Buying a California

Buying a California

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Discussion

Pro Bono

Original Poster:

586 posts

76 months

Saturday 11th November 2017
quotequote all
Hi, this is my first visit, so please be gentle!

I've been thinking of buying a Ferrari California for some time, and I'm now more or less ready to go ahead. I'm thinking this is probably the best time of year to buy, as it's a convertible and logic says they would be in more demand when it's warm and sunny (a rarity in this part of the world!)

I've never owned this type of car before, so it's a fairly nerve-wracking experience and any general advice / tips would be appreciated. But in particular I've the following questions:

1. The car's likely to be 6 or 7 years old, as I can't afford a newer one, but many of that age only seem to have mileages of 15-25k anyway. However, because of the amount of cash I'm spending I'm thinking it would be worth having it checked over by an independent specialist. Would you agree? If so, what sort of cost is involved and how would I find one?

2. I'm very conscious of the fact that although I've read numerous reviews and watched every YouTube video going I've never actually driven one. I could just trust to the opinions of others and buy it `blind', but I'd obviously prefer to drive one first, if possible.

The problem is how to get a drive. I really don't want a test drive with a gimlet eyed dealer sat next to me, but I rather doubt they'd let me drive it away by myself.

I was looking at one of the supercar experiences which had a Cali, but just as I was about to book they went bust! But this would have been ideal, as it was fairly cheap and I'd at least have got a feel for it. Hiring one for a day is ludicrously expensive, so any suggestions would be welcome - or would you just buy it anyway and hope it lived up to expectations?

3. A bit boring, but how often should it be serviced? I'd only envisage putting around 5,000 miles a year on, if that. And would you recommend using a main dealer or a specialist independent? If the latter, is there a list of them, or can anyone recommend one (I'm in Lancashire)?

4. Any tips on negotiating the price? All the ones I've seen are for sale through dealers, so how much percentage discount could I realistically expect to negotiate? I'm intending to pay cash, but I've heard that if I buy it on finance I'd get a better price because the dealer gets commission from the finance company and takes that into account. Is that true? If it is, I assume I could buy on finance then just pay it off.

Thanks for any responses. And please - I know all too well that a Cali is looked down on by Ferrari purists as a `woman's Ferrari' or a rebadged Maserati, but I'm happy with my choice so don't try to convince me otherwise! ;-)

TheKC

118 posts

79 months

Saturday 11th November 2017
quotequote all
Check one of the peer-to-peer lending car platforms in the UK. I know someone had a California on there for rent at £250 for the day. Good luck

F355GTS

3,721 posts

254 months

Saturday 11th November 2017
quotequote all
Pro Bono said:
Hi, this is my first visit, so please be gentle!

I've been thinking of buying a Ferrari California for some time, and I'm now more or less ready to go ahead. I'm thinking this is probably the best time of year to buy, as it's a convertible and logic says they would be in more demand when it's warm and sunny (a rarity in this part of the world!)

I've never owned this type of car before, so it's a fairly nerve-wracking experience and any general advice / tips would be appreciated. But in particular I've the following questions:

1. The car's likely to be 6 or 7 years old, as I can't afford a newer one, but many of that age only seem to have mileages of 15-25k anyway. However, because of the amount of cash I'm spending I'm thinking it would be worth having it checked over by an independent specialist. Would you agree? If so, what sort of cost is involved and how would I find one?

2. I'm very conscious of the fact that although I've read numerous reviews and watched every YouTube video going I've never actually driven one. I could just trust to the opinions of others and buy it `blind', but I'd obviously prefer to drive one first, if possible.

The problem is how to get a drive. I really don't want a test drive with a gimlet eyed dealer sat next to me, but I rather doubt they'd let me drive it away by myself.

I was looking at one of the supercar experiences which had a Cali, but just as I was about to book they went bust! But this would have been ideal, as it was fairly cheap and I'd at least have got a feel for it. Hiring one for a day is ludicrously expensive, so any suggestions would be welcome - or would you just buy it anyway and hope it lived up to expectations?

3. A bit boring, but how often should it be serviced? I'd only envisage putting around 5,000 miles a year on, if that. And would you recommend using a main dealer or a specialist independent? If the latter, is there a list of them, or can anyone recommend one (I'm in Lancashire)?

