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Ferrari-the Ultimate classic (Ferrari Lovefest Topic)

736 messages,  Last post on Sep 29, 2010 at 8:31 PM

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Messages Page 72 of 74

#707 of 736 Re: 355/360 questions [billymay] by habitat1

May 21, 2006 (8:28 pm)

Replying to: billymay (May 14, 2006 3:12 pm)
I appreciate what you are saying regarding the uniqueness of the Ferrari compared to the Porsche 911. But your statements....
 
But the sound, the looks and feel of driving the 328 really make the 911 irrelevant.
 
IMHO, someone would have to smoking something to pay six figures for any flavor 911, when there are ROWS of them on used car lots and unless you read a lot of car mags they all look the same.
 
....suggest that you are more concerned about appearances than reality. The old 328 couldn't match the performance of my former (limited production, 9,000 rpm redline) $32k Honda S2000, let alone any model 997 or the Cayman you are considering for a daily driver. And, for less than $100k, the 911S Cab gives you comparable or better performance than a $175k Ferrari 360 Spider in a car that you can drive 30k miles in 2 years, not 20 years.
 
The fact is, that your statements are relevant to you, and mine to me. And BOTH the Ferrari 328 and Porsche 911 are to be commended for being the pinnacle of their respective segments within the sports car world. So, be assured that, other than as a friendly rebuke to your post, I will never show disrespect for Ferrari. They do what they do better than any other manufacturer, period. By the same token, I would hope that you can see why the 911S isn't "irrelevant" to me and last time I checked, I wasn't smoking anything.
 
P.S. I have the $2,400 Porsche sport exhaust on my 911S and, hate as I might to admit it, it sounds great too, with 0 increase in the official horsepower rating

#708 of 736 Re: 355/360 questions [habitat1] by billymay

May 24, 2006 (4:02 pm)

Replying to: habitat1 (May 21, 2006 8:28 pm)
Hey, this board is too quiet to brush off any posts...
 
You're right, my experience with these cars is much more subjective and far less stopwatch/g-meter focused.
 
I wouldn't compare a 308/328 to any 2006 model year sports cars on the track. I think my point, clumsily made, was that in the sports-car-experience-per-dollar ratio (which includes things like speed, visual and aural impact, and financial considerations like depreciation) is that a new 911 is a "bad deal" compared to some of Porsche and Ferrari's past offerings.
 
Obviously I still appreciate Porsches. The value equation of the new models eludes me, though.

#709 of 736 Re: 355/360 questions [billymay] by spiritinthesky

May 24, 2006 (7:09 pm)

Replying to: billymay (May 24, 2006 4:02 pm)
I wouldn't compare a 308/328 to any 2006 model year sports cars on the track. I think my point, clumsily made, was that in the sports-car-experience-per-dollar ratio (which includes things like speed, visual and aural impact, and financial considerations like depreciation) is that a new 911 is a "bad deal" compared to some of Porsche and Ferrari's past offerings.
 
O.K., I'll bite on that one.
 
I went through a tough decision to trun down a very good deal on a friends Ferrari 360 and have elected to order a new 911 S coupe instead.
 
What's the "bad deal" when the 911 S is more than capable of being driven daily at 15,000 miles per year and doesn't require an oil change until 20k miles? The 360's 30k major service would run $7,500 at the dealership. Worse yet, any relatively significant repair could take the car out of commission for 4-5+ weeks. The original owner did drive his 360 on a regular basis, but it depreciated substantially as a result. The dealer deducted $40,000 from the trade in value because it had 30k miles instead of the "expected" 5-8k. The owner offered it to me for less still, just to spite the dealer. They since made up and he's happy with his new 430.
 
The Ferrari 328 is a beautiful classic that looks great standing still. But to compare it to a new 997 and somehow conclude that the 997 is a "bad deal" suggests that you are willing to spend a lot of time admiring your 328 rather than driving it.
 
There really should be no comparison of ANY classic exotic to a current model 997. They serve significanly different purposes. A nearly 20 year old 328 is no more of a good daily driver than a 997 is an impressive garage queen. But reverse those roles, and both should serve their purpose very well. I'd take a 328 over a 911 for 1,500 miles of Sunday driving.
 
P.S. I owned one of the 450 original BMW M1's. Wish I still had it. But I wouldn't be driving it a fraction of the miles I'll put on the 911, if at all.

#710 of 736 Re: 355/360 questions [spiritinthesky] by habitat1

May 25, 2006 (7:43 pm)

Replying to: spiritinthesky (May 24, 2006 7:09 pm)
I'd take a 328 over a 911 for 1,500 miles of Sunday driving.
 
In the spirit of compromise, I would agree. The old 911's don't do much for me visually. And the 328 can still turn heads on a dark night.

#711 of 736 Re: 355/360 questions [spiritinthesky] by billymay

May 26, 2006 (1:22 pm)

Replying to: spiritinthesky (May 24, 2006 7:09 pm)
True enough. I have other vehicles to drive daily, and in that light a Ferrari fits my needs perfectly. I'm OK trading a lot of practicality for driving something rare, because as a weekend car it needn't go 15K miles annually, and if it's in the shop a few days that's OK. (4-5 weeks?! The 30K major service on mine only took 1 week and that's for a 19-year old car...)
 
