Newbie Ferrari Owner

Here is a bit of Ferrari trivia I bet you did not know. Let’s say you are sitting in a 1998 F355. You cannot see the outside world and you cannot hear any sounds originating from outside the cabin. You could never be sure you were not traveling at 10 MPH and the engine was not turning at 900 RPM.
When I was waiting in line at the DEQ I noticed that when sitting still the speedometer read 10MPH. I had one hour to ponder this. Once the car got moving the actual speed and reported speed seemed correct. The car did not seem to be reporting 10 MPH faster than it was going. I appreciate the car being optimistic and ready to go. But why? All the other gauges seemed to be functioning correctly.
When I got home and parked the car I noticed that the tach did not drop to zero even with the ignition switched off. If you just had the gauges to go by you would have to assume that 900 RPM is the slowest the engine can ever turn.
I did a bit of research and finally posted questions on the Ferrari Club technical forum and the Ferrari Life technical forum. Lots of people looked, no one answered. After two days of no responses I did the sensible thing. I used Google Images to search for “Ferrari speedometer” I found a picture of a 355 with the speedometer at 10 MPH and RMP at 900. Curious.
I used a shop light to illuminate my dash. You know the little pins on your speedometer that stop the needle? On the Ferrari the pin stops the needle at 10 MPH. Ferraris cannot stop. Same for the tach. This episode taught me a good lesson in exotic car ownership. Don’t worry about stuff that would be unacceptable in a Toyota. Just drive the car and enjoy it.

Travels to Ferraristan

Minutes after belting in to our Ferrari we were off through the lush landscape of western Oregon. Once you leave the city time slows down. Windmills replace office buildings and horse draw carriages replace BMWs. This is rural Oregon at its finest.
We pull over at a quaint roadside diner. You can easily tell if it is authentic. Look for the “Save a logger, Eat a Spotted Owl” sticker. I order a garden burger and hemp milkshake. Now I have arrived. Nothing brings me back to Oregon like a garden burger. We chat with the proprietress. Her family has run this establishment for three generations.
After dining Barb and I stroll out to the Ferrari. Grandly double parked outside. The Argento Titano paint perfectly reflecting the grey Oregon sky. An adoring throng of children have gathered around the car. One presents Barb with a humble crayon drawing the car, complete with Scuderia shields. We will always treasure it.
Cheers and happy travels.

84 Pounds of CO2

I just belched 84 pounds of green house gas into the atmosphere. I sat, idling in the Ferrari for a bit over one hour. I used about 1/8th tank of gas. There were a few hundred other cars doing the same. You can do the math. Why? We were all waiting at the DEQ CLEAN AIR STATION. Waiting to have our vehicles emissions checked. To keep Oregon’s air cleaner. I have not been in any of my cars for over 20 minutes at a stretch in weeks.
When it was finally my turn pulled the car into the bay and climbed out of the car. I had located the port they would have to connect to when waiting in line. They plugged in the data cable. Nothing. No output. Sorry the DEQ guy said. Take it back to the place you bought it. We can’t test it. Sorry about the wait. DEQ computers don’t speak Italian. Non parlo italiano.
There is an upside. I learned how the heater works. Turns out the heater does not work when you have the air conditioner on. To turn the air conditioner off simply push the “STOP” button. To turn the air conditioner back on simply push the “STOP” button again. Sure, why not.

