It's Christmas Day. I'm stuck in self-quarantine alone and looking for an excuse not to work. Here goes: I have lived in several countries, and thought long and hard about where to buy my first Ferrari. Someone recently posted an article about how Korea is hell for exotics, which I don't entirely agree with - I chose to buy mine here based on the following: BUSAN, S. KOREA: Costs (incl. tax, running, etc) - good compared to the rest of Asia (17 488GTB 11k miles, $270k). 7/10 Driving Roads - very hilly, some fun mountain blasts - but lots of traffic. 6/10 Places to Go - different cities, scenic spots... Just don't cross any borders (!) - 6/10 The Law - seems crazy strict at first, but there are unwritten rules... I'm yet to get a speeding fine. Not necessarily because I always do the limit 7/10 Public Reaction - zero overt hatred or envy. Either respectful enthusiasm, or indifference. No intrusive Qs. Occasional indignant Hyundai dashboard warrior who crawls in the fast lane and refuses to move - which means you just get the additional pleasure of dropping a couple gears, shifting lanes, and blasting him - 8/10 Safety - no vandals, super low crime, no worries. Can park it anywhere. Nothing but decency and respect for property. This was a huge consideration, having grown up in a bad part of London. 10/10 TOTAL: 44/60 This compares favorably to other places I have lived and considered exotic ownership - Sydney (28), Johor Bahru, Malaysia (31), London (30), and Singapore (26). Over to you - rate your location! Responses will seriously get me thinking about where in the world to move next. For copy/paste: Costs - Driving Roads - Places to Go - The Law - Public Reaction - Safety - NOTE - the criteria above were those most relevant to me, and quite universal. But not an exhaustive list. Feel free to add those which matter to you, for example: - Car Community - hard to assess as a low-profile foreigner in Korea, would guess 3/10 - Ease and Ability to Modify - possibly the worst country on earth for mods - 1/10 - Scoring Potential - just married - no comment! - Rarity - exotics rare, but tons of luxo-barges. 8/10 - Tracking - not a thing, but I hear there is a place, guessing 3/10 Buon Natale!
Santa Barbara County. Great backroads and little traffic. Excellent weather. Perfect car weather. In the 70s today. Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk
I'd have to agree that CA does seem one of the better places - or the amalfi coast! I'm in London and I would think that's one of the worst places to be honest! Struggle to get over 40 mph!
Geneva...... negatives: insurance and road taxes are high. the fines for speeding in switzerland are draconian and expensive. parking can be very expensive. positives: the roads in country can be fun - if you can dodge the dragnet. italy is 45 minutes away.....
My friend that I used to work with just bought a BMW adventure bike, and is talking about going to Ireland and renting a couple of the same bikes and doing some riding over there, I would consider that, but even more I wouldnt mind shipping my 328 over to Europe and having a go at driving there. Thank you
Interesting question. I would argue California but two things make buying a car here hell. 1) High Taxes 2) Very strict Smog Rules look forward to seeing what others bring up.
I live in west central Florida, US ... not great for much of anything. I would think northern Italy would be close to, if not best.
Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Every Sunday, I try my best, at 5.30am, to drive Carmel to Cambria. I don't always succeed, but I fail to see how it can get much better than this !!
North Texas ain't bad IMO. But you have to get outside the Metroplex triangle defined by Dallas - Fort Worth - Denton. My favorite is the long driving season as winters are usually mild & dry; summers are beastly hot though, but if you get up early and escape the DFW heat island, drives can be tolerable. Roads are typically in good shape outside the Metroplex, not inordinately busy with traffic. Not a lot of elevation change and not the curviest /most scenic roads, but if you get closer to the Red River - the border with Oklahoma - there is some of that. Car related taxes seem reasonable to me; inspection is limited, I think, to the largest, urban counties. For F-cars there are great service options, and in normal years we have active FCA and PCA chapters with cool people. Gas is cheap compared to many states, and we can get 93 octane! Perhaps the thing I like about driving the F-car here is that once you get out into the exburbs, small towns, etc. other drivers, bicyclists, motorcyclists, off roaders, etc. that I've encountered do tend to "Drive Friendly, The Texas Way". All in all, it's proven a good place to make our Ferrari dream a Ferrari reality. T
I have to agree. With the awful roads, traffic, rain, vandals, and militant cyclists, I have nothing but respect for you. I was back in London just a couple of weeks ago and saw a Kuwaiti-plated Chiron crawling around Knightsbridge. Of all the places to ship your Chiron!!
