Hi, I am curious to hear from owners how do they use their Ferraris? Do you just use it for the track? Club events? Short drives when family allows? I live in a big city away from fun roads and debating if I can actually use a car like this? Thanks!
I drive mine whenever I can. Mostly that ends up being for events/club outings, but I also just take the family and go. I also think it might depend on what models you are looking into, as mine is a GT car so it's meant to be driven. Sent from my Nokia 6.1 using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Right, there are a lack of fun roads here.....I use my exotics (no Ferraris) on weekends, mostly point A-A drives, I live on the West side so drive I-10, 59 in Sugarland, Grand Parkway. Between the 2 of them I put on 2,500 miles per year. Yes, the cars can be enjoyed here.
Same here. Grocery shopping (pre-pandemic at any rate), date night with the wife, solo drives in the country, FCA events, etc...T
Dry weather daily driver -- to work (when I used to do that), errands (HEB, PO, Lowe's, etc.), and to the Gym (but I live/lived in Suburbia, not a "big city").
Weekends only here, no track days. I live outside of town and commute in during the week, so my weekend drives are pretty pleasant.
Mostly point A to A point A and car events. I have small kids which take up a lot of my non-working time, otherwise I’d probably drive it way more frequently. If I was at “home” and didn’t have my car jacket on it all the time, I’d drive it for errands too. The only reason I wouldn’t drive it to work every day is because I prefer coworkers not know that I own one.
All great feedback, thanks. The car in question for me would be either a 360 or a 430. I do remember a parent dropping off his kids at the daycare (Kipling) in a silver California and I thought it was frigging cool. Of course every one else thought he was showing off but when you see the car every AM... my only fun road is near Carlos, TX
Two things I'd mention. For one, there should be closer driving roads than Carlos if you're coming from Houston. I know @Texas Forever says he's got some great driving roads in the Montgomery area which is about 40 min from Carlos, TX. The other thing is that these cars sound and feel incredible while you're driving, and driving on any road will feel like an event. Moreso than the newer cars since these (360/F430) feel more visceral at low speeds. I've driven the 458, it feels pretty docile during normal driving, whereas just cruising in the F430, you still feel the vibrations and hear the sounds; especially with aftermarket headers. On the dropping off your kids in a Ferrari. Tough call. I still get self-conscious about people thinking I'm showing off, but I've gotten better about just not caring. I spent good money to realize one of my dreams, and I'm not going to have a stranger ruin that for me. Then again my kids aren't school aged yet, so ask me again in another year or two, lol! The driving to work thing is different because it can impact your career or business in unpredictable ways.
I used to drive the 348 quite a bit... before the bad times. I always tried to drive it to work on Fridays to make sure that it got some exercise. That was from town out to the Energy Corridor and back on I-10 so not really a very exciting drive, but at least it was seat time. But driving a Ferrari to work requires the right attitude from your co-workers and clients. Then I would just try and drive it as much as possible on the weekend, random errands, maybe 5 or 6 Ferrari club events a year, to the kart track, etc. I don't really track it because it's a convertible without any kind of roll over protection, but once a year the club is invited out to MSR-H for a free track day so I usually go to that. The thing that holds me back from driving it more is just the terrible condition of inner city Houston streets. A 360 or 430 will definitely ride better than my car, but I cringe a lot over some of the bumps in my neighborhood.
The Carlos boogie is cool. Just be aware the deputy dawgs make their book on this road. I have fun in the corners, but back it down on the straights. I got my last ticket there in 2005. I had driven my Maranello one way and then decided to double back. Mistake. I nailed it coming out of one curve onto a long straight and the V1 starts screaming. I just pulled over, rolled down the window and put my hands on top of the wheel. First thing the Deputy says is, "You have fast reactions." He was cool. He only wrote me for 20 over. I'm sure it was a lot worse.
You're not kidding there. Years ago, when I lived inside the loop, I had a Porsche Cayman S. It was slightly lowered. Anyway, by the time I traded it in, the bottom plastic was pretty torn up from the roads. I remember once trying to beat a red light on intersection somewhere west of 610 Galleria, and I'm pretty sure I caught air because I'd overlooked a major bump in the intersection (it was dark). If it wasn't the roads it was the rain. The same car almost flooded when I got caught in a torrential downpour near the Menil. I was parked on the center (crest) of the road as the water creeped up around me. Couldn't cross the intersection because the water was at about headlight level on either side of me. Close call, but eventually made it out. Houston can be rough on cars.
I use it as eye candy as I pace around talking on the phone since my home office is directly off the garage. I use it to drive to Forth Worth once a month for the Ferrari breakfast since my son lives a mile away. Sadly, not for much else lately. When I last got it inspected, the guy checking me out said "sir, did you know that since you were here last year, you've put less than 1000 miles on the car?". Um, yeah.
California and California T , daily driver in and around DFW, and for as many FCA events as possible in any given month. 512M, only driven to events that involve static display, as it is for sale, so minimal miles. Dealership Demo ( 575M, Lusso, Portofino, Roma, F8, F8 Spider, etc ) used to lead drives, stage at FCA events whenever possible. Oh, and demos are used when we go out of state for our owners rallys, where we spend 3-4+ days driving all over the place!! Steve
Oh and make sure whichever variant you choose, it has the " bumpy road " option for the suspension, that helps alot when driving in the city. ( IMO ) S
They’re great for quick trips to the grocery store. Except I always get lost on the way home. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Taking the F-car to Costco? Most excellent! The ultimate grocery getter! Image Unavailable, Please Login T
Interesting post. I sold my 328GTS since the roads in my area are completely shot. The potholes, older chip and seal which lives up to its name with “chipping” the paint, and narrow lanes on the country back roads really doesn’t make for a nice driving experience when you’re more concentrating on avoiding craters than the driving. Wouldn’t have sold it had known we would be moving so soon. I’m looking forward to moving back to paved roads and a closer proximity to things. I’ll be driving the next Ferrari I get a heck of a lot more and every chance I get! cheers Dave
I remember pre-driving a Sunday Morning Drive in your area, spent the day trying to put a drive together that was " Ferrari " friendly, your hospitality and offer was MOST generous, I wish we could have made it happen. Glad to hear you are moving closer in, BTW you are welcome to come out to the events even before you get your replacement Ferrari! Steve
Hi Steve, I'll drop you a note tomorrow. We're here for two more months so let's try and coordinate something! It would be a great farewell to our ranch. There's a great BBQ place that just opened up down here I can have catering ready! I'll PM you tomorrow... Cheers Dave PS: yes, looking forward to being a regulator up there now
I do my best to get out of the city and drive back county roads. Driving in the city is not that much fun. Potholes. Uneven pavement and road construction make very unpleasant experience esp. in the loop. Near Carlos Texas is the “Anderson loop”. a fun drive near H-town. Route: FM 149 from Texas 105, Montgomery to FM 3090, then north to FM 244, then south to Texas 6, Navasota area
I really enjoy reading the stories, thank you for sharing. Houston is not nice to drivers and I do not enjoy parking events much. still mumbling
It depends on which car. I think the new Roma is a good GT and would work well in Houston. It’s elegant like an Aston but it’s a Ferrari. I also think the Lusso is also a good car for that. The more exotic cars like the F12, 812, Pista and even the F8 are probably slightly less good if only because they are flashier. Personally, I drive all my Ferraris everywhere, but I have completely lost my mind.