Why Not a Nose Ring and Tattoo

When I was four my father test drove a Corvette. Mom sat in the passenger seat holding my one year old sister. I sat on the floor by mom’s feet. I think the car was orange or maybe brown. It was 1973. Dad looked down at me with a goofy grin and asked what I thought. Please, please can we get it was my answer. Gary, don’t you dare was mom’s.
Dad bought a GTO instead. I remember when we drove it from California to Florida. I had the flu.
Roughly 10 years later a 1974 Vega station wagon appeared in our driveway, collateral from a contractor who owed Dad some money. Someone had shoved a V8 under the Vega’s hood, put big tires and traction bars on the back and painted it metallic black. It did not have power steering or power brakes. My parents would let me drive it around the 1/3 mile loop that led from King Road to our driveway. There was a wide spot in the road where, with my brother and sister in the car, I would do doughnuts. My brother would ride in the back of the station wagon and roll from side to side as we slid around. Once when we started the car the down turned dual exhausts caught the dry grass on fire.
The contractor came up with the money and the Vega went home.
A year or so later a fellow offered to trade his Ferrari for one of Dad’s lots. We had moved from Florida back to California and Dad had purchased about 40 acres with the intent of building a few houses and selling a few lots. It was through this property the 1/3 mile loop ran. The Ferrari was a red 308 GT4. We took it for a drive. I got to sit in the back seat.
Dad did not make the trade. He made a good financial decision but I think he made the wrong decision. Why wrong? He chose the safe path, but missed an experience he would not forget. Is he richer or happier now for taking that safe path? I don’t know.
The Ferrari is a physical prop in a sociological experiment with my life.
I am making an on purpose decision to step off the safe path. Buying the Ferrari is simply one manifestation my rejection of safety, complacency and apathy. I am rebelling against routine, fate, planning for next year based on last year, boundaries, obligatory dinner parties, Christmas cards with pictures of families, social positions, acceptable behavior, and my relationship with money. I am rebelling against the mindless, trudging existence that accompanies a comfortable middle class life. I am rebelling against the expectation and example I have been setting for my children. Get up, go to work, say nice things to people, where sensible clothes. I don’t mind getting older, I like sensible clothes. I cannot accept complacency and I am no longer willing to accept boundaries on what I can and cannot do.

Leather Boots, Sam Kennison, and Ferraris

Until last night the past three times I have slept I have dreamed of Sam Kennison. I remembered the dreams but could not remember his name until yesterday. I took a nap on Christmas day, between opening gifts and cooking dinner. I dreamt that Sam Kennison and the Ferrari were the same thing and that thing was the leather tongue on a pair of brown shoes that I wear to work. In my dream I was not bothered by the non sequitur of Sam Kennison and a car being represented in their entirety by a piece of textured brown leather. When I awoke I was able to recall Sam’s name but was unable to understand how these three disparate objects could simultaneously exist. The other times I dreamt about Sam Kennison he was first one of our employees and I was constantly worried that he would yell at clients. Unfortunately, in this dream I didn’t know his name and felt too uncomfortable to discuss this worry with him. The next night I dreamt that Sam was one of our clients and was yelling at me. I still did not know his name which again put me at a disadvantage.

The Right Way to Get Rid of a Ferrari

It is the day before Christmas and I am at work. I’m not complaining. It beats shopping. I have been thinking about the right way to dispose of the car after my year with it.
Here is the idea I like best.
I am going to convince so local business to buy the car then auction it off at a local charity auction. When thinking about my last chapter I don’t think selling the car on ebay is compelling. I think getting dressed up in a tuxedo and recanting my year with this car in the hopes of raising a boat load of money for a local charity is better. If I could donate it myself I would but I don’t have that much money.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays.
David

