FF as daily Driver?

Well, not knowing how old you are, how important the car is ready to go whenever you need it, and your risk tolerance, I would say go for it.

I bought my FF as DD, although I haven't driven it as much as I wanted this winter because my town spreads so much salt on the roads if even one snow flake falls.

As far as insurance, contact your agent and get a quote.

 

I bought my 2012 FF in 2019 with 28k miles. It replaced my 2006 M5 with 167k miles. I do buy the powertrain warranty for $6k/yr. At 30k miles I used the warranty to cover cost of DCT seal leak for $15k. I haven't had any problems since. I now have 52k miles on it. It does use tires up. You do need to keep it plugged into a charger if car sits more then two days. This is probably due to my front and rear dash cams that stay on while parked

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I needed to replace battery year 1. However I drive it every day or every third or fourth day, no issues with new battery. Buy one with higher mileage as ironic as that may sound. I got mine with lower mileage and before I purhcased it previous owner had valve cover gasket replaced and then I had issue with power steering pump seal failing. Seems like these could have been avoided if car was driven more regularly. Higher mileage should mean PTU or DCT issues are already sorted which would solve for any additional cost on warranties. Technically PTU needs a third-party rebuild to be "bulletproof" into the future from what I've read and not just a dealer replacement.

Regarding comfort and usability: I have an x3M which sees very little use in the summer. I don't drive the FF in the rain only because the cuoio interior is so delicate and I don't want water spots on the door card which was a pain to massage out already once.

 

DD - Do it, I do and love every moment of it. You will need to replace ICE if you do though.

Insurance - I'm in the U.K. Aged 53 with good history. Premium is £320/Year thats £200 less than I was paying for a CayenneT.

Reliability - See PTU. Servicing costs - Just had my 8 year major...total cost £2300. Bloody bargain.

 

Honestly, I am debating trading to a Lusso. The Lusso has a newer feel and upgraded entertainment. I upgraded my radio but what a PITA it was for the shop I brought it to. Ferrari charges 1k+ for the same aftermarket radio harness for a Chrysler 300 from what they told me.

 

I daily mine, have an antigravity battery and even with a battery leak it just works 100% with a push of the button. I'm sure that'll reduce the life a bit but really so long as the thing turns over who cares, the car is going to ***** and moan for 2 minutes on cold startup no matter what from my experience.

That and replace the radio as the chrysler one is truly awful. I think the sound is fine but the headunit is ancient.

Just be cognizant of nicks and scratches, it'll happen. I live in manhattan and scuffed my front driver wheel recently and that hurts even if it's fixable. My solution to the stock wheels being bend prone? TE37s ordered

 

There is absolutely no reason not to daily the FF (in fact, they’re more reliable the more they are used). It gives you that Ferrari ‘specialness’ in an everyday package. Mine is used in all weathers.

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I'm not personally, much prefer the looks of the FF and the ICE upgrade in the stock Lusso is still very sub-par.

 

it's better integrated and at least functional, but the FF is easily swapped for something modern

 

FF is the best daily. Makes every drive feel like an event. I have a Scud that I want to drive more but very rarely do because the FF provides 90% of the Ferrari event with the practicality.

I have a 2013 purchased in 2019 with around 22k miles. It did have an issue with a pinched cable around the PTU which was covered under the extended warranty I purchased but other than that car has been reliable.


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I daily drive my 2015 for about 6 months. It’s a great car. Nothing beats a V12 from Maranello, and experiencing it daily is something few can even dream of. The FF is just really cool and you’ll get lots of thumbs up.

Now, my car had a panoramic roof and it was quite loud even with the stock exhaust, so even though it’s a comfortable car, I’d end up quite tired after a long drive or sitting in traffic. Particularly bad is the drone while idling at a stop light.

Do it, you won’t regret it but know that it won’t be all perfect.

 

Not reliable enough for a dd and Not enough tech for me. Great car, lots of fun but too costly out of warranty to be dd for me


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No hate just an alternative perspective

I always hear, "not reliable enough for DD" but no one ever links to stats. They only made 2500-3000 of the FFs so how accurate can that statement possibly be based on such a small sample size? It's just someone's opinion. Results may vary.

