Unfriendly Ferrari owners

I've gotta chime in on this thread since i just recently meet a few F-car owners. They're pretty damn cool people if i must say, infact i get way more attitude from Benz owners and BMW owners in this country compared to those with lambos, or Ferrari's.

 

The first time I ever saw another ferrari on the road when I was driving mine, I was all excited, I caught up to the guy and waived...nothing....wave again...nothing....the third time I did get a head nod out of him...strange...

I've had a lot of poeple come up and ask about the car, but have never had anyone ask to sit in the car and the only poeple who have asked for rides are people I know....I must look mean or something....I did let a young boy who was looking at the car sit in it...I think it made his father at least as happy as it made him and his father asked me 'maybe you could explain to him how you had you must have worked in school to be able to have a ferrari", which did for him and he gave me a big smile and a thank you when they left.

On the "how much did it cost" type questions...they bothered me a little at first, but after I realized I had no idea why it bothered me, it's just a question, I started answering them honestly. Mine is only a 308, so it's actually a good example because they look shocked when I tell them 25k. I then tell them that it need some work when I got it but not too much. Then I tell them what a perfect one is worth for the diffent versions. If it's a teenager I usually tell them that I honestly never thought I would would own a ferrari, but I went back to school and got a better education, which got me a better job, and one day I found I had the money buy a car I've always loved. I've probably been through that 6 or 12 times now and I think they always leave with a new sense of purpose.

The one that actually used to annoy me was the beating up my poor 20 year old car because “xxx” would kick my butt…these days I tend to casually pop the hood and answer “I don’t thing so”.

 

My observations have been there are classes with in the class. Even on this site there is a difference of perception of the owners. You have the 308/328/348 guys who do a lot of work on their own cars and thirst for tech info and then there are the 355's up to the 360's who don't touch the cars and send them to their mechanics and then you you have the track folks who are into racing. I guess the last group is the restorers with the exotics who love perfection. If you read all of the posts you can get a feel for attitude and can understand how someone would act when you show up in grease and tell them you ar working on your 3X8. Just my perception.

 

Oh, I have a friend who once told me "you know I'm pretty sure I get more milage out of your ferrari in getting my son to do his home work than you could ever put on the odometer"....to me at least, comments like that make anwering the same question for the umpteenth time less of a bother.

 

The questions of how much and what I do never bother me....In general, people are just curious. The one thing that does bother me is when someone asks..."Is it a kit car?".

 

I dont think you are far off. Although there are some people who do amazing work on these somewhat complex cars and would tackle a 360 if parts and tools were available.

The $$$ question bothers me because its usually a judgemental one. I generally feel that I know why its asked and that is usually because the poser is trying to rank themselves against you as an owner. This is all rather personal but it is the implicit assumption that the car and price are connected in making a personal value judgement. My answer today on a 512 tr is "about the same as a Ford! Of course refering to a Ford GT about which the questioner may know very little. But when they do and they refer to it, we are on the same wave length and I will talk about anything else.

The genuine Ferrari gear head or even the curious dont usually ask the $$ question first. That's what p... me off.

 

Heck - I honk and waive at ANY other Italian car as it drives by. I was driving in the F40 this week and passed an oncoming Alfa Romeo Spider with the top down, so I honked and waived at the guy. He looked somewhat surprised that I would even acknowledge him and he sheepishly returned the wave. Italian is Italian and deserves some love! I do the same for Ducatis.

 

Ah. So next time a driver in a F40 tries to get my attention when Im driving my humble Fiat, than I'll know who it is!

BTW, I absolutly adore your car.

 

ZFF, you still here? LOL (replying 8 months later)

I've got to ask, not where is the Ferrari spirit, but where is the Aloha spirit? I was born in Hawaii and want to move back. I'll be bringing my 355 if I do. So, I'll wave to you........

 

It amazes me that this thread is still going after so long - this obviously shows that the vast majority of F-owners are down-to-earth people that have the cars more for enjoyment than status.

But hey, we've got to give the anal types their due - without them to buy a F for the wrong reasons, keep Ferrari SpA afloat, absorb the depreciation, and neglect it so the price declines further, many of us less "common" folk wouldn't have the opportunity to enjoy ownership!

Even buttheads have their place in the Ferrari ecosystem.

Tom

 

hahahahahah, that last line

 

Actually, you'll get into big trouble with the International Clown Slavery Agency if you try to buy and sell them without a license. And forget about the black market. The Agency has large-shoed agents EVERYWHERE. Bozos...

