More Cold Feet

I am having doubts.
The past two days have not been good ones at work. We have had two clients that need to cut back. Our company provides technology outsourcing for small to medium businesses. I have been growing increasingly worried about the economy and how the current downturn would affect our clients. I am not worried about our company’s health but I am worried about our ability to maintain profit and growth goals over the next two years. Maybe this is the wrong time to buy a Ferrari. I expect most people consider Ferraris luxury items and if times are tough you can forego luxury purchases. I wonder if during slow economic times more Ferraris are for sale? I have a counter argument. With the falling dollar new Ferraris will become more expensive, raising the value of used cars. Further, the slow economy may push would be 360 drives into the 355 market. Who knows?
What I know is that if I do not buy a car this will be a short book.Like I said earlier, if I could go and plunk down the money for the car with no angst or risk this would be a boring read. Anytime you do or contemplate doing something outside of your comfort zone there are bound to be doubts. I am going to press ahead.

No Ferrari Today

I have had a bad cold the past few days. I did not work, ride my bike, or do much of anything which gave me time to consider the cars I have looked at and what to do next. Several days ago I decided that the silver 355 at Gran Prix is a car I will try to buy. I say try to buy as Barb still needs to drive it, we need to agree on a price, and it needs to pass an inspection. I was not fully comfortable with this decision as I like to chew on things for a while. By deciding but not taking any action I was able to live with my decision without making a commitment. I mentally tried on ownership of the 355. I am comfortable with this car. I think it is the right Ferrari for me. Her e is why.
1. It looks like a Ferrari
2. It sounds like a Ferrari
3. It is great to drive
4. It evokes an immediate emotional response (in me at least)
5. It is within my budget
6. I like it
7. I would not be worried to drive it every day
I talked with Joe today and told him that I had made this decision and we had these moving parts to deal with. So, Joe, if you are reading this you know I want to buy the car, but I told you so I don’t feel like I am making my negotiating position all that much worse;) I also let Joe know about this web log and told him not to tell me anything he did not want to see in print. Joe said my experience of buying the car better be good. Well, I am planning on buying the car from them and if you have read to date you know why.
This evening is Alex, my daughters 10th birthday and my grandmothers 91st birthday so we will not be buying a Ferrari today. Barb and I will compare schedules and see if we can meet there on Thursday or Friday. We can’t go on Wednesday because Barb has a haircut. Funny that a haircut should take precedence over buying a Ferrari but that is the way it is.

Looking at Another 355

Last week I looked at another 355 for sale locally. It is a black coupe and gave me a good car to compare to the silver 355. The silver car is in better shape cosmetically. The owner of the black coupe admitted he had spent his money fixing mechanical problems rather than cosmetic ones. I don’t think the black car is the right one for me but did have a very enjoyable conversation with the owner. I also had a chance to talk with a fellow who runs an independent Ferrari shop in Portland. I called him to discuss the cars in general and to better understand the cost and logistics involved with a pre purchase inspection.
We discussed the four cars on my list. He was uncomfortable performing the PPI on the 360, too many electronic parts. He suggested I got to Tonkin for that. Further, he expressed some doubt regarding the long term reliability of the 360. His point was the cars are still relatively young and have lots of complex parts which may or may not age well. With regards to the other cars on my list he liked the 456 the best, saying it was a wonderful car. Unfortunately, there are no 456s anywhere near me and I would like to limit my search to local cars. If you know of a good 456 for sale in the PNW please let me know.
We did talk of ATD, the shop I called, completing the PPI. He said the most important component of the PPI on a 355 was the compression test to make sure the valves were in good shape. The PPI for the 355 will be about $250. I think that is very good insurance.
I also joined the Ferrari Club of America. Yes, I know joining sounds premature as I do not have a Ferrari and have only test driven two. But, I am committed to buying one and the local members will be a good resource to check with prior to buying any car. Chances are one of them owned the car I am considering.

