Jumping into the FF pool
Discussion
Hey V12ers.
So I have a couple of more interesting finance quotes and the FF purchase is starting to look doable...and then I reached out to a pal of mine who works at a really good Ferrari specialist and he said: "FFs are hard work if I'm honest, we have a lot of problems with them."
I sort of take this in the context of "well you only see the troublesome cars anyway" (they have very very extensive facilities so do some proper engineering work).
I want to get a feel for when I'm letting myself in for. ALL performance cars need maintenance and none are perfect (even 911 turbos). My understanding is that the PTU is a PIA...and then is quite a lot of froth about the ceramic brakes. If the rest is niggles which don't really arise if you actually drive the car regularly and service it then it'll be OK....or is it a disaster waiting to happen.
I'd love to get a feel for the problems...
So I have a couple of more interesting finance quotes and the FF purchase is starting to look doable...and then I reached out to a pal of mine who works at a really good Ferrari specialist and he said: "FFs are hard work if I'm honest, we have a lot of problems with them."
I sort of take this in the context of "well you only see the troublesome cars anyway" (they have very very extensive facilities so do some proper engineering work).
I want to get a feel for when I'm letting myself in for. ALL performance cars need maintenance and none are perfect (even 911 turbos). My understanding is that the PTU is a PIA...and then is quite a lot of froth about the ceramic brakes. If the rest is niggles which don't really arise if you actually drive the car regularly and service it then it'll be OK....or is it a disaster waiting to happen.
I'd love to get a feel for the problems...
I don't own one, but judging from the very long thread on here (since removed, after it all got a bit legal) I would suggest selecting your selling dealer very carefully as some PHers have been less than delighted with their aftersales experience,
Also, the Ferrari Power warranty is only availabble up to 90,000 KMs/56,250 Miles
https://exeter.ferraridealers.com/en-GB/power-warr...
Also, the Ferrari Power warranty is only availabble up to 90,000 KMs/56,250 Miles
https://exeter.ferraridealers.com/en-GB/power-warr...
Have so far driven c. 80k km in my FF (total now >90k km) and while there are some warning lights that keep popping up (my parking sensors have had a problem from the start but after an initial try to get them fixed I just ignored them and the usual engine management catch-all warning light is regularly on). I had a warranty for the first 4-5 years and had a gearbox fault fixed (a leaky seal I believe), but eventually did not extend it anymore due to the annual cost (also decided to forego fully comp insurance for the same reason from year 6 onwards, but that's a different story). The mesh grills and the bolts in the brake discs are quite rusty (but that might be less of an issue in the UK as here there is quite a lot of salt on the roads in winter). I recently had the navigation system replaced with an aftermarket unit as the screen was broken. I did get the unit fixed and have it now in case I ever want to reinstall it (it is crap, but trades for mental prices on ebay etc).
Overall - so far - it has been a lot cheaper to run than my Scuderia. It is by far the most useable while also being enjoyable to drive car I have ever owned (I just wish it had a manual transmission).
Overall - so far - it has been a lot cheaper to run than my Scuderia. It is by far the most useable while also being enjoyable to drive car I have ever owned (I just wish it had a manual transmission).
There are no problems which affect the FF any more than the F12 or 458 other than the dreaded PTU.
PTUs can be rebuilt by Furlongers or SS Autotech for less than £10k fully fitted and the rebuilt units claim to fix the source of the PTU problem (bust seals in the selector fork mechanism).
Other than that, there is nothing specific to the FF to make it any more or less reliable than the aforementioned F12 or 458 as many of the key parts are similar/identical.
PTUs can be rebuilt by Furlongers or SS Autotech for less than £10k fully fitted and the rebuilt units claim to fix the source of the PTU problem (bust seals in the selector fork mechanism).
Other than that, there is nothing specific to the FF to make it any more or less reliable than the aforementioned F12 or 458 as many of the key parts are similar/identical.
I've had my FF for 4 years now and it has just gone out of the 7 year service pack etc
If it helps, here is what i have spent and what's happened, which is not much at all...
Fuel filler neck fault, somehow not covered by warranty, £800
Just had it prepared for my annual Le Mans trip - rear pads, battery, glovebox microswitch, ptu pipe, alignment - £3400
Everything else was covered by the service pack.
I did have the dreaded 4wd warning lights but it turned out to be very slightly low fluid combined with a battery that was at least 4 years old. The PTU issue is a but like the issues with the 997 Porsche, you only hear about the ones that have the issue. And it's something like 5% of the cars only and can now be fixed for sub £10k, Si
Furlonger does it, although actually it's a gearbox whizz that's down the road that does it for them.