 

Hey Steve

I do the same thing! I guess that I feel that ANY Italian car on the road is a pretty rare thing these days and should be recognized and greeted. Alfa owners are great ( of course, I have owned three in the distant past) but the Maserati owners don't know what to make of it.

John

 

Ken I didn't see what the big deal was. I am not a Ferrari owner so take it for what its worth. Maybe the guy was having a bad day, maybe the guy was concentrating on his own car. There are plenty of F car owners who are not "car guys." Not everybody is an enthusiast and wants to chat.

I don't think the behavior you said he exhibited to be rude at all to be deemed an ******. I think that is rather normal behavior, and I don't expect F car owners or any other car owners to be extra courteous because they own a nice car. Heck I am sure they get enough hassling at gas stations from other guys trying to talk cars. Sometimes a man just wants to get in his car and mind his own business, and leave the rest of the world behind him.

 

I'd like to slightly (but respecfully) disagree. You don't have to be extra courteous to everyone just because you own a nice car, but the unwritten rules of Forza Fraternity state that you MUST give love to other Italian car owners, ESPECIALLY fellow Ferrari owners! Enzo's ghost WILL avenge this TR owner's lack of mutual respect...

If you have a Ferrari, ANY Ferrari, you are in The Brotherhood of the Cavallino Rampante. It's like the dudes on the sport bikes waving at each other, or Harley riders waving at each other - it's an ethos thing.

Ferrari owners should show some love to other owners of any model... unless, of course, it's a GT4.

JUST KIDDING!

I like to give my GT4 bruthas a hard time.

 

Steve I completely understand what you are saying. I have been riding sport bikes for a few years, and I wave to everybody on two wheels. Yes even Harley guys.

I joined the Italian club couple of months ago (Ducati), and I still continue to wave at my fellow Japanese bike riders and all other bikes. There was a guy on a R1 the other day that was shocked that I waved at him at an opposing light.

I do understand what you are saying, but I respectfully disagree that you must give love to other italian motorists.

Some people just don't have the personality, and that is ok. We live in a very diverse world, and I think diverse opinions and behavior from car owners and towards other car owners is acceptable.

I am by no means condoning behavior of A-holes, but I think the gentleman in the first post with the TR didn't portray any such behaviors.

 

This post is a keeper!

The whole time, I thought they were BMW owners working as transport drivers for Ferrari dealerships. Who would have known!

We should send Carbon their way, he will ensure they learn Ferrari passion.


William takes the cake with this one, I cannot stop laughing! A Viper no less! A DODGE product!

 

DEfinately been there!!!

I was driving in my 91 red stock Supra in Greenwich CT and I see Ferrari's all the time. Most Ferrari owners do wave when I honk and wave to them.

But back in South Windsor, what a bunch of *******s. I totally love Ferraris and if I see one of course I go bonkers and get excited but most Ferrari owners in this town wouldn't even look at you.

The best is when I see them at lights or gas stations and give them compliments on the car and they act like you aren't even there.

I could understand that everyday Ferrari owners must get **** all the time and like a movie stars its pretty annoying.

Even now when I approach owners I'm still nice hoping that I would meet a nice one.

Lamarossa

 

If he wouldn't have missed it would have been your TR

 

I love cars, I love Ferrari's, am a gear head. But living in West Los Angeles and driving up and down Wilshire Blvd. through Beverly Hills you see alot of Ferrari's, and its rare when someone with a 550 or 360 aknowledges that I exist in my lowly 348ts. But I move on, and hit the gas pedal and hear that wonderful noise and all is fine in the world once more!

 

Every owner i get to see around here is really nice and they like to pull away from the light really fast for me. But you always get that one guy who just has the Ferrari cause he has to have one and they always give you some lip when you want to talk to them. But eh you win some you lose some and some just get rained out.

 

Steve I thought I might've passed you one time before I looked and saw you are in Seattle. A few years ago on the east coast I got to drive a yellow 6.0 Diablo, about halfway into the drive a 360 Spyder approached from the other direction with a wave and flash of lights. I wasn't expecting it but I returned the wave in time and after passing him told the Diablo owner I was surprised the guy had waved. His reply, "Well, we're both Italian.".

I prefer Lamborghini to Ferrari and certainly prefer some Ferrari models over others. Overall however, I can enjoy looking at an F50 as much as a 308. There's something beautiful in every exotic.

 

I very politely say "no...this is car number 24905 and was fabricated on June 23rd, 1978.

They really don't say much of anything after that.