How we SHOULD look at mileage

Great post.

I am sure there will be pros, cons and middle of the road comments to follow.

I drive my car when possible. It's fun. I like fun.

Will things change...I doubt it.

People buy these cars for different reasons and some honestly believe that not driving it is a good thing.

If you ask what the mileage is on my car to the mile I couldn't tell you...Somewhere at 21 or 22 thousand miles...due in July for the annual fluids.

Tom

 

Good points.

When I bought my 2003 360 spider it was 9 years old and had 5,000 miles on it. I have to admit, as I got close to 10,000 I started to drive it a little less. Once I got past that emotional barrier, I said screw it! Am I worried that I'll get a little less if and when I sell it?...NO Am I worried that I will break it?...NO

20 months later, I have tacked on 9,000 super fun, care free miles. Bare in mind I live in the Chicago area, so not much driving from November to May.

DRIVE AND ENJOY!!

 

I agree there is a happy middle ground. Too few miles screams poorly maintained car that sat unused for god knows how long and will have lots of problems to me. Too many miles screams car that was bought as a daily driver and likely to have all kinds of wear and show age. Car driven 1-3k per year is just right for me. Says the car was run regularly as a pleasure car and probably always kept in running condition, but doesn't get so much use as to need a lot of cosmetic work to look great. So that would be in the 15k-30k miles range for a 10 year old car for me, close enough to your range.

 

I estimated I would drive approximately 2500-3000 miles per year and that has held true. I drive whenever I feel like it and don't think too much about miles. Usually its a comfort or convenience issue when I choose the SUV over it. It's not too comfortable to drive for long periods of time.

I have a 07 430 and 13000 miles.

 

I drove all my Ferraris and Lamborghini daily. In fact the Testarossa was driven over 33k miles in three years and the 328 70k miles in a decade, and both looked fabolus at resale. It becomes a part of life, the many hours to keep them looking mint and mechanically well kept. As I grew older now at 42 I have too many things keeping me busy, but who knows maybe I'll hunt down my ex F430 within this year and buy it back...

 

I'm 100% with the OP here. Personally I don't understand why you would want a Ferrari, Porsche, Lambo etc as a garage queen. They are made to be driven.

Mine is barely run with about 16K miles. I am driving the backside off it when ever I can. It just keeps getting better.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Ferrari with 50K miles on it as long as it checked out.

Great post.

 

I bought my car with 19,500 miles on the clock. So, I knew within 2 tanks of gas, it would be a 20k mile car. It's Ok, because I basically paid 20k mi. money for the car, in that I used the mileage to my advantage during the purchase process.

I plan to drive mine around 3k miles per year, so I guess I'm falling at the top end of the "reasonable" range. Still, whatever, I bought it for me, not for the next guy.

At the end of my term, it sells for what it sells for. Sunk costs are sunk, but smiles per mile are priceless. That said, this low-mileage situation will probably never change. It's probably because the Ferrari is usually a second, third, or more car for the guy who bought it. He has to spread his miles around on his cars. I guess it's a good thing - more people should own more nice cars, that's my opinion. It's a good problem to have.

 

In 5 years time the 360 will fall into 4 camps IMHO: "No miles" (<500 miles) that will command the highest prices as they are museum pieces. You see this with any and every make/model. "Average" which at the 20 year mark will probably be about 30k miles or so, and "High Mileage" (what >50k miles) with less difference between the Average and High than you might think in price. Finally the bright orange and lime green "Salvage cars" forming the floor of the market. For your average 360 I think 2-3k miles a year is a good approximation.

 

But....I like bright orange.

Really, I do.

 

Adding on, once you get past a certain age miles matter less anyway. For example, you could get a 25 year old car with few miles, but it will still need a bunch of work (assuming it hasn't been done along the way) with perishable parts like seals, bushings, hoses, etc... The cost of that kind of spruce up with likely be the same regardless of the miles...right?

 

Higher mileage will actually reduce those costs.

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Hey now, don't get all judgy on orange! (or... rosso dino)
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How we should think about mileage is to stick a piece of electrical tape over the odometer and not give it another thought.

 

Totally agree. Ive always harped on the fact that cars are meant to be driven. That is their purpose, as Agent Smith in The Matrix would tell us

Most of these cars arent collectible and wont appreciate in value. Unless you are a true collector thats looking to have cream puffs of every car model ever, go drive the damned thing. I blame the "collectors" who buy this stuff and shove them into atmosphere chambers for most of the cars life.

Ive shopped around for exotics and tend to stay with the more affordable stuff. In most cases, the regularly used cars were WAY better "buys" than the ones that sat. I'll take a few paint chips/wheel marks & up to date service/running condition versus showroom paint with all kinds of nasty things lurking for me at a later date.

I said this is on the 348/355 thread but at some point when I can add an F-car, I'll be the guy that will buy your car from you even if it has 60K miles on it. As long as you kept her in good nic

 

Oh god no! Rosso Dino is magnificent!

I'm thinking more of hurl inducing:
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Hmmm...wonder how it would look with challenge wheels.

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Insn't that Rosso Scuderia?

 

2-3K miles per year? You guys oughta lease these cars and not buy them. I've put 2K on my scud in less than 3 weeks! I'm having a hell of a lot more fun than all of you!!!

 

I plan on driving mine 8-10k per year. Never understood buying a car like this and not driving it. I bought mine to DRIVE!

 

No, it's Rosso Dino. Hard to capture exactly in photos - its really very orange in direct sunlight, and trends towards red in the shade/overcast.

 

Not necessarily. If that's your DD, then fine. But some people have multiple cars and put miles on different machines depending on the mission / payload / weather / environment.

It's not just: buy a Ferrari and then drive it nonstop. Today, it might HAIL in my town. So, I drove the Ferrari in the morning, then went home and switched it for a Mercedes at lunch. So what?

 

That's completely normal with Scud ownership! Its hard not to drive.

 

Less miles is better, less wear & tear not just on the engine and drivetrain, but on the seats, the carpets, the steering wheel, the suspension & bushes, the paintwork, the glass, everything.

I think its cool when you see a supercar thats done stellar mileagle, such as the Evo Magazine Murcialago at 122K miles and counting, but pretty much everyone wants to be closest to factory fresh and that will always command a premium.

 

Cool, theres only one listed on here vs hundreds of other reds ... Challenge-Stradale.com Ferrari 360 CS Challenge Stradale Website