Buying the Right Ferrari

There are many things worse than not buying a Ferrari. One of them is buying the wrong Ferrari. From my perspective a car can be the wrong Ferrari for two reasons. First, the wrong car will not fulfill what I want to experience in the act of owning and driving a Ferrari. This would be unfortunate but the car can be sold to someone who is looking for an experience the car can deliver or is making the same mistake I did. Second, the wrong car may have serious mechanical issues. Since I am on a budget serious mechanical issues in a Ferrari are more than unfortunate. I do not want to make either mistake. I want to buy the right Ferrari.
The right Ferrari will be well maintained, with all records and few if any cosmetic issues corrected. The car will feel tight and balanced and be in a color that enhances its lines. The right car will will sound like a Ferrari. Finally, the right Ferrari should provoke an emotional response. The 360 I drove provoked an emotional response. The 355 provoked an emotional response too but less visceral than the 360.
I have resolved to take this process slowly, look at all the options available and pick the right car.

Not Driving a F355

Last night was Friday night. “Pizza date” at our house. For several years we have been making homemade pizza every Friday. We have pizza down to an art form. Mom was over and I asked if she would watch the kids the next day so Barb and I could go take a look at the 355 and, if the weather was good, take it for a spin. I also regaled her with stories of my test drive in the Maserati. That story is funnier after a glass or two of wine.
It was raining on Saturday morning as we were heading to the dealership. Not much chance of a test drive today. I doubt that Joe would worry about the car getting wet but I want to focus on the car not navigating an unfamiliar, expensive, high powered sports car around on slippery wet roads. While it would make exciting reading I don’t want a chapter devoted to negotiating with insurance companies to pay for a car I have not bought yet.
They have cleaned the 355 up. The color looks better than I remember. It is a very liquid silver. It fits the car. They have also done a nice job on the interior. It looks quite a bit fresher than when Joe and I drove it. Barb and I walk around it.
“I like it more than I thought I would.” She says. We are off to a good start.
Joe wants us to take if for a drive but I am still uncomfortable with that. I plan on driving any car I buy in the rain but then it will be my car. I also don’t think I will answer the questions I have about the car if I take it out in this weather. Further, Barb and I like to approach decisions carefully and her driving of the car will be a major step in any purchase. If she has not driven and approved the car I will not buy it. In a sense I am hiding behind her test drive. By holding that off I can hold off my decision and chew on it longer.
Barb fits in the 355 much better than I do. I reiterate my statement that she will have fun driving this car. We look the car over. The paint is pretty heavily chipped on the air dam and front bumper. There are a few chips on the hood and one or two on the mirrors. There is one spot in the interior where a the burgundy leather does not quite cover a trim piece.
Marty Garner, one of my co-workers has also shown up at Gran Prix to look at a supped up Subaru STI. Marty is a subby guy and this car is right up his alley. The three of us walk around the showroom gawking at cars. The most amazing vehicle in the place is a 2005 Lamborghini Murcielago convertible. This car is not of this world. It has an engine, four wheels, seats, a steering wheel but that is where its similarity to other cars ends. This is the most sinister car I have ever seen. I don’t want to turn my back on it, it is great to look at and I don’t fully trust it. What an amazing thing. We look at a beautiful Spyker. The attention to detail and craftsmanship evident is this car exceeds anything else in the show room. The interior of the car is finished in chrome and red quilted leather. It is like a rolling piece of jewelry or fantastic handbag. Barb finds a car she really likes. A yellow F430 spider. Maybe next time.
We talk with Joe about the 355. He is leaving on Sunday for a vacation and is gently pressuring us to put some money down or just buy the car. I am uncomfortable doing either. I don’t like external deadlines to influence my decision making process and I have not yet had the time to settle on this car, it is the first 355 I have looked at.
Barb and I head to a coffee shop to talk and get a bite of lunch. I am surprised she had as much fun as she did . I don’t think I would have been as excited if she had taken me shopping for jeans.

