Single car, daily driver - FCar. Feasible?

I would use a 328 or 348 for a daily driver in the 50K price range. The only thing that would stop me from using them as a daily driver would be the need for a/c in the south.

 

Buy Porsche, IMO F-car is not good daily driver especially considering your requests .....

 

If you've ever used a Miata for a DD, you know it's more than possible.......plus, a bit more fun.

As long as the GT4 (or whatever) maintains a semblance of reliability, I'd say it's a go. I've certainly pushed that limit further, and wouldn't trade those days for anything.

 

328 via Bullfighter's recommendations. Seems to be SUPER reliable. Do a search, someone drove one across Canada last year or something. I think Tillman just turned 100k miles on his, and I think he drives his daily, yes?

I'd be afraid in a 308GT4, only because of the small things that add up, and body panels/lights are near impossible to find if it gets damaged, but I'm sure its doable. Someone in FL has a 2V Injected that they drive daily, no problems at all, cant remember who, but very reliable.

James in Denver (waiting for the NEXT round of snow..... - sigh - )

 

there was a futured article in FORAZA a couple monthes ago where someone used his Dino as a daily driver,i believe it was a 72,and racked up some 170000 miles on it...so if he can do it so can you......

 

The FORZA reference is to John Corbani and his 246 Dino. He posts a lot in the 206/246 thread. I think he has 250,000 + miles on his Dino. You can find several photos of his car in the thread, including photos of him hauling pool chemicals in the trunk, concrete, and other things.

Mark

 

A buddy of mine here in Colo has a very nice 308 GTS model and drives that thing all the time and its awsome I see it even in the winter months once in awhile but he drives it.

Anyways I would say look into something like a 512TR, 355 or a possible 348, again living in colorado iv'e seen those cars year round in the 21years living here even in the winter months I have seen them. A dino is another car to take into concideration to.

My $0.2

 

I'd probably take a 550 for the modern climate controls, spacious cockpit and decent-sized boot.

If I didn't have other uses for the cash, I'd keep the 328 as a weekend sports car and pick up a 20K-mile 550 to drive daily. I think an injected 308/328 would be fine every day, provided all the old hoses/brake lines were replaced, but you're going to get tired of staring up all those SUV tailpipes at stoplights, as well as having your groceries cooked on the way home. The cars tolerate traffic, but honestly they're not at their best in the 20-30mph city slog.

As some mentioned, consider a Porsche. I may pick up an old 911 as a driver and possibly for SCCA events. Parts/service are easy and relatively affordable.

EDIT: More reading here -- http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=179602

 

There's no chance yet of picking up a 550 for 55K. A 456 might be there as a stretch, but it may be the most expensive cheap Ferrari out there.

My suggestion: 1980-1982 308GTBi. Injected and solid top means a fairly worry-free car, the 2-valve saves you some cash on the purchase and you'd never notice the power differences during the daily grind. If you're piling on the miles, don't pay top dollar for a low-mile car. Spend 35K for a car, keep the extra 20 around for that 'oh hell' moment, and go for it.

edit: you might like this: http://www.ferrarichat.com/ferrariads/showproduct.php?product=610&cat=2

edit2: 10K miles/yr on a 328 isn't really a problem, but I would strongly recommend having another car/bike/tractor to drive. There will be times when the Fcar is down for repair, and obtaining some parts may take a while.

 

I think you COULD use a 308 for a daily driver but I wouldn't. My 308qv is super reliable but I like to use it on special occasions or to just treat myself after a hard day of work.
I took mine out last Thurs. because the roads were clear and dry and it was time to exercise it, even though it was only 30 degrees outside. It ran great, has a very good heater and so much fun to drive. (even with the top on, heaven forbid) But it wouldn't feel so special to me, if I drove it everyday.
I use a beater for a daily driver and save the Ferrari for fun only driving. I have a nice 95' Lexus sc300 (133k miles) for daily driving, it's perfect for DD, comfortable, reliable and I wouldn't have a heart attack, if someone hit it. That way my 308 is always perfect, clean and ready to go, when I get the urge.

 

your $/mile are probably always going to be higher in any Fcar than most anything else on the road, and the salt leftover on the roads in the winter will be h*ll on the aluminum. Don't think your GT4 has any suggestion of rust-protection.

Napolis used a TR as a DR, iirc, and lasted 100k miles before it was a rusted hulk in NY

You could use an Fcar as a DD, but should you? only your bank-account and you know for sure!

 

I think the figure he quotes is 118k - but Jim probably didn't have an annual budget of $2,000!

 

I think the 328 or 348 could be good reliable transportation as a DD. The 348 is a roomier ride, but also quite a bit wider for pulling into a typical parking space. I would not do it just because the drive would become 'ordinary' after about a month or so. I am probably going to sell my 348 to another Fchatter who intends to use it as his daily driver.
BT

 

328, or 412 if you prefer 12 cyls.

 

A 328 might be a viable daily -- I use mine nearly daily in summer. But I don't think you're going to get 10K miles a year on 2K$ of maintenance and keep DD reliablilty.

Do the math, a winter rat lets you avoid the snow (or worse, the road salt), gives you room for groceries when you need it, and will spread the miles between the two cars, reducing the maintenance on the one you want to keep at a constant level of reliability. And they back each other up. If one is down for repairs, you can drive the other.