In my admittedly limited experience, but having lived on 3 continents and have traveled to 39 countries... California, USA is automotive Mecca, full stop. Germany may have the Autobahn (I lived in Munich for 4.5 years) but that doesn’t equate to good driving at all. Schell? Ja. Gut? Nein. I now call Colorado, USA home. I think Colorado and Utah give California a run for its money on superb roads and incredible scenery, but California wins every time. It has everything. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
The Netherlands. I rate it 3 out of 10. The good: The best road surface in the world. No potholes. Super smooth asphalt really. Germany and Italy are close The bad: The most boring roads in the world, it’s basically all flat. Many speed cameras’s. Maximum speed is 100 km/hour, it used to be 130 km/hour but then came climate change. High fines. Over 50 km/hour too fast = lose your driving license for at least 2 months. High road tax. High tax for registering new cars (BPM tax). The many many (leased) Tesla’s around Amsterdam/Schiphol area who want to ‘race’ you.
I did 8 months in Amsterdam in 2008, worked in the Rembrandt Tower, Amstelplein. I can add one more to your list - weather. I don't know if 2008 was a particularly bad year, but it was worse than London. Horizontal freezing rain. Crazy wind (because it's so flat). I'm sure the taxes are insane and a lot of people look at you like you're the anti-Christ. Seems like SoCal is getting a whole lotta love. I've driven around LA in airport rentals, but that's where my experience of CA ends (except a drive out to Palm Springs - very unfamiliar desert landscape). Based on these photos, I need to explore more thoroughly...
I split time between Long Island and Florida and neither offers much in the way of driving although Florida is much easier in the registration and paperwork department. Our FCA Chapter shipped our cars out to Scottsdale last year for the annual meet and we all thought we died and went to car heaven. The backroads and canyon roads were spectacular, so my vote would be there.
I lived in California for 15 years...both Northern and Southern California. Colorado for 18 years. England for 7 years. Asia for 3 years. Traveled throughout the world. I lived in Southern Germany for 6 years with driving throughout Europe. Hands downs for me the best place for Ferrari ownership nirvana would be the Alps and the Dolomites, especially the mountain or near mountain regions of Southern Germany, Northern Italy, Austria, France, and Switzerland. Roads of all different types from high speed autobahns/autostrassas to hairpin twisties, scenery with contrasting low valleys and high mountain peaks, great food at little out-of-the-way restaurants, good people, and the ability to drive spontaneously and quickly between countries. Cons: maybe getting the Ferrari serviced if you are not near a big city (as is the case of most countries) but one is relatively close. And the winters can be harsh. Overall, yes indeed, car driving heaven and the driving enjoyment is what Ferrari ownership is all about.
You do need to explore. Worth it IMO. The varied landscapes, the car culture & widespread exotics make So. California second to none among places I've visited. On one our last trips out there, we were behind a Koenigsegg on the PCH, classic Bugatti at the Mullin Museum in Oxnard, low riders in LA, Porsches by the jillions everywhere, Ferrari aplenty in Beverly Hills, etc. etc. T
Nothing could top that. Nothing better then a 90 minute drive from Monterey to Hearst Castle Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
Colorado is great for the canyon driving and the 300 days of sunshine. Down side is the cold weather in the winter, and the canyons get sand and gravel in the winter. At least there are some warm days in the winter to drive around the front range.
Here in the NC Mountains are some of the best driving roads. Cruise with views on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Or run hard and fast on The Rattler...switchbacks, sweepers and straights back to sweepers and finish with switchbacks. Many other fine roads in nearby TN too. Image Unavailable, Please Login Beautiful views and colors changing with the seasons. The back country roads are not of concern to the local county sheriffs. Don't speed on the interstates, suburbia nor towns....common sense applies.