As for the tech. Agreed that the FF lacks the current day wiz-bang technology but that's part of the FFs charm. In the day it came to market it was pretty cutting edge. In my opinion nothing dates a car faster than adding a lot of technology. Screens and software get dated incredibly fast. Lots of analog still in Koenigsegg, Bugatti, Pagani, Gordon Murray's T.50, etc. and those makers are pushing the limits. I do enjoy swept-hand gauges. Kind of timeless if you ask me.

Warranty for Ferrari is pretty comprehensive and not much money compared to the original purchase price. If you MUST have a new "reliable" Ferrari you can buy the upcoming SUV for 500k and it comes with a 7 year warranty FREE! Or buy used FF/Lusso for less than half that and pay like 5k or whatever for the 2 year warranty.

 

Tech comprehensive with what was done in 2012? It has the navigation of a Dodge Grand Caravan and that’s factual. No convenience feature like blind sport assist, terrible cameras etc…
I loved my ff but only at the discounted used car price..robbery new at 350


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not to nitpick, but 2 year warranty for the Lusso is 14k (not the cheaper warranty, but the one that would cover PTU failure if it occurs). Worth it for piece of mind, tho, especially since I got the Lusso for a great price right before used prices started skyrocketing

 

Is it the warranty that's seven years, or just the included maintenance at seven years with the warranty at three years?

 

Service is 7 year not the warranty.


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During winter/salt season my FF is sleeping in my garage with the tender connected for 2 days every 2-3 weeks.
Any other season I love to dd my 2012 FF whenever possible - except for short distances or trips to the city center (don't like dents in the door).
And when driving around town I set the manettino to WET, as suggested in the manual. Makes the city drive much more relaxed.

So if the running costs aren't a problem, I don't see any reason not to dd a FF.

 

Could you please elaborate on this?

 

owners manual page 184.

WET mode
“WET” mode ensures stability on dry as well as on wet roads. It is
therefore recommended for low grip conditions (e.g. rain) and on
slippery or extremely uneven roads, but also to enhance comfort
during city driving. Suspension damping is optimised to provide
the best possible absorption (Level 2); the ESC system switches to
Level 2.

 

And not to nitpick you Todd, my dealer just quoted me $17,400 for 2 years for my 2015 FF. Of course that doesn't include the $400 inspection fee which he said he discounted for me, what a sport!

 

Just some thoughts:

FF/ Lusso- really very similar so its a matter of which flavor you prefer. It is one of my all time favorite cars.

The V12 in either is tuned so well to be a sporty GT. More than enough low end but a monster top end. How they do this is so impressive, we shouldn’t be faulted to call it magic- even though it is clever engineering.

Every machine has its weak spots. Some of the FF/ Lusso have already been discussed.

I would just caution you that the front wheels and tires are more easily damaged than on your garden variety sedan and SUV- so if you live in an area with bad roads this can become a concern.

Ferrari is still a small company and sometimes they have a part in stock but sometimes they don’t. That means its may not be possible to rely on one of these solely as a daily driver. But you can use it most of the time and you are safe so long as you have access to another car. I don’t think most Ferrari dealers provide loaner vehicles.

As to various drive modes- you should use them. If the weather is rainy, use wet, if its snowing (and you have winter tires) use snow. Comfort is a great blend for most driving and then there is sport which is sporty and fun for the times the roads are clear and you want to firm things up. Ferrari’s modes are not the typical- just alter the dampers. They also affect the stability control, the AWD system (called 4RM), the differential engagement, and even the throttle sensitivity and the fuel maps. Thus, the recommendation of wet is not a bad choice for city driving as it will be a little less sensitive throttle and burn a little less fuel and just be a little easier going. The Lusso is just that much more refined and I find comfort is great for when in traffic in clear weather.

I pair my Lusso with a Mercedes S class. When I need to go into the city or a place where the Ferrari might be a little too showy, I just take the Mercedes. I love this paring and I drive both year round. Every member of my family loves the Lusso.

I think the FF/ Lusso is a very unique and special vehicle and I doubt we will ever see the likes of it again. I very much recommend it, just watch out for potholes.

Also the lifter is nice to have- its one of the only Ferraris where it lifts both axels. I think this is due to the length of the vehicle- if you lifted only the front, the rear would end up too low!

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