And check the calendar. If you put 10K a year on a Ferrari, you'll be doing a major or minor service every year and a half -- which means that every other one would be in summer. Those services aren't overnight things. If you can schedule the services for winter time, it's when you miss it less, and when some shops have discounted rates (partly because they don't have to rush).

Add up the service, then figure the cost of a "beater" for some of the miles. Depending on what insurance and registration cost, the beater can pay for itself in reduced services on the Ferrari, depending on how picky you are about what kind of "beater" you get. And sitting in gridlock isn't much fun in either one. So you might want to get the most out of the miles you put on the Ferrari.


I've been there -- sorta. After I bought a new Alfa, I used it as my one and only car for a couple of years. After it got the canvas top vandalized at a bar, I picked up an older Alfa coupe to share the load. (I am picky about what I drive -- even as a beater.) The surprising part was that the maintenance on both wasn't any worse than I was paying on just the one, when it was getting all the miles. And both got a "low mileage" discount on the insurance.

And I preferred to let the older coupe absorb the dings from the parking lots I wasn't comfortable with.

For more than ten years, the "two Alfa" combination worked for me -- until Fiat bought Alfa and you couldn't get them maintained properly in the 'States anymore.

At one point, I seriously considered a Mondial 8 as a winter rat alongside the 328 -- when I lived in a town where a Ferrari was nearly the only kind of car you could get honestly serviced. The only reason I decided against that combo was the road salt, and how well a rallye type AWD worked in winter there. (A Stratos replica was another possibility I considered.)

Now that I'm out of snow country for a while, I've been contemplating what to team with the Ferrari, once I wring my money's worth out of the EVO. Pity 928s have gone up so much.

 

I make way too many trips to Home Depot to entertain such folly.

I'll keep my minivan (manhood fully intact), it's just too useful.

Anything else is (rightfully) just a toy.

 

That, too, can be fixed with some creative thinking
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My 430 is my only car and daily driver. I had another car when I had my 05 430 but who the hell would drive it? I put 7k miles on that 430 in a couple years and only 2k on my Honda accord lol. SO this new 07 430 is the only car. Poor me. Just one car

 

I'll qualify whatever I say by saying that I do not have experience owning an older Ferrari, just an '01 360 Spider F1 for a year as well as previous cars (all the M3s, e60 M5, Porsche 996 C4S, Maserati Spyder).

I think, to some extent, your goals are mutually exclusive for an Fcar

For any sub Fcar to consider under $55k (308, 328, 348, the corresponding Mondial versions, possibly 355 and 456), I would be very surprised if you could get away with a $2k in annual maintenance under daily driver mileage and usage conditions. For that matter, the same could be said for probably any Fcar, regardless of buy-in price. Additonally, even if you were able to come close to your maintenance $ target, you'd always have a legitimate concern in the back of your mind about a big cost event or item popping up.

My recommendation would be to do as others have said and get a Porsche. I had an '02 996 C4S and I think that would fit your duty very well and with a set of winter tires you wouldn't even have leave it parked in the winter necessarily. You could fairly easily beat your budget too.

Another thing to consider would be a Maserati Spyder or Coupe. I put 14k on my '02 Spyder in 1 year and it was a great, trouble-free car with minimal maintenance expense. It'd be less capable in the winter but still doable with winter tires. You'd come in well under budget. For a Spyder, I'd say '03 or newer (stiffer chassis, glass rear window, etc.) would be best and for a Coupe, it doesn't really matter what year.

Either of those choices would make you a much happier guy year-round than driving and maintaining aging Fcar. I think a 456 would be a similar experience in terms of comfort and all that but no way you'd be even close to your maintenance $ targets while using it as a daily driver.

I'm a fan of basically any Ferrari but think it doesn't fit your situation and criteria very well.

I will have put 11k miles on my 360 when the year is over and it has been a great car. I've also spent a lot on maintenance (tires, 2 5k services, one that was part of a 3yr/30k belt svc, replacing sticky interior parts, miscellaneous odds and ends, etc). I also put about 25k on my daily driver '99 M3 during that time. I could use my 360 as a daily driver but it just wouldn't make sense.

 

As everyone said, the 2k for maintenance is the deal breaker. You can get one of these cars to work as a daily driver, and if you do all of your own maintenance, you might get by for say 3, 4k per year, if you shop carefully for the parts. I'd start with a 348, since it's probably the most modern car you can get for your budget, unless you end up with a 95 355, which has a salvage title, etc., but those have their own issues, and they aren't cheap. Things such as manifolds, etc., will eat your budget so quickly, that you'll be amazed at where the money went.

Nope, get the prosche.

Art

 

Having driven an XKE as a daily driver for over six years I have some experience. You can use any exotic car as a daily driver as long as you have a reliable back up car. You also have to become comfortable with leaving the car somewhere and waiting to have it fixed often. If it snows where you live, and I mean snows like over a foot at a time and the snow sticks for weeks on end, it will be impossible to drive a Ferrari, or any other exotic car as a daily driver.

 

Here's a picture of what I call snow.
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Bart: http://ferrarichat.com/forum/member.php?u=321

He drives a 550 every day. As I understand it, he's spent a pretty sum on maintenance. You might want to PM him.