I've had the Ferrari dream for at least 10 years now. i've researched the ownership costs and maintenance requirements and am a member of the Ferrarichat forum. Through all of it, I came to understand that the price of the car is just the price of admission. The real costs begin once you have it. You need to keep at least a 10k a year fund (depending on model) for maintenance and things that may go wrong. Secondly, if you do not drive it and it sits for long periods of time, it will become a nightmare. Ferraris do not like to sit unused. The maintenance clock still continues ticking no matter if you rack up the miles or not. If it sits, that clock speeds up.
But yeah, nothing feels or sounds like a Ferrari. In the end, you need to buy what you like!

Yup that’s why I am stupid for dreaming about it. I drive it, I have to pay the depreciation. I don’t drive it, things might break. I should just go to turo and rent one for a day

Would be a good idea in any event - to see if it is really your heart's desire, or just what you think you want.

Or, do what I did - find someone who offers a track experience with exotic cars! If you are going to experience a supercar, then drive it the way you cannot on the street!

I get that a car like this is meant to savour - the look, the sound, the feel. And (to some extent) be seen in. But, deep down, don't you also want to see what it can REALLY do - without breaking yours, or losing your license? :icon17:

I can drive to Los Angeles and rent it for $200 a day haha

Possibly a nice solution if you go mid engine. F430 is a strong machine classic V8 mid engine Ferrari. Worth a consideration

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds...0/2397725.html

I think the f430 has more problems and they are a little more. I just want a cruiser. Can’t do 150k track car

I tracked a 458 for my bday. Best experience ever. Ferrari's are truly special. But track day rentals will be my closest experience to ownership.

Curious....is F355 not a consideration? Imo, it’s just as sexy....it’s the start of modern day Ferrari (better reliability and “less temperamental edge” than the F cars of old), classic gated manual, and maybe cheaper to maintain than those with double clutch box....and it’s much cheaper to buy now....

These are just what I casually heard, so I can be wrong, feel free to correct.

I tracked a F458, I liked the car a lot, but for some odd reason it didn't blow my mind. The 911 Carrera GTS I drove was way nicer for some odd reason, I think it had something to do with the fact that I was still using a freaking key to start a car and had manual climate control.

F355 is too old, I can't go back to a car that old anymore. The F355 and F430 weren't known for reliable either. I live in the Bay Area where labor rate is like $200-$300, I prefer to save the money making car payments than play repair roulette.

I found a F458 for like $50K nearby, but god it feels so 90s inside.

Explore the required maintenance and cost for it of the F355. Its a labor intensive effort for those not doing alot of maintenance themselves. Its very very expensive to maintain. Utterly beautiful of course in style.

Haha expensive to maintain, but utterly beautiful style, that almost sums up Ferrari doesn’t it lol

You have hand built futuristic engines and transmissions with some of the most meticulous body assemblies along with some of the stiffest hand assembled chassis' in the world. And you are judging them by tech value?

:facepalm: Maybe you should buy your cars according to CNET car reviews?

The f458 understeers so badly that it reminded me of the z with more rear traction, I was already disappointed. The gts didn’t have the same problem when I pushed it. I don’t care if it is a German robot or an Italian chain smoker who built it. Good is good, bad is bad. As I said, it was quite a turn off getting into the Ferrari. It didn’t feel as special as the price tag indicates.

It must been defective or abused. The tightest and fastest turn ins I've achieved were in the 458. And for the engine being in the back, I was able to make it tail happy enough to make it swing around corners and accelerate out of turns flawlessly.
Maybe you're just used to driving computers? Like the 991 & 992 porsches that do it all for you?
In a ferrari, it will expose how good or shytty of a driver you are.

Agreed! The F355 is the last of the Engine-out/timing belt generation cars. It was more of an improved 348 than a completely new redesign. It is an extremely high maintenance car. Almost any maintenance involving the engine requires it to be dropped from the car. It also was the first Ferrari to feature the new F1 flappy paddle gearbox with its own set of problems. That alone is enough to avoid buying one. It is the reason that the manual F355’s are selling for more than the F1 equipped cars.

Anyone considering a used Ferrari should shoot for F360 and later cars. The F360 still has timing belts but they could be changed without the engine coming out through a removable panel behind the seats. The manual cars are more desirable but few are available. Beginning with the F430, no more timing belts and much more modern interiors, engine / electronics. Avoid the convertible cars (Spiders) if you don’t want to deal with unreliable and expensive top mechanisms.