I wish that was true ; D, I can get senior citizen discount on the bus in 5 more years. I did state that it might be dumb questions

 

Can I respectfully suggest a visit to your nearest dealer? I think you really need to decide what car best suits your needs first. I mean no distrespect but you may be happier with a F355 or a F360 to get your feet wet.

 

driving without coffee? I think they are now fire-free ; }, it is no longer an option you can order

 

no worries, not offended. Just throwing out some questions and get educated on the subject. You asked why do I want one in the first place, I think the 458 is one piece of beautiful industry design, or maybe it is old age...

 

MDC you are asking great questions, Im curioius to know some of the answers myself. Will someone please enlighten?

 

I don't think it is old age at all. I think the 458 is stunning. I have had the good fortune to have been up close with over 20 so far (still trying to get that first drive lol). And as much as I love them, I would still opt for a F430 Scud 16M Spider. Just me.

What has amazed me with the 458 is that I have seen over 20 different ones here on the Island since it was released. There seems to be no shortage of cash here. They seem more prolific then when the F360 was released.

 

My passion is in the industry design. Modern Ferrari is not my thing, I like them but I do not love them until I saw the 458 in person. The exterior is perfect from every angle, the interior is not my cup of tea, but it is nicely done. Maybe someday...

 

From everything that i have been told from other ferrari owners and the dealer, the 458 is truly a car capable of being a DD. until now, ferraris were just not as practical to be DD's. so i think we will see a higher number of 458's with relatively more mileage on them. as far as mileage, i feel ferrari is really not too much different from other exotic/luxury cars. market conditions will always dictate the price based upon miles, condition, etc. For me personally, although i have other vehicles available to drive, i like to drive my toys as long as the weather is nice. it doesn't make too much sense to me to buy a beautiful car and not enjoy it when you want to. i usually keep my cars about 1 - 2 years. the average cost of ownership seems to be about $10 per mile driven including the maintenance. And i drive an average of 3000 miles per year.

 

Thanks for your thoughts. From what I gather so far, I think it is possible to spec out a car and get it within one year.

 

To clarify some of these questions, it all depends on the dealer you work with. 458 allocation is tough right now but not impossible. While some of these cirucmstances may have been true in the past, the economic situation has changed what the dealers will do and what they won't. My advice is instead of questioning a message board, go to your local dealer and ask.

For those questioning people who "flip" their 458 to turn a profit, Ferrari tries to prevent that from occuring by making you sign a document that states that the Ferrari dealer gets right of first refusal - meaning the dealer has the FIRST opportunity in the first year of ownership to buy the car back. If they refuse, you are free to sell it on your own, but after paying the hefty sales tax in most states, you would need to mark up the car $20k just to break even. So if you marked it up $30k, would it be worth all the aggravation for $10k? Most guys who can afford these cars would say no.

With regards to 458 vs California, these are two vastly different cars. With the California, Ferrari is going after a different demographic than the typical Ferrari buyer - they're going after buyers of Mercedes SLs, Aston Martins, Maseratis, etc. A California is like a faster, better performing, and more finely crafter SL63 with a level of refinement & comfort not often found in typical Ferrari's.

And Ferrari began the "DD" theme with the 360. That was the first modern day Ferrari that truly could be driven day in and day out without hefty maintenance costs(i.e. dropping out engines for basic service, etc). The 430 was an evolution of that, even more reliable and requiring less intensive maintenance. These cars can easily be driven every day.

Lower mileage Ferrari's are big no-nos in my opinion. Cars with 2k on them after 4 or 5 years typically have seals that have dried up, wheel bearings that are partially seized, flat spotted tires, and much more. They typically need more maintenance than cars with maybe 10-15k on them. Additionally, higher mileage cars will have most of their "bugs" worked out under warranty, something a low mileage car won't. Most people miss this in their quest for Ferrari ownership and figure a low mileage car is the "right" choice. Unfortunately, it could end up being very costly.

 

njcycleguy, that was very informative. Thank you. I am going to head the dealer and hear what they have to say. Between F-chat and here, I feel fairly informative about the brand. Please feel free to continue to share any other insight.

 

I would buy a 360 or 550 as a first Ferrari. These cars can handle 50k miles without any problems. Don't believe all the BS stories, especially the newer Ferraris are very reliable.

You can DD a 360 or 550 for sure. I gues it depends if you want a GT or a mid-engined sportscar.

 

If you own a ferrari and are worried about mileage for the sake of resell, you have no business driving one and are truly missing out.

 

I did not indicate my concern is over resell value, I was just wondering why most used Ferrari has such low miles. I would have stick to Toyota for resell.

 

If you're in NorCal, talk to Charlie at Silicon Valley or Alessandro at Ferrari SF - Silicon Valley has been consigning some great cars at surprisingly low prices - you never know when they will get a 458...