Hi everyone, First off I've had great time reading all the owners reviews about their cars. I can't believe how exciting it is ven to just order the car. I've been considering to order the spyder and had been sleepless just thinking about it. One thing that turned me off a lot is the dealer's delivery schedule. I was told if I put my deposit down the car will arrive in '14. That's 3 years' wait. I live in a place where there is only one ferrari/maserati dealer and I don't want to pay a lot more to get it off someone as well as to be able to custom that car myself. Now every minute I wait ordering is a delay o getting the car. It's very painful!!
From my opinion, here is the deal... Ferrari wants to control who, where and when someone gets their cars. They want you to be a multiple Ferrari owner before they sell you a new one. You need to have a relationship with your dealer. If you don't, then they want you to purchase a used car. This might have to happen a couple times. The idea is to let the "repeat customers" by the cars, new. If you are new to Ferrari, and want to get in the game, then you purchase used. This keeps the aftermarket moving and also allows the dealer to start a relationship with you. I know it's not like any other dealership that you might be used to, but that's the way Ferrari controls access and the market. Personally, I like it. It's nice to know that when I purchase a Ferrari, I am one of the few that get to have a new one. I also like knowing that not everyone on the street will have one, too. So, start a relationship, continue it over the years and you will be rewarded.
+1. However since each dealer has such varying build slots and allocations they take advantage of their monopoly of new inventory. I have purchased three new Ferraris on the open market rather than go thru my local dealer. That includes a 599 GTO which my dealer could never had allocated to lowly me .
It took me three years to get a new F430 spider. I feel your pain but I'm also thinking... too bad for you. I've bought two new cars and if I don't get one before you, I'm gonna be pretty upset. Now, think about those who buy a car a year. You can call it a game but it's also about being good to loyal customers. My suggestion to bump up the queue: Go in and buy a late model used car from the dealer or a new California. Then, tell them you want to trade for a new 458 spider when one becomes available. The more cars you buy, the higher on the list you can get. Besides, you'll be owning a fantastic car while you wait so it's not like it's a bad deal. The 458 spider will be hot. They haven't made any spiders in almost 2 years now. Waiting is just the deal. Every dealer has their own individual allocations from the Factory. They are all different depending on location and past sales. Having a good relationship with the dealer will get you a car quicker (but not cheaper).
If you do the math, you realize that dealers cannot make a living selling only new cars -- Ferrari simply does not make/allocate enough of them. So in order to stay afloat, dealers MUST deal in the used car market. Other marques (e.g. BMW, Mercedes, etc) sell "pre-owned" cars simply to support their lease programs. Ferrari on the other hand sells used cars to build and extract lifetime value in their customer base. Yes, you will pay a premium for a used car bought from a dealer, and yes, they will buy it back from you at a discount however, thats the price to play in the new Ferrari game. The good news is that, at least in my case, by buying a car from Ferrari, you feel like you're developing a relationship with the company and that they care about pushing that relationship in a positive direction -- just make sure you've got some coin in the bank!
