Have You Consolidated Your Car Collection to Attain a Grail - (F40!)? | Page 2 | FerrariChat

Have You Consolidated Your Car Collection to Attain a Grail - (F40!)?

Discussion in 'Ferrari Discussion (not model specific)' started by plastique999, Nov 28, 2019.

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  1. ross

    ross Three Time F1 World Champ
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    i was thinking some more about this and here is another point for reducing the number of cars, and that is the incremental costs of insurance, storage, and maintenance.

    if you have only one car of great value, you will spend far less than if you had 10 cars of the same value in total.

    my dad and i have each spent about $100 k this year on our cars and related car expenses. granted, we are in the middle of 3 restoration/creation projects, but still, if you add up all that we spend on storing them, insuring them, transporting them, and maintaining them, never mind the time it takes to deal with them all, you can make a good case for consolidation.

    on the other hand, you then limit your exposure to different experiences, and people.
     
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  2. ross

    ross Three Time F1 World Champ
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    and here is another, separate and different thought for the OP.....

    yes, the F40 is kind of a sweet spot for car enthusiasts.
    at between $1 and 1.5 mil, it is not so expensive that you cannot justify running around in it, like say an enzo might be, or even worse a macf1. but it is special enough that when you are in it, it feels like an occasion- if you want to know what it feels like to be brad pitt, then drive an F40 into a venue.

    by contrast - which i saw first hand this last weekend at the ferrari festival in houston, phil malucek drove in with his 250LM and barely caused a ripple amongst the hoi polloi. the cognoscenti knew what they were looking at, but 90% of the crowd had no idea that his car was worth 10 LaF's.
     
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  3. Veedub00

    Veedub00 F1 Rookie
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    I sold my WRX, 80's BMW, and 1960 VW to get me in my Testarossa. I didn't sell my 1964 Lincoln Continental though.
     
  4. 71Satisfaction

    71Satisfaction Formula 3

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    Selling off to concentrate on a single collector car isn't something I've considered.

    It probably stems from not having a single "Holy Grail" car that I aspire to, and I'll never spend so much on a single car that I leave myself no reserves with which to buy something in addition. That's just my financial style.

    I'm also fortunate the cars that I *do* aspire to aren't the costliest ones in the world and I can tend my investments til I get there.

    I like too many different aspects of too many different cars. I doubt I could own just one without coming across something else interesting within my means and just buying it. I run into problems like - if "The One" car is down for maintenance, what do I drive for pleasure? I have 5, each one was selected for a reason, each one gets rotated into use, each one gets mileage, each one gets maintained, each one is shown, each one is loved.

    As I age though, and maintenance becomes more problematic, I could foresee a time when I'd focus on fewer cars. In that scenario, I'd treat myself to a Miura, and keep an Espada or Khamsin on the side.

    In the meantime, I am fortunate I've never had to sell anything to afford my 'curated' collection. They don't overlap, each one serves a unique experience or purpose.

    Cheers,
    - Art
     
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  5. ryalex

    ryalex Two Time F1 World Champ
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  6. blkfxstc

    blkfxstc Formula Junior
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    I would dump all but 2 daily drivers, keep the CGT and Speciale, then add your grail to that. It is obvious you like some variety, dumping most of your vehicles for a grail doesn’t sound like the right decision for you.
     
  7. plastique999

    plastique999 F1 Veteran
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    I was just having this discussion with others comparing usage, cost, and fun factor....
    Cost: I realized that annuals on these 3 cars (16M, Speciale, SV), as well as others (RR, CGT, Aston, etc.) are at least $1k each. Thus getting rid of 3 or 4 would be about $5k per year. Then I’d have to look at insurance and registration etc.
    Ross what is maintainace cost on an F40 annually?

    Usage: I drive these about...
    16M - once every 6 weeks
    Speciale - once every 2 weeks
    SV - once every 6 weeks

    CGT - once every 8 weeks
    Rolls - once every 4 weeks

    Fun Factor Driving Experience:
    CGT - 9.7
    Speciale - 9.5
    16M - 9
    MurcieSV - 6

    If the F40 is a 9.9, then it’s a shoe in.