Pricing Research on F355s

I did a bit of pricing research on 355s. I did not get far. I could only find one recent sale and that was for a 1998 355 Spider with fewer miles than the car I drove. It sold for just a tick over 69000. I did talk briefly with Greg at Ron Tonkin. He sold the red 360 they had for 99000 but had a line on a blue 355 with paddle shifters. He agreed to send over some pictures. No, I did not tell him about the book. I want to do that in person. I also reserved a url for my online publication of this journal, www. oneyearwithaferrari.com.
Today I spent some time thinking about why I want a Ferrari. When I ask myself this question I get answers that include:
Driving one is great fun ( on test drives at least)
It is a beautiful work of art
It handles extremely well
It is a hand crafted thing in an age of mass production
People will notice it
I don’t have one
The second to last answer is surprising. I don’t consider myself to be someone who wants or needs to be noticed. I will have to consider this further. The last answer sends me down another path. Why do I want stuff that I don’t have? Or more specifically why is not having something a condition of wanting it. If I have it will I still want it? How much of my want for this object is based on my not having it. A bit of quite introspection results in an answer of not much. That’s a good answer but I think the exercise of determining why something is wanted is good to go through before making a commitment to get it. This line of thought leads me to a bit of a tangent. If you are reading this just to read about Ferraris please skip this part. Buddhist philosophy espouses the idea that desire is the root of suffering. I am not Buddhist and may not have the completely right but I am close. Am I suffering because I want (desire) a Ferrari? Quite honestly I am not sure.

Getting Cold Feet

Horrible weather today and to make matters worse I have a cold. Joe emails and asks if I am going to make it down to drive the car today. No, staying home. The day makes me reconsider what I am doing. Is it a wise choice to spend any of my family’s money on the experience of driving a car for a year. What a terribly self indulgent thing to do. This is not the first time I have had this thought. There are many things we can do with the money that are of higher and greater value than borrowing a car for one year. I decide that I must test my assumptions and reduce the total amount I am willing to lose. At dinner last night I did not ask my mom about using the garage. It did not seem right since I had written about it the day before. I felt like I would have been taking advantage of my mom. Sorry Mom. After further introspection I decide that I must be upfront with everyone that I am dealing with regarding this project. I will have to tell Joe and Greg, the sales guy at Ron Tonkin, about my plans. It does not seem fair not to

