Do you drive your Fcar to work?

Now that school is out, my 360 is a daily driver again. During the school year, I mix it up between my motorcycle and 360 because I park in the student parking lot and its quite full, so its the 360 2-4 days a week and bike the other 1 to 3 days, during the summer since summer session is much smaller I can get the good parking spot every day, so its the 360 and bike is parked until Fall quarter.

Just a computer geek but I have never had issues with co-workers or boss. In the real world (part time job) doing web devel, my 360 has actually got me a job I think I would not have gotten otherwise, they commented how I must be expensive because of the car, I replied I was not expensive, I was that good...got that job. Most clients have never even blinked at the car during negotiations which I always take to client sites because I hate going with laptop, etc. on my motorcycle.

 

Please tell me that's a typo! I feel bad even laughing at that typo, ha!

 

I would have to agree with the above

 

right here....

 

Honestly, I think it is a mistake to draw a distinction between being a salaried worker and being a landlord. When you are a salaried worker, your paycheck may be issued from a distant corporation, but the amount of money you make and your future prospects are directly controlled by people you know and interact with personally (your manager/boss/HR). If you drive a Ferrari and your boss doesn't, there is a huge potential for it to create an issue. There is a huge potential for HR to make rash assumptions based upon learning of your Ferrari ownership. Is it fair? No, but happens and it isn't even uncommon.

One element that is being overlooked in many of these thread comments is that those of us that have owned Ferraris, and know everything about Ferrari ownership, have lost the ability to think from the perspective of people that haven't owned one (or people that don't even know anybody that owns a Ferrari). What we think personally doesn't matter at all -- it is what your manger, boss, CEO, subordinates, or HR thinks that matters to your career and none of us can't change their thought process. It is far more constructive to think about how your associates will react from their perspective than to think about how you think they should react, because the latter view is (sadly) not relevant.

 

I didnt say we have to...I said we do because it makes financial sense. I can really enjoy driving my car anywhere.. I said we sneak out because it makes business sense.

 

+1.

Kinda like the South Florida contingent that routinely posts how Ferrari's are as common as flies on the road? How a $60-80k car without a warranty and sky high repair costs is "cheap" and can practically be bought by a Walmart or McDonalds employee? Yeah sometimes perspective can be skewed... What's the mean income on this country? $45k?

 

I'm a bit late to this thread, but I drive my F12 to work. I have had it a couple of months and have done around 3,000 miles already. Before that I drove my manual 575M and that has over 100,000 kms on it.
I love getting up every morning and getting into a Ferrari. It never gets old. Many of my colleagues commute by train, but I don't find that a very uplifting experience plus I don't like people sneezing on me!
I love that I drive the car in all conditions. Last Friday I was literally driving through 6 inches of water during a flash flood which I admit was a bit nerve wracking. I love getting to know the car, having all the buttons and controls become second nature and really learing the character of the car in all conditions. When it drops below 50F/10C, which is about 5 months a year here in the North East USA, I put snow tires on the car. Mileage hurts values I hear you say. But new cars will be worth half of what you paid for them in 5 years time whether you drive them or not, if you drive them as much as you can, they will be worth 25% of what you paid for them. So the enjoyment you get for that extra 25% of cost is really worth it IMO, you are talking about an extra 5% a year. Better still, the day you pay for the car, mentally write the car off to zero and from that day forward you own a free ferrari which you can drive as much as you want.
Another factor is that the cars love being driven, stuff like AC breaks down when it is not used, my 575 still has the best and hardest pulling engine of any 575 I have ever driven, the more I drive it the better it gets.
So bottom line, drive the cars, enjoy them, its good for you, it's good for the cars and most of all its great fun.

 

I am salaried, my boss drives a old BMW and complains she can't afford a newer one, 2 of my co-workers don't own a car and take the bus to work while complaining that after paying Santa Barbara rents they can't afford a car, a supervisor claims anyone spending more that $5k on a car is stupid and she is on her second POS in 7 years I have known her. My Ferrari 360 is in the parking lot and NO issues have ever come up. I am sorry, but I really believe all you guys that say the car will cause issues are just afraid either that or you will make it a issue by bragging about your Ferrari in the parking lot.

But kind of like politics and religion, you can't change people's mind's, so you continue thinking it will be a problem and continue not driving the best car on the road that is a pleasure to drive, I will continue to drive my 360 to work with a huge smile...done here....

 

I've driven my Testarossa to work a handful of times since I got it a little over a month ago.

Last time I drove it, my boss called me to tell me there was a Ferrari in the parking lot and I should go look at it before it leaves. lol.

I haven't taken it to the client site yet, but I can imagine I will one day.

 

I agree that there are plenty of situations and businesses where it's fine, or maybe even helps, to drive a Ferrari -- there is no question about that. However, there are also many work situations where it isn't fine and where it has a negative impact (sometimes even when everything appears fine on the surface). If the conditions are favorable, I definitely encourage everyone to drive their Ferraris to work (and everywhere else) because it is one of the great joys in life. That said, it is important to be aware that there are risks in many business environments. Often the risks are not obvious or even predictable -- all it takes is one wrong person in the wrong role to create a problem -- so it is important to be aware of the risks and it's usually safer to err on the side of caution.

 

My point is...you should never have to "sneak" out to do anything (unless it is illegal).

