yup that's the thing keeping me from going w the ff. is the car worth the stress? not sure. my previous used Ferrari from the 90's blew the motor 1 month after I got it. horrendous experience but then I had the car 5 more years without single issue. never know. Ferrari would give most pleasure of any car but potential for most heartache too.

 

I agree with this, especially the first two paragraphs regarding the FF. Once I saw the new-generation version of the FF (GTC4Lusso), I saw how much better it is than the older version, and I figured that if I ever get a used Ferrari, it would be the Lusso (and I'll wait a few years to let others take the incredible depreciation hit for the first 3-4 years). The warranties are good on these Ferraris, but you still have huge costs with insurance and you have to worry everywhere you're going to take the thing (parking issues, etc.). That said, for me, there's not another 2-door car on the planet that I'd rather have than a GTC4Lusso with the V12 and AWD; it could indeed be a daily driver, as well as a long-distance touring car for two people.

 

Might be in the minority but get the FF. Scratch the itch. If it works out then great. If it doesn't then chalk it up as lesson learned and move on.

 

I do not care that much for the design of the rear clip on the Lusso or the slats on the front fenders but the rest of the car is nice upgrade. My insurance cost is not bad, about $3k a year through Farmers.

The AWD system is a novelty if you do not live in a winter climate. It only works at low speeds because it is 2nd and 4th gear only and you have to turn it on. I get that Ferrari was going for a light weight system but this is a touring car and a dynamic AWD system would offer a lot more.

 

Sorry but the *** of that car is just not for me

 

That pretty much says it all.

 

Sounds like you really like the FF. You also said you are an empty nest, so no need for 4 doors. You mentioned you have a couple other cars as well for any lengthy service.
All that considered, get the FF! The FF is probably my favorite modern Ferrari not including the supercars. I have had the pleasure of sitting in the drivers seat of one and it is an incredible car. Really a uniques look, and would make for an awesome car to drive everyday.

 

was instructing at track yesterday and was a brand new audi rs5sb and pan 4s there! no ff but pretty small odds on seeing those 2 together at track day. didnt drive either but was in passenger seat. rs is really nice but even with sports exhaust, had no sound at all. felt stiff and controlled, smaller than its size. pana was fast too but just too big for sports car. still have to drive them myself.

audi had better rear seat room with at least possibility fitting 5 for short trip. despite being empty nest would use car for occasional dinner drive w other couple, picking up our grown kids, future grandkids, etc. ff is my 1st choice, but the risk of having it in shop for months at time along with only having 2 door cars is holding me back. with over a yr to go, i will look for used ff and pana and see if i can find perfect one. can get new audi if cant find perfect pana/ff.

 

I also have a hard time discerning your requirements. "[QUOTE=95spiderman;15816563]looking for a premium cpo daily driver that can get through ny winter, do occasional easy track day, and fit 3 passengers."
"Through the winter" implies a 4WD car. An "occasional easy track day" implies a strong Engine, great suspension, handling, and brakes, and "and fit 3 passengers" to me means a comfortable rear seat.
My 2015 Panamera TTS and my 2014 AMG E63S meets those requirements, but an FF Ferrari would certainly not. Most adult passengers over 40-50 years old would not enjoy crawling into the back seat
of an FF to go anyplace, and I can't even imagine the financial pain and aggravation of tracking an FF - so why is it even being considered if you REALLY need your originally stated requirements?
All sorts of good reasons to buy (or NOT buy) a Ferrari, just not those you stated were necessary.

 

yes of course its a contradiction in what i want/need. easy to suggest 'get a race car for the track, an suv for winter, a minivan for passengers, and a luxury sedan for nights on town' but thats not what i want. nothing has all of that. but ff, pana, and rs5sb are all reasonable compromises. btw, i tracked a ferrari from 2001 to 2007. loved it despite blowing motor at limerock in 2001. got it fixed and never another issue. taking passenger in ff is an issue but would only be once month or so and maybe 20 min ride each way. just have to decide how much i care about that compared to having a last of the line v12 motor

 

The Audi is the least interesting car to me on your list. Maybe an RS7 but the RS5 is not nearly as spacious as the Panamera. Do not underestimate the comfort of the back seats in the FF and Lusso, they are generous. It is the entry/exit with 2 doors, despite being huge doors, that is the inconvenience.

I would not track an FF any more than I would my Panamera. They can take a fast lap but these cars are big and just not engineered for pounding out lap after lap. I would not track my E63s either.

Pick the car you like knowing it will not check every box. Personally, I chose to drive my Panamera more than any other car I own. If daily driver is my dominant need, the Panamera wins. The FF is totally daily driveable but MPG, reliability, ease of driving it and paranoia about anything happening to it all weigh against it as a daily driver.

Lastly, it is important to understand that the AWD system in the FF is unlike anything offered by other badges, and it is limited. I would not rely on it for driving in a winter climate as a commute car. The front axle has a separate transmission that drives off a PTO on the front of the engine. It has 2nd and 4th gear ratios and slips the clutch when the car is in 1st and 3rd. It does not operate at freeway speed, anything above 4th gear, and has to be manually activated.

 

I know about the ff weird awd system. it works in lower gears but can you really manually turn it on at highway speed? how do you do that? my commute is 5 miles suburban residential street driving. I think it would be fine with winter tires for that but would be really great if can turn awd on at highway speeds too. thanks for that info!

 

You activate it manually using the Manettino dial on the steering wheel. There is no always-on AWD in this car. The front drive system disengages above 4th gear. So you CANNOT use the AWD system at higher speeds. I think it is really meant for getting you up the driveway at your ski house in the Alps more than providing an AWD experience in everyday conditions.

It is different but I wouldn't say it is a weird system. It is really ingenious, weighing half of the weight of a traditional AWD drivetrain and the front transmission takes just 20% of the engine torque so combined with less loss through a more complex drivetrain, delivers better butt-in-seat performance. The dynamic AWD system in the W213 gen Mercedes is a thing of real engineering achievement, easily the best-in-class for AWD. The Porsche system is obviously pretty impressive and the PDK is a super fun transmission to drive but the MCT Speedshift that AMG offers is more impressive. I still prefer the Panamera.

 

^^^ That is good to know and could be a +/- depending on your expectations.

 

OP since you’ve got an empty next and can swing the FF, just get it. Life’s too short to miss out on a dream especially if you have the means to achieve it!

However if you dont end up choosing the Ferrari, a couple of other people mentioned it, so I’m seconding their recommendation to also consider:

BMW M8 Gran Coupe (or “pedestrian” 8 series Gran Coupe), could be the perfect mix between the Pana and Audi.

I’m in the same boat researching for my next family car and so far it’s between those two: CPO Gen 2 Panamera or a new 8 Series Gran Coupe (possibly M8GC).