abso-forking-lutley...or second hand from Eurospares for a lot less

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErxcX74Bc5E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9hrqWqIAIE

 

go for it. fezzas are sweet!

 

you get the bodywork for free lol.........

 

Try this one

Very good price, and just the sort I'd have when my numbers came up

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...31hd?logcode=p

 

Youll require the industrial strength rug sticky for that one !

 

I still have a full head of my own

I need to trade the wife for a younger blonder model though www.webuyanywife.com

 

I am thinking of an F car at the moment.

I think a good spec, low miles 355 will only go up in value as we get another 5-10 years down the line.

I dont think the 348 will go up at all TBH.

I have looked at the 355 v 360 debate, and TBH I think I would go with a 355. Much more the classic Ferrari.

I dont think the 430 or 360 will ever quite be the "classic" ferrari.

I think the 355 will always keep that badge - like the 288 for example.

So, thats my plan. Not drink, eat or buy new shoes for the next 10 years....

 

yes they could well follow the Dino -- and live a better life in old age

prob a very good investment -- and has got me thinking too!!!!

 

you might consider selling the wife, kids as well

I know a guy who bought one from a dealer ...use it for three month , did not like it at all and sold it back to the same dealer with a £10k hit on the wallet !!!
so dont think you will not lose money on a 355 because you will (it a fact of life )
think about its on these high value cars ...very hard to sell privately as most will buy from a dealership(finance/warranty the mean reasons ) and who will buy a car that well on over £30K from an private seller (unless your a car dealer of cause !! )

 

In theory I love Ferraris but they have such a Eurotrash/criminal vibe about them.
I cant afford one so ask me to justify this stance in the unlikely event that i ever can.

Buy the 348 anyway by the way.
( if there is anything that you can afford which might in any way enrich your life then do it as life is short and unpredictable )

 

...they found the car a challenge to drive near or at the limit. Other shortcomings included a harsh ride, a wandering front end at high speed, and a stiff gearbox.

Yea, my kinda woman too.

 

Well, I have had a truly fantastic morning.

An old acquaintance text me yesterday to say that he was going to the new Solihull Ferrari dealership today to pick up his 360 Spider that was in for some bits, and would I fancy coming along for the ride? ermmm....let me check my calendar!

The courtesy car given to him by Ferrari was a 535D M-sport thing.... so we had a chat going up there, and caught up on old times (I haven't really spoken to him in years)

His basic uptake was that whilst the 348 was a leap forward from the 328, the 355 was much more of a significant step forward from that. And if possible, I should look to stretch to a 355 when the time comes - easy for him to say Nothing wrong with the 348, but it's a lot more go-kart/effort etc - not as many creature-comforts.
He also stated that he's a Porsche man and in the real world, a 996/7 would be much easier to maintain and run.....

Now, Ferrari Solihull is a new dealership - not long been open (part of the Sytner group IIRC) - we pulled up and I started to tingle.

In the car park was a California in Carbon-black…… VERY nice. We went in and to the right of me was the Maserati section (some GTs and a Quattroporte), BUT to the left was another (red) California…… followed by a (red) 599, followed by an F430 Spider (red), followed by another (carbon-black) F430 with gold wheels (yuck! ), and finally another 599 with the GTC handling pack. FWIW this car was a mere £330,000. A deposit of £50K, payments of £5K per month and a balloon payment of £70K!!!!! All at 11% apr

My mate took me next door where he showed me a 997 Carrera, Audi R8, and a Bentley luxo-barge (you sat in it and the seats electronically moulded to your shape!!)

However to get to this, you had to walk past what can only be described at a StarTrek viewing window/port-hole…… where there were to F360s in the garage (such a crude word – a lab would be more accurate). Apparently, each day, 1 hour is dedicated to cleaning the floors and the all surfaces……
Interestingly enough, their hourly rate is £120…. (more on that in a bit!)

A very nice receptionist called Rachel bought us a cuppa (felt like I needed to pay her…. Or a least leave a tip!)

I was then shown the “options” room – looking at all the different seats, steering wheels and carbon bits was fantastic…. And the choice of wheels too.


Whilst doing this, my mate went to settle up (at a very reasonable price by all accounts, compared to some of the “independents”)….. then they brought out his car….