When i got my car, i had it cleaned underneath and rustproofed, which i massively recommend. That was about £800.
So in 4 years, albeit with the service pack, it's cost about £5k.
There is nothing i'd rather have, i search and always come to the same conclusion.
oh, I also spent about £10k on a Novitec/Capristo exhaust set-up. Not for everyone, but what a noise!
If it helps, here is what i have spent and what's happened, which is not much at all...
Fuel filler neck fault, somehow not covered by warranty, £800
Just had it prepared for my annual Le Mans trip - rear pads, battery, glovebox microswitch, ptu pipe, alignment - £3400
Everything else was covered by the service pack.
I did have the dreaded 4wd warning lights but it turned out to be very slightly low fluid combined with a battery that was at least 4 years old. The PTU issue is a but like the issues with the 997 Porsche, you only hear about the ones that have the issue. And it's something like 5% of the cars only and can now be fixed for sub £10k, Si
Furlonger does it, although actually it's a gearbox whizz that's down the road that does it for them.When i got my car, i had it cleaned underneath and rustproofed, which i massively recommend. That was about £800.
So in 4 years, albeit with the service pack, it's cost about £5k.
There is nothing i'd rather have, i search and always come to the same conclusion.
oh, I also spent about £10k on a Novitec/Capristo exhaust set-up. Not for everyone, but what a noise!
FF for 2.5 years and 20K here. Completely reliable. Better than the 348/355 era when they really were still hand built Italian sports cars. I'm using mine more and more, as it's just so good.
Regular servicing at Main Dealer is no more expensive than a Cayenne. Just renewed the whole front end PPF as that takes a battering, being so big and low, but does it's job.
50K to change for a GTC4. I think I'll stick with mine that is 10 years old now.
I've seen the other stories on here, but we only hear the details of the troublesome ones/dealers.
Buy one. If you are worried about big bills, reduce your expectations to a newer premo M Car or similar.
Regular servicing at Main Dealer is no more expensive than a Cayenne. Just renewed the whole front end PPF as that takes a battering, being so big and low, but does it's job.
50K to change for a GTC4. I think I'll stick with mine that is 10 years old now.
I've seen the other stories on here, but we only hear the details of the troublesome ones/dealers.
Buy one. If you are worried about big bills, reduce your expectations to a newer premo M Car or similar.
Had mine 1.5 yrs now, no issues at all. As others have said, buy well, use regularly and it's unliky to give you any more trouble than an f12, 458 etc. Buy from a dealer who'll throw in 12 months power warranty, then drive the wheels off it for that time period, hopefully exposing any issues that may be lurking, most likely due to little use. After which, ditch warranty and put that cash into a slush fund. In two years you'll have enough money to cover the PTU fix, which you definitely do not give to Ferrari to fix. Furlongher and SS Autotec have a proper fix with uprated parts which will fix it for good.
The VVS car looks great. Fully loaded with carbon and with all the toys you need (camera, lift, vented seats).
One thing to bear in mind is that the 2011/12 cars are at risk from brittle tie wraps in the gearbox causing a speed sensor failure. The problem was resolved from 2012/13 onwards so it's not clear where the VVS car falls into that timeline. Having said that, many post 2012 FFs, F12s and 458s have had duff sensors but there's an extra failure mode in pre-2012 cars. The fix is a gearbox rebuild by Ferrari for about 7.5k so just add that into your mental picture of 'what could go wrong'. The PTU and the DCT gearboxes are the biggest expense items on an FF.
Please report back on your experience with the FF - it's about as far removed from your former garage as its possible to be and many FF and Lusso owners find it hard to move on to anything else (some have tried, only to buy back into another FF or Lusso!). There's a certain magic about the way they feel and go.
One thing to bear in mind is that the 2011/12 cars are at risk from brittle tie wraps in the gearbox causing a speed sensor failure. The problem was resolved from 2012/13 onwards so it's not clear where the VVS car falls into that timeline. Having said that, many post 2012 FFs, F12s and 458s have had duff sensors but there's an extra failure mode in pre-2012 cars. The fix is a gearbox rebuild by Ferrari for about 7.5k so just add that into your mental picture of 'what could go wrong'. The PTU and the DCT gearboxes are the biggest expense items on an FF.
Please report back on your experience with the FF - it's about as far removed from your former garage as its possible to be and many FF and Lusso owners find it hard to move on to anything else (some have tried, only to buy back into another FF or Lusso!). There's a certain magic about the way they feel and go.
The FF market is not the easies to judge at the moment- I am starting to consider one myself for later on this year as a possible semi daily driver as my 458 will not be in use beyond October most likely.
