458 Spider - To buy or not

Go with what your heart desires. The wife can buy her own car if she doesn't like riding in it. I'm sure she has a car already. Your kids will love you taking them to school in it.

If you're worried about value, performance etc then get a Nissan GTR. It will give you much better bang for your buck however it will never be a Ferrari on any level. Point being: don't compare too hard.

My real life experience: own a fully paid-for Maserati GranTurismo at age 22. Life is too short to listen to the naysayers.

 

If you are a car guy...get the Ferrari first. That way, you will own the best and won't have the urge to upgrade quickly. I bought a 458 last year and love it. I would trade it in for a 458 Spider and maybe, maybe an F 12. Some day perhaps a mclaren. But love the super car dream. You earned it.
Oh, and the family won't care to be in the car as much as you will, so IMO get it for you, not anyone else. The Cali is a compromise. Go big. 458.

 

if it helps I can share my own decisions..

I was fortunate enough to buy a California 30 last year for my 40th - bought it for the 2+2 so I can take the kids etc and a bit more practical, and car had so much more soul and sound vs others I had test driven.

However as a life long car nut, 12 months later I'm now looking to upgrade to a 458 Spider instead having caught the Ferrrari bug.

1) Drive is more visceral and more fun than the Cali, feels more supercar.
2) I've found that the novelty of all 3 kids in the car and using the Cali for shopping & everyday use, more mundane driving etc, for me has worn off. It is not a daily driver for me, but weekend fun car and I think I'll appreciate the 458 more in this regard.
3) For me, ability to take kids in the car not a priority anymore - we can't take whole family anyway (only 4 seats not 5), and I find that worrying about where the car is parked, is it Ok etc, can get in the way of enjoying whatever activity I'm doing with my kids, or influence where we decide to go. So 458 will be drivers car for my fun, not for family.

My advice would be factor in if it needs to be a daily driver or not, and how practical you need it to be. Cali is a great car and I've enjoyed it immensely, gets a lot of positive attention whilst driving,but 458 different league on driving enjoyment front. Vs McLaren/Lambo which I've also driven, for me I'm hooked on Ferrari now wih the sound,looks and brand all playing a part,even if not the fastest any more.

Best of luck with your decision, a nice one to have to make !

 

Here's my thoughts. I've been on the fence now for awhile, on whether or not to add a Cali T. I think it's a more exciting and better riding car than the Cali/Cail 30, so there's that. But I would never get rid of our 458 Spider for it and the 458 makes a Cali seem rather dull frankly, and that's my point. If you are into the idea of a truly exotic sports car with all the fizz, giggles-per-mile etc, get the mid engine razor. I know I'm going to take some flack for this, but I think the 458 is worlds apart from the Cali. To me, the Cali, albeit being a Ferrari, will never be a car in the same league as the 458, FF and F12 - and I'm not a huge fan of the ride of the Cali/Cali 30 either. Besides that, it's a GT.
As for the 650S Spider, dunno, never driven one. If you can live with a hardtop car, why not look into the FF? V12, room for the entire family if that's a concern etc.

Drive them, and make a decision. If you think losing 50 grand in two years is bad, consider whether or not this game is for you. You'll never know what the market will do. The depreciation is just what you pay for the good times, that's all it is.

 

i own both a '13 458 spider and a '14 cali.
my wife will not drive the spider.
she will drive the cali, as it is much less intimidating for her.
my kids are grown, so the rear seat is a non-issue for me.
prediction: should you get the cali, you will always yearn for the the spider.
should you get the spider, your wife will demand a nicer ring and a watch to go along with it!.
life can be soo complicated!!!!
by the way, the cali should depreciate at around $10K/year.
the spider will depreciate at around $25K/year.

 

My two penneth,
I have 3 children 17/15/5 and bought a 458 spider.Fantastic car but very much a car you go out for a drive in rather than use. Traded it for an FF - fantastic car and very much a car that you can use rather than honour for a drive in.
My wife will also drive the FF.
I couldn't be happier with my choice , Take a test drive , they are both superb, and then decide which suits your lifestyle the best.
Tbh you won't lose either way
Cheers,Bob

 

Test drove a Cali and it was not as much fun to drive as the 360 spider I had at the time. Much of it is the engine is in front rather than the rear. And I have decided I just do not like convertibles with back seats.

When my three children were small like yours we always had three cars...his, hers and a roadster such as a Miata or SL 500.

If you like convertibles, don't think you can beat 458 spider for fun. 20k trouble free miles. Just a fantastic car.

You will love it.

 

@ OP.

You aren't worried about depreciation but you don't want it to drop $100k. Can someone please spell contradiction??

Sart

 

I think the point being there is a degree here where excessive depreciation will influence the OP's decision to buy a 458 Spider now. $50k is one thing, $100k is another if you even remotely consider a 488 Spider as an upgrade down the line.

I have similar concerns in my own purchase - it is a tough one to predict as you get different views depending on who you ask.

if anyone has figures on F430 spider depreciation over the 458 introduction that would be a useful data point, per the OP's earlier question.

