Shields Question

I have noticed that most Ferrari's now seem to come with shields, although there are some without. It has been suggested that not having the shields will cut the value of the car. Is this for real? If so, is it a steep discount? I am still in the debate stage of FF or F12. Just brought home a California to keep me company while I mull over which V12 to order.

Anyway, I am somewhat ambivalent about the shields on the FF, but like the F12 without them. I will order what I like regardless of resale, but would like to know in advance what the advantages/disadvantages are. It will be helpful for folks to know I am located in the U.S.A. since this is likely a regional preference.

Thanks,
John

 

I think it depends on how much attention you want. Shields say Ferrari. There are plenty of folks hanging out here that might insist that shields belong only on racing Ferraris, they are simply wrong . I have them on both of my cars so fewer ask 'What kind of Mustang or Corvette is that?'. When I let someone sit in the car and have their photo taken I always suggest they include the shield to reinforce what kind of car it is.

So, for me they will all have shields and I would not buy one used without them ... but that is me

Rick

 

Hi Rick. I see that the shields on most Ferrari models are recessed into the metal of the front fenders, so it obviously has to be ordered that way. Is it possible to order aftermarket shields for a non-shielded car and attach them to the fenders, for a buyer who just bought a car without shields? Or would that look stupid?

Thanks!

 

Red and shields really help resale. Deviating from these either lowers the value of resale or the time it takes to close on resale. Nothing wrong with having or not- thats up to you. But not having WILL be a factor on resale....

 

When I ordered my FF, the dealer was emphatic about ordering with shields, whether you think it looks good or not. He pointed to a 599GTB on the floor without shields. He said that he sold four 599s around it while no one wanted the one without shields. It then became what he called a "price point" car (read, "low price"). They were about to wholesale it out.

Enough said.

 

Most people like shields. I ordered my 07 f430 without them. They told me it didn't make any difference. It didn't when they sold my car almost immediately. My 599 and my 458 have them. If I didn't like them I would not order them.

 

I ordered them because I wanted them. I also did not order red because I didn't want red.

Unless you do order something bizarre, worry less about resale and consider just what you like.

 

Ok thanks for the input. I guess it just depends...

John

 

This. Buy a Ferrari (or any sports car, really) for you, not for the next guy. Maybe you'll lose a few grand in the long run, but if you're looking to minimize your losses, buy a Corvette and put the rest of the money in gold.

 

Yes, it's possible. Not cheap to have them properly recessed if you add them later, but who cares? If it's a deal breaker on selling the car, you can have them added properly later or tell the buyer you'll discount the $5k or whatever it costs so they can have it done. Get what you want. I'd never buy a car with the next guy in mind, it's pointless unless it truly won't affect your enjoyment of the car at all. For me, I'd want it exactly the way I want it, resale and future owners be damned. I think people that place a priority on that that either care too much about money or shouldn't be spending that much on a car in the first place.

 

Correct, as I found to my cost and have been forced into shields ever since. They do only really belong on race cars or limited edition cars but this has been debated endlessly on other threads.

 

I think add on shields would look stupid, tacked on. To do it right you probably would have to get new fenders, not cheap nor easy.

The others here are correct, buy it your way and enjoy it. Just be aware that reselling a car without shields will be a problem and will cost you far more than the price of the shields, far more, IF you can even sell the car.

Rick

 

Much has been written about whether there are more than enough ways for a car to announce that it is a Ferrari. You can count up all the horses, "SFs", and "Ferrari" logos, and some have done so. In another thread, someone recalled a story about Bill Mitchell, the famed designer of General Motors cars back when they were on top of the world. When questioned about whether there were too many logos on one of the cars, according to the story Mitchell pulled out a one-dollar bill and asked the miscreant to count up the number of "ones" and "1s" printed on the bill. He then announced that he wanted as many "Buick" logos on the car in question. Such is the nature of marketing.

 

I say get what you like, as its to be your car. I think resale & depreciation are of varying importance. Some feel it is critical. Others don't care at all. Most probably fall somewhere in the middle. My general advice is for those falling in the middle to being sensitive to resale & depreciation concerns: red & shields is what sells.

 

I bought a 599 with no shields, sold it no problem back to the same dealer (albeit in trade towards an FF).