4. Any tips on negotiating the price? All the ones I've seen are for sale through dealers, so how much percentage discount could I realistically expect to negotiate? I'm intending to pay cash, but I've heard that if I buy it on finance I'd get a better price because the dealer gets commission from the finance company and takes that into account. Is that true? If it is, I assume I could buy on finance then just pay it off.

Thanks for any responses. And please - I know all too well that a Cali is looked down on by Ferrari purists as a `woman's Ferrari' or a rebadged Maserati, but I'm happy with my choice so don't try to convince me otherwise! ;-)
1. I would definitely get an inspection, Californias are pretty robust, very occasionally the roof can be troublesome and engine mounts can sag requiring replacement, other than that not really any known problems. Buy the best one you can afford, it's often said there is no such thing as a cheap Ferrari and a smal lamount saved up front could end up being very expensive in the long run.


2. If a Dealer has an appropriate car why not ask them for a test drive, if you're serious I'm sure they'd do it. Worst case get a cheap flight to Bologna and go to one of the self drive places in Maranello, probably cost €250 all up

3. Service is generally annual at that mileage, AE Performance in Cheshire get good reviews but many of these specialists only have experience of the earlier models, main dealers can be competitive on servicing so worth negotiating

4. Can't really help too much, my experience is getting £5k off is about right

Believe me the California is every bit a real Ferrari I had 3 (1 of which I owned twice) and often said they were the best Ferraris I'd ever owned up to then (last was 2014-2015). Just ignore the small band of envious anti-Ferrari individuals that sadly frequent this place

johnnyreggae

2,930 posts

159 months

Saturday 11th November 2017
quotequote all
When you find a car inspection can be done by a local specialist and/or dealer so who depends on where the car is - probably about five hundred quid - there may be some mobile I believe

Don't forget you can pay a few grand a year for an official Ferrari warranty for cars upto 12 or is it now 15 years - probably much more sensible than any other sort

Hiring may be expensive but if a few hundred quid saves you wasting the best part of a hundred grand on an unsuitable car then its money well spent - that said as noted above why not express interest in a main dealer car

The pedant in me says a California is not a Supercar but a V8 Ferrari !

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... - there's a few more similar



Edited by johnnyreggae on Saturday 11th November 22:20

Kyodo

727 posts

123 months

Sunday 12th November 2017
quotequote all
Pro Bono said:
I know all too well that a Cali is looked down on by Ferrari purists as a `woman's Ferrari' or a rebadged Maserati, but I'm happy with my choice so don't try to convince me otherwise! ;-)
Screw the purists. They were down on the 360 when that emerged from Maranello because it wasn't like the Ferrari's that'd come before it. So what? Buy and enjoy.

jilap

305 posts

206 months

Sunday 12th November 2017
quotequote all
TheKC said:
Check one of the peer-to-peer lending car platforms in the UK. I know someone had a California on there for rent at £250 for the day. Good luck
Really. Sounds interesting. Can you remember which one?

Roof down

301 posts

125 months

Sunday 12th November 2017
quotequote all
Very interested in this thread as I to am considering a Cali, to replace my Boxster, but my main concern is depreciation.
I have a 360 spider also but don’t really want to trade/sell this, had you given thought to the depreciation issue. FWIW I think that the Cali is going to drop like a stone, but that said I really like them and indeed do consider them super cars

Roof down

301 posts

125 months

Sunday 12th November 2017
quotequote all
Just a thought on your negotiating question, with around 150 of them for sale, it should be easy enough to knock several k off, shouldn’t it.?

johnnyreggae

2,930 posts

159 months

Sunday 12th November 2017
quotequote all
Roof down said:
FWIW I think that the Cali is going to drop like a stone
Almost any hundred grand car will drop twenty a year whether new or secondhand - how do you quantify 'drop like a stone' ?