 

These threads always baffle me.
How do we know what you'd like?
My question to you is: "Have you driven all or any of the cars you mention considering?"
If not, then do. Otherwise this is just an exercise in futility and many on this forum will not take you seriously.
If you have driven them, then buy what you like. It's that easy.

You're profile being blank, the fact you only have three posts, and post #10 and your response #11, start suggesting troll

 

I bought a new 2012 and specced it at the atelier - great experience. I used it as a daily driver and loved every minute of it. Sold it and waiting for May build of my Aperta. Don't agree with you at all that it's car you drive rather than use. All the modern Ferraris can be used as daily drivers - they're that good. Have driven a couple of the Maclarens and just don't like them. They deliver the performance numbers but I find them bland and uninteresting. My spider was just such a pleasure to get in and drive. My Aperta will be a daily driver.

 

Fwiw , I've had my spider for about 2 weeks and love it. Just buy the car and be done with it. It's a loosing proposition all the way around. However it's worth every penny and then some. You won't be sorry. Ps. This life is not a dressed rehearsal .

 

I may be mistaken and if so, please ignore my comments. I think the OP, like many of us when initially looking to get an Fcar is concerned about usability vs depreciation. These are two separate factors.

You'll most likely love the 458 spider much more than a Cali. Not sure about the Mac. I don't feel like the 458 Spider is a daily driver, though some here do use it as such. The Mac would fall into the same category. If you really want something that the entire family can enjoy with a "top down" experience....the Cali is your choice from the ones presented.

Any of these exotics could depreciate a significant amount. They certainly will go down in value. Mac seems to do so more than the 458 in that regard. The 458 replacement is out and will drive down the 458 prices however, spiders traditionally hold resale value better as they are more sought after. You have to consider the cost of ownership as part of the equation.

 

Bringing up something that has been expressed many times in other threads: if you've never owned a Ferrari before, you're an unlikely candidate for an allocation for, say, a 488. Even if you received an allocation, it would likely be several years out, very close to the introduction of the all-new model around 2018. At that point, although you would be paying list for a new car, the depreciation scenario would be similar to that for someone buying a new 458 now. I know that every time I buy a new car, depreciation is waiting to kill my so-called "investment." My advice to you would be to try to find a used 458 Spider closest to your ideal color and options spec. I was lucky enough to be able to do just that last year. While the value of my car, on paper, has taken a large hit, the fact that I bought a unique car to my personal tastes is all that counts. I'm not looking for the next one, as I love the one that I recently bought. Not only that, I enjoyed it all last summer, and those experiences can't be overstated. The same holds true for my three-pedal F430 Spider, the likes of which I haven't seen advertised for sale in the over 3 1/2 years since I purchased it. You can't time the market, just as you can't time the stock market. You can only search for what you most want. Happy hunting! Fred

 

Based on your car buying track record and with kids the age of yours, you'd be better off listening to your wife.

 

You are already over 40....get the 458 now and enjoy. Soon, eyesight and reflexes will be waning.
I should have listened to this advise from other owners 7 years ago when I first started reading FCHAT!!!

 

If I read this correctly it almost sounds like you are looking at the Cali as a compromise: Yes, still a Ferrari but not the one YOU really want. Buy the one YOU really want to drive - there are much better options for "family friendly vehicles" than any Ferrari.

 

I have owned a 2013 Cali which was eventually traded for a 2014 Spider. My advice:
If your budget allows, go for the Spider. Dont worry about the 488, you are several years away from getting a build so enjoy the Spider now.
This is your opportunity to reward yourself for your success, drive what makes you feel good.

 

If you want to go fast get the 650s. If you want to look good and make lots of noise get the 458 spider.

 

Go for it I started doing exotics almost 10 years ago after some good luck/hard work too. Im the same age, have the same age girls and a wife who could car less about cars. If you need back seats, get the Cali T or the 911TTS. Otherwise for a second car the 458 is king. Expensive sure, depreciation yes -- lots of it regardless of style, year or coupe/spider (figure about 10%+/year).

If its a dream just do it and don't look back. My 8 year old daughter rides in the front as she is big/heavy enough and I just make sure her seat is all the way back as I still worry about airbags and there is no way to turn them off manually and now my 5 year old can't wait to go. The Mrs is warming up to the car too and just realizes its a cheep mistress that she's ok with..

 

ordered and bought a well equipped 430 Spider new in 2008. Ordered a 458 Spider in spring of 2012 and took about a 30% haircut on the trade after 4 years of ownership.

BTW, having had a 355 spider, there was no comparison between the improvement of the 430 over the 355 and that was dwarfed by how much better the 458 is versus the 430.

Actually was on the waiting list for the 430 longer than I owned it.

Having had numerous Porsches, Lambos, etc. - they may be quicker, handle better, be more practical, or whatever, but at the end of the day they are not a Ferrari. If you are a true car guy there still is nothing like owning a Ferrari.