Where do I find a Ferrari that can hang with my neighbor's BMW, Audi, or Benz?

So as of this week I am Ferrariless. I sold mine and am now looking for my next one (I think).

Last night I sat with one of my car mags and saw an article on the new BMW M5, Mercedes E63, and Audi S6. The Audi won the magazine's taste test (no surprise to me), but what amazed me were the 0-60 times of all 3 "sedans" 3.7 or 3.8! Holy Clark Kent Batman! That is 430 and Cali fast, faster than my 360 was, faster than my R8 is! What Ferrari can beat that? a 458?

Do I have to spend $300k+ to keep up with my neighbor's $70-$80k commuter car? Like wow! Ok, I know I can spend that on a GTR or Z06 and leave my neighbor behind, but Ferrari's and Lambos are supposed to be in another league. Do I need to move to a 458 or Aventador or a Bugatti or new 911TT to feel special?

The Germans are pretty damn impressive. I have had an M5 and a few M3's and some AMG cars and a few Quatro bred Audi's so I know those guys well. I abandoned BMW cuz their designs became ugly to me and interior's dull, and they still are. What they can do though, impressive (as long as you have a PhD in engineering to figure out the ideal combination of a perplexing array of setting options). Benzes are still well made, beautiful, and high torque muscle cars. And Audi's, well they are the best of the German bunch IMO now and my R8 was a better performing car than my 360.

But these new German sedans, Damn! They might high beam me in my next Ferrari to get out of their way.

 

It's funny you mentioned this. This past Sunday I saw a Mercedes E63 racing a 458 in Miami, on the expressway. The Mercedes was keeping up, slightly behind. But I quess it boils down to what car excites you, or that one can afford.

 

Its not how fast you go, but how well you go fast.... I think the 458 has that on all accounts.

 

Just look at a 458 and any German car, no matter how fast or good value bang for buck wise. Case closed.

 

There's a lot more to a car than 0-60...If all you measure a car by is straight line speed or acceleration, don't buy a Ferrari as you're missing the whole point of the car.

 

Ok, I thought the one dimensional provacative humor of my post would be obvious, but for the record, it was a one dimentionsl provacative post.

I did not speak to handling. I did not speak to looks. I did not speak to sound, smell, taste, multidimensional emotional complexity. I did not speak to standing out of the crowd or just being unique and different. Just staright line speed form a car mag.

Those 3 sedans are a full second faster to 60 than my Aston Martin, and probably about as good handlingwise, but they can't touch my Aston Martin in any other measure that I measure cars by, the looks one being most obvious, but sound, style, design, and a bunch of intangibles I am still figuring out.

And I did not buy my first 2 Ferraris to be the fastest to 60 and won't by my next one for that either.

If I want to be the fastest to 60, 100, 150, I will just get on my R1 and case closed.

 

I guess I don't understand what you were getting at, then. That the new German cars are fast? Sure, but the new Ferraris are even faster. If you're talking about bang for the buck, they all suck, especially given the massive depreciation the Germans will suffer.

 

You are not seriously thinking, the German sedans, especially the ones OP mentioned, will depreciate more than any current Ferrari, are you..?

I get what OP is saying;
There were a bigger gap on 0-60 times between previous German super sedans and same era super cars, now the gap keeps getting smaller.
I definitely agree that 0-60 comparison is meaningless in real world, even nurburgring times of milliseconds difference does squat for me whilst choosing a car.

However pub discussions usually do not go farther than that, especially while talking to "general" public.

I know its a more subjective matter, but maybe we should be discussing/comparing how heavy the cars get and how they drive, cause hp/0-60 wars cant go on forever, but the driving sensation and how nimble a car is has a long way to go, imo.

I got a slightly tuned RS6 (ABT), which probably will spank anything bar bugatti on high speed run, but comes spiritual driving, comparing to my GT3RS, RS6 is a whale.
That's where the difference lies for a driver, but all my friends wants a drive in the RS6, why, because its got almost twice the HP of anything on road..

So here comes the question/dilemna;
if you have means only for one car, will you go for twice the price but exotic, raw driving experience, or half the price, luxury sedan which speeds the same at least on autobahn?

I know GT3RS and RS6 are both ends of the spectrum (lightest/rawest track car vs heaviest Avant on production), but in essence any other Saloon vs super car (not GT) will have the same cons/pros.