    Sent from my 16M
     
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  8. ross

    ross Three Time F1 World Champ
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    well every car and everybody is different.
    my particular F40 came to me in pretty good shape and maintenance. i still had a full service, belt change, new tires etc when i bought it. that was like $5k
    then i ran it for a couple years in geneva. my old mechanic took care of it, and did a few things; i think one of the cam sensors needed replacing, and he added a hidden cigar lighter power source to power my tomtom, so maintenance cost was low, around $3k.
    then it went into storage for 4 years, during which i had to put the headliner back in, and redid the seats, and put a couple small things back to stock, so that cost about $5k,
    now i have it back with me in houston. there is some deferred maintenance that i need to catch up. i have already spent 4k on that, and it will likely cost me $20k in january.
    so i have owned it for 9 years, and the total cost will get to about $40k during that period. so call it $5k/year on average.

    but that will vary depending on what kind of car you get, what kind of life it had before you, and where you get the work done. dealers tend to bleed you dry, and others see the car and pad the bill. its the rare guy who treats it like a 308, which is what it is actually like.....

    frankly, it is not a complicated car. but it is also not a car that likes to either sit around, or be driven like a honda.
    so once i get it back into the driving shape i am aiming for, i will be driving it much more frequently - time permitting.

    i dont know your life schedule, but your driving frequency described above is too low imo.
    i make the effort to drive each car at least once per month, and for the ones that need it then quite a bit more than that.
    i encourage my dad to do the same with the ones in his garages - but he is not as diligent about doing so.
    granted, some of them are garage queens and do not need, and should not be, driven too much.

    anyway, overall as you know if you do not drive the cars they actually disintegrate faster.

    as far as fun factor - everybody has a different rating scheme. and it is somewhat dependent on location too.
    i must admit that driving fun factor in houston vs europe is about 50% less. the roads here suck, the roads are straight, there is too much traffic, too many bad drivers, and lots of eager cops. the f40 driving experience is very high in the right circumstances, but in the wrong ones - high traffic, gawkers, bad roads, dangerous areas, goes negative - the stress level overwhelms the pleasure.
     
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  9. rampante550

    rampante550 Formula Junior

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    For a good example of someone doing this, lookup Adam Carolla purchasing Paul Newman's Porsche 935 a few years ago. I think he sold a handful of Lamborghinis in order to fund. I think if you have a clear target and can make it work, at some point you'll make it happen.
     
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  10. henryr

    henryr Two Time F1 World Champ
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  11. I'm 360 Canuck

    I'm 360 Canuck Formula 3

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    Although the f40 isn’t my grail car, I like the concept of downsizing to just your true love.

    ive been thinking about doing that with my guitar collection. I probably don’t need 12-13 guitars. Keeping one and thinning the herd to get a genuine ‘burst or other ‘50’s Gibson, is where my heart is lately,
     
  12. LightGuy

    LightGuy Three Time F1 World Champ
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    At a recent F1 watching party one of my very few GRAIL cars was there in that shop;
    A Jaguar XJR15.
    I am one of the few that really understood what it was. And thats OK.
    Yes I'd sell the lot to get one of those.
    And even drive a beater Kia daily.
     
  13. italiafan

    italiafan F1 World Champ
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    Plastique999.....you know exactly what will happen, right?
    You’ll sell cars, buy an F40 and be in hog heaven for 12-18 months.
    Then the hunt will begin for another 16M, Speciale, etc.
    This is being driven by boredom.
    You don’t give a rat’s ass about annual insurance costs, you’re not contemplating this to be economical. :)
    How you can keep a RR or AM and get rid of a Speciale is beyond me.
    You only need 2 DD vehicles, and I mean “need” because DD vehicles by definition are not dream cars: a useful larger one and a classy sedan/roomy coupe. You already leave them in the driveway anyway.
    My advice is unload as many DD-type cars, and the Lambo (it isn’t the same class as special Ferrari’s).
    Then go buy an F40 (you have the money I am sure).
    Keep the CGT, Speciale and 16M.
    If after a year of owning the F40 you really see no need for the Speciale or 16M then unload one at a time, slowly.
    To this day I still regret selling a couple cars from 9 and 16 years ago.
     
