Ferrari Owner Personalities...

no, you just happened to find an ******* or a guy having a bad day. lots of guys who are capable work on their cars. some of my closest friends are ferrari people, generally a great group of peeps.

 

yep its a good crew...if you can do work yourself get a 355 or 360 and dont look back. vw golf R is cool. i have a worked 2017 fiat 500 abarth but golf R is top.

 

haha yeh they have a great burble.
ill DM you my cell, if you are serious about looking for a 355 ill answer any questions. that being said, there isnt anything you cant find on this board.

 

There are as many personalities that own Ferraris as there are of any other make. Unfortunately, you chanced upon an ******* as your first contact. In over 30 years of going to FCA and other events since I was 15, I've certainly met a few of those, but most owners and people involved with the marque have been very willing to answer questions, chat about their car and their experience with it.

What's the logic in buying a BMW prior to buying a Ferrari?

 

There are very capable people out there, more than able to service their own Ferraris and lend a hand to friends and fellow owners in need, both in person and online. I find them an invaluable source of knowledge and admiration, as I have two left hands.

Regarding maintenance costs, it depends. The “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it” is culturally valid on the whole, but truth be told I have friends who really couldn’t care less about what things cost (and honestly don’t know the price of things and couldn’t care less), and friends who may have the same wealth or more, but want to know where each dollar went and why.

At the end of the day, it has more to do with each owner’s personality than the cost of servicing the car per se.

Kind regards,

Nuno.

 

No, you weren't wrong to ask those questions, there was nothing inappropriate about them. You just ran into one of very few pretentious Ferrari owners, it was a one in a million shot.

The questions to stay away from are 1) how much money do you make, 2) why did you order that odd color combination, and 3) why do you have Montana plates here in New Jersey!

 

All I can say is what an A$$Hat!
He should not be allowed to own that Ferrari. Poor ambassador.
Makes Ferrari owners look bad when most are awesome and I’ve met and made lifelong friends in the F community.
You will meet some special people. Do it!


Sent from my 16M

 

It was probably noone1...(sorry, inside joke )

 

Sorry the first experience was sour. Just pick a car to buy and get started! The 360/430 is a safe bet for either, since the depreciation is going to be gentle.

IMO if you want paddles get the 430, there are plenty asking around $90-95k that will be the least maintenance, fastest and most modern of the three. But if you want a stick car under $100k go for the 360... 355 if you want an smaller more go-kart like feel. The 355 maintenance thing is overblown IMO, you need some savings to deal with it but my worst 'surprise' repair was redoing all the coolant hoses with premium silicone ones for ~$2800. If you're savvy mechanically (I'm not), having $5k aside should handle most emergencies.

I started with a high miles 355 spider and it was great intro for me and I put a lot more miles on it, but it took a while to sell as I was reluctant to do the major first. All in it was between $1.10-1.25/mile in total maintenance/repair and depreciation over 4 years.

I was looking at 430s for two years as an upgrade, I jumped to the 458 which really is so computerized and tech heavy it's not fair to compare to a 355. The 355 feels charming and almost 'vintage' in comparison.

 

Build on as in modify? Then 360/430. There are tons of 360s out there. 430 has much better F1 transmission. There is a better aftermarket for them than 355.

If you're doing body work than certainly those - the 360 was a revolution for Ferrari where they started getting pre-stamped panels and bodies from Alcoa, which was a big advance in fitment. 348/355 are still from the "hammer it until it fits" era of assembly. Which means that aftermarket panels are more difficult to source and fit properly on them than 360/430.

 

Most Ferrari owners I know are humble and cool. My first Ferrari was a F430, great car and relatively solid. I have a independent mechanic I work with and he’s been great and maintenance has been relatively .... reasonable. I’ve owned many vehicles and the F430 was the most expensive to maintain, but my 430 had a couple of things that needed sorting, once done , it was solid . Definitely expect to spend 1-2k a year for general maintenance or service. I currently own a 458, now that’s a beast and it’s been very very solid. But I feel F430 is a good first Ferrari.


Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat

 

Part of the fun is working on our cars and learning the ropes from people who have more experience in those matters. We are all happy to help.

Plenty of cameraderie across the US and globe. Welcome to the party.

Robb

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Never say never, I think that the 430 mod that everyone should do is to change up to the scuderia nose/bumper. Huge improvement. I've never been a fan of the stock shark nose.

 

LOL.. BMW owner in Paramus. Of course. Just had to start there. BTW it gives you an idea why kind of engineer he was if he said that he tried working on it. A talentless one. That's why he wants to sell it...

Any Ferrari is going to be easy to work on coming from a German car. They're designed for rebuilding and access to components is simplified and more straightforward. Ever tried to get to anything back by the firewall and you have to cut your tools in half? Yeah that doesn't happen with my 360. Much easier to service. The only challenge comes with electrical engineering and ECU/systems integration from a performance standpoint IMHO. But some here are developing tools for it. FWIW for the engine out cars have a 4 post lift in the garage. Even the engine out is possible at home.

Some owners look to the "Ferrari" prestige and cost and exclusivity. Some look to the art and engineering. Some look to the history of the marque.