An F360 Spider F1 “S” (494bhp) – with a hybrid Capristo exhaust (part of the “S” pack)…..

We chatted with the salesman and the technical expert, who were brilliant – really nice chaps. My mate was asking about hourly rates etc, as one independent charged him £1800 (yes, £1800!!) just to diagnose the fault (which would have been £4000)…… This Ferrari dealership said that their ethos is to have a look over the car for an hour, give the client the list, and take it from there….. at the price of £120 (the hourly rate)…. Which I thought was a fantastic price.

As my mate is going for a 430 Spider later this year, he was invited back (and the invite extended to me – as the “ligger” ) to the official opening of the dealership and the launch of the 458….. will be looking forward to that! All in all, a very good dealership (for an official one anyway, by all accounts)

And with that, we transferred over some bits, and headed off.
We stopped at the petrol station (put in £50 of NUL!) – had some admiring comments (he gets a lot of those! Lol!! ) and we headed off to the motorway.

What happened when we hit the motorway can only be described as an assault on my senses…… I’ve been in some quick stuff, but circa 500bhp in something that weighs next to nothing is nothing short of astounding. Simple.
I can’t/won’t compare to the quick Audis, even uber-modded Scoobs, and Porsches/BMs that I've been in, as the difference is light years.

My mate booted it and whilst it didn’t seem overly quick – he pointed out that we peaked at a multiple of 70 …… I honestly thought we were doing about 90!!!!
The windows were wound down and the soundtrack from this car was just like an F1 car.
The funny thing is that there’s a stereo in it….. pointless!!!

After lots of thumbs up and waves (and glares from boyfriends ) we got off the motorway and pulled up in a lay-by for a quick cuppa.

Having another chat about the various cars - the tyres (£1K per set, and they last about 1500 miles…..) etc, he chucked me the keys! (bearing in mind he hasn’t seen me in a good few years – I don’t know whether or not I’d have done the same, if I’m honest)…

The car is SO focused and every accelerator push provides washes of performance. It’s a flappy-paddle box and is SO easy to use (sorry to draw comparisons, but Forza/Gran Tourismo/steering wheel- easy) and it didn’t take long to get used to it. The fears of driving some-one else’s rather expensive Ferrari soon melted as I got more confident with the handling – the pedal and steering fed back SO much information, it WAS like I was stroking the road – I could detect everything.

Now, for the wussy-bit. No, I didn’t boot it, as I’m not a top-speed driver, I just like the acceleration. But I did overtake a few things (and the ease that I could do it was just shocking). It was so easy to drive - just a.... well, normal car!!

We pulled up in the next town (our destination), put the roof down, and whilst waiting for our next lift (a change of car to an Astra to put the kids in!), we had a drive around the town…..
A Ferrari is nothing short of a device to pose in!! Lots of stares, picture-taking etc… which I used to get with my previous employers (not something I overly liked) However, my mate did say that he spends an awful lot of time (he retired @ 30!) helping people out where he can – for example, a terminally-ill cancer patient (aged 10) loved Ferraris, so he asked the parents to meet him in a town on the coast up north. He drove the kid up there as an experience-of-a-lifetime…..

So I’ve come home now, and whilst I now know more about the cars, I’m probably more confused than I was before!!!

Sorry if this has ranted on, but I thought some people might like to know

Dan

 

Nice write up! Glad you had a good day!

 

Sounds like you had a nice day!

Its the attention that you described that would put me off Ferrari ownership. Some people like that sort of thing, and if I were 25 then I would still like it, but now it would just embarrass me.

Lovely cars though and theoretically I would love to own one, however when I picture myself parking it up at work it makes me feel a little 'odd'.

I suppose that's why lots of people who could afford a Ferrari actually buy a Porsche as they are far more 'common' and understated so draw less attention.

I live in London and like many Cities its a very mixed area, one minute I might be driving through a patch that has houses worth millions and then the next an area full of council estates. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable driving a bright red Fezza through the latter, for lots of different reasons.

 

Interesting write up - and a couple of things stand out for me.

£120 an hour does sound good value for a main dealer but I am astounded that you think this is cheap!! The best Porsche people (independent) I know charge £39 including VAT!

