times. Both times I bought the cars blindly and cars were supposedly perfect. The 430 spider was far from it. The Cali was much better, but still heavy scrapes under the front, and several other obvious small defects shipper found, I was never informed of. Oh, and both cars had empty coolant reservoirs, and were low on fluids.

Bottom line for me is this: If you're buying from a Ferrari dealership, don't waste your money on a PPI. They already did that before buying the car. And they usually don't do a good job on the details. What it's ABSOLUTELY a must is YOU inspecting the car with them, test driving it, and then you can do the deal remotely. Or do it there if you're already sure it's the car for you. Check ALL fluids yourself and have them topped off TO THE MAX lines. Check the car underneath (a must IMO). And check for all other cosmetic crap most dealers don't bother telling owners (they want to sell the car after all ), especially leather wear on the seats and steering wheel. But also scratches, dents, and all other cosmetic issues on the outside. I'd also carefully check the fasteners on all body panels. The 430 was obviously wrecked since later found evidence of rounded fasteners on right front fender and door sill, and broken tabs on the front bumper (specifically asked to inspect for that on the PPI). Remember Carfax and such services only report accidents that had a police report; all other single-car accidents, like going over a curb and such, won't show up at all, even when there's an insurance claim involved. And I know that for a fact after getting caught by a freak snow storm (I live in TX) and losing control of an M3 (summer tires) on a straight road, after hitting a pot hole. Insurance claim was 10 grand, and never showed up on Carfax (but I disclosed it when I sold it privately). Anyway, if you're mechanically inclined, you can easily find any evidence of an accident with the car lifted and careful inspection. A paint depth meter would be a great tool to take along too. Just because it's a Ferrari doesn't mean the dealers are (100%) honest. They can be but don't assume it . Good luck.

 

Cool. Lots of peeps move from 911 to Ferrari. I had 4 great years with my c2s but after rupturing my left Achilles was propelled to moved to PDK or dct. 991s was pricey and I got a great deal on my Cali with 3xxx miles last year from my good friend who got 458 spider. If you didn't need the space I would recommend test driving the 458 but no way you could fit two sets of clubs and passenger in that. 911s are ubiquitous around here, Ferrari is certainly more unique. Random peeps will talk to you out of the blue, happened to me earlier today at the bank. Sometimes I miss the anonymity of Porsche, few people can differentiate a base 996 from a 997.2 turbo s. Then I take the Cali out for a spin and listen to the glorious exhaust note and realize there's no turning back.

 

Will -

Do it! You know you want to... Plus you have an in at the Dealership already ( Me! )

With that said, LMK how I can help you, answer questions, get you answers, etc..

BTW, IF you are still considering a GT, now would be the time to talk to the GSM, he's " Dealing " and I've never heard that said before...

S

 

In today's day and age, I have always bought my cars at remote dealers. The number one reason is price. I always start locally and then compare the prices nationwide via ebay and the like. I have bought new and used cars in Chicago, St Louis, Austin, Orlando, and Phoenix. Until the Ferrari, the used cars were only 2-3 yo, low milage, and still under warranty, so I wasn't too worried. I never saw them in person and have always been happy with my purchases. Of course, the key is to do due diligence with the purchase.

Saying that, I would love to deal with a local dealer, but the dealers in Seattle were always way above market. For instance, when I bought a new Carrera, the local dealer would only give me 500.00 off MSRP, while an Austin dealer would give me 10 grand off MSRP. Guess which one I went with?

When I bought a 430 (independent dealer Exotic Motors Midwest), I scoured the country and found one with color/options I wanted. I was a little worried as it was a 6 yo car, but it did have only 5K on the clock. Never saw the car in person and ended up very happy with the purchase. Of course I had a PPI and had a detailing guy to look at the condition of the paint, interior, etc.


In terms of buying from a dealer, so that you can get on a wait list, it's definitely something to consider if you're buying new. However, after getting burned by depreciation on new cars, I'm done with that

 

The LEDs will light up starting at 4k rpm for the 599, maybe 5k. Obviously you did not push it enough

 

Not an expert on the 599 but, perhaps, the owner "pinched" the butterfly flaps on the second exhaust. Those flaps normally stay closed until a specific RPM.

I had an electronic switch put in on my California and when open I get a really low "drone" setting off every car alarm in the garage.

Again, speaking beyond my knowledge, but just take a look at the dual exhausts to see if you can see flaps open. They should be closed when the engine is off.