Cost of maintaining a modern Ferrari

[IowaS]

a 5000k service at $1,500 or $4,000??? Either one is ridiculous.... not to mention brakes, belt service, valve adjustment and god forbid a clutch...typically not included.

[Perfectlap]

$1500 for 5K doesn't sound so bad to me. Five thousand miles in an F430 sound like they would be a heck of allot more fun than the same in a PCAR.

$4,000 was the major service which is probably 15K Miles? And that doesn't sound too bad either considering the car is everyones dream.
There is a factory warranty as well so before you hit any real mileage just keep trading up!

think about it how many people here and on the 911 boards sign up to "eat" more than $30,000 of depreciation on their Pcars in a four year period.
If you are going to be "o.k." with that then coughing up $4,000-$6,000 for operation a prancing horse doesn't seem so outrageous to me.

the non-track driving Ferrari owners I know say the improvement in reliability in the last 7 years is truly amazing. I guess all those F1 dollars are indeed trickling down to the road cars.

[Dr. Kill]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

think about it how many people here and on the 911 boards sign up to "eat" more than $30,000 of depreciation on their Pcars in a four year period.
If you are going to be "o.k." with that then coughing up $4,000-$6,000 for operation a prancing horse doesn't seem so outrageous to me.

I hear ya, but doesn't the story change if you drive your car every day?

I recognize that not all Pcar owners do, but I always thought of our cars as high-end production DDs while a Ferrari is more of an exotic for weekend and track activities. What is going to happen to your maintenance costs if you put 15k miles per year on the clock of the Ferrari fighting traffic?

I think we are talking about apples and oranges here.

I know there are plenty of people who only drive 911s on Sunday and treat them like they are priceless artifacts, but that doesn't put the car in the same league as a Ferrari for ownership comparative purposes. I also know guys who do the same thing with Mustangs.

[Perfectlap]

very true.
If I could drive a Ferrari every day to the Starbucks and Costco boy that would be something! And if I could afford to do so I would in a heart beat.

But generaly speaking I think most Pcar owners do not drive their cars every day.
of course I have absolutely no data to back this up.
Assuming I'm correct most Pcar owners and Porsche owner are still not in the same ball park because Ferraris are usually sold to second and third owners with very very low miles. But so are tons of Porsches.

If this is going to be just a toy you sell every two years I don't think I see a heck of big difference between owning a $90K Porsche or a modern Ferrari.
Both are money pits just one gets 1000% more excitement from the driver and onlookers.

[Dr. Kill]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

very true.
If I could drive a Ferrari every day to the Starbucks and Costco boy that would be something! And if I could afford to do so I would in a heart beat.

But generaly speaking I think most Pcar owners do not drive their cars every day.
of course I have absolutely no data to back this up.
Assuming I'm correct most Pcar owners and Porsche owner are still not in the same ball park because Ferraris are usually sold to second and third owners with very very low miles. But so are tons of Porsches.

If this is going to be just a toy you sell every two years I don't think I see a heck of big difference between owning a $90K Porsche or a modern Ferrari.
Both are money pits just one gets 1000% more excitement from the driver and onlookers.

See it's crap like that that will allow me to talk myself into buying a Ferrari! Maybe I should give up on the Box and buy an Accord for M-Thurs and a Testarossa for Fri-Sun. My wife will love this idea...

[Perfectlap]

do it!! just tell your wife Perfectlap said it was ok.

here's a cream puff. All you have to do is take out a 2nd mortgage on the house, no biggie. Any RATIONAL and SYMPATHETIC woman would totally agree.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2005-Ferrari-F430-Coupe-F1-Loaded-L-K_W0QQitemZ110072268193QQihZ001QQcategoryZ6212QQrd Z1QQcmdZViewItem

yikes these things are expensive! $500 a mile???

assuming that F1 F430 sells for $200K and you financed it over SEVEN years your monthly payments would be a mere $2400 a month.
Which makes the $1500 5K service bill all that more of a bargain. Peanuts...

[Dr. Kill]

Nice! There is even a button that says "get low monthly payments."

[Rail26]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

But generaly speaking I think most Pcar owners do not drive their cars every day.
of course I have absolutely no data to back this up.

I wonder if this is true? My Box is a daily driver and I don't know why other people don't use there car as a daily driver (except for the obvious fact of kids, etc). It gets great gas mileage, is comfortable, looks good and is fun to drive. I don't care about racking up the mileage because I bought the car to drive...not to sit in the garage trying to "protect" my investment (worst investment in the world).

My rule for any car I will buy is it has to be a daily driver.

[z12358]

Originally Posted by Rail26

My rule for any car I will buy is it has to be a daily driver.