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  14. mikesufka

    mikesufka F1 Veteran
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    ^^^

    I'm not a player in this game, but italiafan took my exact thoughts and put them in above post :) That's what I'd be doing, except maybe hunt for the F50 ;)


    MDS
     
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  15. Nuvolari

    Nuvolari F1 Veteran
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    In the US there tends to be this hoarding mentality about amassing as many of something as possible and never getting the opportunity to experience and enjoy them. It's always about what's next.

    Europeans tend to own things for a period of time, and then move on to the next thing without overwhelming themselves by having too much to use. Just a generalization but it shows a difference of approach.

    I personally like the European way and do not like to own more than what I can use. I also don't like selling cars when I'm sick and tired of them but rather I like to change while still leaving a longing for the cars that are no longer with me. Applying this to the OP I'd say keep the one you like, sell everything else off and get the F40. Have it and experience it for a while and see where life takes you.

    Nobody regrets having an F40
     
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  16. Surfah

    Surfah F1 Rookie

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    ^+1. Own your toys don't let your toys own you.
     
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  17. Shark01

    Shark01 F1 Veteran

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    Actually a Murcielago SV is......you may not care for Lamborghinis, and I certainly think the Murcielago was a lazy un-inspired design by a Belgian no less.....but the SV has a rarity modern Ferraris (post 2010 in the sub $400k price area) don't. Ferrari makes so many cars that are supposed to be special (Scuderia, Speciale, Pista) in such big numbers (relatively), I can see how ownership could be watered down.
     
  18. italiafan

    italiafan F1 World Champ
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    Fair enough. But that clutch....
     
  19. paulchua

    paulchua Cat Herder
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    You should follow your heart my friend. You know the right answer deep down inside. Only you can make the call.
     
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  20. Elisesko

    Elisesko Karting
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    What my wife doesn't know is I'm slowly getting enough cars together to trade them all for an F-40. Having fun making up for the depreciation though! She won't know what hit her. How did we end up with a 1.5 million dollar car in the garage???? Beats me love bug.
     
  21. plastique999

    plastique999 F1 Veteran
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    You know me well brother... we have similar cars and tastes.
    True, the disease never stops, always looking for the next top shelf....F50 and Enzo next?

    Thank you all for the input...there are some very good points to consider. I do have a plethora of daily drivers that I should shed. So it would be a matter of which cars to unload to trade in for the F40. Difficult to keep them all, let alone drive them all. Hence, would make sense to do so, but since when has car collecting/ownership ever made sense?
    Interestingly, I just traded my DBS for a Vanquish and it’s a super fun car to drive!


    Sent from my 16M
     
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  22. Rossocorsa1

    Rossocorsa1 F1 Veteran

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    While I’m a “Ferrari” aficionado, and a proud owner of two exceptional cars, my dream car since I was 13 was always a Lamborghini Countach. Interestingly, other than the Countach, I’ve never really desired any other Lamborghini. After many years of considering adding a Countach to my collection, I decided to get serious about my search two years ago, and I ultimately found precisely what I wanted in Italy. I bought the car (a 1985 5000 Quattrovalvole Euro spec) in March and imported it to the US where it is now undergoing a full restoration. I may eventually sell one of my Ferrari’s, but the Countach is THE car for me.
     
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  23. Solid State

    Solid State F1 Veteran
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    F50 would do it. At that level the motor counts. Still has the shifter and so much more rarity and presence. Sound with no equal.
     
  24. mclaudio

    mclaudio Formula 3

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    Good thread. I’m a proponent of getting one’s holy grail rather than having several non- or no-longer grails.

    In addition to an emotional connection, cars for me must have functional purpose. With time to only drive 3K fun miles per year, I’m down to 2 cars with room for when the 3rd holy grail car is available. Meanwhile, I can still enjoy the drives, upkeep projects, and the hunt.
     
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  25. plastique999

    plastique999 F1 Veteran
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    I agree with you wholeheartedly!
    But it is more than twice the F40...so I would do this in a stepwise fashion.
    Love love the F50!


    Sent from my 16M
     
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