Is my maintenance budget ok (Cali 30). Reliability

Your rainy day budget for a 30 sounds good to me barring multiple, major mechanical fails like the hard-top convertible and tranny both going south, or you get a real lemon. And, those two issues are lessened in the later 30s if F-chat hearsay is any indicator. I think it is also is the case now that unlike when the Cali was new, if you get a transmission issue, they can be cracked open and repaired. Used to be they had to be replaced whole. I'd reach out to your local F dealer/tech to confirm on that front.

I would guesstimate that we've "invested" about $1K per month (insurance, maintenance, upgrades, service, PFF, replacing a wonky key, going to local FCA events, gasoline, etc.) in pursuit of the Ferrari lifestyle other than purchase price; btw, we paid for it outright) by even the most outlandishly pessimistic estimate. Long story short, it's been worth every penny!

Maintenance and service is maybe 1/3 to 1/4 of the above, depending on whether or not new tires are needed that year. I've gone through about 2 or 3 sets of tires while covering 30K miles and a couple of track days in 6.5 years. Full disclosure - ours is an '11, not a Cali30. Annual service is in the range of $2K, if I recall correctly.

The biggest repair bill in 6.5 years was just south of $10K, thanks to freaking squirrels chewing on wires!
Cali has been very reliable once we got battery/tender issues sorted early on. Circumstantial evidence here is that they behave better the more you drive them. I don't know if that's really true, but it's a good excuse to continue to pile on the miles and smiles.

612 is a great car. There's an active 612 sub-forum here. I'd post there if you have not already done so.
You can also reach out to user @Nospinzone ; he's a great guy (just don't tell him I said so! ) and
has owned his 612 a long time, and drives it a lot.

Good luck in the hunt for your Cali!

T

 

You mentioned you are retiring soon. Are you mechanically inclined? Doing your own routine service is a great way to save money and have fun tinkering with your cars.

I bought a F430 shortly after I retired and have learned to do all the routine servicing myself. It’s really nice doing it when you’re not in a rush. $90 for an engine oil/filter change instead of $500, and it took me two hours, tops. That’s with removing and replacing the bottom panel. Gearbox oil, power steering fluid, F1 fluid and antifreeze are equally as easy.


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They better be very short, very limber and the front seaters will need to move forward. And it needs to be a short trip. Having the top down would likely help ameliorate the claustrophobic feeling.

This is our little angel, sadly no longer with us, in the back seat of our Cali. She was a 25 lb, runt of the litter pooch. As you can see, it's a very tight fit.

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T

 

My pleasure. My wife and I could have in no way made an even semi-informed decision on F ownership without F-chat. It's the ultimate source of info on all things Ferrari IMO.

I'd definitely be looking at a 30 if I was in the market for a new Cali. Don't be afraid of miles. With luck the previous owners drove it enough to sort out the bugs.

We bought certified from an F dealer for peace of mind. We bought it sight unseen and skipped a pre-purchase inspection, and have been totally blessed to have a flawless purchase (Miller) and service (Boardwalk) experience. However, having read some of the stories on here since then, I don't think I'd do that again! [emoji2] Spend the $$$ and get an independent set of eyes on any car you're serious about would be my advice. Local F-chatters can likely recommend folks. I would also talk to local F owners about service. You buy the car once, but you'll service it many times. Nothing is a bigger drag than not getting service that is commensurate with the bill!

T

 

Good point. I would guess that older F cars are more amenable to being worked on by owners than newer cars. Of course, if you're mechanically inclined and have the tools, it can be done...T

 

Sold my Cali w 30k miles and never had a single issue. Bulletproof. Back seats only good for children, pets and tiny strippers.

 

Mine was a 2010. I love the Cali and do highly recommend it.

 

I have had two Californias ... a 2013 Cali 30 and currently a 2015 Cali T. Both cars have been largely flawless, the current one I bought in 2018 with 10k miles, have put another 17k miles on it since, literally nothing except a set of rear tires and a small plastic part on one of the paddle shifters which I was able to fix for free.

These cars ... you buy them, you drive them, you maintain them, and if they break, you fix them ... and the more you drive and maintain them, the less likely you will have to fix them. Buy one that has been driven and maintained, avoid the ultra low mileage garage queens.

I like the additional power in the Cali T but I likely would have never sold my Cali 30 had life not intervened -- I put 15k miles on that in 2 years. Both are wonderful cars.

