Ferrari owner discussion

[Tachyon]

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51531

Not starting any flame war here. I think it's interesting reading what owners have to say about their cars and the engineering of them. I, too, am trying to decipher the "glamour" about Ferraris.

Ferraris seem to need much attention and are very fragile (i.e. 355, 360, 456). Like the orignial poster of that thread asks, "why are race-bred, engineered cars so fragile"? I appreciate good engineering when it's seemlessly blended with good design (and this is what attracts me to the NSX).

Yes, the designs are great (e.g. 360) but it should be more than that. Like someone stated there, "eventually people will get it and not be willing to pay for them". Well as a non-owner, I feel I already see this (from spending time reading Fchat).

I mean to ask, how can a sports car be really enjoyed when it's driven 2-3K miles per year? Why should enthusiasts have to yield to this because of maintentance cost and short intervals in between? Yes, I've read the rationales and justification "you don't understand... it's Ferrari mystique... blah ... blah" and it's really all nonsense.

I know this probably seems like beating a dead horse but I consider NSXers (esp. Prime members) to be more technical and unafraid of truly driving their cars. Anyways, what are your opinions?

 

[slashmatt]

Re: Ferrari reliability owner discussion

I wrote this whole long response, but I think I'll let the free marketplace do it's magic.

When it comes time for you to decide what to do with your hard earned money, I'm sure you'll make whatever choice you feal provides the experience you're looking for.

I will say one thing. Ferrari owners, a genuinly enthusiastic bunch, buy their cars because they like them, period.

 

[drew]

Why do people collect art?

Art is useless crap that hangs on the wall and costs a fortune...and you have to worry about it: keep the room just so and its fragile, it is really expensive and makes a very efficient dust collector. How do I know this? Well the wife is in love with some sort of finger painting on plywood...stuff I could have done in kindergarten. Complete waste to me, but makes her happy so I have TWO huge examples in the house. Just a big piece of plywood on the wall, whatever... The point is that it makes people happy.

A guy down the street has a very rare motorcycle suspended high up in his living room. Now THAT IS ART, right? No, the wife thinks that is the most stupid thing in the world to consider a motorcycle art. I disagree, but I love my wife...and therefore, I know for a fact that I will not be putting any real art in MY living room. (She doesn't think the NSX is art either, but she has other fine qualities that make up for this "issue".).

Now, the Ferrari is really just useful art (at least the 360/430 is to me). It is beautiful, sculpted and can be really enjoyed best by driving it around. Not to mention really expensive, which puts the owner in a special class... The fact that it costs a fortune to maintain is also desirable, I mean like you have $10M...WTF else you gonna spend your money on and it gives you something to do?

Ferrari's are like fine wine, expensive and you only partake of them occassionally. If you did it everyday it wouldn't be special or unique.

Drew

 

[DocL]

...Ferrari's are like fine wine, expensive and you only partake of them occassionally. If you did it everyday it wouldn't be special or unique.

Drew

Amen brother! That is why wife my enjoys expesnive wines, while I like diet Coke. And for same reason why I like my NSX and she likes her Lexus ES300.

 

[zff]

I feel I need to chime on this one since I own both a Ferrari and an NSX. (I'm also active on Ferrarichat.)

I didn't buy my Ferrari because it's a car, I bought it because it's a Ferrari. It's not sensible, I know, and I know most of you sensible NSX folks want to flame me for that, but I humbly ask that you hear me out.

I'm a HUGE fan of Formula One, and Ferrari is my favorite team. For those of you who don't follow F1, for the last few years, Ferrari has enjoyed an unprecedented winning streak, so there are a lot of Ferrari fans now. I'd like to point out, however, that I've been a dedicated Tifosi (Ferrari F1 fan) for just over 15 years now, and for most of those years, Ferrari SUCKED. I stayed loyal to my team, loss after loss, season after season, and growled at all the stories about what a great team they used to be.

I could fill another thread on why Ferrari is my favorite team, but just understand that I am as crazy about Ferrari as a rabid football fan can be for his particular team. Sports fans are rarely sensible when it comes to their favorite team.

Let's say a Detriot Pistons fan could buy officially licensed Detroit Pistons for his car. That would be kind of a neat thing, but really, what does basketball have to do with car engines? About as much as T-shirts and baseball caps, I guess. Sports fans can always get officially licensed merchandise, but this merchandise rarely has anything to do with what their team does, and apart from the logo or color, has nothing to do with the team itself.

The Ferrari in my garage is not officially licensed Ferrari merchandise. It is a Ferrari. It's every bit a Ferrari as the ones driven by Schumacher, Alesi, Lauda, Fangio, Villenuve, Mansell, et al. It was designed and built by an organization that's very close to the team I root for, and unlike Detroit Pistons, it actually has something to do with what my team does.

