Is it worth joining FCA for first time buyers?

Not sure exactly what you are asking but joining Ferrari Club of America will give you 10% off authorized parts and service and some other perks. Joining Ferrarichat will give you access to subscribed forums and allow you to post in some classifieds. Both aspects, worth it.

 

Baggio,
Most of the cars are listed elsewhere.
The value of joining FCA depends on what your interests are. But at a minimum, the ability to network and share information with a wide spectrum of owners and enthusiasts can be very valuable. ESPECIALLY for a fist time buyer.

 

Yes! Both comments above support joining. If after a year you didn’t find membership worthwhile, don’t renew.

You’ll meet a whole new group of friends who are passionate about their cars and can provide local advice.


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I agree with this comment, with two caveats: 1) This is dependent on the activity level and opportunities presented by your local chapter 2) It depends on your willingness to show up at events, and introduce yourself.

I've heard people disappointed with their membership experience, that live in say, ID, MT or AK, but that is only because of the lack of members and ability to organize events. Also, I have heard from folks that came to one event after joining, never introduced themselves and claimed the FCA was "too clicky" for them....

I would not join for the ads, there is nothing special or exclusive there that I have seen over the past 20 years I have been a member.

 

I am a long time member of FCA, PCA and BMWCCA. From my experience, FCA is more social, while the Porsche and BMW clubs have more events like track days, auto-crosses and car control clinics.

All of them have great end of year parties. If you enjoy the social aspect of Ferrari ownership, then the FCA provides lots of social driving events and rallies. Personally, I prefer the track events and spend more time with the Porsche and BMW track events.

It is not a bad idea to join your FCA chapter and meet up with them. At the very least, they can provide you with local knowledge and experience on Ferrari ownership.

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I think the FCA is great, but not for their classifieds. If you are looking for Ferrari classifieds, and you have not done so already, you should subscribe to Ferrari Market Letter. They do a good job with their classifieds.

 

All the above is true. The FCA is great, especially in CA.

 

FWIW , I did save ~ 1400 $ on a 14,000 repair on my old 430 spider. Just saying. Best ,Kirk

 

Are there cars listed in Ferrari Market Letter that aren't on other web sites? I can't answer that. I haven't tried to compare the two. I am sure there are listings on web sites that are NOT in FML: The listing in FML is extensive and -- to some degree -- curated so every listing includes the VIN, asking price, etc. Web listings can vary a lot and some are completely fake (see my thread on a fake listing for my car -- which is in Hawaii -- allegedly for sale in New York!) Many of the FML listings are from dealers; many are not. FML also has extensive histories on many cars based on VIN (I was surprised how much they knew about my car!). Given how much a person is likely to invest in buying a Ferrari, the information in FML seems well worth the modest price to me. But I guess each potential buyer will need to decide that for themselves.

Good luck in finding a great car!

 

As others mentioned, it is worth it for the 10% (I saved $400 on my rear-main seal repair alone) and also for meeting great people. We have drives 4 times a year, at least one overnight weekend, and lots of non-driving events in the winter (where here in Michigan the cars are put away for 5 months)

 

If the 10% off parts and service isn't enough to convince someone to spend what ends up being about 12 bucks a month, then this conversation is pointless.

 

Agree. I joined for two years when I first had my car, and found it not worth renewing. I went to several events, and did introduce myself to several people, but it was indeed a clique driven group. I found much more fun people here through Fchat. This was almost 15 years ago though, so things have probably changed. Give it a try, and see how the people are. The ads? I got a magazine style thing for our chapter twice per year IIRC, and a nice name tag, so you can count on that at the minimum. I found a majority of the SFL group to be all about getting dressed up and talking about subjects fairly exclusive to the CEO type group. Not my thing (I would much rather go driving), but they seemed pretty happy.