hello this is my first thread. my name is andrew and i am currently a student. As i am about to travel abroad for approximately 4 years, and i will be leaving very soon, i would like to ask for your opinion on my dilemma. although i know i am not wealthy, and my purchase of a car will be on my return a few years down the road, i cannot escape the passion i have for the ferrari 360 modena. Notheless, there is also another, the porsche 911 turbo which has also caught my eye. On my return, i will have around 100 k and by that time, if my calculations are correct, the value of a used 360 modena may float somewhere close to that pricerange. I also know that one can purchase a used 911 turbo for somewhere in that medium. I feel as if I am courting 2 beautiful women. the first woman is a red ferrari 360 modena with tan leather, who i feel my heart is more attached to her beauty, her curves, and from what i have heard and read, how it feels to ride in one. But i also know that she is more troublesome to be with, more costly, kind of like a wife who is a pain in the rear end, who has some qualities that can drive you insane at certain times. the other is the 911 turbo, who is less refined, is not as beautiful, but yet easier to live with. she is kind of like a woman who is not as elegent, but yet she is simpler to live with and she is more compatible to live with. Yet, you are stuck loving the red beauty, who can drive you mad but you cannot help yourself because there is something that always draws you back to her, althoguh you know of the woes that she may bring. Everytime i say to myself go with the porsche, she is more compatible with you, there is something inside of me that draws me back to the red lady. I am asking for your opinions on what you would do? I know it is in 5 years but right now i can say that when i return the first thing i will do is purchase one of these 2 beauties and i must make a decision so that in my years of traveling, i will not be haunted between the 2
Ahhh yes, Andrew. The exotic Italian vs the stolid German quandary. Lots have gone down that road, and most here have opted for the Italian beauty. Although some keep both! Welcome to F-Chat, and good luck in your travels! Check in here from time to time if you can, and search out the pros and cons of each. You have plenty of time to learn if you really want to follow your heart and live with the red exotic Italian, or be more practical and settle for a big butt German. Good luck, John
Peronal opinion from someone who puts every last dime into his car. Buy a house instead! or at least a huge down payment As far as the porsche vs 360. The porsche will be the faster, FAR easier to mod car. Great road manners w/ gobs of turbo torque. Don't underestimate the porsche's service costs. It's still a porsche turbo and carries its own premium. May not be ferrari premium, but you will gulp when you take it to get the oil changed or service done. This is all just based on magazines/forums/friends w/ 996 tt's so take it as just an opinion. -Ben Martin
Why not a 308 and plenty left over for a down payment on a place to store it. Don't depend on the parents - -- - Get out of the parents house!!!
I would say don't worry about it right now, you have plenty of time until you return. Who knows, by then, your tastes may have changed and another "woman" might win your heart over. Good luck, have fun!
Well put. Welcome to the unbiased world of F-Chat, Andrew. I sold my 911 (993 flavor) last year and bought a 328. A real diehard Porsche dealer told me it's something every gearhead needs to "get out of his system", but the truth is I got bored with the 911. If you can afford a weekend car, and you have the Ferrari thing bouncing around the back of your mind, do it -- but don't bury yourself financially over any car. There's good advice here about waiting a bit - prices change, incomes change, the economy could be different, and you might fall for another car, etc. You'll obviously want a house/condo and a dry, safe garage first. Enjoy your travels.
I have to agree. If you stretch yourself financially just to purchase the car, it will sink you in the end. You will have a hard time keeping up with the maintenance costs, and you'll have less money to go out and enjoy it. Get a 328, or non-turbo 996, drive the heck out of it and have fun, and upgrade later.
I tend to agree with Bullfighter.....If you have a spare $100K when you return in 4 years.....I would re-invest that $100K and build some additional capital for living, buying a house, traveling etc. If you invest that $100K for say an additional 5-8 years think of how much additional income this could produce. Even though I was straight out of college and had a good income, I bought a nice Japanese car that ran for 200K+ miles with just regular service (which is low cost) and oil changes.....It was still running fine when I sold it! Personally, I would not buy an expensive car straight out of college. You also have to think about repair costs, insurance costs, maintanance costs etc etc etc. But most important think about your future.....If you are young and striaght out of college you will have lots of time. If you have to buy an exotic car.....have you thought about an Acura NSX? Just my 2 cents....
I agree with the Porsche mechanic that a Ferrari is something that every gearhead should own at least once to "get it out of his system"... because there are cars... and there are Ferraris. Once you get that Ferrari, it seems that most people quickly either realize "it's just a car" that isn't very logical to own... or quickly realize that they never want to be without one again. But in either case, you at least "know". It's very difficult to "reason" yourself into a Ferrari... you have to lust after one. That being said, there is no reason to jump into one too soon. There are plenty of "lessor" cars to learn on and play with while you establish a life (career, house, savings, relationships, etc)... buy an old Porsche 911 and learn to drive it well. Bill
I am suffering from a very similar problem. I feel your pain by having to decide between two beautiful women. In the time frame of anywhere from 4-8 years I will be buying either a late model Porsche 911 or a Ferrari 308/328. I have been working, saving, and investing for a long time, and by that time would probably be able to pick up a 360 or 911 Turbo, but it would take a large portion of my investments to do so. I've driven a lot of different Porsches and think they're fantastic cars, but the Ferrari has an unquantifiable appeal. I know that I personally will enjoy the car a lot more if I know I can easily afford it and still have money for other things. I don't know yet what I will choose and don't worry about it too much. As stated above, a lot of things can happen in four years. If you can afford a 360 or 911 Turbo and still have money for maintenance and other things that you will be needing in your life, I say do it by all means and enjoy. If not, I'd suggest getting your feet wet first before jumping into the deep end. Good luck!
if you are...do understand that the real passion that i so often hear about ended in the 80's vintage cars. the 360 represents ferraris passion to sell thousands of cars! trust me!! on the porsche...porsche's passion and its air cooled legacy ended w/ the end of the 993. i have a turbo in addition to my ferraris that i do coffee shop rotations with and let me tell you... that wide ass german monster has never met its match on the way to or back from starbucks!! buy a lovely 328 and drive a car that is unmistakably a ferrari by all rights!
I've never driven a Ferrari but to me the 308 seating position is very low, like a 914 (which in turn is like a go-kart. Too bad almost all 914's and the rarer six-cylinder 916's have completely rusted out long ago.) I had a 911 for a while but I should have had a 914, they are so much fun to drive. Is that what a 308 is like -- but with more vroom from the extra power?
E-Gads no! I've never heard of a 308 being compared to a 914! Chassis, motor, ergonomics, feel, build quality ect ect. The 308 is just "more car" than a 914. If you get what I mean. Let's see... go from a 914 to a 90's 911 or Fiat x1/9 to a 328. That kind of jump. (nice cars of course, not junk). Heck, a Triumph TR250 is a fun car, but it's no 308. I guess my point is, don't get the "red mist". By a 308 because you want one, not just because it's a Ferrari.
I concur with the pervious poster. I would not liken the 308 to the 914 in any substantial way; I'd say it has more in common with the 911 in feel. I also have a Lotus Esprit S1 (with a 3500 V8 dropped in)... that car reminds me more of the 914 than it does my previous Europa. It's intersting that the actual performance of the V8 Esprit and 308 are virtually identical (while the Rover engine is of course less powerful than the 308 engine, the Lotus weighs substantially less)...and both European with the same driveline layout and from the same period... and yet could not be more different in feel. Bill
Thank god they all rusted out. Saved Porsche lots of money from buying them all back and crushing them. Just my opinion as a former Porsche owner.
