I think that from the start the Pista has relied on exclusivity more than on other intrinsic qualities to justify its price tag, and for people valuing exclusivity the F8 does not change the picture. For people who don't care about exclusivity, the F8 is undoubtly better value - although the more radical Pista could still be the most interesting car. I may prefer a Pista to an F8, but my perception (from someone not valuing exclusivity) is that the Pista is overpriced.
But for maybe for the first time with Ferrari this lays bare the idea that higher price is more about exclusivity than performance. For those that don't take advantage of the performance by tracking the cars the "look at me" element of owning a Ferrari is certainly enhanced by a special edition, but the cover for that superficial view provided by improved performance likely has been appreciated by most.
I agree with your post. However, due to exclusivity the Pista will depreciate less and hold its value better in the long run especially in this new era of publicly traded company rapidly increasing the number of its regular production cars to maximize profit
Performance level of the F8 will be very close to say the least - so if the Pista price is fair, the F8 is a real bargain, which seems an overstatement to me.
I fear the F8 will experience McLaren level depreciation. The days of Fcars holding their value vs the competition left the building with the accelerated model introductions.
Given the price of the similarly performing McLaren 720S, I would say that the F8 is kind of a bargain.
Keep in mind that the actual transaction amounts for the 720S are, in most cases, far below MSRP. I am seeing new 19’s being advertised for nearly $50,000US off. What are those examples actually transacting at? $70,000US off? Even less? In fact, spec for spec, I would submit that the current 720S coupes will transact much less when new than the incoming F8’s, at least in the near term.
Yep, I got my new 19 720 for almost $50K off--just have to work the deal. I think the car is the deal of the century and 100x better car (looks, performance, interior, etc) than any 488. On the secondary 488's are horrible and of course F8 will hold value better when it comes out--3 years newer than 720s. Have not driven (nor has anyone here) or owned F8 (yet) so can't make comparison. Car money is fun money, buy the car that makes you smile ear to ear no matter what. 720 does that everyday for me.
Here’s one, but there are many others... https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/m-McLaren-of-Charlotte-sp416154#listing=237476439
I hadn’t realized the bloated option cars came with those discounts. Not unlike Ferraris in that respect. I was more interested to see if a $300k msrp car could be had for $250. I guess not.
Probably true that opinions vary mightily on what would constitute a “bloated” spec. I think the car needs certain minimum options: gorilla glass, lifter, sport exhaust, performance, sound system, MSO paint, some carbon bits, etc. Those options take you from $290 base to $340+ pretty quickly. For me, even if a base car could be had for $250, I am certain I would rather spend $30ish more and get all that I would want in the way of equipment. Of course, YMMV. That said, tons of value, and by any measure, a new 720S is clearly cheaper than a new F8, whatever that means.
My 720 has performance pack inc exhaust, glass roof, b&w sound, front lift, better wheels, few carbon bits and I think it was $325 sticker. MSO paint and carbon seem to be lowest ROI. Our F8 order is currently hovering around $315 so we’ll see how comparable they are and how the pricing shakes out.
I have zero interest in the F8. However, I have a Pista in order and am super excited about it. Yes they are similar cars but the Pista seems to be rare and f8s will be all over the place. Very excited to be getting my Pista towards the end of the year. I’m looking forward to comparing it to my 720 which by far is the best car I’ve ever owned and puts a grin on my face every time I get behind the wheel.
If you think 488s are ‘horrible’ on the secondary, wait for 720. $50,000 off doesn’t come without a reason or a cost. I bought a 12C Spider new with MSRP of £220k for £170k. The car was less than a year launched. I still sold it for a loss of £50k ($70,000) two years and 11,000 miles later. That was in 2015.
It’s quite confusing to me why so many people seem to believe that what they are seeing is different to the past and is explained by RACE. PuroSangue was brought to us by RACE and that may well be bad in terms of depreciation/value. But the Speciale was not much faster than the 458 but was sooo much better to drive. Demand and therefore residual value for that car is somehow unquestioned due to it being the last n/a and pre-RACE. I suspect the performance gap between Pista and 488 is much greater than Speciale/458, in Pista’s favour. In fact the performance gap between Speciale/458 is probably similar to Pista/F8 - the following model. But it is how the Pista drives compared to the 488 or F8 that will set it apart. The exclusivity helps, but that means nothing if people don’t ultimately want to own or drive the car - there are plenty of rare but valueless cars around. I expect to do ok on the Pista but I didn’t want it to invest in, I want to drive it! And most owners are like that I believe. No doubt some will flip but Ferrari have been pretty good at sorting that out, leaving the proper owners to desire and buy the car - even if they want to stick it in a garage and stare at it. I just don’t see any evidence that RACE is fundamentally changing the market dynamics for exotic sports-car Ferraris, except for at the top end. Their strategy seems to be to add value by additional models (BB, Icona), added performance (BB) and added exclusivity (TM). The arrival of F8 has more to do with the EU than the stock market and their growth in volume towards 10,000 units is simply a reflection of the growth in worldwide demand for exotic sports cars. The margin-based strategy they are adopting seems smart to me. If TM cars lose their shirt in the used market the demand for TM might wane and not be the growth-driver they expect but there are usually enough people who don’t care about the cost but want their car to be purple with green wheels just because.
In Germany is a Pista not really rare. Last year, yes. You can ask now for a Pista and get one from the dealer. I see no reason for a better value resistance. And where are the buyer from a used Pista? They have all a F8 in order. Just my opinion.
Depends how far you go back. LdM's plan was to lower production from the 6K or 7K/yr they were at to increase exclusivity. The late SM was all for the public company strategy and increasing production levels - even the SUV concept. That was only four or so short years ago. An argument can be made that exclusivity drives demand and keeps prices high in the secondary market as well. Any company going public ruins the core recipe IMO.
In US, very rare. Have not seen a single one here on the road or at any dealers. Maybe Europe got them first- and they are slowly trickling into US? I don’t know. All I know is allocations are next to impossible and seeing one in the wild is about as common as seeing a leprechaun.
That's pretty well how it is here. I hear stories here (on Fchat) of "friends" who have been able to stroll casually into a dealer and walk out with a Pista order but oddly enough not one of the bearers of these fanciful tales has been brave enough to put anything on the table to back up their "story". So, until such stage that happens these stories are just piles of steaming BS.
Spoke to dealers on two different continents and asked about "walking in" and getting a Pista. They just laughed..
