18th Jul 2010, 02:44

For the people above who think a Ferrari reeks of quality, you obviously have not owned one. Just because the dash has hand stitched leather, it doesn't make it quality. Although in the last few years they have been improving, Ferrari has for years put out cars with poor fit & finish, cheap plastic, loose buttons; you get far better interior quality in a Volkswagen Passat. And the mechanical reliability is a joke, which can only be described as incomplete engineering. Speed and handling are only part of the equation, you have to have it in working order to enjoy those two attributes.

19th Jul 2010, 01:46

I have been contemplating either a California or a 911 as my entry into this category of cars (guess my mid-life crisis has started!). From all I've read here, I'm starting to lean German. I'm worried by talk of reliability. Any words of advice before I take the plunge?

3rd Aug 2010, 01:11

You know what that guy said about the Hyundai... how sad is it that you can buy 20+ Hyundai's for one F430.

My dad has an Aston Martin DB9 2007, it has been better than the F430 reliability, and it is truly understated elegance, but it still has its fair share of glitches to deal with.

I agree as well, the super cars like Aston and Ferrari should be super reliable as well. I mean, the cars are so simple; no navigation, no dual climate control, no fancy off-roading capability, nothing like that.

I admit that it does have its share of things, but the price should demand not only exclusivity, but flawless performance and reliability that rivals Honda's famous dependability.

And I do understand, it is a different breed of machine, and a true work of art in terms of styling. I have lots of $$$. So I can afford one, but why don't I own one? Because when I go out of the house and need to go somewhere, I don't want to sweat bullets, praying that the car starts today. I have a 2010 Range Rover, and a Mercedes S65. Never a single issue. Super car companies will fade into time unless their engineering can go to a totally different level. Shame on cars that need 6,000 worth of work in the first 2 weeks that's not covered by the warranty. Shame.

6th Jan 2011, 22:29

I laughed at Ferraris until I sat in one and pressed that little red button. Now I want to own one before I die, or at least get to hire one for a few days. But let's be honest: they are built like a $10 plastic toy. Let's highlight some ideas that most of us would agree upon:

1. If you pay over $100k for a car, you expect more than 10k miles before it becomes scrap.

2. If Ferraris were as common as Hyundais on the road, then they would lose their specialness, thus arguments that the Ferrari is special and should be treated differently is simply based on this hollow reasoning. Which leads me to my next point:

3. Once you have achieved wealth, you want something special to differentiate you from the common crowd. Ferraris do that only as long as they retain their scarcity. Should everyone own a Ferrari, they will be judged based on the same merits as a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord.

4. I would bet that Toyota and Honda spend more cash into designing their cars to be reliable, than Ferraris spend on their cars being the highest performing.

5. Buyers of Ferraris already knew what to expect before buying a Ferrari, so stop complaining about it all the time.

Which now leads me to my final point: Ferrari owners should be happy they have achieved the wealth to own such a fantastically emotional but built-like-crap car. As for the rest of us, we envy the guy in the Ferrari, dreaming that one day we will own that car, not knowing that the owner of the Ferrari wished he actually bought the Toyota we are now driving instead.

7th Jan 2011, 09:53

I cannot see any Ferrari owner being envious of any Toyota owner at any point. Maybe if they wanted more anonymity at times. People I know with high end sports cars have 4 or 5. Somewhere in the mix, a nice SUV such as a Suburban fully loaded for the family. The others are sports cars as well; while one is being maintained, detailed etc., you drive another. It's unlikely there's just a one car garage. A lot of people assume a lot, thinking you are sitting around waiting for a flat bed to arrive. People owning exotics can even get a ride if necessary, not necessarily a limo. Pick up the phone and you simply get picked up. I have sports cars myself that are rarely driven, and I have no difficulty getting around. It's amazing how many own a couple of nice SUVs.

9th Jan 2011, 02:15

The vast majority of people you see driving Ferraris, will have something boring like a Toyota for general A to B use.

9th Jan 2011, 11:41

For everyday, use a Range Rover, Hummer or a loaded large Suburban with more room. I have 2 seaters, and have seen big second vehicles as the most used daily vehicles. Also used to tow boats, jet skis etc. at times. If it's a sedan, it would be a sports sedan, Audi or Mercedes most likely, not ever a Camry.