 

One car? I'd buy an SUV, if I can only have one car it has to have maximum versatility, meaning carry 4+ people plus luggage and be able to tow/haul stuff for housework.

 

"Last night I sat with one of my car mags and saw an article on the new BMW M5, Mercedes E63, and Audi S6."

All cars that make me say, "meh." Regardless of how objectively good they are, they have all the personality of Ben Stein.

Cheers,

George

 

I would go the opposite direction and go with a classic front engine V12 or maybe a Dino 246. Speed doesn't matter, style does. When everyone is going for sub 4 second 0-60 times thats when I go polar opposite, something that is just unlike anything else on the road.

If you want something modern that is radically different then go find a US spec Ariel Atom. That is quicker than the other cars AND is unlike anything else on the road.




PDG

 

I mean one of the cars mentioned.

 

I'm with GrayTA.

The options of cars with great performance figures for similar prices these days is enormous, and crucially diverse. Really you pick according to your own style/preference, and not so much according to performance (up to a certain price or performance point). Ferrari, though, will always carry the mystique that it does, and so why not take under your care an older Ferrari, that will require attention but that will also reward you with a unique driving experience that not many other cars will offer.

Think about a Boxer, or a Dino, or even a 308/328. Those cars will always be looked at as the stuff of dreams.

I don't know if you will be able to say the same about a 2012 M5 in 30 years.. Or a 458 for that matter...

Then there is always the famous phrase: when you are important enough people will wait.

 

Like I tell mi friends , I pull up the rear looking damn good. Ferrari is style/art who cares about speed ...

You avergae joe has a german or japan car...not everyone has a Ferrari ...

 

Exactly why I got my 348!

 

Ferrari has nothing on the german's whe it comes to cars. Are they a litle "boring" at times, yes, but what you get for your money performance wise blows Ferrari out of the water. 4 door sedans turning out 458 numbers, with passengers, and returning better fuel milage?? Crazy as it sounds, Ferrari is behined the times by about ten years comapired to the germans.

 

Well last I checked, those pesky Germans still put limiters in their cars.

As of late, I have had the pleasure of enjoying 2 new cars in my garage. The Ferrari 612 OTO and a new 2012 MB CLS 63 AMG. By all accounts, the MB has more crap in it to amuse and fulfill any gadget junkie alive. The 612 is more fun. The CLS looks great. Those new headlights are beyond cool. But when given the choice of keys, I grab the 612. Who cares about speed.

Oh yea..and the Ferrari 612 (according to a google search) goes 0 - 60 in 4.0 to 4.4 seconds. The new CLS AMG 63 - a paltry 4.4 to 4.5 seconds.

 

I gave up on 0-60 around 5 sec. Anything faster than that has seemed completely superfluous to me.

As long as it can achieve that goal its fast enough for me.

 

My 2001 VW Polo at 75hp smashes ANY speed limit in America.

So I just don't get the issue.



Unless you live here in Germany. ........ Who cares? I mean Really.


Oh and the new BMW Hurricane sedan will eat an F40's lunch.

 

I have the issue of the magazine referenced by the op. I looked at the cover and shrugged. Fast cars but really boring to look at. The fact is there are a lot of relatively cheap fast cars that handle OK. Can Ferrari justify the price of 458? Probably not based on hard cold specs, but there's a lot more to the marketing than the specs. I get the Ferrari pricing. What I don't understand is why the Germans can't figure out how to make a better looking car. Maybe the banglanization of BMWs has scared them. The German fans will talk about function over form, but they aren't mutually exclusive things.

 

Form vs function ...Enzo is prime example . Car editors called it ugly but the wind tunnel loved it

 

No argument.

But when road cars can routinely double any speed limit anywhere, can outrun NASCARs, Indy Cars & even F1, who cares about speed at that point?

 

Too many variables to look at and totally driver dependent.

Ferrari takes the cake in terms of overall branding - performance, styling and looks.
Yes the German cars have luxury and performance but they lack the visceral "driving" experience. In this arena, I still think Lotus takes it - most visceral street car.

 

Porsche street cars have luxury, performance, a visceral driving experience and economy.

 

Honestly the power to weight ratio and the handling of the Lotus IMHO exceeds most ordinary Porsches. I race in the LotusCupUSA series and in our combined events with PCA, the Loti are always top 3. A few of my competitors own both Porsches and Lotus and they comment on how stepping into the P-car feels heavy and piggish in comparison.
The Elise is like a go-kart...no power anything so the feel is so direct.