driving a ferrari vs. any other car | Page 2 | FerrariChat

driving a ferrari vs. any other car

Discussion in 'Ferrari Discussion (not model specific)' started by ferrariNY22, Sep 9, 2005.

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  1. ylshih

    ylshih Shogun Assassin
    Honorary Owner

    Mar 21, 2004
    19,809
    Northern CA
    Full Name:
    Yin
    I've owned and driven a reasonable assortment of 250, 300, 400 HP (maybe 500HP in the next year as the race continues) cars over many years, including a few of the high-end, short of limited series, Porsches. Yet, I've always found Ferrari's to be more appealing, even though the Porsche may have higher horsepower, be more reliable, have more "value", etc. Most cars compete on HP, 0-60, 60-0 and interior space. It seems that Ferrari is just more willing to spend a respectable portion of your purchase price on looks, sound and feel. And for those who appreciate those factors, in addition to the usual metrics, there really isn't a substitute (Porsche marketing not withstanding).
     
  2. judge4re

    judge4re F1 World Champ

    Apr 26, 2003
    13,477
    Never home
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    Dr. Dumb Ass
    Same thing here. I had an M3/4 at the same time as the 365. The BMW was faster and newer, but the 365 was more fun to drive. Ultimate driving machine? Nope.

    When I bought the Mondial, I had a 964C4 as a daily driver. First time I drove the Mondial, I said the Porsche had to go. There is no substitute? Nope.

    Ferraris might not be "the best" on paper or against a stop watch, but by god, they're fun cars to drive.
     
  3. DGS

    DGS Six Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    May 27, 2003
    60,050
    MidTN
    Full Name:
    DGS
    ... For those who like that kind of thing.

    I can see where those who buy the car for a status symbol might find the raw road feel to be distracting and "cruder" feeling than what that individual might expect of a luxury icon (like a Roller).

    And I suspect that the silver spoon set that jump straight into a Ferrari may not be getting the full good out of it. Experience trying to get performance out of lesser brands highlights just how much better a Ferrari drives.

    And then there's the lack of idiot-proofing. If you have zero feel for the car, a mid-engine will go walkabout on you before you know what hit you. There are those who will blame the machine and go buy something that will make them feel like they're driving, without demanding the associated skills.

    In some ways, these are "snob" cars -- aside from the price, these are not easy cars to drive quickly -- especially the older ones. I let a friend from the Celica AllTrac group drive the 328 once. I don't think he enjoyed it much, as he couldn't handle the shifter. Managing to drive a demanding machine quickly gives you a sense of accomplishment.

    Alas, today, much of the "instant gratification" generation will run miles to avoid challenging themselves.
     
  4. judge4re

    judge4re F1 World Champ

    Apr 26, 2003
    13,477
    Never home
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    Dr. Dumb Ass
    Sounds like my wife's stepdad who bought my Porsche, he can drive that car pretty fast (again, its fairly easy), but he struggles to get the 365 to go quick (as have some friends that have only driven 3x8s)...
     
  5. coolblue

    coolblue Karting

    May 6, 2004
    217
    ...then look around you. At this point you KNOW you are in a ferrari
     
  6. burriana

    burriana Formula 3

    Jul 8, 2004
    1,675
    North Yorkshire UK
    Full Name:
    AL
    :D good point well made Sir!
     
  7. Ecnal

    Ecnal Karting

    Jun 28, 2004
    152
    Missouri
    Full Name:
    Ecnal
    Not to threadjack, but you must have some big/wide feet, or maybe the pedals are different from car to car. I've worn size 10 1/2 or 11 shoes of all kinds, including big, clompy Timberlands, and never noticed a problem.

    I haven't gotten to drive a Ferrari yet, but still remember the day I first saw/heard a 355 in person. Unbelievably cool-sounding.
     
  8. Ken

    Ken F1 World Champ

    Oct 19, 2001
    16,078
    Arlington Heights IL
    Full Name:
    Kenneth
    I don't get it either. I drive my Lotus until it gets below 10F and then only because my feet get too cold! I let it warm up and I don't go super nuts as the tires won't adhere as well, but it still is a total blast. Only wet roads keep it in the garage.

    Ken
     
  9. DGS

    DGS Six Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    May 27, 2003
    60,050
    MidTN
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    DGS
    It depends on your tire compound. The PP-S03s on the 328 go noticably "off" below 40F. Last year, I drove it until a 25mph stop locked up both fronts at about 38F.

    More dramatic are the Yoko A046s that came with the EVO. The car comes with a sticker warning against using the stock tires in winter. A number of CA auto journalists took EVOs into the mountains and crashed them on frost covered roads. While waiting for my Nokians to come in, I got caught by cold weather once -- that was enough. Below 40, those Yokos have the traction of Fred Flintstone's tires: e.g. none at all.

    (Actually, getting the WRs wasn't the problem -- it was getting a spare set of rims that would fit over those huge Brembos.)

    When winter comes, I put the Nokian WRs on the EVO and park the 328. I could get spare rims for winter tires on the 328, but I'll let the AWD EVO suffer the road salt.

