Going to Order my First Ferrari - Portofino - Advice please!!

This thread has a price list (yes, they kill you on options):

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/ordering-portofino-spec-advise-first-car.569240/page-2#post-145922141

I'd also do the LED Steering Wheel, and color calipers.

 

I'd guess the must haves are the shields, electric seats, and carbon wheel with led's and magnaride (HS if it becomes available). If I were able to order one new I'd check every box I wanted reguardless of future value or lack thereof simply because were I specing one I'd want what I want.

 

The std. seats should still be electric and I believe 8 way. Difference is the full elect. has heated seats, lumbar, and memory. Pretty much any Camry from 2010 has this for free minus the memory. Ferrari you pay...

The steering wheel is the Carbon w/ LED. Check out some pics, it's pretty cool. Lights come on to help w/ shift points. Why look down at the tach when you can see lights in front of your eyes. It's a Ferrari thing, roots in F1 racing. I thought it might be gimmicky too till I drove a car w/ it recently. Whatever Ferrari I buy is going to have that. Almost like the passenger display, something newish that is a Ferrari thing. Could prob. go either way on the passenger display, but with the option there... how many other cars out there have it? So if I'm spec'ing, I click that one too.

 

MagneRide is a definite must in my book. After that, get what you like. If it were me, I would order the full electric seats for the heating option (cranky old back! ). The F-chat dogma is that Ferrari are hard sells if they do not have the shields. So, if you're planning on keeping it for only a few years - order those. Good luck on your order...T

 

The salespeople are pressured to sell at least $50k in options these days. Let us know after your visit to place your order.

 

If your'e considering the comparative ownership of a Ferrari to a Porsche, I'd respectfully say that your heart's not into the ownership of a Maranello work of art, and your head is not understanding of what Ferrariste are. Certainly a 911 and a Portofino are two very distinctly different animals. I'd say the same to someone considering a Lamborghini or a McLaren. I'm not disparaging any of those three alternative cars, They are just very different, similar to liking a DaVinci versus a Warhol.

 

Ferraris aren't the fastest, nor the most nimble but they are a pleasure to drive every time you get behind the wheel. There is something special about a Ferrari. If you like your Porsche more I sure wouldn't trade up to a Ferrari.

 

I see you mentioned a budget of $275k "ish". If you want my opinion, if you really prefer a 488, you can probably get a used one in that range. Also keep in mind that the future depreciation of a used 488 will be much less than a new Portofino; meaning that in two or three years, the 488 will be worth a lot more than the Portofino even though their prices may be quite similar now.

 

I haven't regretted trading my 991tts for the Cali T HS. I have owned mine for over a year now and enjoyed driving my Cali T immensely. The Portofino should be even better than the Cali T HS and those extra two seats do make a difference. My 10 year old grandson fits fine in the back of my car.

 

One other consideration might be delivery period - my guess is you'd be looking at Spring 2020 best case based on comments in other threads - a 488 used or even new would be available far sooner

 

There are several used but new California T's at dealers. Really nice prices. Save money drive a modern Ferrari. My guess is you will move the Porsche to the back of the garage and the Ferrari will become the daily driver. I test drove a 911 Turbo S and thought it was an awesome car, but too smooth. I got back in my Ferrari to leave and wow. I realized I love driving the Ferrari. And you can track the California T. My guess is the California T would be 100k less right now.

 

Right it will be catching up. However, I disagree with the soft characterization of the Cali T. I would apply that to the Cali 30 and regular Cali. I had mine out on COTA in an open lapping session during the Ferrari Challenge and I think it handled better than my tts did. The car is very different in cornering that the Porsche was. It feels like it's more planted and that I can be more aggressive with the speed in the turns. Particularly in the big skid pad (16-18).

 

Yep. And that says nothing about the braking.

What I find interesting is most people talk about the cars performance, but if you ask about them driving it on the track, the answer is, "no way, it will cause it to deprecate too much. I don't even drive it in the rain".

Ferrari is n awesome care. The California T is incredible t drive - on the road or on the track.

 

I would agree that any of the California models weren't geared toward tracking. Not to say you can't track it but from the first time I rented one I sure enjoyed cruising in it. And it was very comfortable on the longer trips we take when in the Vegas area. It would be fair to say I personally might be just as happy with a Maserati Granturismo but I really like the hardtop convertible option with the California. I can't say as much for the convertible models of the Granturismo. Personally I don't like cloth convertible tops and I had to convince myself to even consider a California to begin with before I ever drove one. But that changed once I did drive one and as a result I have rented one several times since then.

I highly doubt I'll ever track a california if I ultimately ever get one. Heck even if I get a 430 I'll probably never track it but I will drive what ever I get quite a bit on the highway on weekend getaways and just driving enjoyment all together. Ultimately if your looking for a car to track I'm sure most everyone would be much happier with something other then a California or portofino especially comparing one to cars that have some serious track abilities. One thing I like more about the portofino is the claim of more leg room in the back seat area. The back seat is the major point of issue with my wife since only 3 of the 4 family members would be able to fit comfortably. Ultimately since this will be a play toy car my wife is leaving it up to me and I haven't fully decided yet but the California (specifically the Cali 30) is a very strong prospect. If it makes me a girly man I guess I can live with that lol.

 

M

ake sure engine is warm, tires are warm and brakes are warm. Makes a huge difference with this car. Then push it.