ipse dixit

I'm looking to get into one, a used 2013 458 Italia.

Any thoughts? Not looking for price advice, but more about ownership experience, maintenance, etc., esp. vis-a-vis a 911.

Thank you very much.

Team Plutonium

Well, service and maintenance wise its a whole new ballgame (besides the price of course). A good friend has a scuderia and a 458 and both are not daily drivers like the 911. More service, more maintenance for sure with a price tag that is borderline retarded. Can't really compare it to the 911 IMHO.

Zohan

991 to f458 is like honda accord to 991 - F cars are not utilitarian at all. There plenty of used Ferraris for sale with less then 1000mi/yr and that with depreciation cost being what it is - don't feel like it is worth it
After 2012 maintenance is free

DallasDave

I've had Ferraris and Lamborghinis. Agree with what has been stated. Unless you have a lot of expendable cash, not a daily driver. I have at least one neighbor that uses his as a partial daily (458 spider), but with his collection, appears he is not concerned. Great weekend warrior!

If you are looking for something different, a Gallardo is a better daily than a Ferrari, but maintenance will be big too. I had a Gallardo spider as a daily, but sold it before the warranty was up.

Good luck and you only live once! Might as well have fun!!

Dave in Dallas

Vic and Ray

2013 used 458 Italia should have the transferable 7 year unlimited mileage maintenance agreement. Nice little bonus

hansw

I owned several Ferraris, all of them 12-cylinder cars, for some 30 years. I sold the last one, a 550 Maranello, which I had bought new, after 10 years of ownership. Really liked that car. I replaced it with a new 997 GT2 and have owned a 991 S from new for two years. I never owned an 8-cylinder Ferrari because they all lacked sufficient luggage space for longer trips. But they are more enjoyable to drive.

I never used my Ferraris as daily drivers; the maintenance bills would have been too high. I put about 4,500 miles a year on them, on average.

In my experience, Ferraris are very reliable if they are properly maintained. Deferred maintenance can quickly amount to very large repair bills. The newer the model the higher the quality and reliability. The 550 was by far the best of the lot that I owned, with the lowest maintenance cost. Still, over a period of a few years, the average annual maintenance cost (not counting cost of fuel) of the 550 was more than twice that of the GT2 and that of the GT2 is about twice that of the 991S. (High tire expense and labor-intensive change of spark plugs every two years for the GT2). I would think that a 458, properly maintained and driven about 4,000 to 5,000 miles a year, would be somewhat less expensive to maintain than a 550, primarily because its cams are chain-driven while those of the 550 are belt-driven. Replacing those belts periodically was expensive.

Ferrari's factory support -- updates, recalls -- has come a long way from almost nonexistent during the Testarossa era and before to better than Porsche's for my 550.

In the final analysis, I would compare a Ferrari to a somewhat temperamental and talented diva and a 911 to a competent athlete.

ipse dixit

Hey everyone, thanks very much for the input. This is very helpful, and pretty much inline with what I had thought (and feared).

What about something like the F12 (assuming I can find one in my price range), or an FF?

Same sentiment?

Thanks again.

chuck911

Ferrari ownership expérience vis a vis a 911? So I'm driving down 405 one beautiful fine summer morning when I come up on a red Ferrari. This was a couple years ago so I forget the model, but it was looking so good I decided to slow down and enjoy the view. Minute later, what comes down the on-ramp but another beautiful red Ferrari. Perfectly timed, pulls in right beside the first one. I'm watching this thinking two Ferrari's and a Porsche, what fun! Of course the first Ferrari studiously ignored me, but surely the two of them, one will acknowledge the other? Nope. Not a chance. These two guys drove along for miles, side by side, and I never thought of Omertà as extending to cars before but maybe so. So that's my experience with Ferrari vis a vis Porsche.

Team Plutonium

Yup, same thing.... BTW, when talking Ferrari you shouldn't really have a 'price range', that's the whole point. The F12 and FF are new, so the used market will be limited, but basically they still demand crazy prices (almost close to sticker) because it speeds up taking ownership without a waiting list (up to 2 years for a first time buyer).