Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Good Afternoon

[Tom Reynolds (kjtar]

Excellent post, Charles.  What is the phrase you used about using your head
and trying to separate emotion from the car search?  Something like (but not
verbatim, I'm sure), "Lock your heart in your wife's jewelry box and don't
take it out until the car is yours."?
Just trying to remember...
Tom in Tulsa

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Charles Perry" <charles [at] carolina-sound.com>
To: "Tom Reynolds" <kjtar [at] cox.net>
Cc: "The FerrariList" <ferrari [at] ferrarilist.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 08, 2007 10:38 AM
Subject: Re: [Ferrari] Good Afternoon


> I think if there were such a thing as a perfect starter Ferrari the 328
> is it. I, however, started with a Testarossa. I can drive a 328, but at
> 6'3" tall, I wouldn't say it was comfortable in a manner befitting long
> trips, which was one of my goals for the car. The TR is much more
> spacious and I have ample head, hip and leg room. I live in SC and have
> driven the car to southern Florida, Oklahoma and Montreal and loved
> every minute.
>
> At the time I started research ('97), I was doing exactly what you're
> doing, and I was told not to start with a 12-cylinder because the
> maintenance costs were so much greater than for an 8. I have not found
> this to be entirely correct. Clearly there are 50% more parts for things
> like changing plugs or plug wires, and the engine-out 30k service stings
> a lot more than an 8, but since most people only do that every 5 years
> or so, it's not so bad on an annualized basis. I have been very lucky
> with my TR and have not suffered any significant mechanical failures.
> There have been plenty of expensive annoyances, but nothing that makes
> me regret my choice. I bought the TR when I was making $40k/year and
> sharing a house with my brother. It was a serious (read dangerous)
> financial stretch at the time, and it was completely worth it to me.
> Almost all of my friends now are people I've met through this list and
> the club and the rewards of ownership go far beyond the actual car. As
> another lister said, you can start experiencing this by joining the FCA,
> even without a car. That was how I got most of my test drives - not from
> dealers, but from generous owners.
>
> Possibly the best piece of advice I got when I started shopping was to
> find a good local independent mechanic, talk to his/her customers and
> verify references. In my case it was a necessity since I am 4-5 hours
> from the nearest dealer, but it was also financially necessary for me.
> The dealers are generally terrific (I have had especially good
> experiences with Ferrari of Atlanta), but they are necessarily more
> expensive since they also have to pay for showrooms, factory tools, etc.
> A good independent mechanic can make driving your dream a reality. Karl
> Troy, my local guy, is a list member here and does great work at an
> hourly rate that is actually slightly less than my Dodge dealer.
>
> The other important piece of advice I got is to wait for the right car.
> It is very easy to make a bad decision with your heart when you're
> sitting in a glossy red Ferrari. Make the decision with your head. It
> has to be a complete package - not just a nice cosmetic package. Check
> maintenance records, do your pre-purchase inspection and know something
> about the car's history and the owner. If the car is missing a piece of
> that puzzle, move on. There will always be another car out there. It
> took me two years of active shopping to find the right car at the right
> price, and it has been time will spent. Besides, shopping is half the
> fun!
>
> Good luck!
>
> -- charles
> -- 87 Testarossa
> -- 98 F355 Spider
> -- 99 Diablo VT
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tad Breeden [mailto:tadbreeden [at] mindspring.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 1:43 PM
> To: Charles Perry
> Cc: The FerrariList
> Subject: [Ferrari] Good Afternoon
>
>
> After joining your Ferrari list a few months ago and being a lifelong
> fan of these beautiful automobiles I was hoping to get some really good
> first-hand knowledge and information from anyone and everyone who cares
> to respond.  I am hoping to one day own and care for one of these pieces
> of art, honestly it will probably be  a few years down the road but I'm
> optimistic that it won't be too long.
> This would definitely NOT be a daily driver, I have a '99 MB S420 for
> that  but I would hope to drive the car weekly. I grew up with Magnum's
> 308GTSi and later the Testarossa which I still love! There's one in my
> neighborhood but I haven't been able to get the guy to slow down long
> enough to chat with him about his car! He's always having too much fun
> in it I guess?
> I have many questions, but one of my first would be is there such a
> thing as a "starter" Ferarri for a beginner someone who is not a
> millionaire and not a mechanic. I have seen alot of 308s out there but
> many seem to had some hard years and been neglected. I have looked at a
> '91 348ts which was very nice and a 360 Modena which was outta my price
> range but I still have a"thing" for that 12 cylinder Testarossa! Am I
> crazy? Yes, I probably am! Not sure how much of the maintenance I could
> do myself, costs, ride, etc. on any of these cars much less a Testarossa
> or Modena 360? Should I just start with the best 308 I can afford and
> look to buy up from there after enjoying that and learning about
> Ferarris or should I go with the dream and find that special Testarossa?
> Any ideas that people may have? I would love to hear them!
> Also, do you think that I'd be welcome at some of my local Ferarri club
> events so that I could learn about these cars even though I don't own
> one?  Have a great day and enjoy those beautiful automobiles, oh and
> keep writing in to the message board so I can live vicariously through
> all of you!  Thanks alot.
>
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> Tad Breeden
> tadbreeden [at] mindspring.com
> EarthLink Revolves Around You.
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