Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Good Afternoon

[clyderomero (clyderomero]

Great advice 

Clyde
Sent via BlackBerry from Cingular Wireless

-----Original Message-----
From: "Charles Perry" <charles [at] carolina-sound.com>

Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2007 11:38:18 
To:clyde <clyderomero [at] worldnet.att.net>
Cc:The FerrariList <ferrari [at] ferrarilist.com>
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.          


































Tad Breeden
tadbreeden [at] mindspring.com
EarthLink Revolves Around You.
_________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe or modify your subscription options, please visit:
http://lists.ferrarilist.com/mailman/options/ferrari/charles%40carolina-
sound.com

Sponsored by BidNip.com eBay Auction Sniper http://www.BidNip.com/ and
F1 Headlines http://www.F1Headlines.com/
_________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe or modify your subscription options, please visit:
http://lists.ferrarilist.com/mailman/options/ferrari/clyderomero%40worldnet.att.net

Sponsored by BidNip.com eBay Auction Sniper
http://www.BidNip.com/
and F1 Headlines
http://www.F1Headlines.com/