Reflections on the Maserati and Discussions with Barb

I have scheduled a visit to view, and if the weather permits, test drive the red 360 with the F1 gearbox. I plan to do some deeper research into the f1 box. Specifically, I want to analyze repair costs but I would also like a better understanding of how the gear box works. I have made a mental note to myself. Do not pull up too hard on the reverse selector.
I have not completely settled with this decision yet but I think I will revisit my earlier opinion about a preference of buying from Ron Tonkin. I never received a call back about the red car, don’t appreciate their overly cautions, reverent approach to the cars. They are great cars, they are works of art – but they are made to be driven. I have appreciated Joe’s approach willingness to answer my dumb questions and acceptance of my desire to find the right car.
I have decided against buying any Ferrari on line – without the opportunity to drive the car. I believe Joe’s comment that each one drives differently. Since the status symbol value of the car is low on my list and driving performance is high I feel it is imperative that I get a chance to drive any cars that I may ultimately purchase.
The red Ferrari was not at the dealership. Joe had not received my message in time to have it onsite. That is fine, I was in the neighborhood and I am never opposed to looking at nice cars. Even if I have looked at all of them before. When I pulled into the dealership I parked next to a silver 355 with a red interior. It was the older brother of the 360 I had driven. Actually the car seemed like the little brother. The 360 is a bigger car. Joe asked me to take a look at it. I said I did not think I would fit but I would take a look and walked around it. Good looking car. Dated when compared to the 360 but more elegant and compact.
I wander back inside. There is a yellow 355 spider on the floor. I decide to see if I fit in the car. The door of a 355 has two large air intakes that take up most of the bottom half of the door. On the top half there is only the key hole. No door handle. Hmm. Don’t want to look too dumb but I cannot figure out how to get in the car so I stand there wondering if I should reach inside and use the opener on the inside to open the door. Problem is that opener is not immediately obvious either.
Luckily after just a few minutes Joe walks up and asks if I fit. I had not sat in the car thinking it was owned by someone wandering around in the dealership. So back out I go.
Joe opens the door. Turns out that the door handle is in one of the air intakes. I had run my hand along the intake but the door handle is recessed a bit and I had missed it. You could leave the keys in one of these cars and most car thieves would be unable to steal it.
Tighter fit all around than the 360. The most awkward part is the steering wheel which is more between my knees. There is more room in the 360s but I do fit. Interior is similar to the 360s but less nice and showing some wear but this car has more than 25000 miles on it. We decide to take it for drive to have something to compare to the 360.
As Joe pulls the 355 out of the lot it is immediately apparent that this car has a much different character than the 360. Less refined, smaller, lighter. Less serious. Similar to my 911. Where the 360 is bordering on or is in supercar territory this car seems more normal.
Joe reinforces this feeling by getting the car a bit sideways in the dealership driveway. Not something you would do in the 360. This car is loud. The engine note is rougher than the 360s and not as tight. Joe mentions that it has an aftermarket TUBI exhaust that is responsible for much of the racket.
Joe drives a few blocks and pulls over so we can switch places. I shoehorn myself into the car, it is a tight fit. This car is no where as intimidating as the 360. Can’t tell you why. Maybe it is because I have driven the 360 and I know that I am not going to do anything too foolish, maybe it is the price of this car, or maybe it is the less serious ethic of the 355. Whatever the reason I notch it into gear let out the nice progressive clutch and we are off.
Immediately I am struck by the differences between the two cars. The 360 is a broader, tighter stiffer car. The 355 is a nimble playful car. The 360 felt as if it would bail me out if I got in over my head. The 355 feels as if it will joyfully help me get in over my head. Again there is the feeling that all systems in this car were build to work together. Nothing seems out of place, nothing seems out of proportion. The car is fantastically balanced, steering light but direct. The feedback from the road good but not as good as that in the 360.
While I stick to my test driving methodology it is apparent that this car is not as fast as the 360. It also feels a bit more delicate. Not fragile but delicate. We wind out through the country on the same roads we drove the 360 on. The car is fun to drive but less of an experience than the 360. However , I am gradually coming to realize that this car would satisfy my “one year with a Ferrari” better than the 360. By the end of the test drive I really like this car. I agree with Joes assessment that it is more tossable than the 360. I would add that while harder to drive it is less intimidating.
During the test drive I have one bit of trouble. My feet are pretty big and the foot box on the 355 is pretty small. The one time I open the car up a bit I over rev the engine on the shift from 2nd to 3rd by a bunch. I can’t pull my foot off the throttle. There is a heater vent down by the throttle and if you have it opened up and slide your foot over to the side you cannot get your foot off the throttle. That will take some getting used to. I have a similar problem in my 911. To make heel toe work in the 911 easer I fabricated an addition to the pedal that raises and extends the pedal towards the brake. If I wear the wrong shoes or am careless I sometimes catch the brake and throttle simultaneously.
Back at the dealership we spend some time going over the car. There was an odd rattle coming from the motor that seemed to vary with RPM. I certainly cannot afford to buy a Ferrari with any hidden problems but the mechanics have not gone through this car yet so it is still on the list. I decide to come back and drive it once it has been through Gran Prix’s shop. This car is easier to walk away from than the 360 but during the test drive Joe said he figured they would sell the car for about $74000. That’s $62000 less than the 360. I have always been attracted to bargains. I sometimes want to buy stuff that I don’t want just because it is a bargain. I am now not sure if I am attracted to the 355 because of the price or because it is so much less expensive than the 360.
I am having trouble deciding if the 355 will satisfy my Ferrari desire so I call Brain Abers, a friend who will understand this dilemma and provide a good sounding board. Let me paraphrase our conversation.
“Brian, got a question for you. Do you think that my one year with a Ferrari idea has less value if I go with a 355 rather than a 360?”
“Well Box what are we talking about here? Are there any bad Ferraris?” Brian responds.
“No it’s not like it’s a Magnum PI car.” I say.
“And even a 308 is a Ferrari and is faster than most cars on the road”
At this point one of our cell phones dies and I move on.
Brian has two good points. Any Ferrari is a Ferrari. (I would have figured that out by myself) and any Ferrari is going to provide a driving experience that will be unique plus I feel I would be more comfortable handing the keys of the 355 to my wife, business partner, father, or friends than I would with the 360. I think I am getting close to making a decision. Scary. To make matters worse Joe has a 2006 BMW M6 sitting on the floor. My business partner is a BMW guy and Joe had offered to let me have the M6 for a day to convince John that he should buy the car.
Tomorrow I will research pricing on 355s.

