What Ferrari? Sugestions? Comments?

Depends on WHAT you mean by comfortable, with that kind of coin to spend you could pick up TWO awesome Ferraris, maybe a 512TR and a F355B with some nice goodies like challenge grill, Tubu, new ECU, etc.

 

512M
http://www.fortunemotors.com/

 

200-400G, I assume you're not talking Pesos, right? If you've got that to spend, then just about anything goes. Your best bet would be telling what you just said to a dealer, and doing some serious test driving. Your butt will tell which car you like best. And for that much money you won't have to decide between your 2-3 favorites--get 'em all!

 

Older or newer car? Coupe or spider? "Comfortable" rules out an F40, I guess, though it would be an interesting car in that price range. How important is "mid-engined?" A 550 Barchetta fits in that price range as well. Have you owned a Ferrari? What type of driving experience are you looking for? Do you want a more raw, sportscar experience, or GT?

 

Weird, I thought that it was spelled B-E-N-Z, but anyways...spelling is not that important if I can understand it.

200k-400k is a huge price spread, at the bottom end of that, you could have a barely-used 360 F1 coupe, which is kinda comfortable and has a mid-engine, and a two-golf-bags trunk (although Ive never seen that done). Also, you could get a 355 Belinetta AND a spyder for 200k. Not that comfortable, though. The 550-575 series is comfortable, but the engine is up front, a 550 can be had for well under 200k. At the other end of the price range, the F50 has a mid-engine, but isnt comfortable nor practical. Then again, if your into luxury a Ferrari isnt the best choice. Id get the F50. In between 200 and 400, there are some nice classics, but im not sure which ones are which prices. Maybe 250GTE are in that range. Im not an expert on those though.

Seems strange to me that you say you have 400$ to spend one 1 car, yet you have only two. Maybe its the garage size, but Id never spend that much on one vehicle, especially one as impractical as a Ferrari.
Im not tying to catch you in a lie, but some things seem strange to me.

 

Get the 360 spider, hands down (NOT the Stradale), The street version is super quick and i have taken 4-5 hour nonstop trips with extreme comfort (and I'm 6'4" and 270 lbs.).

Comfort, luxury, performance, quiet with the top up (I drive in winter when it's dry out), and fantastic on a warm day going topless.

"If you have the means I highly recommend it"

You could go mid-end classic (275 GTB or even GTB/4, Daytona spider, etc.) but these are a LOT of maintenance and not that luxurious. Also, classic performance isn't close to that of the new cars.

 

To help people in precisely the same position, the Ferrari Owners' Club of GB has produced some buyers guides - see http://www.sportscarguides.com/ferrari/

 

The fact that you bought an E55 shows you prefer new generation cars. Then go with the 575 but spec it with Fiorano package. The standard package had come under criticism by Autocar but they highly recommend the Fiorano package.

 

Test it!!!!! This car is amazing, if you have the money to buy one, then do it!!!

 

the question is 'do you want to spend well into the amount you listed?'

if the answer to that is yes, and you want a mid engined car, frankly i would get a murcielago.

the 512tr is a great car, as is the 512m, but they will only set you back $130k at the most. and they are now going on 10 years old, and you may not want the maintenance issues that entails.

the 575 is a good car but not mid engined.

 

It might not be an F-car but have you considered the Porsche Carrera GT? It's the top new supercar on the market for under $400k.

Of course, an F40 or 288 GTO would be the best F-cars to get, but might not fit your 'comfort' requirement.

 

If you want to spend $200k go for a 360 Spider you can't do wrong, or if you want a coupe get a standard Modena. If you want to spend more get a Murcielago or if you can the new Carrera GT.

 

288 GTO

512M

Call it a day.

 

good choices. Your two qualities were mid engined and comfortable. Well, the CS has the first one and the 575 has the second one. Personally, I would probably get the 360 CS because you already have a fast cruiser and the CS will be a great sports car.

 

I don't know if a 512M would work for him. It is really is 'old school' when compared to many cars today.

That said I want one...I just can't afford to upkeep it..yet.

 

I don't think that you can get much more comfortable than a 360. It even has room for a golf bag. Sheesh.

 

What do you intend to use the Ferrari for ? cruising? car shows? track?

If you dont know a lot about Ferrari history you might want to buy a few books on the topic. It is actually a very interesting read

 

Questions like this often elicit what the respondent wants to buy, but that may not help you. So, questions like use, driving style, willingness to put up with the less practical nature of an older car, etc. have to be part of the equation to give meaningful advice. Having said that, here's some general advice:

Unless you are in the habit of losing money on cars, buying a 575 right now is not a smart financial move. The 550 has depreciated like hell, and the 575 will soon follow, even though it is still in production. It is a "long in the tooth" model, despite its attractions, and there are some that actually prefer the 550. But, if you are buying it as an easy driving high performance cruiser, rather than an outright sportscar, and you don't care about paying close to top dollar for a car which has big depreciation written all over it, its a nice car. The 550 Barchetta is only worth exploring if you live in an area where you don't have to ever use the "emergency" top. One or two attempts to use that top will put you off the car, which is otherwise excellent and also in a downward price spiral.

The money you contemplate spending will put you into the classic models. 275 GBT/4's, fully restored, mint Daytona spyders, perhaps an early Superfast, a Lusso or a 330 or 365 GTS (with change to spare). These cars are, in their price classes, fetching top dollar, but as others have pointed out, they are not a modern drive and are more of a commitment to own.

It can also buy you slightly more modern, but limited production cars like the F-40 and 288 GTO.

If you are interested in learning about these cars (since there are very few places in the country that will have more than one or two of the different models i mentioned at the same place or time), you should do a little reading; despite its age, the Dean Batchelor Ferrari Buyer's Guide is a concise review of all the production cars, and then some, from the early days up thru the F-40 and will provide you with a single source of text and pictures to give you some sense of the evolution and relationship between the various models.

If i had to pick, for me, the Ferrari to buy with those dollars, given my preferences at present, it would probably be a 330 or 365 GTS- 12 cyl. vintage looking, classic ferrari convertible, not superperformance by today's standards but i don't want one for outright speed, i like open cars and i've already owned a number of more modern ferraris.A first rate one would still be well below your budget.
Final observation: the 200 plus price point puts you in the modern, current production line with ease, but your choices are limited to the 575 or 360; dunno when the new 4 seater 612 will start delivering. But, at 400k, you can buy some greater older ferraris, yet still, its not enough money to go for the "big" icons: 250 SWB, Tour de France, or any of the other big bucks collectibles. In some ways, you may be forced to spend less of your budget, rather than more, because (and i'd be delighted to get more thoughts from others on this), the 400k price point is an awkward one for ferrari other than a few of the cars, like the Daytona Spyder, mentioned above.
Good Luck, and let us know if you really get bitten by this disease.