So I got the new Excellence magazine yesterday ...
 

.... and then I thought "why do the put the picture of a Carrera GT on the cover?" ....
.... and then I figured out it's a picture of the new 981 :cool:

MAN, that's a good looking car :cheers:

Interesting that both sides are intakes. Top is fully automatic and has more noise reducing features (the forward section is magnesium) making the cabin 50% quieter. They don't ship to the US until June.

It looks like a nice car, no doubt, I'm happy with a little less weight, more hp and old school steering. I agree with what they said about the Boxster interest being huge do to the new 911 price point.

Nice vehicle, but the starting price for an "S" starts to climb into the range of a low mileage, pristine 360 Modena .

Maintenance costs to own a 360 Modena??

After spending considerable time speaking with F-car owners and lurking around forums like F-chat, I've been able to dismiss a lot of the myths and rumors surrounding the ownership and maintenance of these vehicles. Factors like how much the vehicle is driven annually, and where you have it serviced are key in terms of maintenance costs. Moreover, higher production figures over the years has resulted in the increase of available pre-owned Ferraris considerably. As result, there's been a significant increase in the number of independent Ferrari specialist as well. So, gone are the days where a person was held captive by dealerships who could essentially charge whatever they wanted . For someone such as myself who drives on average 3k to 4k per season, I could probably keep my annual costs down to around $1000 or so a year . As far as major service is concerned, the cam belts, along with a few other adjustments, have to be changed every 3 years or 15k miles. And, even that can be kept under 2k if it's done by the right facility .

F-cars are FIATS!

yeah, that's what he's talking about... $2k a year to maintain a fiat that essentially goes un-driven sounds about right

I'm with Johnny... my next big car move after owning a 911 is going to be to own a Ferrari not a new Boxster. Even $5K in maintenance per year is way less than I spend on track days with the Box now.

Is that any better than P cars beng VW's ??

Who said anything about spending 2k a year on maintenance ?

How many Fiats have you owned that have required a motor replacement because of failure ? Let alone two . LoL !

Fiat owns Ferrari so technically...

FIAT. I remember them when they imported cars here in the 70's. Hopefully they've improved the quality. Maybe Ferrari will re badge the Fiat 500 :D


Fixing It Again Tony? :p

Dare to dream Johnny. We have a lot of Ferraris around here... and a lot of independent Ferrari techs. The Ferrari techs live very well... and drive Porsches. $1K per year might just cover your tire expense. ;) They are very finicky, high maintenance birds those F-cars but I do love to look at them.

About the "cheap" Ferrari maintenance:
A friend of mine has a Maserati Grantourismo, which basically is a Ferrari and which gets serviced at a Ferrari/Maserati dealership down the road from me.
He can tell you a story or two about "cheap" maintenance (I usually give him a ride for pickup and dropoff and then get the story fresh from the horse's mouth). To add insult to injury, you can get many of the exact same parts with either a Ferrari or Maserati badge, but the "Ferrari" part carries an extra premium (I guess we're used to it as many P-parts also exist from Audi)
But last not least: Don't forget that Ferraris are not meant to be driven daily, P-cars are.

BTW: Mr. Topless: Will I see you in Buttonwillow end of May?

Sadly I will miss this one. Family obligations that weekend. Dan and I will be running the prior weekend on the new SoCal track "Chuckwalla" CCW out in the Mojave desert. It should be cool and breezy there in late May... NOT!

I was sniffing round a 360 Spider the other day while waiting on a new rear window.

It's a bit of a chintzy lash up compared to a Boxster, has an almost kit car air to it. I also suspect a 981 is a much better drive. Haven't driven one, but would guess the only advantage is bragging rights and badge. it's not like the 360 is beautiful like Ferraris used to be.

If you were' talking 308 GTB, I'd be with you. But the 360? Meh.

I can't imagine needing to replace tires every year; especially if one only drives his or her vehicle 3k to 4k seasonally . And, annual maintenance such as oil and fluid changes are not that disproportionate for another high end vehicles. Keep in mind, I'm referring to street/pleasure driving, not tracking the vehicle .

Cars like the 308 almost put Ferrari out of business . LoL ! You've been watching too much Magmun P.I. . :)