They Sold My Ferrari

They sold my Ferrari!
I just received an email from Joe telling me the car was sold. He can set up of a test drive of the red car and has a few others on the hook but the silver car is gone. I must say that I am very disappointed. For a brief moment I feel a profound sense of loss. Not loss like someone had died but like I had missed an opportunity which will not repeat itself. I had decided the car was a good choice, it was in great shape, in an interesting color combination, and had low miles. Whoever bought this car made a great choice. I am jealous. So much for my worry that the color combo would be hard to sell. It would have really hurt to sell the car after one year.
Well, on to the next car. There is more than one 360 for sale and I had planned to drive a few and still want to drive a 550 or 456 so I am going to have to be patient and accept the risk that a car I like may sell prior to my due diligence. If I can offer any prospective Ferrari, or other exotic car buyers a bit of advice it is be ready to experience a sense of loss unless you buy the first car you drive.

Driving a Maserati and Ferrari 360

I arranged a meeting with a client in Wilsonville for 11:00. I then emailed Joe to make sure he would be available at 1:00 so I could test drive the car. After this I called Tony, a friend who works in Wilsonville, and invited him along. Good to have morale support. I arrived at GP at 1:00. The blue Maserati was sitting outside. The Maserati is a understated, pretty car. Not beautiful but pretty with a very comfortable and roomy interior. Tony liked the car quite a bit. I wanted to drive it to see how the F1 gear box worked and since this gearbox is similar to the gearbox in the 360 we would drive it first. One thing I noticed immediately about the Maserati is how quickly the RPMs build. It feels like the car has a very light fly wheel. Tap the accelerator and the engine is instantly alive. Let of and the revs drop immediately. This is different from my 911 where the revs build more slowly.
I was never quite sure how you put a car with an F1 Gearbox in reverse. Turns out there is a funny little “t” shaped shifter where the gear shift would be if you were in a regular manual. You pull up and back gently on this shifter to put the car in reverse. To get back to first you tap one of the steering column mounted shifters. With the car in 1st you can sit at an idle with a foot on the brake and it feels just like an automatic or a manual with the clutch disengaged. To get the car going you let off the brake and push the gas. You can feel the clutch engaging. I found myself trying to feather the gas and hunting for the non-existent clutch pedal. Once the car is rolling you tap the paddle on the right for a higher gear, the paddle on the left for a lower gear.
I think now is a good time to describe by test drive philosophy. I like my first several drives in a car to be slow. I think that by driving the car at a reasonable rate of speed that does not require you to constantly focus on keeping the car pointed in the right direction you can better understand the cars characteristics. I know skeptics will immediately and rightly argue that you will miss the cars behavior at or near the edge but as I don’t know where that edge exists I don’t want to explore it after 10 minutes in the car. I like to find a nice winding country road with a few good turns, where I can roll along in the car, get the feel for the clutch, suspension, brakes, tranny, engine response. Everything. I find that I learn more and can better digest what the car is telling me on these kinds of roads at 10 or 15 miles an hour over the speed limit than if I were pushing the limit of my skills.
So I have the Maserati rolling. The car sounds great, the engine and gear box are made by Ferrari. The sound is like listening to a Ferrari with a soft pillow over your head. Nice, not obtrusive with a great howl if you step on it. Something I learned right away about the f1 tranny. You don’t have to let off the gas when shifting. Actually, it shifts more smoothly if you keep your foot on the gas. My first several shifts were awkward for me, the car, and my passengers. Revs come up, I get ready to shift, simultaneously tap the shifter, let off the gas for an instant the step on it again. I think this confused the car. I can imagine its brain. He is accelerating, we are going faster, he is shifting, wait, he is letting off the gas, are we stopping, is he going to brake, what should we do, oh he is on the gas again, he is accelerating. I put the car through this confusing cycle five or six time until Joe said it worked better if I kept my foot in it.
