My 3 year anniversary of Ferrari ownership!

Hi,All! Well,been busy all day,but finally have a few minutes at the Computer,so,I wanted to say "Happy 3 year Anniversary to me and my Red,1981 308GTSi". Yes,exactly 3 years ago,I finally made the plunge! It was a combination Late Christmas present to myself,And,I always said that I wanted a Ferrari by the time that I was 40. And,in a little more than a month after I bought the car,would have turned 41. So,It would have still been cool,but,not exactly the same. I Almost did it twice before,but,the Planets weren't in line. And,would probably have lost the car in my Divorce of Wife #1 in 1999.(doesn't it suck when you see an ad like that. "Must sell...getting Divorced") And,the second time the car just wasn't right. So,I reluctantly,(and Thankfully) waited and passed until the time was right. So,unfortunately,cannot go out for an anniversary drive today,so that I could Re-Live that most wonderful day that I drove it home from L.F.S.C.,and was saying out loud to myself the whole,glorious ride home on I-294..."I FINALLY GOT A FERRARI!!!"... "I did it! I finally got a Ferrari!!!" And,NO! I was NOT doing the posted Speed Limit!!!! I didn't even care if I would have gotten pulled over,(I didn't). I'm sure that a Police Officer would've understood And,I still would have had a giant grin from ear to ear!

 

How I feel about my Ferrari...( N LUVN IT )
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MMMM.......lets try this one....
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One more...
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O.K.,O.K....ONE more!
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last one....
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I promise....
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ooops! my fingers were crossed!
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Why,Thank-you,Sir!!! BTW,Bill,how long have you had your Baby? I know you told me that you have,and have had,quite a few really Cool cars and Motorcycles. But,How long for that beautiful 365?

 

Thanks,everyone. I appreciate it! Yes,my passion for Ferrari,(my own,especially),will never diminish. Actually,it is growing. When I got my very first car...a 1966 Pontiac GTO,in 1975,(I was 15) I was thrilled. And,when I got my first Corvette,in 1985. The thrill and excitement was even more. But,getting a Ferrari after several set backs,attempts,and several years was the thrill of my Life. I will never forget that great day. It was a long time coming. Now,looking forward to possibly adding a 12 cylinder car this year. And,sharing the passion with my fellow Ferrari enthusiasts.

 

Skip. When you say; "Yes,WE'RE enthusiasts. But,OUR cars aren't OUR lives". Are you speaking for everybody? I agree that our cars aren't our lives. But,I'VE "been into" cars my whole life,and they DO play a very important part of MY life. Maybe not yours. You've owned Ferrari's for 30 years,you said. So,you're probably a little "jaded" by now. And,it's not a big deal to YOU anymore. But,to me,and others on FERRARI CHAT,it IS. But,try to think back to when you got your first Ferrari. I'm sure that you were really excited. Too bad they didn't have FERRARI CHAT back then. And,like me,alot of the other guys on FERRARI CHAT are new to Ferrari,and are excited about it. It's not just me,I'm sure. But,thats why I have them...because I ENJOY them. Why else would someone want one then? I know that there are some "Rich Guys" who don't know Jack Sh*t about cars. But,buy them simply as "investments". And,I pity those guys,well,I pity the cars,really,because they just sit and don't get used. What a Shame! Now THAT is Pitiful! I had Uncles and older neighbor boys that had cool cars when I was a kid in the 1960's. Thats when I caught "The Bug". I took Auto shop all 4 years in High School. I have a Step Father that owned an Auto Repair shop,and helped out when I was a kid. I've been "wrenching" on cars since I was about 12 years old. And,as a teen,owned several really cool Muscle cars. Then,in 1985,I got my 1st,of 7 Corvettes. Had 1 Porsche,and finally,my Ferrari. And,hopefully,will add to that this year. But,Skip,you seem to be forgetting. This is "FERRARI CHAT". Not "Intellectual Chat". So,ofcourse,on FERRARI CHAT,I'm going to be talking about FERRARI'S and other cars. Yes,I do have a life outside of my Ferrari and Corvette. But,I discuss OTHER subjects with OTHER people on OTHER venues. And,when I am logged on to FERRARI CHAT. I discuss FERRARI'S. If I was on "Beer Chat",more than likely,I'd be discussing Beer. "Bowling Chat?" ...Probably,Bowling. And,my Horizons are also pretty well expanded. You should hear what my Buddies (non Ferrari owners) and I talk about!

