Curious for some feedback from the FChat community. Potential opportunity to trade a few cars for a Speciale. Some details below. Trading - 1997 F355 Berlinetta gated 6-speed (nero / tan) w/ 21,000 miles 1995 F355 Berlinetta gated 6-speed (rosso corsa / tan) w/ 31,000 miles 2000 360 Modena gated 6-speed (rosso corsa / tan) w/ 31,000 miles for - 2015 458 Speciale (tdf blue / black) w/ 2,000 miles Thoughts? All four would be lovely as well
I'm guessing it's trade + cash? Like $175k in cash? I love Speciale's but I would want one as an addition to my 355 and not a replacement.
I've driven several 458s, but never a Speciale. That said, I would not trade those three cars for one. I would trade one of the 355s for another Ferrari though.
OK, that is one of the lower priced Speciale's (not sure why) and given a dealer, they are going to want to pay you wholesale for your cars but the tax burden would be much less.
The first thing to do is go and see/test drive the Speciale, to see if you think it's actually worth giving your three cars up for. Performance and handling wise, the Speciale will be on a different planet to any of your three cars, but, a few questions spring to mind: 1) Is the Speciale going to be as easy to live with as your other three cars are? - Or is it going to be a bit too focussed on performance? (Your current three cars give a nice balance between comfort and performance, whereas the Speciale ditches a bit of comfort for performance.) 2) How often would you really use the additional performance of the Speciale? 3) Will you get as much enjoyment out of a single Speciale, as you do your current three cars? It's all very well others on the forum saying that they would do this, or they would do that, but the reality is, only you yourself can know if the Speciale really is worth giving up your current cars or not, and the only way to get an initial idea of that is to see and test drive the Speciale. (There is a risk of course that test driving the Speciale may convince you at the time that it is worth giving up your current cars, only to find out later that you miss the old cars and regret making the change, by which time it will be too late, but that's always the gamble with cars) It's a tough call, and one that only you can really make - All I can add is that you only live once, you've already experienced your current three cars, and if you bought the Speciale and it didn't work out, there are plenty of 355 and 360's out there that you could buy if you wanted to go back to those models. Good luck with it, whatever you decide to do!
All 4 is my vote.... but alas, I would only give up one 355, the higher mileage one (but that is a 95 obd1 car). I would keep a 355, a Gated 360 should go up in value and the 458 is a whole different animal. That way you get the joy of a 355. A 360 Gated for other reason. And a modern Ferrari in race like trim for wicked fun. Problem solved. Next please. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Appreciate the thoughtful responses, well said. Such different cars. A drive in the Speciale (especially on a track) would be convincing. In these cars I usually just cruise through back roads, not pushing performance limits.
Keep the '95, sell the rest, pick up the 458 Speciale. Or... Sell them all, pick up a 348 Series Speciale and 458 Speciale.
This is definitely a first world problem. Keep the cars. The only car I would trade all three of those against is an F40. And no, I have never driven an F40, but the You Tube videos have me sold.
So there is actually a speciale owner after you for this deal? Pretty cool. I once had a speciale owner after me: Image Unavailable, Please Login
I'd trade for the Speciale if the trade-in values are fair. It's nice to have one very nice car to worry about than 3. Less things to worry about on a new car. Then I'd pick up another 95 355 when finances allow it.
I don't own any Ferrari but I would never trade all three for the 458 I would guest in the near future those manual cars will be Sought after. Because unlike Porsche Ferrari does not seem to care about manuals. The 458 is out of this world with enzo ferrari performance. I would trade the blue with cash on the 458 if you have the spare funds.
