Ferrari’s horrible daily driving experience

I highly doubt your childhood dream was an FF.

Buy the Ferrari you dreamed of as a child as your weekend car, get a Porsche as your daily

problem solved

 

Just thank your lucky stars you didn't buy a McLaren!

 

458 is great not a bad car but probably not the one you dreamed of, what was the actual Ferrari you wanted growing up? Sell the 458 and FF, buy the childhood dream Ferrari and the Porsche Carrera 4S. Your inner child will justify the Ferrari it always wanted and your adult side will love the practicality of the Porsche

I also agree with you Ferrari as a daily is a bad idea, I used to daily drive a Ferrari when I was younger and it completely ruined the experience for me, I came back to the brand and now I only drive my Ferrari when I have time to enjoy it and it’s been a completely different experience. I also bought the one I actually wanted instead of the latest and greatest… this is why I’m giving you the advice I went through something similar

 

What is the spec of your 458? I may be interested in buying it.

 

The Porsche is a great car. There were a ton of GT3’s at Willow Spring yesterday for a track day. Only one Ferrari. The Porsches were the fastest cars there.

The Ferrari has an aura to it, but let’s face it, they aren’t the best cars.

Kinda like comparing a Harley to a Gold Wing. If I wanted to go across the United States on a trip, the Gold Wing would be best.


Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat

 

Most Ferrari drivers do not track their cars so typically the average Porsche GT3 owner is faster than the average Ferrari owner.
I do believe however that with similarly skilled drivers a 488 is faster on track than a GT3 (the GT3 has better tyres but the 488 has a lot more power).

 

This is a major issue for me. Not the proximity of a dealer, but lack of qualified service techs in general, anywhere outside of a major city. There are NO Ferrari dealers anywhere in the states of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, both Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and about 10 others. And if any of those states have independent shops that are qualified to work on Ferraris, they are surely located in the major population centers. That means if you want to own a Ferrari, you'd better be in or near a major city in one of the 30 or so states that actually have a place where it can be serviced.

Take me, for instance. I live in a small town too far from Denver to be considered a suburb. I have a 328, which is too old for a dealer to know anything about. The two reputable Ferrari indy shops in the Denver area that I have access to are way up on the north side of Denver. I have no family and no friends that can help me drop off or pick up the car, so I rely on public transportation options. It takes 4 hours each way for me to get from my house to the shop using buses, trains and uber, even though the shops are only 40 miles from my home. I'm retired, so wasting a day getting my car there/home is not so much an issue, but what a hassle! And what if public transportation wasn't available? For me, that would make Ferrari ownership nearly impossible.

This means if I ever want to move somewhere, I'm extremely limited in where I can move to. I'd have to buy a trailer and tow vehicle or else give up the Ferrari and just own regular cars where service options are everywhere and not needed frequently.

Ferrari ownership is difficult, expensive and extremely inconvenient. I'll keep my 328 for as long as I can stand it, but a day will come when the love wears off and off to a new owner it will go.

 

I get this. I'm quite lucky that the dealer is two turns and 3 miles from my house, about halfway between my home and office. Rideshare is about $10 if I need, and I can usually drop off on the way in to work in the AM and then get a ride over when it's ready. I would not drive them like I do without that convenience.

I even joke that I can't switch to Lambo because they're on the other side of the valley about 25 mins from my house, straight shot down the freeway. Alfa just moved from near my house to Henderson side by Lambo and it was a relative PITA to get the car there and back.

 

you can daily a ferrari - i did it for nearly a decade.
but, it has downsides.

porsche is a better daily for sure....but its also just a porsche.
it all depends on how much 'special' you want in your life.
and you have answered it.

 

Your first complaint is the dealer is too far away. That has nothing to do with the cars' quality (or lack thereof.)

The second whinge is you didn't get a loaner. I suggest you look at other insurance providers; my policy provides a vehicle even with an event unrelated to a loss. Did you expect a spare FF? Do Lamborghini, Mclaren, or Porsche provide a loaner GT3 or comparable while in repairs?

Tertiary whine is about issues to an eight-year-old car that should or shouldn't occur. I approach used cars without these assumptions. I've found every 8-year-old vehicle I've had had issues, including my Toyota.

As far as your 14K warranty, it pays to read what it covers. This applies to any warranty.

I've attached it for you for reference.

Enjoy Porsche, in my opinion, they are objectively the best cars in the world.

 

i agree it is frustrating, and expensive. spent $30k over 9 years on the 456mgt i had, and many months on the shop. i understand your feelings.
i have also tried to daily other ferraris, with far less luck. so again, i am not arguing with you.
all i am saying here and in other threads of this nature is that if you can put up with those two frustrating aspects, it is a special privilege to daily a ferari.
i never got a loaner either, but i usually have a lot of cars at my disposal, of all kinds, so at least i did not have that issue on top of the rest.

and i have, and have had porsches. i like them. and they are competent and tough, and probably better suited to your needs.
but they will not be as rare or special as a ferrari.
you just have to weigh up what your needs and tolerances are.

 

Hi Robert,

I do believe you've had problems with your used car. I can say that I've known many people that daily their FF/Lusso (even an Especiale) with no issues; as they say - different strokes for different folks.

Don't confuse this with me arguing the used car you got is NOT a lemon, I believe you. Just that your experiences don't match my own.

Also, my dealer, Silicon Valley Ferrari has consistently bent over backward for me.

What dealer do you use if I may ask?

 

I daily drove a 355 and a California.

The 355 was a daily for a couple years and the only issue i had was the convertible top constantly malfunctioning. But that never stopped me from daily driving it.

Then I drove my California daily for 4 years and 30k miles and never had a single problem.

Point being, your single data point isnt really meaningful.

 

And no doubt you've spent considerable time bending over frontward for them. Every new Ferrari should come with a jar of vaseline in the tool kit.

 

unfortunately, and as maddening as it is to me as well, ferrari makes few enough cars that they are all sold before they get made - so there is never any signal to them to improve customer service, transmission lidespan, or sticky buttons.....

 

Well I have no sympathy that you didn't know the dealer was a long distance from your home or that they did not supply loaners (my insurance policy covers loaners, but I guess you are in Canada and insurance may be different there). All that is something you should have known before you purchased. The same applies to not reading your warranty to know what it does, and does not, cover.

I do sympathize with your corrupted electronic brake wire. My 2015 FF has the same problem and it is a $5200 repair. Whether it should have gone in 7 years, well I drive the car in all weather so stuff happens.

As far as Porsche and other makes, my wife drives a Porsche Panamera and I also drive a Lexus LS460. I'm on both forums. I bought the Panamera because it's what my wife wanted (happy wife, happy life), but I can tell you it has been no picnic for me since I'm the one who has to take care of it.

The Lexus LS460, arguably it is the most reliable car you can buy, and you wouldn't believe how people trash that car on the Club Lexus forum. The fact is some people only join a car forum to ***** about a problem. Nobody joins a car forum just to say, "Gee, my [insert make here] has just run spectacularly with zero repairs or problems, and the dealer is the best in the world".