I've been loyally cheering on a pathetic Ferrari F1 team for over a decade, and at the start of their current winning streak, I "celebrated" by buying myself one of their cars. The coolest thing about it, is it's not something I wear or hang on my wall, it's something I can drive, just like what Schumacher does with his. I mean seriously, how f**king cool is that?!?

Honestly, I don't think fans of any team in any sport have it as good as Tifosi who own Ferraris.

 

[H-carWizKid]

I feel I need to chime on this one since I own both a Ferrari and an NSX. (I'm also active on Ferrarichat.)

I didn't buy my Ferrari because it's a car, I bought it because it's a Ferrari. It's not sensible, I know, and I know most of you sensible NSX folks want to flame me for that, but I humbly ask that you hear me out.

I don't want to flame you for that. And who says NSXers have any sense? New tires more often than milage based oil changes? Hello?!?!

Cars are cool. A Ferrari is Uber-Cool. If I could have one, no way would I turn it away.

I don't think there is a real dislike of Ferrari here, just different strokes for different folks.

I noticed one thing about you though... You have a 308, and you live in Hawaii...

Are you sporting a stash', a Detroit Tigers hat, and flowered shirts all the time or what? :biggrin:

Philip

 

[Alittleboost]

I personally think that Ferrari is just a hype. Yes the make really atractive cars on the road and are fast, but the matience on them is horrible. I can't imagine spending around 30+k on a tune up or whatever they need to be done.

You buy a car to drive, not to worry about it breaking, and art you buy it to look at it...I drive my NSX almost every other day, and my buddy its his daily! sure a ferrari 360 will beat a NSX around the track but it will also break faster around the track. If you are willing to spend over 120+k for a car it should last!...maybe ferrari is too over engineered? Look at the NSX it is a simple, humble design that is made to be a sport car and last! There are a bunch of us with over 100k+ on the odometer and are going to road events.

But then again if your making 500+k a year, its your money so do whatever you want with it. But think about the cars the can grind it out and last, look at a supra with is motor able to handle 700+ rwhp, but yeah it still only a toyota right? or just a honda for sake.

You think honda can't come up with a 500hp sport car? it can be easily done
but the japanese are conservative people many people would ask why spend over 100k for a honda?

Like I said, you got Porsche guys and Ferrari guys....I love Porsche.

 

[NeoNSX]

Art is useless crap that hangs on the wall and costs a fortune...and you have to worry about it: keep the room just so and its fragile, it is really expensive and makes a very efficient dust collector.

Doesn't sound much different to how some guys worry about their cars. But i completely agree - cars are a much better waste of money than art.

 

[SoCalDude]

Are you sporting a stash', a Detroit Tigers hat, and flowered shirts all the time or what? :biggrin:

Philip

Hey, I'm actually wearing the same Paradise Found black orchid shirt that Selleck use to wear on the show at this moment! :biggrin:

Even scarier, I have a Tigers cap behind my driver seat in the NSX. Alas, no porn stash for me and I'm far from 6' 4".

 

[White92]

A guy down the street has a very rare motorcycle suspended high up in his living room. Now THAT IS ART

Someone should do this with an NSX! :biggrin:
While the wife is going around the house dusting with Pledge, you could break out some Zymol and go to town.

 

[nsxtasy]

I mean to ask, how can a sports car be really enjoyed when it's driven 2-3K miles per year? Why should enthusiasts have to yield to this because of maintentance cost and short intervals in between? Yes, I've read the rationales and justification "you don't understand... it's Ferrari mystique... blah ... blah" and it's really all nonsense.

I know this probably seems like beating a dead horse but I consider NSXers (esp. Prime members) to be more technical and unafraid of truly driving their cars. Anyways, what are your opinions?

People get an NSX for all kinds of reasons. To some owners, it's a daily driver. To some, it's a track car. To some, it's a car for an occasional long country drive on a sunny day. Some want to enjoy the pride of ownership, and the ability to walk out to the garage and stare at. Different reasons, different usage patterns. It's the exact same thing with the Ferrari.

Granted, the Ferrari may have higher maintenance costs than the NSX, and its market value may decline more with mileage - which is probably why the median mileage on a Ferrari is around 2K miles per year, vs 5K for the NSX - but the idea is still the same. Some people drive their cars more than others. Different strokes...

 

[zff]

I noticed one thing about you though... You have a 308, and you live in Hawaii...