If you are reading this and you own one of these Maseratis you should consider yourself very lucky. This is a great car. It steers easily, lightly. There is great feedback through the wheel. The interior is beautiful if a bit busy. It is very comfortable to sit in with great visibility. When you step on it the back squats down nicely, and the car goes like nobody’s business. This car is certainly faster than my 911. It is also a lot easier to drive. I think the handling in my 911 is more direct but the steering feel heavier. As much as I like the sound of the flat 6 in the 911 the Ferrari under a pillow sound track is intoxicating. Once up to speed on a country road it is immediately apparent that this is a competent, fantastic GT car.
The car felt like it would understeer predictably through corners unless the tail was pitched out with the throttle. After driving it for a bit longer I detected a bit more body role than I would want in a sports car but certainly not more than one would expect in a GT.
At this point in the test drive Tony suggested we stop by his friend Andy’s house, where Tony’s 911 is spending the winter, and take a look at a Corvette Andy had purchased. We pulled onto a little side road in the country outside Lake Oswego and into a drive way. I missed the entrance to Andy’s house and had to put the Maserati into reverse using the “t”shifter. Remember how I said to pull up and back gently on the shifter. Turns out if you pull up to hard you can pull the shifter, and the entire module it is plugged into out of the car.
“That’s not supposed to happen” I said to Joe holding the shifter, the module it attaches to and ½ of the wiring harness in my hand.
“No, you don’t need to pull that hard”
“I think I can fix it.” I said.
I reattached the wiring harness, figured out how the thing went back in and volia we had reverse. The really amazing thing is that the car accepted the whole incident without a hiccup. One minute we are driving along. The next minute some goofball has pulled the shifter out. The next minute the same goofball has put the shifter back in and we are on our way. The car went into reverse and we pulled into Andy’s driveway just as Andy arrived.
Tony was interested in the car as well so he drove it back. Tony has a different test drive philosophy than mine.
A bit sea sick and more than a bit thankful I step out of the Maserati back a the dealership. Tony asks to see the trunk and spend a few more minutes looking at the car then Joe utters to most wonderful phrase I had heard that day.
“Ready to drive the 360”?
This car is titanium grey with a burgundy and black interior. It looks better than it sounds. It has 19” 430 wheels on it and has the Ferrari crest on each front fender. It is great looking. As understated as a 360 can be and the unique grey and red appeals to the non conformist in me. Joe fires it up and immediately I can tell that this is an entirely different beast. Where the Maserati had a wonderful, subdued tone the Ferrari shouts. The engine sounds ready to go. It sounds light as if the parts in it weigh nothing. I have an immediate and visceral reaction. A voice in my head shouts BUY THIS CAR NOW!
Joe pulls it out of the show room. A group of younger guys looking at a Chaterham 7 gather around to watch the Ferrari pull out. I walk out and hop in the passenger seat. Loads of room. Once on the street Joe gets on the gas in 1st and 2nd. This car is amazingly fast and sounds incredible. What shocks me is how fast this car is. The acceleration really picks up about ½ way through 1st gear. The car is being thrown forward by the engine. Joe drops it into 2nd with a quick smooth shift and the rate of acceleration continues. We have now broken the speed limit in Oregon in about 5 seconds. Really, really impressive. There is something different about accelerating quickly in this car. The combination of the engine sound, view over the hood, seating position, really makes you feel like you are in a race car.
We wind out onto the country roads we drove the Maserati on earlier. Driving the Maserati was fun but I did not have any desire to buy it. I want this car.
Sitting in the passenger seat the car feels taut, there is no flex, no give, no unnecessary movement. The car seems absolutely balanced. I want to do a bit of research and determine the front and rear weight balance of the car. From the passenger set the increased connection to the road when compared to the Maserati is immediately apparent. Joe gets on the gas on another straight but misses the shift from 2nd to third and drops the car into 4th instead.
"What happened there?" I ask.
"Foot got hung up and I did not get the clutch in." Joe replies.
Joe pulls into the parking lot of a church and stops the car. I have to admit that I was intimidated. In hindsight I am not completely sure why. I was pretty sure that the clutch, shifter, and steering on the 360 functioned in the same way as other cars but none the less I was intimidated.