F355GTS

3,721 posts

254 months

Sunday 12th November 2017
quotequote all
johnnyreggae said:
Roof down said:
FWIW I think that the Cali is going to drop like a stone
Almost any hundred grand car will drop twenty a year whether new or secondhand - how do you quantify 'drop like a stone' ?
But they haven't have they, 2010 cars were high 90's from a main dealer in 2014 with 15k on the clock, similar main dealer car today is £95k with 20k on the clock

Roof down

301 posts

125 months

Sunday 12th November 2017
quotequote all
johnnyreggae said:
Almost any hundred grand car will drop twenty a year whether new or secondhand - how do you quantify 'drop like a stone' ?
Drop like a stone, fall fast etc.
It’s an old saying, but I think they will be 50% of their current value in a couple of years, They seem plentiful, a good many were made, they are neither true roadster or four seater, they are unlike the earlier Ferrari models, IE available in manual , with simpler electronics, etc. They are whichever way one cuts it rebadged Maseratis.
I really would like one to use in place of my Boxster , maybe even in place of my 360, but the future value worries me, I don’t mind some depreciation but say 50 k in two years on a Ferrari toy would be harsh.

Pro Bono

Original Poster:

586 posts

76 months

Sunday 12th November 2017
quotequote all
Thanks for all the help so far – I’m impressed, this is an excellent site.

A few comments in response:

Check one of the peer-to-peer lending car platforms in the UK. I know someone had a California on there for rent at £250 for the day. Good luck

Thanks for this tip, as I didn’t even know such sites existed. But having checked a few of them I’ve found none offering a Cali – they mostly seem to be bread and butter cars. I can understand this, as there must be serious insurance problems.

If a Dealer has an appropriate car why not ask them for a test drive, if you're serious I'm sure they'd do it. Worst case get a cheap flight to Bologna and go to one of the self drive places in Maranello, probably cost €250 all up

The problem with a dealer test drive is that I really don’t want someone sitting in the car with me, but I doubt they’d let me take it out alone. There’s also the feeling of pressure to buy that particular car. I want to be able to drive a car that isn’t for sale, so that I can feel totally relaxed about it.

I was in Florence recently, and they were offering a Cali `test drive’ for a very reasonable price - http://www.testdrivefirenze.com/en/ Unfortunately, they were all booked up at the time I was there. Having said that, although driving on the other side of the road with an instructor / guide sounds great I’m not sure how useful it would be in getting a proper impression of the car.

The pedant in me says a California is not a Supercar but a V8 Ferrari !

Yes, I’d expected some such remark! I did have a look at the Ferrari V8 site, but it seemed very specialist / purist, there was no mention of a Cali (I suspect they consider the fact that the Cali has a V8 as an embarrassment!) and I thought the post would get more traffic on this site.

Very interested in this thread as I to am considering a Cali, to replace my Boxster, but my main concern is depreciation.

I’ve been vaguely thinking about this for a year or so, and I’ve not noticed much reduction at the `cheap’ end, where I’m looking. Cars that I looked at last year at £90k still seem to be about the same price.

I suspect that the heaviest depreciation is during the first 4 or 5 years, after which it tails off.

But I’ve also come to the conclusion after a life of hard work that money is meant to be enjoyed rather than sat in a pension fund / ISA / whatever, so if it does depreciate I’m really not that bothered provided I’ve enjoyed owning it.

Just a thought on your negotiating question, with around 150 of them for sale, it should be easy enough to knock several k off, shouldn’t it.?

The difficulty here is that I’m at the bottom end of the market, with an absolute ceiling of £100k. At present there are 42 cars in that category on Auto Trader. But I’m also fussy about the colour.

I’ve given a lot of thought to this. Odd as it may sound I want the car to be as low key as possible, and although I realise it’s not to everyone’s taste – in fact probably most people’s – I’ve decided on the Grigio Silverstone.

To my eyes the Cali doesn’t look good in lighter colours, including the standard rosso, though there’s a dark red metallic which is very attractive.

Also, a lot of them have pretty garish upholstery, with strips of coloured leather, which I think is pretty naff. And I also (again, probably different to most people) don’t like the coloured brake callipers, though I suppose these could be repainted.

Narrowing it down like this there are usually only a single figure number of candidates. I know the seller won’t know that I’m so pernickety, but it does mean my choice is very limited, and I don’t want to irritate the seller of a car that would have suited me by offering a silly price.

But in looking around I’ve found someone who does hire at £500 a day, and although it’s expensive I think, as someone said, I’m better wasting £500 than the price of the car, so I think that’s my next step. The trouble is getting it on a good weather day at this time of year. I really don’t want to drive it for the first time it if it’s p’ing down or if the roads are likely to be slippery.

Still, it’s an enjoyable quest and keep the comments coming, I’m learning a lot.