Are you sporting a stash', a Detroit Tigers hat, and flowered shirts all the time or what? :biggrin:

Philip

Heh. Yeah, I get the Magnum reference all the time, and I look nothing like Tom Selleck. I'm Asian and I can easily fit in my Ferrari even with the roof on. I was never a big fan of the show; I only watched it because it was filmed here. I saw them filming it a few times, though. I've even seen the ROBIN1 308 up close.

 

[Doc C]

Amen brother! That is why wife my enjoys expesnive wines, while I like diet Coke. And for same reason why I like my NSX and she likes her Lexus ES300.

Perfect statement!!! I'll use this the next time someone asks me why I spent so much on a car!!! Everybody has there vices. A friend of mine has 8 kids and acts pissed because I have an NSX!! Well.....for what he pays for the kids, he could probably have 2 NSXs!!! It's all about priorities and decisions. I'd love a Ferrari, but I can't afford the maintenance and I like to drive my car a LOT more miles than a Ferrari(or my checkbook) can handle. The NSX was perfect for me. It's as reliable as my Lexus and kick ass to boot!!! I'll keep my NSX, but if Lexus builds LF-A or Honda gets its thumb out of its ass and builds a new NSX, I'll have one!!! :biggrin:

 

[Stiddy]

I considered buying a Ferrari before I bought my NSX. To me it's simple.

There are two kinds of Ferrari buyers.

1. I have so much money... I have to drive something... I'll buy two... that way I can always have one to drive. If there's a problem with the second while the first is in the shop...I'll buy a third.

2. Most Women have no idea how much any Ferrari costs. Whether it's a 308 or a 360. They just know there expensive. I might drive the NSX more but I can't tell any chicks it's a Honda. So, I could buy an NSX and stick a Ferrari sticker on it but that's just plain lame. So, I'll buy the most expesive Ferrari I can't afford.

I was neither...I bought the NSX.

 

[Stiddy]

by the way...If ever I fall into buyer catagory 1. I will buy a Ferrari, or two, or three, or four.

Wouldn't you? :biggrin:

 

[CokerRat]

Stiddy you forgot the third type.

3. Has an appreciation for something "special". Costs two arms and three legs but that's what it costs for exclusivity, history, and let's call a spade a spade, some pretty damn fine cars. Maintenance be damned, show me a Ferrari review where they said "this car sucks".

 

[mikec]

Why are there so many Ferrari's for sale with relatively low miles... 20K-30K which boast of engine and transmission rebuilds? Why does the car get used up so quickly?

 

[5inchfatlip]

I wonder why everyone compares our cars to a Ferrari. Yes they are more reliable overall package. But a F-car is an Fcar- and yes easily falls into the exoticar car category than ours do.

Who cares if they are garage queens sometimes , break more, cost so much to tune, I would take one over my NSX any day- back to the whole art thing, there are people that dont drive the NSX too, doesnt mean the car sucks.

 

[Enzo]

Someone should do this with an NSX! :biggrin:

Like this ? :biggrin:

 

[nsxtasy]

Why are there so many Ferrari's for sale with relatively low miles...

I suspect it's some combination of the following reasons: (a) market value drops substantially as miles are added (b) maintenance is very expensive (c) high price means most owners have other cars to drive (d) concerns over reliability. Take your pick.

I wonder why everyone compares our cars to a Ferrari.

I can't imagine. One is a high-performance low-slung two-seat mid-engine rear-wheel-drive sports car, while the other is...

 

[nsxtasy]

One is a high-performance low-slung two-seat mid-engine rear-wheel-drive sports car, while the other is...

...a Ferrari!

 

[NsXMas]

Here is a link to a Ferrari Owner!!! :biggrin: :biggrin:

It's a Ferrari 512M... (aka Toyota)

 

[dsf3g]

by the way...If ever I fall into buyer catagory 1. I will buy a Ferrari, or two, or three, or four.

Wouldn't you? :biggrin:

I'd have to buy at least two. After all, you can't go everywhere in an Enzo. :biggrin:

 

[Casper91]

Art is in the eye of the beholder.
Why do guys buy Ferrari's?
Same reason motorcycle guys buy Ducati's or Harley's.

Practicality has nothing to do with it.
Ferrari is a beautiful car with a colorful heritage.
If I could afford it, I have one.

 

[Russ]

The coolest thing about it, is it's not something I wear or hang on my wall, it's something I can drive, just like what Schumacher does with his. I mean seriously, how f**king cool is that?!?

Honestly, I don't think fans of any team in any sport have it as good as Tifosi who own Ferraris.

A very interesting analogy with which I'd have to agree.

Also, as finicky as Ferraris may be, their sound is just incredible.