I am a tall guy but I don’t need the seat all the way back in the car. The seat is manual. I move it to a comfortable position, check the mirrors and familiarize myself with all the important parts. It is really great to sit in this car. The view out the front is great; the view out the back is great.
Deep breath, close the door, push in the firm but not too firm clutch, guide the shifter into first, let out the clutch and here we go. No, I did not stall it. Wasn’t the smoothest transition either but good enough.
We pull out onto the same road we had driven the Maserati down earlier. This is a whole different car. There is a reason this 360 costs $86000 more than the Maserati. It is worth it. After just a few seconds of driving this car you realize how effortless it is to drive. The steering is beautifully balanced and precise. The clutch pickup is progressive and gives great feedback. The whole car works together flawlessly. There does not seem to be any part, function, or aspect of the car that incongruous everything is in perfect proportion. Rolling down a curvy country road this car imparts a sense of complete composure in comparison the Maserati now seems disconnected and fuzzy. I have to admit that I doubt I ever broke the speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour during this test drive. No outrageous bursts of speed. No Top Gear drifts through turns. Just a smooth, graceful drive down a nice drive.
What a great car. Go drive one.
I decide I am not going to learn much by driving the car on the highway so we make a U turn and head back on the same twisty section. On the way back there is one turn that we hustle through at a good clip. The car remains flat, solid, and confident. All you have to do is steer the car. Effortless. This is certainly a car that rewards confidence and smooth inputs.
One aspect of Ferrari ownership, or in this case drivership, immediately manifests itself. When you drive a Ferrari most people notice. They take pictures, not of you but of the car. They drive close behind you; they wave as they go by. It would be difficult not to get carried away by this attention. When I drive my 911 I get a few thumbs up, I get a few folks asking me about the car. In the 360 almost everyone looks, waves, does something. But it is not directed at me, it is directed towards the car. I think this will be difficult to remember.
I think my wife and daughters will get a hoot out of driving and riding in this car.
Too soon we are back at the dealership and it is time to get out of the car. I would really like to buy it. There is a problem with that. I have not arranged financing yet. Again, it takes quite a bit of discipline not to tell Joe that I will take car. Again I ask Joe what I can expect if I sell the car back to them after one year with and about 6000 more miles. We are starting to play for real now and Joe says it may be as high as 92%. That means I will have to shell out about $11000 in depreciation for one year plus payments on the debt of about $825 per month. Now I can write off the interest so that $825 will look more like $555 but that still amount s to over $17000 to drive the car for one year and I have not paid for insurance, gas, or maintenance yet. That is too much. Not that too much but too much.
There is one incongruous note to this entire experience. Joe points out a dot of yellow paint on the left front headlight cover on the Ferrari and mentions that some people will see this and think that the car has had body work. He explains the paint dot as a sign that the car was inspected at the factory. The factory picks one car every 50 or 100 and puts a dot of paint on them to test. Sounds nice but I notice the Maserati parked next to the Ferrari also has the yellow dot. I am to suspicious to believe that coincidence; however, I do not see why an inspection at the factory would matter on a mostly hand build exotic car this is several years old. There does not seem to be anything to gain by fabricating this story and Joe has been a straight up guy so I am going to take him at his word.
Joe said something that will prolong my search, and increase his sales cycle, each of these cars ride, handle and feel differently. When I was test driving 911s I noticed different cars handled differently. I drove one 911 which felt and handled horribly. The car looked great but felt bad. I drove similar looking car that was phenomenally tight and handled great. Its owner decided he liked it better than I did. When I finally found a 911 to buy I had used the tight, solid car as a benchmark. I will have to find an few other 360s to drive. I also still want to drive a 456 but think a 360 is the right car. I now have a benchmark in the Titanium F360 but will have to drive others to compare.