I only drive for leisure and on weekends so can't speak for people who have to drive to work during the week, but I can see how one could have a different car for a different purpose and conditions. There are plenty of congested metro areas with bad roads, hellish commutes in stop-and-go traffic. I don't think it's a matter of mileage or wear and tear, it just plain doesn't make sense to be driving a high-performance roadster (with a stick shift, no less) in such conditions. Moreover, it makes sense to associate the roadster with fun and joy (like a twisty road on a weekend) and disassociate it from stress, congestion, and hurry. It's a different feeling when you sit in your joy car for your joy ride, and not in the same seat in which you cursed and sweated just yesterday while stuck in traffic on your way home from work.

So I don't think this is a matter of some people being obsessively concerned about their cars, while others (daily drivers) not. My guess is that if most people here lived in an idylic country setting, driving to work on beautiful, uncongested, country roads, they would indeed use their roadsters as daily drivers.

Finally, why ever impose such "image" rules on yourself?

Z.

[Dr. Kill]

Originally Posted by z12358

I only drive for leisure and on weekends so can't speak for people who have to drive to work during the week, but I can see how one could have a different car for a different purpose and conditions. There are plenty of congested metro areas with bad roads, hellish commutes in stop-and-go traffic. I don't think it's a matter of mileage or wear and tear, it just plain doesn't make sense to be driving a high-performance roadster (with a stick shift, no less) in such conditions. Moreover, it makes sense to associate the roadster with fun and joy (like a twisty road on a weekend) and disassociate it from stress, congestion, and hurry. It's a different feeling when you sit in your joy car for your joy ride, and not in the same seat in which you cursed and sweated just yesterday while stuck in traffic on your way home from work.
Z.

I understand what you are saying, but the other side of it is, when I have a long and stressful day at work at a client location, often the best part of my day is that commute in my Boxster. I am always looking for twisty backroads that, although may lengthen my trip to and from work, I can fit some “me” time in there during an otherwise potentially boring task of commuting. I can’t count how many nights I have shuffled out of an office building completely drained, only to have a big smile put on my face when I see my car.

When I first got the Box, I kept another car for DD purposes – nice car, an Acura CL Type S, but every day when I was driving it, I wished I was in the Porsche. So I wound up just selling it.

I hear you about the inner-city driving. I certainly don’t live in an idyllic country setting, but if I have to go to Manhattan, I take the train, but otherwise, Jersey, upstate New York, Long Island, I’m taking my car, and I am enjoying it – every day.

[Dr. Kill]

Originally Posted by Rail26

I wonder if this is true? My Box is a daily driver and I don't know why other people don't use there car as a daily driver (except for the obvious fact of kids, etc). It gets great gas mileage, is comfortable, looks good and is fun to drive. I don't care about racking up the mileage because I bought the car to drive...not to sit in the garage trying to "protect" my investment (worst investment in the world).

My rule for any car I will buy is it has to be a daily driver.

Yep, I'm with you. This car is performance art, not sculpture.

[jeffsquire]

Originally Posted by Rail26

I wonder if this is true? My Box is a daily driver and I don't know why other people don't use there car as a daily driver (except for the obvious fact of kids, etc). It gets great gas mileage, is comfortable, looks good and is fun to drive. I don't care about racking up the mileage because I bought the car to drive...not to sit in the garage trying to "protect" my investment (worst investment in the world).

My rule for any car I will buy is it has to be a daily driver.

_______________________________
Well spoken. Here here!! Another reason why we didnt "box" the Boxster up for winter here. Drove it 80 miles yesterday. No snow for the past few weeks. Had the top down in 40 degree weather last week. :dance:

[Chills]

Originally Posted by Rail26

I wonder if this is true? My Box is a daily driver and I don't know why other people don't use there car as a daily driver (except for the obvious fact of kids, etc). It gets great gas mileage, is comfortable, looks good and is fun to drive. I don't care about racking up the mileage because I bought the car to drive...not to sit in the garage trying to "protect" my investment (worst investment in the world).

My rule for any car I will buy is it has to be a daily driver.

I couldn't agree more. I bought my Boxster to drive it, not to sit and look at it in my garage. It is my only car and I drive it everyday. I'll soon have a back up car for the days when Chicago weather isn't at it's best, though.

I know many of the Pcar owners here in Naperville drive their's on a daily basis. At the train station I see a yellow late model Carrera and a black mid-90's 911 everyday in the parking lot.

[drburton]

Some of us have good reason not to drive the car daily, and it's not so the car can be a 'garage queen'

My boxster is our third car and I drop off the kids at school every morning then park at a train station. Kids don't fit in the boxster, and I don't really want to leave it at the train station. Not to mention the Touareg is a more comfortable ride for commuting purposes in traffic.

Also, to the point made earlier, since I'm not commuting in the car I really enjoy the moments I have to drive it - no destination, just a great way to unwind.