Ordering a Ferrari

Hi, James- you want to lurk through the various forums and threads to close in on the car you want, check on threads that discuss the ownership experience, use the search function to find answers to most of the common questions for a first-time F Car shopper, and you can also go to Ferraris web site for the dealer network (I have attached the USA link here, but you can expand to search worldwide if you are elsewhere). The open nature of your question indicates you want to know a lot more, so this is the place. To order one new, you have to go to a dealer, generally the one where you live. Some initial questions you may have are:

Can anyone order one? Yes, but previous and existing customers of the dealers often move further to the front of the line, especially for the more popular models

Is there a waiting list, or can I get one off the showroom floor? You'll almost always have a wait, because Ferrari are all built to spec, and there are no new ones sitting around. The average wait is from several months to a couple years. You could get lucky and find one that was delivered and then the buyer backed out, but that would be extremely rare. You might have better luck for a first car to shop one that is a year or two old, and for which you can find an adequate supply here and there.

Can I get a discount? Most likely not. Ferrari just reduced their annual production to below 7,000 cars this year from a high of 7,300, primarily to keep values up for new and used cars as well as their collectible models (the older, very low production ones you can buy when you win the lottery)

Which one should I get? See the opening paragraph re this site. Also, go to a few Cars and Coffee gatherings if you can, and don't be afraid to go to a Ferrari dealer. They will tolerate respectful tire kickers and dreamers (which almost all of us were at one point) but won't hand out test drives for fun, etc.

Is this a wise expenditure of my money? Buying a new Ferrari will most likely be the most irrational, unnecessary purchase of your life, and you wind up with a car you have to give excessive attention to just to keep it looking like it should, and then you'll be afraid to drive it too much and run the risk of rock strikes, knuckleheads who want photos of their girlfriends on the hood of your car, endless questions of what you do for a living (most of us rob liquor stores to feed this habit, I think), etc.

Will it depreciate - yes, but at rates historically lower than any other car. That said, yes they will, and their depreciation over the first three years of ownership equals about what you'd spend on a nice BMW if you had gone that route

Is it worth it? Only you can answer that question. For almost all owners, it is. They might have a love-hate relationship with their car, they might love theirs and hate all other Ferrari that aren't either manual trans, V8, or other similar transgressions, but for them it is.

That about covers it. Stick around, remember that God gave you one mouth and two ears, so listen & look for answers before asking things at times (then again, he also gave you ten fingers, so perhaps he wants you to type and text five times more than you listen, I don't know...). One piece of advice- don't be in a rush, find out all you can about the car you want and what it will be like to own one. Then, you would probably be ready.

Link to Ferrari: Ferrari Official Dealers - Find nearest official dealer with our dealer locator