I thought, however, that one of the earlier posts missed the point with all the number crunching regarding Porsches and Ferraris. It reminded me of the "Evo, M3 or 355?" posts I see on other sites, which must leave 355 owners scratching their heads.
 
I would say that Porsche buyers often make these sensible calculations about downtime, oil change intervals and such, while Ferrari buyers don't. My brother sold his 911 and is hesitating on an Aston or another exotic after seeing the shop receipts. I saw stacks of Ferrari shop receipts before I owned one, said "ouch" and then bought anyway. Likely nearly every 360 owner knew what it cost to maintain the car before they signed on.
 
There's more than a bit of "heart over mind" involved here (seeing as this is the Ferrari Lovefest topic...) To stretch the analogy more than it might deserve, it's a bit like saying the Mona Lisa is far more expensive than quality wallpaper.
 
In some sense, we feel we got a "good deal" due to the intangibles.
 
At any rate congrats on your new 997. They are superb cars, period. If you ever need a carsitter, my references are top notch. Enjoy it.

#712 of 736 Ferrari/Porsche by tsaupe1

Jun 09, 2006 (5:33 pm)

Billymay, glad to hear you're enjoying the car. Without getting into the the Porsche/Ferrari thing to heavily I'll just put in my 2 cents by saying they are both great marques with very different appeal. I can't think of any two marques that are more polar opposites in approach to the same problem. Obviously, for me, I love Ferraris and appreciate Porsches and respect the reverse opinion.
 
Spiritinthesky, I know 328s that are pretty much daily drivers. Before my commute became an hour each way, mine was a daily car in good weather. When it isn't pouring rain, I still take it to work a couple of times a week and generally at least have it out for a few miles daily. There are a number of Ferrari models I wouldn't drive as much, but 328s are solid, drivable cars.
 
Anyway, congrats to both of you. Enjoy your cars!

#713 of 736 Ferarri 360/430 by zak1964

Jul 20, 2006 (9:11 am)

I am a Porsche enthusiast who is looking to make the jump to Ferrari. I am looking for advice on the 360 Coupe - what to look for in buying a pre-owned 360, what I should expect to pay (2001 - 2003 model year), as well as how best to source a pre-owned 360 (delaer or private). I have been to my local Ferrari dealer on a few occassions and found them to be arrogant and generally unhelpful.
 
Also, any advice anyone can provide on the 430 Coupe would also be helpful, especially what I should expect to pay for a 2005/2006 version, and how best to locate one.
 
I am new to the Ferrari message board and appreciate any advice that you may have.

#714 of 736 Re: Ferarri 360/430 [zak1964] by spiritinthesky

Aug 20, 2006 (6:34 am)

Replying to: zak1964 (Jul 20, 2006 9:11 am)
Earlier this year, I came very clsoe to purchasing a Ferrari 360 coupe from a friend who has since received his new 430.
 
Frankly, I'm glad I didn't. The 360 is a very nice car, without a doubt. However, the 430 is a enormous jump in performance for a nominal increase in price. But a bigger issue than performance is daily driveability - and that's an issue for me with both models, as my prior posts indicate. Part of the reason I could have gotten the 360 at a relatively good price was that the dealership insulted my friend with a low-ball trade offer because his 360 was considered a "high mileage" car. At a whopping 28,000 miles in nearly 4 years.
 
If you are seriously interested in a 430, I would suggest getting on a dealer list for a new one. Another business associate paid MSRP ($175k +/-) for a 430 Coupe, Yellow/Black 6-speed manual. He was originally told it would take 2 years, he had the car less than 1 year after placing a deposit. He could sell it for a $30,000 to $50,000 premium today (the dealer currently has a 430 F1 Spider with 800 miles for $60,000 over MSRP, but it is "used" so they can freely charge whatever the market will bear). You should be able to find a reputable dealer that will stick to MSRP pricing for a new car ordered to your specs. I'm not sure what current wait times are. I had been talking to Ferrari of Washington (DC) some time back. The 6-speed had a shorter wait than an F1 and a Coupe had a shorter wait than a Spider.
 
Me, I decided to go with Porsche and am expecting delivery of my 2007 911 Turbo (switched from 911 S) in October/November. I epect at this time next year it will be turning 10,000 miles on the odometer.
 
Good luck.

#715 of 736 Re: Get out the towel ...[billymay] [habitat1] [billymay] by chile96

Nov 05, 2006 (10:03 am)

Replying to: billymay (Dec 22, 2005 12:20 am)
"Anyone reading this who is wavering between a Porsche and a Ferrari needs to actually drive both. They exist in two different universes."
 
I completely agree and is THE reason why I have both

#716 of 736 Ferrari completes Pan Americana Rally by andys120

Nov 20, 2006 (5:19 pm)

link

Messages Page 72 of 74

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