    Theoretically, you can use summer compounds in colder weather, if you can keep them warmed up. In Metro-West, I had to do a little jinking to keep the older VRs warm in spring/autumn traffic, and it let me stretch the Yokos until the new rims came in (but only in the dry). But in gridlock central, there's little chance to warm either the tires or the brakes, so you need to equip for "out lap" operation.

    Lately, there's been so much concrete dust spewed over the parking garage floor by adjacent construction that traction is hard to come by with any compound -- and it almost takes a belt sander to get the tire surface clean.
     
  10. Ken

    Ken F1 World Champ

    Oct 19, 2001
    16,078
    Arlington Heights IL
    Full Name:
    Kenneth
    Well, all I can say is those tires must be a significant difference for fun factor in the warm if you use them, because they are obviously unusable in the cold. Unless tire size limits you to only a few choices, why not put an all weather tire on a 328? It ain't no Enzo so I'd be driving it all the time (like I do my car) and it can't make THAT much difference in handling. Plus you can stop when they're cold!

    Really sticky autox tires that are street legal will let my car pull over 1 G in turns, but like your example, it's not a tire for daily driving so I don't use them; I sacifice a couple tenths for opportunity to drive when I want.

    Ken
     
  11. Carnut

    Carnut F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Nov 3, 2003
    3,797
    Gladwyne PA
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    Morrie
    Someone asked me the same question recently. The very first time I drove a Ferrari it was like the car was telling me "drive me fast and to the limit that is what I was made for". I still feel that way every time I get behind the wheel. I hope it never stops.
     
  12. shawsan

    shawsan Formula 3

    Jul 2, 2004
    1,090
    Vancouver, Canada
    Hmmm, what's the difference between my BMW M5 and my 355 F1 Spider. The M5 get's an all-round 100%. The 355 F1 Spider gets an all-round 100% EXCEPT,

    -- the build quality sucks (handles break, electrical problems)
    -- things like exhaust manifolds ($4K each) go in < $15K miles
    -- I experience 'breakdown anxiety' every time I drive more than 500 miles, and that means fears of being stranded, no service
    -- don't want to park the buff queen next to other cars
    -- fear vandalism
    -- depreciates $10K a year

    Owning the Ferrari is like dating a beauty queen -- it's a stellar experience in all the erogenous zones -- but she's bound to move on because it's just an unsustainable relationship.
     
  13. DGS

    DGS Six Time F1 World Champ
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    May 27, 2003
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    DGS
    Because the AWD EVO is better suited to poor weather -- and I use seasonal tires on that, too.
    (Heck, I've got the floor lift for wheel swaps)

    Besides: With all the hostility on the roads around here, I don't like to park the Ferrari at the supermarket -- even if it had a trunk. Up north, the market was relatively safe (other than from runaway carts), but it seems that the hostility level is much higher in this town. (In MA, it seemed like about a quarter of the population would go out of their way to get in everyone else's. Here it's closer to 90%.)

    It's been good weather for a week, and I'm completely out of food in the house. ;)
     
  14. patpong

    patpong Formula 3

    Jul 6, 2004
    2,274
    Bangkok, Thailand
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    Patpong Thanavisuth
    To describe the pleasure of driving a Ferrari to those who never driven one you may need to use sex as a comparision... How do I do it without being dirty??? Driving a Ferrari is like having sex with the one you love.... VS driving any other car is like having sex with.......... no partner....
     
  15. Z0RR0

    Z0RR0 F1 Rookie

    Apr 11, 2004
    3,470
    Montreal, Canada
    Full Name:
    Julien
    What I meant is that it's not the same satisfaction you get from buying a Snickers bar. It takes more effort, and you really have to have a stronge desire for the car. Hence when you end up finally being able to afford it (because $$$ is the main problem to enter the Ferrari World), it goes beyond the styling or the music of the car, there's also some personal satisfaction to it.

    If that comes out as me liking cars for some status crap, well it then means I can't write (and shouldn't anymore).
     
  16. Italiafutbol

    Italiafutbol Rookie

    Feb 14, 2007
    1
    You shouldn't have to ask how it would be to drive a fcar. If the sound of the engine at 8000 rpm and the v12 whistling at a pitch that you never thought possible is not enough to strike your imagination, then friend, you are missing the point. Until last year I have never even sat in a fcar, then I had the rare privelage to ride in a new f430. It was everything I hoped it would be. To ask somebody to put that feeling into words is a discrase to Enzo himself.
     
  17. GCalo

    GCalo F1 Veteran

    Sep 15, 2004
    7,645
    Northern California
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    Greg Calo
    Ferrari is a great experience but it's one you cherish with each drive.

    The sensations are mechanically aroused as with many high end cars, but what makes this different is that it stands alone in its ability to do this and has for a very long time.

    It's a fabulously integrated machine, and this fact I appreciate more as I drive it more.

    I think also that the attention the car gets adds to the experience.

    It's a fabulous car.

    Every car is a fun experience to drive.

    Ferrari is exceptional.
     