 

We were in the same boat as you, and we needed 4 seats to bring two car loving kids along on drives. We first purchased the Cali 30 because of the drop top, and soon added the FF for the V12 experience and more comfortable seats (+ awd in case of rain).

 

What I dislike the most for both cars (but does not only apply to the Cali and FF) is the battery drain. You need to keep them on tenders if you’re not driving for a few days or you get all sorts of warning lights and gremlins. I’ve learned to live with them when they happen (since I don’t have access to an outlet in our parking area) but it’s just something you have to get used to.

My Cali 30 is not under any power warranty at the moment but have not had any problems so far that required service (fingers crossed). Have had a couple of cosmetic issues in the interior due to the age of plastics but I order replacement parts from scuderiaparts or other original parts supplier. I’ve heard common major issues are DCT and roof problems and I don’t know how much to have these repaired. I have had neither but I do drive it at least three times a week. I might get the power warranty for peace of mind, although I haven’t decided.

I love the fact it’s a convertible, it feels light and nimble, and 490 hp is more than enough for the car at least where I live. The engine / exhaust NA burble never gets old. The back seats are currently more than sufficient for my two kids but will not comfortably fit adults.

FF is under power warranty, and no problems so far except for the gremlins described above. Major issues I’ve heard of are DCT and PTU failure, and I think the PTU is above 10 grand if fully replaced by the dealer. It’s covered under the power warranty though.

I love the big NA V12 sound when it starts up and revs beyond 3k. I also feel more confident driving it under wet conditions, and the fact a couple of friends can ride comfortably in the back. Kids love the backseats too since they’re like big armchairs to them! FF lifter is handy where I live because of all the slopes.

I don’t care much for the center screen/infotainment. In my experience the stock sound system is sufficient for our needs, and we use our phone / phone holder for NAV anyway (if needed but we don’t bring the F car to very unfamiliar places due to parking or road concerns).

Let me know if you have specific questions! Both cars are awesome. One day we hope to add a 458 aperta or an 812gts when the kids get older and don’t want to go on joyrides with their parents.

PS I forgot to add that our decision for the Cali 30 and FF were Pininfarina, 4 seaters, DCT, NA. Both of them are the only ones that fit our preferences.

 

Please get PPI even if sold by a Ferrari dealer. There are just too many horror stories out there (and on this forum). It is a small investment that could save you a lot of trouble later on.

 

I have a high capacity portable power station (518Wh) that allows me to use the original Ferrari tender for 2-3 days. But I’ve only used it once (seemed to work!) as I endeavour to at least turn on the engine every two to three days even if not driving.

My Cali30 only has a rear camera and the FF has rear and front cameras. Neither has the 360 view or top view.

I had the local Ferrari dealer do the PPI and my condition is that I would only purchase the car if it was in a condition where I could pay for new power warranty if I wanted to so the PTU would be covered either way. I’ve read somewhere in this forum that it would be possible for the PTU to fail again if fully replaced because of some part that wears out but I’m not sure.


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I keep an interest-bearing account with between $20K and $30K in it to cover my 355 - my 458 - my GT3 Touring and my Hellcat - and <knocking on wood> have never had to drain that account for any of the cars. I think for a well-built modern Ferrari like you are considering $5K a year is fine and possibly aggressive but better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it.

F1 transmission pumps used to be a potentially costly and unexpected failure item on older cars with F1s - DCTs in the cars you are looking at are generally bulletproof. The top mechanism on the Cali's can be a bit wonky but a lot of that can be mitigated by proactively making sure they adjust the top and check all the actuators etc. when it is in for ANY service. As always the key is regular if not aggressive maintenance to catch any abnormalities early and by aggressively maintaining the car you probably avoid issues you never knew about.

Granted - You are taking some risk with a non-warranty Ferrari - it could have a catastrophic engine or transmission failure and you would be hit unexpectedly and hard leaving you with a conundrum of tapping into some other pool of money or dumping the car - either choice would be costly. But for the cars you are considering this is extremely rare.

One other piece of guidance - take it for what it is worth - Decide up front whether you are going to build a relationship with a Dealer for service or and Indy - I have my opinions but they are irrelevant. Either is fine BUT the familiarity with the car goes a long way. There is ONE GUY at Ferrari of Denver who works on my 355 - he knows the car inside and out - this goes a long way.

You are asking great questions and your pragmatic approach to this will pay off mass dividends in your enjoyment of the car and general ownership experience - I/we are all excited for you - Cheers