US Demo Ferrari 458

Starting in April dealers will get a "static" (non driving) 458 for customers to see.

 

I was just in the biggest dealer in Torino italy and they had just got their first car, first orders just went in for the US and are 4-5 months out, I don't think dealers will have demos on the 458 till next year when they're building order book. Its not like the california which they can't sell in the anticipated numbers where they have a demo at all the US dealers. I imagine the static is just an FNA tour car?

 

ALL dealerships will get the static car. I believe they will be at least 2 cars traveling between all dealerships

 

I believe one car is starting on the west coast and the other on the east coast. Starts sometime in April and ends in May. I would think each dealer would have a rough estimate when a car would be at there dealership?

 

Jeff, my dealer says their first driving 458 will be a demo.

 

Heard the same thing.
All dealers got an allocation for one car for June/July delivery ,were able to spec the car individually and will keep it as a demo available for test drives.

 

I'll check today to see if the "static display" car is still happening. Wouldn't make a lot sense to have a non driving car make the rounds at dealers when a "real" 458 would be coming a month or two later?

 

Here's what I've been told. No demo cars. A few dealers took their one allocation and tried to order it for the dealership. FNA has pushed back and said they will not deliver the car unless there is a "real" customer name attached to the order. Will see what happens? It would be nice if there were demo cars. The "static display" car is still a go. It may be closer to May than April when the cars start showing up.

 

Interesting...
I wonder who the "real customer" is at my dealership....

 

Dealer told me they should have a demo car in May, thats traveling around the US. No confirmation if it would be available for test drive... Also said first delivered car is expected around July.

 

I recently asked my dealer in Denver and they said no they wont be getting anything.
Wont even have a car stay in the show room other than a car that is waiting to be picked up... I hope they get some sort of Demo in though.

 

There are several cars in North America already. A few will be in LA for the next week or two but I'm not sure if any of them will stay at the local dealers. I know for a fact that there are several locked up and awaiting distribution at the port in NJ. My uncle is the VP for the shipping company that brings all of the European cars over here and he said that they brought over several 458s and Merc SLS in one shipment. He has no idea exactly how many there are but they are here already.

 

There were three of them at Ferrari of Beverly Hills service centre today, two red and one yellow. I didn't see them myself but I would think that they're European specification?

I'm assuming that these are the same cars that will be at the presentation in Bel Air this week.

 

beautiful

 

There was one on the road going down the Palisades the other day, doing much faster than the 50MPH speed limit. Then again, maybe it was a magazine tester car and they were bringing it back to FNA.

 

I'm sure they are reserved for PR purposes or VIP's. The press will beat the living heck out of them.

 

Is it always better to buy from a local dealer, or does it not make a difference?

I'm in LA. There are at least a couple dealers here (AutoGallery and Beverly Hills). Do they have a good reputation? Is one better than the other?

Reason I ask is that I'm planning on buying a new F458 as my first Ferrari, but when spending $250k I don't want to take any **** from a dealer trying to push unnecessary expenses ("ja, they put that clearcoat on at the factory dontchaknow...") on me or telling me about any mark-up in this market or not being responsive to my requests.

I'm very easy going and don't mind waiting my turn for delivery and completely accept the fact that existing clients get first dibs, but I want the experience to be fun and not stressful.

 

I think Ferrari BH is owned by the factory.

 

Used to be but not anymore.

 

I've never had that happen at any Ferrari dealer but I guess it could happen. It's not like buying a Toyota and the last person you talk to is the finance manager. It's there where they try to sell you extended warranties, alarms, clear coats etc, But FNA would like the dealer to add at least $20K in options on the 458. This number fluctuates throughout the year and differs on each model. Adding $20K to a 458 should be easy to do.

 

I've only worked with Beverly Hills and I found the organization friendly and completely open. That's not a knock against Auto Gallery --- FoBH is my closest dealer and the only one I've dealt with in a new car purchase.

Each dealer gets an "allocation" of cars it will be able sell each year. So, the dealers cannot just place orders whilly-nilly. They have to decide who gets what based on their quota. And, for sure they could sell many more cars than their quota if the cars were available. That's just the nature of selling a high demand, low production car.

As a first time buyer, you're going to have to wait. There are a lot of previous customers already ahead of you and I think you can't blame them for filling those orders first. I had to wait on my second car. We all have to wait so don't take it personally. That's why someone paid $600K for the other day in a charity auction to get the "first" one.

When buying an exotic, forget everything you thought about buying a new car. You're buying a new car BECAUSE you want it the way you want it, not the way the dealer wants it. Once you're in the room, it's just what you want. It just takes a long time to get in the room.

My process took over 2 hours to spec the car and I had a pretty good idea what I wanted. I asked my salesman many questions and he handled the pluses and minuses fairly and honestly. My salesman actually talked me out of a few things knowing what I appreciated in the car. His experience in what the options do and which color combinations worked better than others was very helpful to me making a decision.

Ultimately, I made the choices, not the dealer. The only stress was from myself having to make my final decisions. I never felt any pressure to buy more or less or take less time to get me out the door. In fact, both times I've done this I found it to be actually a lot of fun.

Price negotiation on a new car is not on the option list. On a used car, yes.

My suggestion is to buy a used car from the dealer and get a rapport going. First, you can enjoy your Ferrari experience immediately (the F430 is a hell of a car) and second, you'll probably get a new car quicker. Otherwise, be prepared to receive your new car in 2012 at the earliest.