FF vs 456

[Schnellmann]

Was walking down main street in Zurich this afternoon with wife and daughter and we went past an FF in black. I pointed it out to my wife and told her it was a new Ferrari. She was not very impressed. She thought it didn't look right nor good-looking enough to be a Ferrari.

By coincidence we saw an hour or so later a 456. I made her go and have a look. That is a very good looking car, was her view. Which was great as I had casually mentioned to her a week or so back that I was thinking of swapping the 993 for one (unfortunately she spoilt the moment by saying that that didn't mean she necessarily agreed with buying a Ferrari just as the economy looks in danger of slipping back into recession).

I am sure that the FF is much, much faster, better to drive, sounds better, handles better, is more reliable, more practical and more luxurious than a 456 but for me (and clearly my wife) it falls down in one important area: looks.

[sneaky schnell]

Personally, I think both cars are good looking but the 456 is better looking.

The FF has very aggressive styling which might be a hurdle in this segment, especially to the Ferrari driver who might be a little more conservative than most.

However, you not having a dumb wife might be your hurdle in this segment .

[Pesty]

I prefer the 612 to both of those

in Black please red leather.

[bigricho]

having seen the FF in the flesh at Lancaster Colchester a couple of months ago, i thought it looked completely hideous. It makes a 456 look like Cheryl Cole compared to it!

[JasonSF]

I can't understand why 456 aren't more sought after. They are possibly the pretiest 2+2 ever made IMO .

[Pesty]

Perhaps people are put off by the scare stories of very high bills.

[JasonSF]

Are there scare stories? I haven't heard any. I thought the general consensus was one of reliability.

[JazzyO]

There is a difference between the first generation and the modificata (456M) in terms of reliability. The most recurring story regarding cost is the automatic gearbox. The engine is pretty much bomb proof. One problem is that V12 Ferrari's need money thrown at them. Not necessarily much money, but you need to give them the attention they deserve. When you buy a 25k Ferrari that is 12 - 15 years old, it is quite likely it's been owned by some less affluent person in the recent past and things might have been skipped. So carefully check recent history.

All Ferrari 2+2's are undervalued (250GTE, 330GT 2+2, 365 GT 2+2, 365 GTC/4, 365 GT/4 2+2, 400i, 412i, Mondial, 456, 612), and so are the V12 GTs. If people want to buy a second-hand Ferrari, 95% of the time they think screaming V8 in a red body. But this is just good news for the people that like the V12s, they are awesome cars.

I saw the FF at the factory last week for the first time, and I must say I can't get enthousiastic about the looks. Still a fantastic car, though.


Onno

[Pesty]

JasonSF said:

Are there scare stories? I haven't heard any. I thought the general consensus was one of reliability.

Only going on what I have read on here over the years. I racal power steering failures costing many k to sort. even if very very rare and in general they are very reliable if true it is enough to put people off. Problem is the cars are affordable for a lot of people but running costs may not be what they expect as mentioned above.

Obviously this is the internet so may be exagerated/bks. b

Although I do prefer the 612 the 456 is a very handsome beast. Love seeing them in the wild.

ps They look fab in red

Edited by Pesty on Monday 26th September 12:15

[Jonty355]

bigricho said:

having seen the FF in the flesh at Lancaster Colchester a couple of months ago, i thought it looked completely hideous. It makes a 456 look like Cheryl Cole compared to it!

What? Skinny and a bit chavvy???

[jshell]

JasonSF said:

Are there scare stories? I haven't heard any. I thought the general consensus was one of reliability.

I spoke with an independent exotic car dealer in Edinburgh who ran a late model 456. He reckoned it never cost less than 5k for an annual service. I'm sure there are better/cheaper tales, but just what I was told by an owner... Put me off for sure.

[markbe]

jshell said:

I spoke with an independent exotic car dealer in Edinburgh who ran a late model 456. He reckoned it never cost less than 5k for an annual service. I'm sure there are better/cheaper tales, but just what I was told by an owner... Put me off for sure.