RamboLambo

4,843 posts

169 months

Sunday 12th November 2017
quotequote all
I wouldn't be so concerned about depreciation of the car as such but more the margin between buying retail and selling at trade if you have to do so in the future. On a £90k car that's likely to be £20k so if you keep it for several years before disposing that's not the end of the world.
But Sell it in a year and it would of cost you £20/25k potentially

limpsfield

5,871 posts

252 months

Sunday 12th November 2017
quotequote all
Appreciate this thread - I too fancy a California at some point. Prices over the last 12 /18 months for older cars don’t seem to have softened too much. I have an old Boxster S that is still great fun so the man maths is proving a bit hard for now. Good to read all the replies though and good luck with your search OP.

MDL111

6,895 posts

176 months

Sunday 12th November 2017
quotequote all
F355GTS said:
johnnyreggae said:
Roof down said:
FWIW I think that the Cali is going to drop like a stone
Almost any hundred grand car will drop twenty a year whether new or secondhand - how do you quantify 'drop like a stone' ?
But they haven't have they, 2010 cars were high 90's from a main dealer in 2014 with 15k on the clock, similar main dealer car today is £95k with 20k on the clock
Haven't followed Cali prices closely, but also had a feeling the bottom-end cars were pretty stable during the last few years. So drop like a stone they don't imo.

I would look for one at an official Ferrari dealer with a Ferrari warranty or if buying from another dealer get it checked at Ferrari and get confirmation that it is eligible for the approved warranty - it is not cheap, but gives (some) peace of mind imo

Yipper

5,964 posts

89 months

Sunday 12th November 2017
quotequote all
First-gen California pricing has tumbled about 10-20% in the past ~6 months and there are a lot on sale, so make sure you bargain very hard on price.

The first-gen California is just a rebadged Maserati, so the Ferrari snobs tend to turn their noses up at them. And they are not very quick, so don't get into a roundabout grand prix with a new Golf R or RS3 or similar if it can be helped.

Very pretty cars, though. And great for a sunny day out, or a daily runaround for the milfy wife.

StickBreitling

78 posts

125 months

Sunday 12th November 2017
quotequote all
Check out the California ferrarichat section for a good cross section of common issues to look out for. I considered a Cali a few years back, but ended up not exploring that avenue as the back seats where way too small and upright for my daughter. Issues I found were mainly around the 2009 cars with leaking struts for the folding roof mechanism and dodgy DCT units. The later versions seem to have these ironed out.

F355GTS

3,721 posts

254 months

Sunday 12th November 2017
quotequote all
Yipper said:
First-gen California pricing has tumbled about 10-20% in the past ~6 months and there are a lot on sale, so make sure you bargain very hard on price.

The first-gen California is just a rebadged Maserati, so the Ferrari snobs tend to turn their noses up at them. And they are not very quick, so don't get into a roundabout grand prix with a new Golf R or RS3 or similar if it can be helped.

Very pretty cars, though. And great for a sunny day out, or a daily runaround for the milfy wife.
What a load of utter b*******

TISPKJ

3,648 posts

206 months

Monday 13th November 2017
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Some utter crap posted on here as always ...

Original poster - Cali has been same starter money for at least 4 years, a quick check on here still shows them starting at £80k, thats fantastic and in line with every other Ferrari of similar type (612 etc)

I say it a lot on here as they are friends of mine however give Dave or Matt a call at the Ferrari centre Maidstone, they often and currently have a couple of Cali for sale, go and try one.

Prices won't really drop over winter as they are a hard top convertible suited to daily use, agreed will drop a fraction.

Roger and his wife the owner of TFC has had several California over the years and used daily, so ask yourself the question if you could pick any car why the Cali ? answer they are a great car, reliable and relatively cheap to run v other ferrari.

On track they surprise many and go very well.

As with any car of this type, you want a one owner full Ferrari service history car with as low a miles as possible ..... in an ideal world.
Or go for the higher mileage bottom price cars that you can use and put miles on without worrying and get more of your money back come resale.

Regards inspection and warranty TFC also offer in house warranty and stand behind any car they sell.

Good luck





willy wombat

906 posts

147 months

Monday 13th November 2017
quotequote all
I had a Cali for a couple of years. Great car and trust me, driven well they can shift. I only got rid of it as it was replaced by a 458 Spider. I come across them on track days from time to time and while I will catch them in the 458 they are certainly not mobile chicanes.