 

And,one more thing,Skip. Now,you know that I like you,and respect you. I stood up for you during the Dark,"No Wives" period. But,just take a few minutes and look in the Regular,or,National,(Worldly ?) Ferrari Chat.(General Discussion,Showroom,etc...) Look how excited everyone is when they get their first Ferrari. Also,Look at all of the posts from the guys who Dream of someday,one day,realizing that Dream that we have already realized. There are some guys who would probably cut off their left hand,(need the right one to shift),or sell a Kidney JUST to be in the position that we are now. (O.K..maybe exagerated a little) but,you know what I mean! We only live once. I lost my best buddy,who's Family is VERY Wealthy,(They own 4 Steel Forges,Property,etc...) He had all the Money anyone could want. But,to the Grim Reaper...Money,or Power,(or,percieved power) Status,(or self percieved status) Doesn't mean Sh*t. He died when he was 36. We are lucky,fortunate,whatever,to be able to drive the car of our Dreams,and many others Dreams. While we can and are still alive. Yes,I think that Ferrari ownership is a special thing. To me,it is a big deal. To 99% of the guys here on FChat,it is also probably a big deal,or they wouldn't be here in the first place. No,my life doesn't "revolve around" my Ferrari,or any other cars. But,it is a big deal to me,and always will be. I'll remember this my whole life,and am now able to pass along my Love of cars,especially,Ferrari's,to my little boy. He has it in his genes,too. He's loved cars almost since he was born. I've been taking him to the Auto Show,World of Wheels,Chevy/Vettefest,Local Car shows,Cruise nights,etc...since he was born. He loves cars. I can't wait until he's 13-14-15,so that we can get him a cool car to fix up,and work on together. THAT will be cool! So,Yes,I must say that cars ARE a big PART of my life. But,not everything! Actually,it's because of Other interests that it took my as long as it did to get my firts Ferrari. So There!! Nyah,Nyah,Nyah!!!

 

No! I wasn't taking it seriously! You had to have seen the Humor in my post. I always try to inject Humor in my posts. And,I know that you have a good sense of Humor,too. No,I wasn't b*tchin' and moanin'. But,I do take my Love of cars very seriously. I look at it this way. I'm 43 years old. 44 next month. If I don't get a serious illness,or,killed in an accident. My life is about half over. (Which,BTW,I have been in 3 very serious accidents which could've,should've taken my life...but didn't. So,There must still be a bigger purpose in my Life) I just got my Ferrari 3 years ago,so,probably will only have,say,20-30 years to enjoy it (or another one) Health permitting. I wish that I had got my Ferrari years ago. So,that I could have been enjoying it longer than I have. I remember how it felt to want a Ferrari more than anything. Also,remember,finally being able to afford one,but,couldn't get it for one reason or another. So,when I FINALLY overcame all of these obstacles,it was a very special,and eventful day for me. Because it Represented ALOT more to me than simply buying a Red Sportscar. And,I see the posts from guys like DES,and others who feel the EXACT same way that I did. So,no,I wasn't taking you seriously. I know that you have a good sense of Humor,too. I just wanted to explain how I felt,and,sometimes,ramble on a bit. I'm an Aquarius,and my Horoscopes always say that I should be,or should have been,a writer. My Wife says that,too,because I'm always writing stuff,albeit,useless! And,after you've known me for awhile. You'll see that I'm a perrennial Jester. My friends and I laugh at Everything. And,especially,serious people. They are more funny than even they realize. We have a saying,"You have to be a little nuts,or,you'll go crazy. And,visa-versa"

 

See,THATS what I'm talking about. As far as Ferrari goes. I see you as "The man in the know". And me,"the man who don't know...but wants to". I really look forward to the next time that we get together so that I can ask you about the Ferrari's that you've owned through the years,and your Ferrari 'Experiences' through the Years. I'm betting that it was pretty spectacular in the 70's and 80's,(wink wink, if you know what I mean. Those were the days before you had to worry.... )And,yes,agreed with the first ride home. I couldn't wait to get it home,and actually IN MY garage. But,on the other hand,I didn't want that drive to ever end. If it would have been up to me at that time,I'd have kept driving all the way out to Phoenix,or,L.A. But,being the more sensible beast that I've become. Succumbed to my Responsibilities instead. But,it's all worked out.