458, 12c, SLS, FF.....ideas, thoughts? Help!
Discussion
Pistonheaders. After several very productive requests for help/input over the past 18 months, I am once again turning to the collective wisdom of the General Supercar forum.
I recently sold my 12c Coupe, which was a daily drive, partially because I thought it would be silly to do so during the winter and partially because I was pissed off that I had one of the latest cars (paid £144k) and with McLaren keep bringing out 'new' cars that are essentially the same recipe with a tweek of seasoning, the depreciation was a real concern.
I am now in a lovely RR Vogue 4.4 Autobiography in absolute top spec, it is a truly wonderful car, but it is boring, I'm 27, no kids, and frankly had to have a word with myself about making this decision.
This will be my 5th car in the past 18 months and I'm determined to get it right. 2 MAJOR points;
-It will be a Daily Drive. I did drive an F430 daily but the lack of dual clutch, modern tech etc becomes a pain.
-I really want to try and get something that has bottomed out. As such the purchase price of the car isn't the key financial. It's more about buying something at the bottom of the curve.
The cars I currently see as fitting this best are a £145k 458, a circa £115k 12c, an SLS at any price by the look of it (!), an FF at £150k.
I have driven the above excluding the 458. The FF felt slow in comparison to the 12c which I wasn't expecting. The SLS is wonderful, a little dated tech but that kind of adds to the appeal. A 12C at a lower price than I had paid would remove the frustration of the depreciation and it was a 10/10 car for me. Ferrari are going to lend me a 458 next weekend so will update on that shortly.
Is there anything I am missing? And can any one give me some helpful advise please?!
I suppose the other underlying question here is what is going to be the next SLS?
I recently sold my 12c Coupe, which was a daily drive, partially because I thought it would be silly to do so during the winter and partially because I was pissed off that I had one of the latest cars (paid £144k) and with McLaren keep bringing out 'new' cars that are essentially the same recipe with a tweek of seasoning, the depreciation was a real concern.
I am now in a lovely RR Vogue 4.4 Autobiography in absolute top spec, it is a truly wonderful car, but it is boring, I'm 27, no kids, and frankly had to have a word with myself about making this decision.
This will be my 5th car in the past 18 months and I'm determined to get it right. 2 MAJOR points;
-It will be a Daily Drive. I did drive an F430 daily but the lack of dual clutch, modern tech etc becomes a pain.
-I really want to try and get something that has bottomed out. As such the purchase price of the car isn't the key financial. It's more about buying something at the bottom of the curve.
The cars I currently see as fitting this best are a £145k 458, a circa £115k 12c, an SLS at any price by the look of it (!), an FF at £150k.
I have driven the above excluding the 458. The FF felt slow in comparison to the 12c which I wasn't expecting. The SLS is wonderful, a little dated tech but that kind of adds to the appeal. A 12C at a lower price than I had paid would remove the frustration of the depreciation and it was a 10/10 car for me. Ferrari are going to lend me a 458 next weekend so will update on that shortly.
Is there anything I am missing? And can any one give me some helpful advise please?!
I suppose the other underlying question here is what is going to be the next SLS?
carpov said:
For a daily drive, I would have a California over a 458
Worth putting into the melting pot?
Pretty controversial that. What makes you say that? The boot?Worth putting into the melting pot?
Its' my only car I should add, not one of a whole fleet. It would take a lot for me to walk into Ferrari and come out with a California. Everyone's tastes are different I suppose.
For me, the FF is another league to the Cali so if I wanted/needed something that bit more praticable that would be the ferrari of choice.
justin220 said:
V12 Vantage S?
Have heard good things about these but the performance is no where near the level of the McLaren, it's not as practical as the FF, it's more out of the date than the SLS and no where near as flash as the 458 so not sure if it has an appeal. I can see them dropping a fair bit more aswell.Will be interesting to see what the new engines are like. 5.2 V12 TT could be quite interesting!
Why not get an AMG GT? Fantastic car. Not quite as exciting as a 458, sure, but much better as a daily driver and with all the latest gadgets too. I guess the only issue would be that it could end up costing a bit more on depreciation (potentially), though whose to say that SLS values will hold up, for example?
