"Family-friendly" Ferrari

[Bluebottle911]

456mgt said:

My only contribution to this is to suggest you rule out the 456, not because of servicing costs, but it will be, as you point out, far too much of a deja vu experience. I had a 456M, manual, and was looking for a 2 seater to go alongside it. I tried a 550 and there are *loads* of parts in common, eg dials, gearlever & gate, even the smells and sounds. It's similar to drive too. Plus, when you look at the service parts for a 456, half of them are listed as 550 items on the invoice.

I think you already arrived at the conclusion; if you want speed, comfort and practicality, go more modern, if you want a bit of fun, go older. I absolutely LOVE the 250GTE, but my 'kids' are teenagers now and far more tolerant of old school quirks.

Thanks for that. My primary reason for ruling out the 456 was not one of familiarity, though that is certainly a consideration, but accommodation. The problem is that if this is not to be a white elephant, it has to be able to persuade my wife and daughter (17 years old / 5'8" tall) that they wouldn't have been happier if we had done the journey in our modern Merc (highly specced E-class, with all the toys / creature comforts), or, at a pinch, my Bentley (that, too, had a sudden drop in popularity when the new Merc arrived); and at the same time make me not have too many regrets that I have been forced to leave the 550 in the garage.

Here is a somewhat expanded version of my last post, which summarises my current thinking after reading all the comments here and others along similar lines from contributors to the FerrariLife forum).

Mondial or GT4 are out - I reckon the back seats just aren't going to do the business for anything other than short journeys, so the family wouldn't be happy; and I would still hanker after the missing 4 cylinders (pure prejudice I know, but there it is).


Compared to the 456 and 612, the 365/400/412 have much more of a classic feel to them (365s even have carburettors!) as well as being significantly slimmer (my one complaint about my 550 is that it is too wide); and I think the body is drop-dead gorgeous. My personal preference would be for the 365 - all had manual boxes and the beauty of the details / delicacy of the fittings appeal to me more that those on the 400/412. I would almost be able to kid myself that I was driving a Daytona in disguise for 10% of the price! But I don't see the family getting as excited about it as I would, and the first time it threw a tantrum of any sort (which cars of that age are inclined to do from time to time), that would be it.

A manual 456M has so much going for it, and there are some about if I take my time to find one, but I fear that the rear seats wouldn't keep my daughter happy long term; and the lack of modern amenities would kill it for Her Indoors.

So, my current thinking is that the only Ferrari that stands a chance of keeping the family happy, is a 612, because it offers the combination of adequate accommodation, reliability and creature comforts that "family friendly" demands. I am yet to be convinced that it is a car I really want to own, but the more I look into it, the more it is growing on me.

So, it is a 612 or nothing. And if it is to be a 612, do I opt for manual or F1? My inclination is to go for F1 as it is more plentiful, so easier to find, and more relaxing / traffic-friendly than a manual and by the time the 612 went into production, the technology behind the F1 was more fully developed than in earlier cars (against this is that my wife might think that it is an automatic, so she can drive it!). Any thoughts?

[Davo456gt]

How much are you really going to use this with more than just yourself driving ?

When I got my 456GT 7 years ago, it was because we had 2 girls, and they were small, and did what we did as parents.

Both are now 5'8" and mid to late teens, and whilst they do use it, and don't complain about the lack of space compared to our "normal' cars, they generally want to do their own thing now.
So the rear seats don't get much use at all - nice to have for that odd journey of an hour or so, but no more long trips with people in the back.

I looked at a 612 to replace it, found a super one at the Ferrari Centre, but couldn't pull the trigger for something that wasn't pretty (no daytona bonnet or side vents), yes its far modern and spacious in the back, but it also feels a lot larger (parking sensors almost mandatory - assuming you can find a car parking space) - actual measures may prove me wrong, but the 456GT felt a lot more suitable for UK roads (motorways excepted)

The 456GT still gets plenty of use by both me and the wife (she loves it more than me I think sometimes), and I almost sold it last year to buy a 2 seat V12, but ended up getting the other car as an addition - as my wife liked the 456GT so much she didn't want me to part with it!

If I had a definite need for a 4 seater, I'd either go Maserati Quattroporte now or wait until the (pretty) FF fell in my price range.

That's my thoughts, sorry If I've upset anyone.

[hunter 66]

Fitzmoresco , a 612 on the Ring must have been interesting especially the run up the hill from Bergwerk .... the kink halfway up...hairy chested stuff.

[Bluebottle911]

Davo456gt said:

How much are you really going to use this with more than just yourself driving?

That's the only time I would use it - if it's just me, then I'll be in the 550.

[4rephill]

I can't really add much to this discussion except to say that when it comes to the 612 at the moment, if you can live with the size (it's a tad wide to say the least!), and the running costs then it's an absolute bargain on the used market!

The Ferrari Centre had a "high mileage" (54K mile! - Wow!, how did the V12 manage to go that sort of distance! ), that sold for @ £45K. As I saw it, that was an absolute steal!

[fitzmoresco]

Nurburgring was sensational. I was lucky to arrive at a Dry track and Monday/Tuesday after a long weekend meant it was almost deserted. Carousel nearly shook my fillings out especially in sport mode. Got to 165mph on run down to the start straight which felt like plenty. The car was simply immaculate and the F1 paddles worked a treat

Planning on a 599 run next

[hunter 66]

Great "family " one for sale at the moment on PH , with TV screens in headrests for kids , 23,000 miles .......parking sensors...... F1
And an interesting plate , which is available as well