£5000...!!!!!!!

My Merc SL600Biturbo,[service every 2 years or by service indicator], 2 years ago £250, this year major B service + MOT £400.

Mark.

[JasonSF]

£250 seems very cheap for an SL600. Surely the oil would cost £100 if using correct lubricants. 456 service is around £650 from most specialists.

[Lambokb]

I have used my 456MGT as a daily driver for the last few years and it's been very reliable. As with any car if it is used regularly and serviced properly it shouldn't give any problem. Mine has done 66,000 and the only thing that has gone wrong in the last 3 years was the alternator. It costs about £1200 to £2000 a year, depending on which service is due, plus tyres brakes etc. However the costs could be a lot higher if its not been regularly serviced or been messed about by someone not used to dealing with V12's. When you look at the low depreciation ,if you can get one at a sensible price, it's a fairly cheap way to run a car with a lot of character, a great engine and that doesn't draw much negative attention

[ross-456]

jshell said:

I spoke with an independent exotic car dealer in Edinburgh who ran a late model 456. He reckoned it never cost less than 5k for an annual service. I'm sure there are better/cheaper tales, but just what I was told by an owner... Put me off for sure.

Mine cost c.£2k/pa which also included any wear & tear items and cambelt. I used it daily and did 13k miles in 12 months.
Knowing these cars quite well I'm unable to see how an annual service can be consistently above £5k...

[number 46]

ross-456 said:

Mine cost c.£2k/pa which also included any wear & tear items and cambelt. I used it daily and did 13k miles in 12 months.
Knowing these cars quite well I'm unable to see how an annual service can be consistently above £5k...

Easy if you take it to a main dealer for everything!!. My 456 averages out at about 2K a year although you will get a big one every so often, i.e this year cambelts, rear shock and engine mounts !!! A small bit of rust, Ouch!! The parts can be very expensive and things take a long time to do because it is a 12 cylinder, e.g. to do the valve clearence you have to take off all the inlet tracts and there are 4 camshafts!! 12 plugs !! etc.
If you cannot do some stuff yourself then I think they would easily cost much more. E.g I have fitted a new window motor, an ipod interface, fixed and repaired the rear spoiler, got the seats working properly ( unlike a well known indie I took it too!!) and some minor paint work. This winter I plan to upgrade the front speakers and fixed the passenger window gap !! maybe put a more powerful amp in for the stereo. However it is a great GT and I don't think I will ever sell it.

[simonigrale]

I have driven the FF around Fiorano in the wet and there is no doubt that the car is awesome.

It doesn't feel as quick or as brutal as a 599 but is a great car.

Personally I feel that these modern Ferraris are loosing their sence of occation and becoming more like wheeled Playstations and dare I say it Nissan GTRs.

A good old 355, 456, Maser 4200, 3200 is where its at. Plenty of Character and raw driving appeal....
Oh and much cheaper!!!

[Davey S2]

simonigrale said:

Personally I feel that these modern Ferraris are loosing their sence of occation and becoming more like wheeled Playstations and dare I say it Nissan GTRs.

That seems to be the feeling with a lot of people. I know there are a lot of 430 Scuderia owners who cancelled 458 orders once they had driven the car as it was described as being too much like a Porsche 911 Turbo i.e hugely fast and capable but a bit too dull and sterile.

[simonigrale]

With a V8 I would go no newer than a Scud, a V12 no newer than a 575 / 612 and for me the ultimate is a 512 tr / M.

I think a lot of people who are in the 100 - 200k area like the newer Lambos because they give a more raw experience with less technology to worry about.

Horses for courses as always but if I was in the position to spend 250k on an FF I would sooner have a few cars instead.

[snaelro]

ah...the good old "it was better before". same approach applied to the london tube, buses, water network, LR defender, and british car industry in general for decades...everytime, it ends up the same way : failure or huge costs to update.