Personally I would hate to have to use a 458, 12C or any supercar as a daily driver - and I don't get bored driving around in my 4.4SDV8 L405! So maybe you want something more exciting than I would ever consider as a daily... in which case it has to be the 458 - IMO a near perfect performance car.
Personally I would hate to have to use a 458, 12C or any supercar as a daily driver - and I don't get bored driving around in my 4.4SDV8 L405! So maybe you want something more exciting than I would ever consider as a daily... in which case it has to be the 458 - IMO a near perfect performance car.
I own an FF and am very happy with it. It is actually quite fast once you get into the upper reaches of the rev band - not as fast as cars weighting 1,500kg, but still not slow - sounds great too and I think everybody should own a Ferrari V12 at some point. Also the only "event" car that gives you the option of taking 3 passengers in comfort. When I was late 20s, I had a 355 - so a 458 might be the car for you, although I would want this type of car with a manual tranny
Porsche is the usual recommendation for a performance car as a daily driver. I used a 2S 997 Gen 2 for a couple of years as my "station" car, and loved it - put a smile on your face however s
tty your day! As such, a Turbo / Turbo S? Or a GT4?
On the 12C vs 458, I drove a 570S and 458 recently, and thought the 570S was a more enjoyable car for me. I thought the 458 a bit "spiky" in comparison, and thought the noise change at a certain rev point a bit artificial. Conversely, the 570S seemed an easier car to jump in and drive quickly, and had great flow to the way it steered through a set of corners. If the 12C is similar, then my money would be on that.
tty your day! As such, a Turbo / Turbo S? Or a GT4?On the 12C vs 458, I drove a 570S and 458 recently, and thought the 570S was a more enjoyable car for me. I thought the 458 a bit "spiky" in comparison, and thought the noise change at a certain rev point a bit artificial. Conversely, the 570S seemed an easier car to jump in and drive quickly, and had great flow to the way it steered through a set of corners. If the 12C is similar, then my money would be on that.
I went from SLS to california T which I much prefer. Never found the Sls particularly engaging - though from a price perspective I wish I had kept it. Went Cali over 458 as its a bit more practical and easier to drive round London. FF I was set on buying until I drove one - I thought it too quiet and refined for a toy
_Superleggera_ said:
Another 12C. It makes perfect sense. Two of my client have bought them in the last 3 months. They have bottomed out already and are on the rise.
Have been doing some research and this is an unexpected development that they may be on the rise again. Mine was a funny one because it was priced more than the spiders which doesn't bode well with the 12c as there isn't much reason to have a coupe over spider other than cost.A nice spec one at circa £120k is probably quite a safe bet. They are just epic cars aswell. So useable everyday and then quick ballistic fast. I should't have sold up.
It's funny actually its only when you drive something like an FF, which the likes of Chris Harris and Harry Metcalfe etc rave over its performance, that you realize how fast the 12c really is.
andy355 said:
I went from SLS to california T which I much prefer. Never found the Sls particularly engaging - though from a price perspective I wish I had kept it. Went Cali over 458 as its a bit more practical and easier to drive round London. FF I was set on buying until I drove one - I thought it too quiet and refined for a toy
You hit the nail on the head with the FF. If your rich enough for these things to just be a 'car' the FF is sublime. But as a toy, something you are prepared to spend more than you really should on, it needs to be a bit mad and I too thought it was too quite in the cabin. Similar issue with the DBSSounds like selling your 12C was a big mistake. Bought high and then sold low and add in the trade and Retail margin on 2 transactions - ooch.
12C has bottomed out and will go up in the spring IMHO. Take it on the chin, put it down to experience and get yourself another 12C or if you fancy something different a 458 which will also be strong on residual with F430 under pinning it
12C has bottomed out and will go up in the spring IMHO. Take it on the chin, put it down to experience and get yourself another 12C or if you fancy something different a 458 which will also be strong on residual with F430 under pinning it
heihei said:
Porsche is the usual recommendation for a performance car as a daily driver. I used a 2S 997 Gen 2 for a couple of years as my "station" car, and loved it - put a smile on your face however stty your day! As such, a Turbo / Turbo S? Or a GT4?
On the 12C vs 458, I drove a 570S and 458 recently, and thought the 570S was a more enjoyable car for me. I thought the 458 a bit "spiky" in comparison, and thought the noise change at a certain rev point a bit artificial. Conversely, the 570S seemed an easier car to jump in and drive quickly, and had great flow to the way it steered through a set of corners. If the 12C is similar, then my money would be on that.