  18. ryalex

    ryalex Two Time F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner

    Aug 6, 2003
    24,957
    Las Vegas, NV
    Full Name:
    Ryan Alexander
    I know Julien has already responded for himself but I'll say that's not just a *****y thing to say but downright Ferrari-koolaid-drinking crazy. To me your fetishism is more scary than him saying you can feel some 'pat yourself on the back' satisfaction in having worked hard to get it.

    It's a nice car and I love them but in the end it's just a car and it should (and does) go to whomever can pay for it, period. If they want to buy it for status, fine. If they want to gut a 250 GTE to make a GTO recreation, whatever.
     
  19. PhilNotHill

    PhilNotHill Two Time F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Jul 3, 2006
    27,855
    Aspen CO 81611
    Full Name:
    FelipeNotMassa
    When I drive my Porsche I think this is great. Maybe I'll sell the Ferrari.

    then I drive the Ferrari and wow, it makes my heart thump like no other car.

    Ciao
    Life is too short not to have a Ferrari.
     
  20. jk328

    jk328 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jan 13, 2013
    49
    Los Angeles
    I was looking for a sports car. Rented upgrade cars like Camaro SS, Mustang 5.0 GT and C-6 Corvettes.
    I fell in love with the ride, handling and overall feel of the Corvette.
    Very good bang for the buck, low maintenance and one a couple years old, affordable. I drove them for about 4 weeks total on about 6 to 8 trips.

    Then I drove a 328.

    It was a stick, the Corvettes, automatics. I freaked out after not driving a stick in 30 plus years, gated shift and an oh my God, true Ferrari.
    It took about 20 minutes to warm the car up and me to let go of the fear and apprehension.
    The car felt like I had driven all my life and no other car mattered any more.

    20 minutes.

    Drive one and see if it talks to you and makes you feel at home and somewhat apprehensive at the same time.

    Keep that which talks to you and makes your heart sing.

    I cannot get my 328 back into the garage once on the road. We just do not want to go there.

    New family joke, "Honey, I am going out for bread. See you in four hours!"

    Happy hunting.
     
  21. boxerman

    boxerman F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    May 27, 2004
    18,659
    FL
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    Sean
    In an older one its the motor, the feedback, the controls and the speed, the feeling of a thoroughbred let of the leash and looks. Theyw ere the best/fastest cars of their era if not the most reliable or comfortable.

    In the newer ones its the motor and looks with really great performance. These days there are lots of equivalent choices that may be quicker on a given road, the new ferraris still have a balance of forces and experience others may lack, but the gap is not big if at all, and you buy intot he negative stigma by association.
     
  22. bobzdar

    bobzdar F1 Veteran

    Sep 22, 2008
    6,367
    Richmond
    Full Name:
    Pete
    It's spectacular, but to really experience what they're all about you need to go to a track. Any of these cars, except maybe a 308 gtxi depending on the rubber fitted, are too fast to enjoy properly on anything other than a closed course. When I first got mine, I had to turn around and put it in the garage a couple of times for fear that I'd get killed/arrested when I looked down and was doing 2-3x what I would consider 'safe'.
     
  23. mlambert890

    mlambert890 Formula Junior

    Apr 2, 2002
    389
    CA
    I'd also add to this, particularly with classics, that one must be "attuned" to the intangibles to perceive and appreciate them and, even then, they aren't always apparent in normal driving (and are sometimes a detriment ironically)

    I'll use a, hopefully easy to understand, analogy. These days I'm driving an E92 M3. I love the car and feel it is a fantastic *experience* to drive. I have a friend with a C63 AMG and when I had bought the M I told him he had to come check it out.

    I was expecting all sorts of glowing praise. Well I was in for a surprise! His reaction "man... Dude... This thing has NO torque! What a dog! What's all the fuss about??? Are you gonna keep it?"

    He seriously thought there was no way I could actually like the car! There is no "wrong" or "right" here, it's all about subjective impression and what each individual finds rewarding.

    Another example. I've owned some NSXs and 996s over the years. These are my two favorite "drivers cars". Steering in the 996, in particular, I found to be just superb.

    I have another good friend, however, who *despises* the 911 steering feel. Blasphemy! But to him he can never get past that feeling that the nose is "light"

    This is why the manufacturers are all rushing to make everything dead neutral via electronics and we are heading for complete homogeneity across marques IMO.

    And speaking of that, here is an example of me being possibly "obtuse". Prior to the M I owned a GTR for a year. I kept adding HP to it ridiculously (topping off at 600). What I finally realized is that as stupidly quick, and easy, as that car was.... I just ultimately found it sort of boring to drive and a generally not very pleasant or engaging place to spend time. Yet this is car that the Internet hordes *worship*

    So I guess this is a long winded way of saying that, even with a Ferrari, this is a question that a stranger can't answer for you. Like with food, music, and women... What one man considers utopia another man may consider nothing special.
     
  24. Statler

    Statler F1 World Champ

    Jun 7, 2011
    17,389
    The original poster hasn't posted for over 7 1/2 years.
     
  25. mlambert890

    mlambert890 Formula Junior

    Apr 2, 2002
    389
    CA
    Lol... Yeah... There are a few of these old bumps. That's ok though I think, for this particular topic. This is a sort of timeless and interesting discussion... What are the intangibles that make a car "special" and are any of them universal...
     

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