I think I was a little dramatic with the, "I'll miss this forum..." I still be here leaning & chiming in here and there.

Major service in the spring will cost ~$4K. I factored that into the purchase price & anticipate ~$2K per year in maintenance annualized.

All I gotta do is stay away from the mod bug on this one and it's all good.

 

You will good sir -- and a beauty of a car you have now!

The M would have likely sunk you both in depreciation and in repairs!! Awesome car though.

 

I had two of them when I was quite young . Both were Alfa Romeo . For me it was a disaster . The first car broke every day I had it and it was brand new (variety of problems) . The Alfa dealership (no longer in business) could not fix it but being young and quite stubborn I found a mechanic who at least knew enough to try . He finally got it to work ( somewhat) and then I was sitting at a red light and older woman two cars behind hit the gas instead of the brake and hit the car stopped behind me which plowed into me . All the cars were ruined but I was the only one who didn't end up in the hospital.

So .. I figured it was just that one bad Alfa and i got another. It was equally as bad too. After one year .. i sold it .

What i learned was that the cars were beautifully designed but terribly engineered . Not only that but every time the car needed a part .. I had to wait . I constantly heard "it's on a boat from Italy " .

Porsche is a entirely different universe in comparison.

 

.

What on earth happened along the way? At the current incline I hope this doesn't mean a fiat punt is next on the list.

 

yrralis,

You just earned the award for best quote of this entire thread. I couldn't have said it better myself. Even in that silly show "Battle of the Supercars" the Ferrari's and Lambo's always seem to be having issues while the Porsche's always perform flawlessly. The Germans are some of the best engineers in the world.

"Top Gear" U.K. host Jeremy Clarkson is always slaming German cars because he claims they are all about engineering and that they don't have enough passion. I'm definitely still a fan of JC but that has to be one of the dumbest things he ever said. When it comes to cars personally I'll take engineering over passion any day!

Remember this one . . .

FIAT = Fix It Again Tony

 

German engineering - flying into a mountain when you can see the mountain, because your instruments tell you there is no mountain

Italian "engineering" - flying around a mountain because although your instruments indicate no mountain - you feel passionately there is a mountain

Notwithstanding in example 1 you're dead (not the point) -- the emphasis is on how differently these two companies approach designing and building their cars.

The Italian experience is completely orthogonal to the German experience. I'm just grateful for the courage to fly with the Italians for a while because on average, the Germans flying solely by their instruments will crash many fewer times

 

I dont know, TC, I've noticed that every few months its a new car and a whole new list of mods. I guess I never understand that type of mentality but to each their own.

The one thing I really cant understand is the downward spiral of going from one car to another but in a decline.... again this is a matter of opinion and Im sorry if it comes off rude (I am not trying to be rude at all) but you started off with a killer modded turbo, then a killer gt3, then a very nice albeit less expensive/flagship pcar with the S, and now from an 09 S to an 8 year old Ferrari? Not sure I get what your after in your purchases, unless its just getting a sample of each....but for that matter why not just rent them for a week each and move on to the next, why take the financial hit especially after dumping all that $ on mods?

In any case, I wish you the best of luck with your new car and hope that you enjoy it to the fullest.

 

^^^^^^^^^

So far my 8-year-old Ferrari is my favorite car - trumping my 1997 Lotus Esprit and my GT3 (previously #1 and#2 favorites)

I previously posted my tactics for buying and selling cars such that the duration of ownership is less than what one might pay monthly for a 5 year lease (ie rental). This considers the mod costs too.

I'm also very patient and careful on the buy side - meaning I have a defined maximum price for a particular car and don't let emotion let me pay more.

It's been a blast exploring these cars. I worked hard and risked much (allowing me this opportunity) and I'm happy to share my experiences.

I don't mind if some people think that's silly, or in a downward spiral.

So although I don't take any offense to your post - I'd like to better understand your point.

 

ok, cool that you didnt take my comments the wrong way, I appreciate that.

My point is that you had whats considered the flagship porsche in the turbo, then went to a gt3 (which I consider on the same level just different) then went to an S, which is a downgrade from the tt or 3. I guess what I was trying to get at was why? I had an S and by no means am I knocking that car,I loved that car, but I knew that the only thing I wanted after that car was better handling, ie the 3 and/or a much harder kick in the pants (speed) in the tt. I loved the S as it got me to really understand and enjoy what a porsche is all about. I really explored that car and enjoyed it for 30k miles.

I think that you switch cars so quickly that you dont really get to enjoy them fully, again, this is a general statement but I hope you can see what I mean.

 

^^^^^^^
I see, tx.

To me, every next car is an upgrade whether it's considered so by the norm or not.

I once drove a Honda S2000 36,000 miles before selling.

I also drove a 1987 Ford Taurus 30k miles.

My tastes and interests evolve. I'm in a phase of swift car change. When I enjoy them fully, I sell. I then try to share my experiences with others.

So sounds as if your point is I don't get to fully enjoy my cars. I do.

 

TC, the most important thing is that YOU are happy at the end of the day. Good luck with your F-car and please share your experiences with us. I would consider moving to a lightly used F430 in the near future if the price was right and I expect their values to drop with the debut of the 458.

 

Gotcha, so you enjoyed the 87 taurus more than the porsches , just kidding, the truth is you should do what is good for you period. If that is whats happening then I too am happy for ya, but cmon you know Pcars are where its at

enjoy the Fcar in good health sir

 

While I enjoy Top Gear and Jeremy Clarkson, I never took him seriously. After hearing him say that a 996 C4S had the same motor of the 996 Turbo minus the turbos, I don't take his opinions seriously but for what they are - entertainment. I remember him calling Valentino Balboni "Valentino Bilbao" and it cracked me up as he said the "Bilbao" with such emphasis as to be proud that he said it right, while not realizing he just named him after a city in the Basque Country (Euskadi).

 

I didn't get a chance to take the 997.2S out today -- I was driving the new toy. Tomorrow I promise to drive the Porsche. Here are some updated pics.