I'm yet to be bitten by the Porsche bug. My business partner has the fever badly and is looking likely to buy his second turbo. I think they're great, but they don't connect with me for some reason. A GT2 would probably be a different story but we all know thats not going to happentty your day! As such, a Turbo / Turbo S? Or a GT4?On the 12C vs 458, I drove a 570S and 458 recently, and thought the 570S was a more enjoyable car for me. I thought the 458 a bit "spiky" in comparison, and thought the noise change at a certain rev point a bit artificial. Conversely, the 570S seemed an easier car to jump in and drive quickly, and had great flow to the way it steered through a set of corners. If the 12C is similar, then my money would be on that.
RamboLambo said:
Sounds like selling your 12C was a big mistake. Bought high and then sold low and add in the trade and Retail margin on 2 transactions - ooch.
12C has bottomed out and will go up in the spring IMHO. Take it on the chin, put it down to experience and get yourself another 12C or if you fancy something different a 458 which will also be strong on residual with F430 under pinning it
I think you're right mate. I actually didn't sell at a dreadful price as the spec on mine was so desirable. I only lost about £14k in 6 months of ownership so not a disaster....but would need to buy at a great price for it to balance out.12C has bottomed out and will go up in the spring IMHO. Take it on the chin, put it down to experience and get yourself another 12C or if you fancy something different a 458 which will also be strong on residual with F430 under pinning it
We all make mistakes!! Haha
MLW88 said:
I'm yet to be bitten by the Porsche bug. My business partner has the fever badly and is looking likely to buy his second turbo. I think they're great, but they don't connect with me for some reason. A GT2 would probably be a different story but we all know thats not going to happen
why not? fast, exciting, done its depreciationhttp://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p...
MLW88 said:
I think you're right mate. I actually didn't sell at a dreadful price as the spec on mine was so desirable. I only lost about £14k in 6 months of ownership so not a disaster....but would need to buy at a great price for it to balance out.
We all make mistakes!! Haha
TBH £14k doesn't seem too bad. I was fearing you may have lost twice that TBH so your right maybe not so bad. 458 is definitely a great alternative if you fancy a change but at least you know what you get with a 12C and I definitely think they have bottomed out.We all make mistakes!! Haha
I made a mistake selling my first F355 and ended up paying £25k more to get another one 2 years later but at least I knew what to look out for and what was a good un
Its almost like going back to an old girlfriend but if that's the best out there don't rule it out.
Given the price difference between 12C and 458 maybe you should try a 12C spider as something different to a coupe.
Personally I think spiders are 2 cars in 1 and so much more of an experience
MLW88 said:
Have heard good things about these but the performance is no where near the level of the McLaren, it's not as practical as the FF, it's more out of the date than the SLS and no where near as flash as the 458 so not sure if it has an appeal. I can see them dropping a fair bit more aswell.
Will be interesting to see what the new engines are like. 5.2 V12 TT could be quite interesting!
Where in the uk did you use the performance of the Mclaren? After a long run of super cars I have come to the conclusion it's better to have a bit less power and use it more of the time ,than a car which allows you mere seconds to enjoy its full potential.Will be interesting to see what the new engines are like. 5.2 V12 TT could be quite interesting!
MLW88 said:
Pretty controversial that. What makes you say that? The boot?
Its' my only car I should add, not one of a whole fleet. It would take a lot for me to walk into Ferrari and come out with a California. Everyone's tastes are different I suppose.
For me, the FF is another league to the Cali so if I wanted/needed something that bit more praticable that would be the ferrari of choice.
It's not the boot that makes the California more of a daily driver than the 458. It's just a tiny bit more refined. It has a Comfort setting on the Manettino, which the 458 does not have.Its' my only car I should add, not one of a whole fleet. It would take a lot for me to walk into Ferrari and come out with a California. Everyone's tastes are different I suppose.
For me, the FF is another league to the Cali so if I wanted/needed something that bit more praticable that would be the ferrari of choice.
For me, I use the 458 more sporadically and enjoy it all the more for that.
But the California is still super quick and has bags of character (I had the 30 model as opposed the to T).
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