Did you drive your Ferrari home?

Picked up my 430 on a rainy night in December, about 35 degrees out. About a mile from where I picked it up I get onto the parkway, with very cold tires. The parkway entrance ramp is very short and the traffic is moving but heavy. I see an opening and floor the car. The car fishtaled and missed a car in the left lane by a foot. I did not test drive the car, it belonged to a friend. I had no idea what power and cold wet tires would do.
So know the car and how it will handle in the conditions you will be travelling in.

 

I have driven all of mine home.
The fact that I live less the 15 miles from the dealer may exclude me from your evaluation process.
I have a question for several posters in this thread, what is this "rain" you speak of?

 

I bought my 78 308 in Ft Lauderdale, drove her home to Ottawa, Ontario Canada...(including importation) about 15 years ago. Then drove her to Houston about 6 years ago when we moved....and then just 3 years ago, again drove her to Northern Virginia where she now resides. Drove through a heck of a snowstorm in the Blue Ridge Mountains in November when moving from Houston to Northern Virginia. Never missed a beat.
She started her life with me with about 30K miles....just turned over 80K on my last trip up to Ottawa.

JP

 

I've never purchased a Ferrari which was more than 30 minutes drive from my house.

 

last year, flew to tampa, picked up a 14K mile 456 and drove her home. Super hot and humid. AC did fine most of the way, car didn't overheat, but once in atlanta traffic, my AC clutch stopped engaging - blew a fuse - so had no AC last hour home. nonetheless, it was a great drive home, and continues to be a blast on an almost daily basis. Doing annual fluids next week! m

 

2 yes and 2 no. The yesses outweigh the nos by a large margin. In terms of satisfaction.

If it's cross continent I elect preservation of my body. If it's within reason, I drive it. It's a special time to begin the experience. I've had a couple of very good ones.

My advice. If possible without physical harm, drive 'em home.

 

OOps. Forgot the fifth. I wanted to drive it home, just couldn't be done with the schedule. It would have been Chicago to DC in the winter and I was really up for it. Even though there were visions of being on the side of a desreted road in winter.

What's life about? Not fear, that's for sure.

 

Stan, what about your Daytona coupe? I remember it having quite a bit of front end driving wear (at the Garage Party). What a beauty it is! Do you still have it?

 

I found my car on DuPont Registry. Called the car's owner and then spoke with his mechanic. We worked out our deal and I few to Cleveland. We visited the same mechanic, and inspected the car then I drove it home, about 8 hours. My 1984 308 got 21 mpg at 85mph.

 

Nice pic!! So grubby!!

 

Picking it up at the dealer and driving it home is the best drive you ever do.

Collecting my first Ferrari (2nd hand 550M) and driving it home about 80 miles through the Dutch countryside on a glorious day was just fantastic, a treasured memory. Here's a pic of that afternoon in 2007. My second Ferrari I drove home from the UK to Holland.


Onno
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Bought mine through Algar in Philly, drove it back to Memphis 1,100+ miles. Great drive over the Smoky Mts.

 

Sounds like a fantastic trip!


Onno

 

I think the drive home in my 308 was all of 70 miles but I also had to take two ferry boats and a run up a flooded freeway in a rainstorm.
I didn't know how to work the heat and defrost at the time which made it interesting.
I also found out about the leak at the top of the left hand 'A' pillar, perfect shot to my left knee.

The drive home in the TR was on a sunny afternoon, 40 miles on a State highway during rush hour. I hit every red light for 40 miles. I don't think I could do that again if I wanted to.

 

I did. Best way to get to know her. Drove from NC to MD. Took my cell phone just in case and a GPS to find my way back.