driving a ferrari vs. any other car

It's what you make of it.

Some will be in heaven when driving the same Ford T their grandfather used to drive, others see perfection in a Corvette, and for others, it's driving around in a Ferrari.
Don't get your expectations too high, it won't fly, it will probably break down, and you can still get flat tires that you have to change yourself.

Usually, it's not the car that is technically so different, but moreso a feeling of personal success and achievement.

 

Experience it yourself. Join your local FCA chapter, meet some owners, and get a ride. You just might be hooked.

 

I got to ride in a 355 this summer down a popular beverly hills street and it was amazing. I've known for a while I always wanted an f-car, but driving in it, even just going 60 or so was amazing. The feeling, the noise, unbelievable. I want one more than ever. I couldn't even imagine a 430.

 

The performance, while ordinary in comparisonto today's elite sports cars, feels great in a Ferrari of the 1989 vintage. It has a very raw feel with no power steering and the great sound of the shifter going through the gates. The handling is very crisp with almost instant feedback from the steering telling you what is happening at the tires. Overall it is great partly because it is unique, but mostly because it is well balanced between power, handling, and sensory fulfillment, as well as being a fully involved driving experience.
BT

 

All that I can tell you is save up your money and go rent one for the day. A few years back I had a Porsche 996 C4, I was in vegas and rented a 360 Modena... all I can say is ...wow!! THe guy at the rental place had one piece of advice.."watch out for the top of first gear as you take off cause it will come right up on you".. damn he was right!! First gear seems to last about 2 tenths of a second!!! Amazing car to drive.

That some weekend I drove a 99 Diablo. Hated the car!! No room for your foot on the gas petal. I even bought expensive Italian pointy shoes and they didn't even help. The Ferrari... like the 911... a dream to drive... like I was driving it for years the first time behind the wheel.

Oh yea.. and the Ferrari sounded amazing!!!

Go rent one!!!!!

 

The sound, the handling, the power, the feel, the look and the wind in your face.........what more needs to be said.

 

I have had plenty of hi-po cars in my lifetime--Camaros, Mustangs, etc. and none of them drive like my Fcar. It is a totally different experience. Just getting used the the shifting is an experience like no other--I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Do you have a particular model in mind? They've made a few hundred different cars by now, they're all a bit different from each other.

 

I too have owned a number of hot rods, race cars, and hi-performance street cars before buying my 308. None of them had the pazazz that the Ferrari has. I have found that for me, Ferrari's are special. To my wife, they're just another car. She finds them hard to get into and out of, so she would rather take the Chevy. So, in the end, your future Ferrari will be what you make of it.

Bob Wassam

 

It depends heavily on the person and what you make of it.

For me, there is nothing like it. I have piloted Mustangs, Corvette's and Trans-Am's that have in excess of 600 horsepower, and use nitrous. They are wicked fun rides that snap your head back and break necks...but, when I got into a Ferrari (360)...it was a more deep feeling for me. The styling, the history, and the overall driving feel is just soothing, but at the same time exciting as hell and thrilling. The super-low height, and completely original sounding exhaust/engine. You just know your experiencing something very special.

You know...I really cant explain exactly how it feels. A Ferrari is the only car that does that to me.

 

I have been around Ferraris and Italian exotics for over 20 years and they still put a smile on my face. Its about the sound, the handling and (at least with the older cars), the skill in driving it correctly. There is nothing like it!

Ciao.....Dino

 

Priceless............

 

There isn't a simple answer to this one.

Today, a friend asked if I had put away the Italians for the winter. I drove the 328 to work today. I told him that they don't get parked until it gets too cold for the tires.

He didn't understand. (All tires are tires are just rubber, no?)

Some people will look at a Ferrari and notice that it's noisy, it's hard to shift (for the uninitiated), it's hard to maneuver in a parking lot, it has a small trunk, etc.

Others will notice that the raw numbers (esp 0-60) on older Ferraris are lower than modern ricers.

One comment I've often seen about the Mitsu EVO (my winter rat) is that it's an easy car to drive fast. But then it doesn't get much quicker. On paper, the EVO should be faster around a race track than the 328. The 328 is not an easy car to drive quickly. (And not so easy to drive slowly, either.)

But the 328 is so well balanced, tuned, and refined, that I find the 328 far more enjoyable to drive.

But that's just me: I've been driving italian sports cars since Nixon was pres., so I'm used to them. The EVO can be a fun car, but it's got lots of annoying issues -- like an awkward clutch, a huge turbo lag, etc. Maybe someone who grew up on ricers would be used to that instead, and would evaluate the two differently.

If you look at the history on used Ferraris, you find that most previous owners keep the car for either a year or less, or for close to a decade.

You either love it or hate it.

 

Don't want to sound *****y but frankly if that's what you think about driving a Ferrari - I hope you never get one (they should only go to people who love them for themselves).

For me, driving the 308 is summed up by what was actually an Alfa Romeo
slogan - the line (as in lineage), the style, the power (even though the pure horsepower of an old girl like mine is way surpassed by modern ricers, there's no way they can put it down and use it with the same panache).

 

There is no other car on this earth like a Ferrari, never has been, never will be. The style, the heritage, the passion.

There are so many ways to sum up the whole experience, but that's what it is a "whole" experience, no one point in particular.

My car is way fast enough to put an enormous grin on both my face and those in the cars that I pass, the colour and look of the car has people grabbing camera phones wherever I go, the howl of the engine and exhaust is awesome, the feel good factor just pootling around moorland roads on a sunny morning is second to none and ... well, I 've never really had any great desire to put any other car logo on my garage wall.

You are driving one of the world's finest pieces of automotive history/art and you never really own it for keeps, you just look after it for the next lucky person down the line.

 

well everybody looks and points at you

 

Hmmm, no offence, but European cars tend to drive better (ie handle) than US cars. So in the that respect a Ferrari would be out of this world. However they are an acquired taste in my experience. The wide track at the rear, seating position, control positions and handling are all unique and take time to get used to. I would drive an integrale much harder than the 355.

There is the whole atmosphere of driving one, whenever I do I think about the Italian craftsman that have been going to work in Maranello for the last 60 years and I like the handbuilt feel. Like its been created by somebody who cares and who I respect. Having said that they do have their flaws (check the forum) but the emotion they contain is mega (for me - half Italian etc).

On the other hand a lot of my peers (one of which races a 360 professionally - LeMans etc) thinks that Ferrari's are all sh.. boxes! Thats because he looks at them without emotion. But, then, he doesn't understand why I have bought a 355!

If you want the best handling/fun car to drive ever (in my opinion and I have driven everything European) then try a BMW M3 CSL - thats put the biggest smile on my face as far "driving" is concerned. But for the same money I would rather own an F355.

 

There are a lot of worthy cars out there, but to me a Ferrari is Friggin Heaven on Earth.... Hands down! No if's, and's, or but's!

 

I had a chance, actually the privilege, of being a passenger in a 348 challenge, and the unbelievable engine note had me speechless the entire ride. If i were blind i would get one just to rev the engine. Would u consider that for any other kind of car?

 

My Z car at 430hp is clearly faster than my Ferrari. But Art is all that & the Italians said it all. Dude, an American V8 sounds nothing like an Italian V8. Its all in the song & shape of the art form. Both have there places & make a stand.

 

I believe I was the giver of that ride!! It was my pleasure to make that happen and you know that the offer is always out there. You have to admit the SL55 was pretty special too!