I've had mixed feelings over the Speciale since its introduction. Initially, I thought it was the dream V8 Ferrari to have for any NA V8 Ferrari lover. Great looks. Awesome interior. High-end modern Ferrari features and superb NA V8 engineering. The cream of the crop as far as engines go. It was the Ferrari to get if one could afford one. But after having looked at a decent amount of them up close and for a lengthy time and watching professional and casual review videos, I personally no longer feel it is worth 2x the price of a Scud. If I was given a choice between owning a Scud & manual 355 vs. owning a 458 Speciale for the rest of my days, without taking value into consideration, I would certainly choose 355 + Scud. I'm a manual guy. I enjoy the connection of driving a manual car. I had to convince myself a Scud was for me. I love the high-end modern look of the Scud. It looks out of this world on the hwy while still retaining an elegant silhouette Ferraris are admired for. I am not fond of Lambos because they lack elegance to my eyes. My only beef with the Scud is the front bumper. At times it can look a bit much or does not flow well with the rest of the car. A CS has better flow, but lacks some definition. I was sold on the looks, power, relevance, and presence of the Scud. I was uncertain about the F1 experience, but with the single-clutch, I thought it could help me embrace the modern Ferrari era without completely giving in. The single-clutch is awesome.... when you're on it. It makes the driving experience less sedated. It gives you a sense of connection. It's a bridge between old and new. It's great and it's needed if one is looking for a visceral experience. It is important if one wants to feel awoken during a spirited drive. However, the single-clutch sucks balls when you're not it (slow speed or during traffic). Much of the annoyances comes from the automatic downshifts during lower speed driving. You feel an unexpected kick when the gears change. Certainly not a smooth experience. Dual-clutch probably removes this issue, but dual clutch is sedated (compared to a Scud) This is one knock against the Speciale. For these reasons, manual is the way to go. I can't do anything more modern than Ferrari's single-clutch. It's simply not for me. I used to be all in on the looks of the Speciale. It has a slightly wider and lower profile over the Scud, which gives it a sleeker and sharper look. I love the rear and side profile. I'm "ok" with the front bumper. I'd say it is better looking than the Scud's front bumper but neither are beautiful. I've always hated the 458's headlights and I've grown to dislike the vented slots of the fenders along with the vented hood unless it's on a black car (because it's less noticeable). I don't like stripeless Speciales because the hood vent becomes more profound. The stripes help hide it, but the stripes breaking up midway through the hood hurts my eyes. Car looks intimidating from the front, but I can't say it looks beautiful. Overall, I now feel my Scud is better looking. Speciale does look alot more modern and expensive for whatever reason. I do find alot of Speciales an eyesore because of certain color/stripe combinations chosen. I tend to gravitate towards striped black ones, which is a bad sign. Black is one of the worst colors on a Scud because it hides too much. Speciale is certainly not twice the looks of a Scud. And I'm still not sure if I like dual tailights over 4. 4 just looks more complete whereas dual feels a bit empty in between. Interior. Just a slight edge to the Speciale simply because it is more modern. Anything more modern would be a but too much imo. It's just about right as far as being modern goes. Some interiors are just too futuristic it's digusting. Scud & Speciale seats are practically the same with a slight edge to Speciale because more design options that individualize the car. Carbon door panels go to Scud as it makes you feel like you're in a real race car. Dashboard goes to Speciale. Cockpit position goes to Scud. You sit closer to the front. All you see is glimpse of the fender arc and mostly road. Makes you feel like you're in a smaller car and closer to the road... a go kart-like experience. In a 458 you feel further from the road like youre in a long car. Sound. Stock for Stock... Scud. After-market exhaust... Scud. But for whatever odd reason, the 458 sounds better than the Speciale... especially with the right exhaust combination. On paper, this shouldn't be. 458 can sound better than Scud imo. If something could be figured out for the Speciale, then I'd give it more brownie pts. Weight. Scud 3000 lbs. Speciale 3300 lbs. Scud can drop to 2950 with a few simple upgrades. Power. I've never driven a Speciale but im going to assume it has adequate feel of power and torque. But i've heard it only feels slightly better than a standard 458. As much power the Scud has on paper, it does feel it can use an additional 50-75hp, especially down low. It is powerful, but not 100% adequately satisfying power. I do feel an itch to extract more if I can. If the Speciale was in the 200's i might consider it just out of curiosity, but not in place of the Scud. I can't afford both, so it's Scud & manual 355 for me. I am satisfied with my decision and I no longer yearn for the Speciale like I used to... and even less with current prices.
Today you have 3 cars that all basically serve the same purpose. I would trade off two of them for the Speciale and cover the rest and keep one squeaky shifting classic and one epic, true super car.
If one could subtly take adequate weight off the 355 and add 50 more hp or raise the rpm a bit, I genuinely feel the 355 will be a much more rewarding street driving experience than the Scud or Speciale. There is something lacking in these modern Ferraris. None of them offer the "perfect" driving experience.
I personally can't justify multiple Ferraris in my household, but i suppose if you're looking for opinions, I think a gated 355 and a speciale would be an awesome combo. The 458 being a pinnacle of a modern sports car, and the 355 being that special first love type dream car, that happens to be an amazing all and fun drivers car Ken Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