There are 0 cars in the UK Ferrari network and the cars at various garages over the UK seem to be all over the place price wise with with not always a lot of logic based on age/spec/miles.
What would a 2012 or 2013 car with 2 year power warranty sub 20k miles retail at via Ferrari cost in today's market?
Just going by some of the prices at independent garages the FF is still one of the very few modern Ferrari's which can maybe be described as a relative bargain (for what it is...).
The VVS car has a superb spec, everything you would want really- maybe only panoramic roof missing? One of the best colours too (Grigio Silverstone) and reasonable miles. No warranty though? Not ideal on a 10 year old V12 Ferrari. The leather interior may personally put me off as I am not a big fan of that 'natural' leather colour, Cuio I believe? Would strongly prefer black but that's personal preference.
It is priced very competitively. Obviously service history and condition are not evident from the add but assuming all is in order. I guess if a car retailed by Ferrari would list at 130k+ it may be worth the potential risk at 20k less price tag?
There are 0 cars in the UK Ferrari network and the cars at various garages over the UK seem to be all over the place price wise with with not always a lot of logic based on age/spec/miles.
What would a 2012 or 2013 car with 2 year power warranty sub 20k miles retail at via Ferrari cost in today's market?
Just going by some of the prices at independent garages the FF is still one of the very few modern Ferrari's which can maybe be described as a relative bargain (for what it is...).
The VVS car has a superb spec, everything you would want really- maybe only panoramic roof missing? One of the best colours too (Grigio Silverstone) and reasonable miles. No warranty though? Not ideal on a 10 year old V12 Ferrari. The leather interior may personally put me off as I am not a big fan of that 'natural' leather colour, Cuio I believe? Would strongly prefer black but that's personal preference.
It is priced very competitively. Obviously service history and condition are not evident from the add but assuming all is in order. I guess if a car retailed by Ferrari would list at 130k+ it may be worth the potential risk at 20k less price tag?
Chad_Hugo said:
The FF market is not the easies to judge at the moment- I am starting to consider one myself for later on this year as a possible semi daily driver as my 458 will not be in use beyond October most likely.
There are 0 cars in the UK Ferrari network and the cars at various garages over the UK seem to be all over the place price wise with with not always a lot of logic based on age/spec/miles.
What would a 2012 or 2013 car with 2 year power warranty sub 20k miles retail at via Ferrari cost in today's market?
Just going by some of the prices at independent garages the FF is still one of the very few modern Ferrari's which can maybe be described as a relative bargain (for what it is...).
The VVS car has a superb spec, everything you would want really- maybe only panoramic roof missing? One of the best colours too (Grigio Silverstone) and reasonable miles. No warranty though? Not ideal on a 10 year old V12 Ferrari. The leather interior may personally put me off as I am not a big fan of that 'natural' leather colour, Cuio I believe? Would strongly prefer black but that's personal preference.
It is priced very competitively. Obviously service history and condition are not evident from the add but assuming all is in order. I guess if a car retailed by Ferrari would list at 130k+ it may be worth the potential risk at 20k less price tag?
Graypaul have an FF in the approved network. Been for sale for a while.There are 0 cars in the UK Ferrari network and the cars at various garages over the UK seem to be all over the place price wise with with not always a lot of logic based on age/spec/miles.
What would a 2012 or 2013 car with 2 year power warranty sub 20k miles retail at via Ferrari cost in today's market?
Just going by some of the prices at independent garages the FF is still one of the very few modern Ferrari's which can maybe be described as a relative bargain (for what it is...).
The VVS car has a superb spec, everything you would want really- maybe only panoramic roof missing? One of the best colours too (Grigio Silverstone) and reasonable miles. No warranty though? Not ideal on a 10 year old V12 Ferrari. The leather interior may personally put me off as I am not a big fan of that 'natural' leather colour, Cuio I believe? Would strongly prefer black but that's personal preference.
It is priced very competitively. Obviously service history and condition are not evident from the add but assuming all is in order. I guess if a car retailed by Ferrari would list at 130k+ it may be worth the potential risk at 20k less price tag?
https://preowned.ferrari.com/en-GB/a/europe/used-f...
I'm not really interested in anything that won't pass a Ferrari inspection and qualify for it's warranty. I understand I'd be paying more for that.
21ATS said:
Graypaul have an FF in the approved network. Been for sale for a while.
https://preowned.ferrari.com/en-GB/a/europe/used-f...
That sold last week. A colleague collected it yesterday. Having done some research I think the car was a bargain from a main dealer with 2yr warranty. https://preowned.ferrari.com/en-GB/a/europe/used-f...
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