Do you like Ferrari

[Taters]

I know this is a Cobra website dedicated too Cobra cars. I was just curious if any of you liked F- cars.

[Excaliber]

At a recent car club meeting here (I'm a member of said club) they were 3 Ferraris, a Masserati and Lambo. Of course numerous other VERY cool cars, including my Cobra!

My son wrnagled a ride in one of the BRAND NEW 355 Ferraris. The theory being: He could ride in the Cobra anytime.

He reported it rode smoother than the Cobra, was quiet with a nice sounding exhaust, had plenty of room and when the guy "let the dogs out" it really hauled a$$. In short, it was FAR to sophisticated and the Cobra was declared the "winner" in the Big Dog class of cars.

Thats my boy!

Ernie

[Bill Kesner]

I would take a logical guess that.......if you don't like Ferrari's, then your really not into cars!

- Bill -

[Hal Copple]

i also peruse a Porsche forum, since my son has a Boxster, and we both post there too. Lots of Porsche owners have friends with Ferrari's, and there is a lot of content on the Boxster forum about how incredibly expensive ownership is of any Ferrari. The consensus of the Porsche guys is that Ferrari owners like to brag to other Ferrarist's how expensive this or that repair was, sort of a one-ups-manship sort of thing. "...yeah, third tranny this year, but hey, i just don't care...."

The "average" Ferrari owner has three of them, and they are bought with cash.

I would only have one if i won a lottery or something.

By the way, it is my opinion that Porsche owners love their cars, usually hate their dealers service departments, and are incredibly particular about their cars. My son has picked up some of that, the other day, he reminded me to not get sweat on the door handle of his Boxster when i climbed in the passenger seat for a ride. If a Porsche has the tinyest oil leak, they insist it be repaired immediatly at no cost. Being a service manager of a Porsche dealer must be a nightmare, trying to please these very fussy people.

Us Snake Drivers have usually put a lot of our own sweat and wrenching into our cars, so a leak or dribble here or there is just another weekend project for us. We really don't have a "service department" to complain to.

Ferrari owners brag about how much they spend on maintenance and repair, Porsche owners go nuts with the most trivial of problems, us Replica drivers go out and blast around, and ignore just about any issue unless it keeps us off the road.

[Clois Harlan]

Well put Hal!

It is those projects that sets us aside from most other performance car owners. Most of us want to have some sweat equity in our vehicles.

Clois

[NealM]

How could you not?

[Cal Metal]

Probably the greatest car designs of the 20th century came from Maranello. When it comes to styling Ferrari has no peer.

[Brent Mills]

Last night I saw a yellow 360 Modena in a parking lot and I thought about asking the driver, "Is that a kit?"

Beautiful cars though!

[snakeeyes]

I have a couple of them. I've owned them a combined total of seven years and put a combined total of about 9,000 miles on them. By my best estimate they've cost me about $800 in maintenance, including oil changes, which I do myself.

Not much to brag about there.

[speed220mph]

Ferraris? They are great to look at and listen to as long as they belong to someone else. Why? When a Ferrari owner friend told me he got a "deal" on a major service of his for $4,000 versus the standard $7,000 and the equivalent service of my 427 cost no more than $200 at the same interval, it was a no brainer.

[ScottG]

SPF 314 shares garrage space with my testarossa. They seem to get along quite well. Buying the TR was the culmination of a lifelong dream to own a ferrari. Buying the Superformance was the other 1/2 of the equation.

Scott

[DanElam]

I like many Ferraris, but not all. They do a great job with styling and have, recently, made incredible strides in making these cars that you can really drive. (Ya here that Lambo!) The 355 marked a real change for Ferrari - you can really drive it every day and the performance is incredible.



Cobras are different. More a throw-back. Nostalgic performance and sounds that the EPA will never let you have again. I want a 1937 Talbot-Lago, but it is a different kind of car. I can admire the new Thunderbirds, but didn't want to buy one. Even the Hyundai Tiburon has great styling, even if I don't care for the engine and suspension. A Lotus Super Seven sure is fun, but it isn't a great date car.

Thank goodness the world has given us so many cars!