 

This brings up an interesting instance to me personally. Last month, I attended a Cars & Coffee event. The event organizer is the son of a client of mine (I didn't know that until I arrived). My client attended and is a Porsche man, bringing his Boxster S to the C&C event (He also drives a 535, and has known about my M5 since I bought it). His son drives a BMW 3-series.
My client asked me what car I brought, so being honest and understanding that we both love cars, I showed him my 360, which obviously caught his attention. He was overwhelmingly positive, and didn't share any negativity towards me. I've been pondering asking him whether or not this changed his opinion of me, my company (or even the fees that my company charges) but I haven't been "brave" enough to ask him. He and my Dad go a long way back, and we've done a lot of good business together. He's not my most frequent client though, so not a lot of money at risk. Still, I'm a little bit curious. His company, like mine, is a small business, so don't get me wrong, any money at stake is a lot of money to me.

Should I ask my client what he thinks about me because I have a Ferrari? Or, is that rude or ostentatious, or a bit conceited even? Looking forward to your opinions...
Edit: I never tell anyone I drive a Ferrari. He asked how long I had the car, and I told him 1 year, and that was the first he ever heard of it.

 

No - Don't ask. It would be as you put it "rude and conceited" and comes across needy for affiramtion. Does your opinion change if he didn't tell you he had an Enzo at home and did not tell you?

 

Don't ask. A car person will not change his view of you for the negative.
With a true car person, the better the car is, the more positive of a response to you.
If you ask, it sounds a little bit like you are trying to say that you are "above" everyone else and he should view you differently (positively or negatively).
I know you would just want to know so you can post it on this thread since it's right on point about what we are talking about, but that's not how it's going to be perceived by the receiver of the question.

 

I just don't want it to even be considered in the equation. You wait. If/when they find someone younger and bring them on for half the salary.. that's going to be a comment that is made when they terminate the contract. Someone will say it as "justification"... "he drives a Ferrari". Just wait...

They'll find any reason they can.. but for me that won't be one.

Raj, I agree.. unless you're at a party or get together and you're really discussing things on a one to one and feel absolutely comfortable, I wouldn't ask that.

 

I guess I am the other side of the coin, and I will say it certainly depends on your relationship with the individual and how close of a rapport you have.

If you talk often, you could always bring up this subject of this thread for your reasoning to ask the question and see what his thoughts are. A non scientific poll if you will.

That said, if this is only a business relationship and nothing more, than I would agree that asking is probably not the best thing to do.

 

No don't ask. No guarantee he will tell you what he really thinks anyway! Plus the opinion of one is not the opinion of all

 

When I had my 308 ('77), I drove it to work a lot. A few sarcastic remarks here or there, but nothing serious - just friendly ribbing. Didn't take long to educate the workplace population that my Ferrari cost less than most of their cars (including the boss's car). One time, after a small service, the dealer even delivered it to my office on a flatbed. Drew a crowd, but everyone was appreciative of the car. Boss thought it was new and was shocked when I told him the age of the car and what I paid for it.

A good friend is a gov't worker and he drives his 308 all the time. Everyone knows he has it, and he's even loaned it to a select few on ocassion. It's just not a big deal.

But to the OP - I certainly wouldn't try to hide the fact that you have the car, but driving it to your plant might not be the best idea either.

Just a few thoughts.....

 

Cool, not asking is the way to go. Confirms my position up to this point!

 

Absolutely correct

 

You fly a Baron too?

 

I have driven my 348 to work many times in the past.

 

Bull'*****,you'll be lucky to have started your 348 less times,this year(...the past...),than most,on here,will have flushed the dunny.!!!!!!!!!

 

I've avoided this thread until now because it's a contentious one for me - I've experienced the scorn with lesser cars. The Owning a Ferrari made my grass grow thread in this sub-forum changed my mind.

Until recently, even most of my family wasn't aware of the F-cars. The judgement for just things like my unusual firearms, certain real estate, and such, without answering to some boss/superior is too much for some of them. The cat's out of the bag now, but when the first whimper started, I bit back aggressively, reminding them of how these "happened", what I've done, risked, and sacrificed, and NOT spent money on (children and quarterly vacations, among other things). Almost funny stuff, coming from a family member who swaps out at least a pair of (was 4 of them for several years) Sea-Doos every few years; likewise, new ski boats and cars/trucks.

People/clients involved with my horse farm have given me grief about a nice little '89 560SL that I picked-up for less than half of what many of them drive, or ride (horses)......."Wow. It suuure must be nice......". The attitude regarding being the property owner changed noticeably after I drove it there for the first time. The "Well, obviously, YOU can afford XYZ....." attitude affected expectations of what I should do or provide for them, and less respect was given toward the facilities and equipment, to the point that I've considered clearing the place out and cutting the expense of keeping it for future development.
Imagine showing up in something with that mythical eye-tal-yun horsie on the grill.

Step back a couple of decades to when I was a partner in an offshore powerboat dealership and race team:
Even among others who had their own $150K+ boats, a non-boat guy with a $20K 308 was obviously the rich one. Similarly, the general population at events regarded the guys with a $200K+ twin monster-engined offshore boat (Cigarette, Fountain, Donzi, PowerPlay, Baja, etc) was just a neat guy with a nice boat, but his genuinely nicer buddy who preferred cars was a "rich prick" because he had a 328 that cost him significantly less than the engine/drive package of many of those boats.

Drive one to work? Rarely in my world is this a good idea.