Ferrari as a daily driver

[911moo]

I'd appreciate some advice guys. I'm currently looking for a 360, it's going to get parked outside and driven regularly throughout the year in all weather. I guess it'll cover 8-10k per year. It'll get maintained but not pampered. What i don't want to buy is a garage queen but a car with a few miles on it, i don't see the point of buying a low mileage minter when it's not going to stay that way. The one thing that i'm intollerant of is unreliability, it has to work for a living. Is this a realistic expectation?? I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who keeps one on a similar basis. Or should i just stick with the 911? Cheers

[traxx]

Until April I had a 360 spider which I used to drive to work in the city everyday (well probably 4 days a week). In the year I had it, it had 1 minor oil pressure problem (which is a common issue and nothing to do with the usage), no other problems.

I think the car can easily be used on a daily basis

[s3am]

I think it's the other way around. NOT using these cars enough can cause more problems than regular running.

[t1grm]

I'd have no problems using a 360 as a daily driver. I bought mine with 30K on it and after 14 months it has 45K on it. Several people with experience of driving many Ferrari’s have commented to me how well the car drives and I think this is down to the high mileage coupled with not cutting corners on scheduled maintenance. You have to factor in the maintenance costs will be correspondingly higher (more frequent services and clutches (esp an F1), tyres and pads will need changing more often) plus you will take a hit on residuals. But if you can afford the former and are not concerned with the latter a well maintained high miler Ferrari can be a very rewarding experience.

However, I would NOT leave one parked outside for fear of vandalism - certainly not overnight and during the day I'd hesitate for more than a couple of hours if it were in an urban area. Plus in the cold months – although modern Ferrari’s are much improved in the build quality department – I still don’t think they are built to withstand the elements quite as well as your average German eurobox. I think you definitely need to have covered off street parking at home for overnight and at least off street parking (pref covered) at the office. If you don’t have a garage at home then renting a nearby lockup is a must IMHO.

[anjum]

Pah!

Modern Ferraris work well is used - better if used regularly and maintained in the proper manner.

Re: parking outside - I have left Ferrari's/Lambos parked on the road in SW London for years - with no vandalism whatsoever. That's not to say it wont happen - however - maybe my faith in humanity is unreasonably high.....

Talk to Verdi's who can prepare your car for winter use etc.

Regards

Anjum

[craigw]

I left my 348GTS outside for 2 years & drove it every day in all weathers, the day I sold it, it was in as good condition as the day I collected it, people worry too much, enjoy it, use it. It's just a car.

[bigTee]

used my 360 everyday for a year and kept it on my drive.

no real problems.

[911moo]

This is what i was hoping to hear! The security aspect isn't a concern, i could get away with not locking the 911 where we are. I'm of the opinion that a regularly used car will give fewer problems than a weekender/summer car, i kept a 911 on that basis and picked up bigger bills than others i'd used every day. It's obviously not something to rush into but i'm heading in that direction. On another level the prices that 360's seem to be fetching currently only seem to be heading downwards. A quick check on Autotrader shows 100's for sale. I was considering a budget of 65k but 50-55k for a private purchase may be more in order for a car with some miles on it. Anyone struck any good deals lately?? I'd be interested to know what the trade are paying since i suspect few of these cars are finding private buyers.

[Big T]

Cough!!

[craigw]

still looks lovely Tee, surely a bargain at that price ?

[Big T]

craigw said:

still looks lovely Tee, surely a bargain at that price ?

Cheers mate, hope you're well....What a lot of car for the money, especially with all the stuff I've done recently like brakes and clutch etc...Had quite a bit of interest though which is good

[911moo]

Nice one Big T. At this rate i'll not need to sell the Porsche!!

[napolis]

Hi

I've used Ferrari's as daily drivers for years.

I dove my 275 GTB 2 6C 65K miles, my 308GTBi 85K miles, my TR 155K miles, and so far, my Maser coupe 20K miles. I'm replacing my Maser with a 8C which I'll use as a daily as well. I've driven them in the rain/sleet/snow and parked them outside.

If you're up for it a 360 certainly is and the good news is that unlike in the 275 where the defroster was a chamois wrapped around a sponge the one in that one even works a touch...

Edited by napolis on Thursday 5th October 12:14