Drive It Already - Your Ferrari

Just drive the car!

 

Hi Karen,

If your parking spot is along side other "occupants" or monthly parking clients, your really shouldn't have much to worry about (dings and bumper hits). It's a bit like doctor's parking - they're there most all of the day. The patients however, are in and out with cars being shuffled like playing cards. You don't want your 328 anywhere near their parking area.

Cheers, Hank

 

Just drive it, if something was to happen it's replaceable or fixable. I'd rather get a few door dings and enjoy my car then let it sit in the garage.

Forza,
Kevin

 

I vote for saving your car for special occasion driving, it's not JUST a car as some say. It's a very special car, treat it that way. Daily driving rapidly decreases pleasure IMO.

 

I usually try to find a corner parking spot that only has a car on one side. Then just park as close to the other side as you can.

 

I drive mine to work almost every day, as long as it's not raining or snowing, and I still get a charge out of driving it. No, it hasn't worn off, and it's been over two years now.

Just drive it, and park in the safest part of the lot.

 

I used to drive them in all weather.. well, I avoided snow, and I rarely drove them to public parking lots (Malls, Publix, etc..) but rain or shine I drove em.

That's what windsheild wipers are for

 

.....and save it...the person you leave it to will enjoy it instead. Ask yourself, do THEY deserve it more than you????????????????????

 

If this doesn't justify driving your car every chance you get, then nothing will.

 

I park at the far end of the lot or next to the handicapped space.

Have you ever thought of tying your car to a tree and letting it just run in circles?

 

That's called "exercising your horse". If the rope gets longer, it's "lunging"

 

Get out your insurance bill. Look at what you're paying.

If you're in someplace like FFX county VA, look at the "personal property tax". Look what you spend on tags, fees, inspections, etc., so it will be ready to run if you want it.

Unless you've gone for the "antique show car" insurance and tags, you're paying a bundle to keep the car on the road.

So put it on the road.

The routine service is 15K miles, or three years, whichever comes first. From that, you can compute that the optimal use -- in terms of service cost -- is 5K miles per year. More use will tend to keep the car healthier, reducing incidental repairs, but you'll pay more per year on the routine upkeep.

Much less than 5Kmi per year, and things start to go wrong from disuse.

 

You could just go ahead and scratch it yourself to get it over with. After that first one, it's all down hill. No more worries like before when hunting for that parking spot.

 

The one 550 that I miled the heck out of cost me about $70,000 in depreciation in not quite 3 years and over 40k miles.

Had I used it 2k miles per year I would have lost $35k in depreciation.

20x the useage for 2x the money.... hmmm..... ok, so I had a ton more in maintinence, maybe an extra $15k. So that's at worst case 2.5 times the expenses for 20 times the useage.

See how fiscally responsible I am?

 

It is just a car, they made thousands of them. 10 years from now will you be saying "If only i had driven it more..."? Screw the milage and drive it!

FYI: Drove over 1,000 smiles/miles on the 308 in the past 2 weeks

 

I have put 1600 on mine since 30 Apr!

 

From my little time with ownership, I concur 100% with this statement. I am sh17 scared of someone dinging my car. I whinge when it gets a stone chip. I only drive it when sunshine is guaranteed. I would hate to see something happen to it.

Lastly when I do drive it and am about to, I get one heck of a buzz. I know these cars are made to be driven, but mine was 22 in January and to me looks almost like new. Let the next owner wreck it not me

 

Just drive.
78,682 miles and counting
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Take it on a weekend road trip somewhere - that will "break the seal" on both driving the car and worrying about whether it will break down. You'll get some little chips in it but you'll realize how great it is to drive the car.

Cheers
Kevin

 

I know where you're coming from; I felt the same way about my Lotus when I first got it. I grappled with this fear for a while and here's what I realized: why have the car if I'm not enjoying it? If I'm so afraid of it breaking or getting hit that I'm not enjoying the ride, I should sell it.

First, I have it insured for top dollar, so as long as I survive an accident I'm not worried. I do park it away from other cars when I can as the fiberglass cracks as easily as aluminum or steel can be dented.

One time when taking it bowling, I overheated on the highway and had to exit in the worst neighborhood of Chicago you can imagine. My heater valve leaked out all my coolant. It was 6 PM and dark. I walked 4 blocks to an open 7-11 type store to buy water and was on the end of a long line. Since I had only 1 item they let me cut to the front; the only white guy in miles. I said no, but the other people in line insisted. I must have looked like I had an emergency huh!

Well, I got back to my car okay, drove back to the highway and was on time to bowl. That experience not only renewed my faith in human kindness, but also made me much more confident that no matter what, I can deal with it.

Life is SO short....DRIVE your car and be thankful you can!

Ken

 

I was that way for about the first year... after that, I stopped being so careful and wary, and just drove the car -- and in almost 12 years and 30K miles of ownership of my '84 308QV, there have been a couple of times when I couldn't get it out of my driveway, but I've never had a breakdown while on the road except for one that turned out to be a fuel pump fuse issue.

 

Just drive the car !, if all you want is a show piece in the garage, then buy a Picasso and hang on the wall.

just add a little the your ferrari budget and along with the major plan on a respray.

Enzo is surely rolling over thinking about how many of his poor cars are being abused by people who are afraid to drive them.

 

This is something I'll never understand. That people will spend this much money on a car, then never drive it is amazing to me. I've put over 9000 miles on mine since I got it 6 months ago. The first 5 months of that was only on weekends when I would go to FL, but I finally got tired of that and drove it up to my place in DC last month. I take it out pretty much every night after work now. The bumper is covered in rock chips, but I'll just get it repainted eventually. If someone dings my door, I'll get Dentwizard to pop it out. I curbed a wheel on a tight corner in the city, but who cares. Spending 100k on a car was a stupid thing to do, but at least I'm enjoying my stupidity

-R

 

Nice line!

Yes, most Ferrari "enthusiasts" know that a Ferrari is to be saved for special occasions -- like driving it to and from the dealer's flatbed for the annual ritual servicing. God forbid it gets any miles on it -- or dirt -- or rain -- or rock chips.