[Chifo Jr]

I have had a few Ferraris over the years. My first was a 72 246 GTS which was a beautiful car but one that gave the Ferrari the reputation for repairs. I kept it about six months and sold as at 22 yrs old I really couldnt afford to keep it in shape. I bougt a two year old 328 GTS which was a slightly better car but still a money pit. I stayed away for some years and bougt a new 97 355 GTB and drove it daily for two years. This I believe was a whole new generation of quality and philosophy for Ferrari. It was at the dealer three times in 14,000 miles. Once for a warranty repair for a exhaust bypass valve and twice for routine service. The cost of the major (12k) service was about $1200 and that included new rear tires and four wheel alignment. Each time the car was picked up by flatbed which delivered a Benz loaner and was returned by flatbed completely detailed. I traded it back to the dealer after two years and put a deposit on a 360 Modena. Yellow with navy blue interior. With demand being so high for the Modena I sold the car just before delivery for a very handsome profit . Even though my Cobra has taken up the slack I do miss the Ferrari ownership experience. There really are two distinct types of owners of Ferraris, those who own it because its a Ferrari, and those who appreciate the car. The club I belong to has both, posers who look at it like an accessory and those who look it at as a piece of engineering and art. Truth be told I cant wait to own another. In the market of exotics, there is NO comparable automobile.

[flipper35]

I would love to have a 365GTB Spyder and an F-40 and to win the lottery to afford them.

[Mr.Fixit]

Originally posted by Bill Kesner


I would take a logical guess that.......if you don't like Ferrari's, then your really not into cars!

- Bill -

I don't like ferrari's at all. I suppose I am not really into cars due to that fact. They are just too expensive to buy and maintain. Not a big porsche fan either, don't really like corvettes now that I think of it. I suppose I am a big fan of hot rods, but not a fan of super high priced exotics.

[snakeeyes]

To each his own, for sure. Thank God we don't all like the same cars--it would make things too dull around here.

The Cobra is a completely different experience from any Ferrari I've driven; it's more intense, it pounds on the senses, and yes, it's faster. I have never driven any of the newer stuff from Maranello, but the Ferraris I've driven couldn't hang with a decent-running Cobra (at least not at any speed a sane person would drive on the street).

On the other hand, the steering and handling in Ferraris is generally phenomenal, and they are very comfortable to drive considerable distances (again, speaking from my own ownership experiences). Oh, and they sound so nice...my 308 QV has a Tubi exhaust, and the music of it going through a tunnel is not to be missed...

They are more expensive to operate, but that's true for most stuff that doesn't have an American V8 under the hood. I have a friend who runs a foreign car repair shop who will do the 30K mile service on a V8 Ferrari for about $2400. That is the most "major" service one of those cars will ever need, and a Ferrari dealership will dock you more than twice that for it. Given the mileage I've put on mine, neither will need it for five years or more so it's not a big deal to me personally, but I can see how that would deter people.

Different strokes, I guess. It all depends on what you want to accomplish. I love the cars because of their history. When I sit in mine and look at the prancing horse on the steering wheel I think of Gilles Villeneuve, a boyhood hero. I don't belong to any Ferrari clubs because the ones I've been around were mostly comprised of the "gold chain" set. I'd rather drive mine than be seen in them; when I get in them I head out of town, to the sparsely populated roads, as opposed to into town, towards the crowds.

[excelguru]

Let's face it: no other car is sexier than a red Ferrari Testarossa.

...and none are more "in your face" than a Cobra or an F40.

I love 'em. Never owned one, never will (baring a Powerball win). Heck, never even sat in one. But I love 'em. If only for their beauty and for their sheer exuberance of engineering.

[Tinker51]

Just kidding. If I had the money I would think about owning one. I had a friend who in the mid 1980's owned a 308 (you know, the Magnum PI car). He said the most joy he got from the car was the thrills that others got when he let them drive it.

[G.R.]

I like most of the Ferrarrii's--class, styling elegance, and performance all in one package---who could want more--my favorite is the 308 GT--the "Magnum"car--though I understand it could be a owners nightmare, and a mechanics delight-$$Kachiing$$--

Now a Noble M-12 or an Ultima GTR are also "I wannits"

As well as the new SPF Coupe