The other thing is, what is an 'S'. Even the Challenge Stradale 'only' has 420bhp. How on earth do you get another 74bhp bhp from a normally aspirated engine with NUL?!

 

Thanks Guys,

I thought that most "high-end" garages charge around £80-odd per hour, hence the extra £40 for a Franchised Ferrari-dealership seemed like quite good value

Granted, it's still a lot of money though.

The "S" thing - to be honest, I don't know. This is what he said he specc'd when he bought the car. My (VERY limited understanding) is that it is a mod pack for the 360.
I've very little reason to think it's bullsh1t - he's not that type of person. Bl00dy nice chap It's fair to say, I have heard Capristo and Tubi exhausts (granted on YouTube), and this thing BLOWS (pardon the pun! ) out of the water in terms of sound. So I wouldn't (personally) be to quick to challenge his claims - again, based on my limited knowledge.

Either way, "don't shoot the messenger"!

Dan

 

There is a BMW main dealer in London that charges £175 plus VAT.

You are right £120 plus VAT for a main dealer Ferrari does 'sound' cheap - but it is still a shed load of money.

AFAIK an 'S' spec is not an official Ferrari model. It sounds like an aftermarket - 494bhp does sound a lot though, especially with NUL.

Either way, even as standard they are fairly nippy cars.

 

Do ensure the car you look to buy is up to date with its major services not just based on miles but age, cambelt service can be stupid money with a major service running to 1000+ even at an independant. Filmed at a Ferrari Dealership in Notts back in 2006, a chap came into pick up his 550 from a major service and left some 3k lighter in the wallet.

Labour can be got at reasonable prices, some parts are stupid money.

Go for a 355 if you can

 

BTW if the 599 was £330,000 then it would surely be the new GTO - although I thought they were all sold out.

The 599 with HGTE handling pack is only £200k

 

I'd go a bit more classic....308GTS.....

Half the price,still a beautiful car (IMO)and you'd have a spare £20k for the odd bill

Think its an appreciator in value too.Think the 348's,355's etc will still have a few £'s to lose

 

Or get a Mk I GT3 - not sexy to look at but they are appreciating again. And they are very quick, fabulous to drive and 'relatively' sane to look after.

 

has he got 40k to spend ?

 

My sincerest apologies for the lack of correct information - you'll have to excuse the erroneous details due to being overwhelmed by the overall experience.

Regardless of the models, the prices are accurate. You work out what the cars are.

And no offense about the Porsche, but I sat in a 997 - my mate has a few anyway, and was trying to convince me to go Porsche....

A great place to sit.... until I looked down and saw that the headlight control is the same as my "lowly" mk5 Golf GTI.

Sorry, but that put me off completely. I want something different. With flair. Not an upgrade of the parts bin I've already got (and had with Audis) - albeit a much faster version.

The main thing being that the tour and subsequent drive only re-affirmed that IF I can afford this route (and that's still in debate), it will be a Ferrari.

 

It is important - if I win the lottery the GTO is top of my want list and I need to know who has one in stock!

 

Well fwiw mate - the dealership is Synter Ferrari in Solihull.

Sadly, my numbers didn't come up last night, so I'll still be trundling around in my GTI

Dan

 

I know - I checked their website!

 

fun times! next onto colour..............

 

To quote Jezza..... "gree.... gree.... gggrr...red, yes a red one please".

LOL

 

Yeh, gotta admit, re-sale red is favorite, with black coming a close second......

Summer's coming and I've got some passenger rides lined up

All in the interest of research. Of course . (but still hedging towards 348, as I want the gritty feel rather than powersteering luxobarge).....

Dan

 

I'm with you on this one. I was recently considering a Magnum P.I. motor but some boundary issues have stalled the garage build. The 348 is nothing special to look at and old enough that the running costs versus purchase price will probably be bad news. And like many Ferraris a cambelt change is engine out. Not so with the 308, where running costs excluding fuel are very reasonable (Ferrari Centre suggest circa £2500/year) and it still has the sweet lines of classic sports cars rather than the low skirt wedge look of now.
As a daily driver I would think anything pre-360 would be worrying.

Kevin