Particulars, Universals, and Taking Ferraris Apart

Now that I have the car, but am not driving it writing is more laborious. I had hoped to get the car, go on a few fun road trips, take it to the track, and have Barb spend some time in it. Winter in Oregon is not cooperating with driving but gives me time to contemplate one of my original goals for the book, exploring what makes a Ferrari a Ferrari. For this discussion I will rely on metaphysical realism. A metaphysical realist makes a distinction between two categories of objects, particulars and universals. A particular can be thought of as a thing, a plant, a vase, a desk, a car. According to metaphysical realists a particular occupies a single region of space at a given time. By contrast universals are repeatable. Any universal can be duplicated across an infinite number of particulars that are geographically and/or chronologically disparate. That’s a fancy way of saying many cars can look like Ferraris. A realist would probably take issue “Ferrari shape” as a universal but you get the point. So, and I think I am right, a Ferrari is a composed of a particular, a car, that is further defined by a set of universals, that make it recognizable as a Ferrari. Philosophers everywhere are cringing.
Developing a set of universals that when combined with the particular, car, will produce a Ferrari will be a bit of a trick and not something I propose to complete in this entry.
Enough of that.
If you remember there were a few items on the car that were not consistent with the overall condition of the car. One was the Ferrari badge on the engine cover. It had pulled up on one side. The Ferrari badge is held in place by compression fittings on two pins that poke through the engine cover. I thought one of the compression fittings had worn out or broken. It would be an easy task to replace the compression fitting but there is a wire screen attached to the engine cover that keeps leaves, birds, fingers, etc from falling through the slats in the engine cover and into the engine. The screen is attached in several places and is about two inches below the engine cover and the compression fitting for the badge. So to replace the compression fitting you have to remove the screen. Not hard but time consuming and risky since the screen looks like it may bend easily.
Since there is little chance of my driving the car I decide to spend some quality time with it and properly seat the Ferrari badge. The engine cover is unlatched by pulling a handle between the driver’s seat and the door. The engine cover is amazing light for such a big piece of metal. It feels like it is made of tissue paper and balsa wood. With the engine cover open and a shop light blazing I can see that the compression fitting has not failed it has simply slipped down the pin about 1/6 of an inch. I decide on an experiment. I take a screwdriver and gently push the fitting back up the pin while holding the badge in place. It holds and the badge looks like new. Total time to fix this problem. About three minutes.
Buoyed by my success with the badge I decide to tackle the trim around the ash tray. One nice thing about handmade or mostly handmade cars is they are easy to take apart. By removing the ash tray one Phillips head screw is exposed. Remove the screw and the ashtray/lighter module comes out. With it comes the electronic mirror remote and now the ac module is also free. I am a bit worried that Barb will wander into the garage as I now have most of the center console in pieces. It would be a bit difficult to explain why after nine days of ownership I have taken part of the Ferrari apart.
The interior of the 355 is a combination of leather, polished aluminum, wool carpets, and silly putty. I expect that at some point the silly putty was plastic covered with a coating which gave it a rubberized surface but now it is black silly putty. I have not tried pressing the Sunday comics onto it out of fear it would work. The trim around the ashtray module is made from this material and has cracked in two places. A bit of super glue fixes the trim but there is also a crack inside by the lighter. All in all there are four trim pieces made of silly putty that I think I will replace. The ashtray/lighter module, the mirror control, the door handles, and the lower covering for the steering column which has been scratched around the ignition. Compared to the other 355s I looked at our cars interior is in great shape. But I tend to fixate on things so the parts will have to be replaced.
With the center console out I take a cloth dampened with rain water, really, it was raining and it was easier to hold the cloth outside than go to the kitchen, and clean surfaces that are now exposed but will be difficult to get to once I put everything back together.
With the car back together I need to spend a few moments adjusting the seat to a more comfortable position. Tony, who I test drove the Maserati with, came to look at the car and messed it up. This turns out to be a blessing in disguise. The car has an adjustable steering column. I knew that already but thought that it was at its highest setting. Turns out it had about 5˚ more upward movement. I know that does not sound like much but it gives my knees more room and significantly helps getting in and out of the car.

A Mistress You can Keep in the Garage

Tonight I spent $41.00 plus $8.00 shipping on four valve caps for a car I have only driven a few times. I know that is absurd but I don’t care. I know that $41.00 Ferrari valve caps will not make the car faster, handle better or look substantially different but I am developing a more concrete vision of what the Ferrari needs to be and even small details are important. As valve caps go these are pretty nice. They are chrome, have little yellow and black Ferrari logos, and a small hex head bolt on the side to lock them in place. That way they will not end up on a bike messengers fixed gear in the first 15 minutes.
I thought the car came with Ferrari logo valve caps. Three days ago I was riding my bike, mounted on a rear wheel trainer, in the garage when I noticed that valve caps were just black plastic valve caps. I had remembered looking at a Ferrari, I thought it was ours, which had fancy logo caps and thinking how neat the caps were and then wondering how long they would last. At first I thought that the logo caps had been stolen and the thief in a moment of guilt replaced them with plastic caps. When I finished my workout I went inside and pulled up the add Gran Prix had posted for the car. Black plastic caps.
Googled “Ferrari valve caps” and one hit was an ebay auction. I opened the bidding with a bid of $10.00. That seemed like a reasonable amount for valve caps. Even valve caps with Ferrari logos. I was outbid. That bid was raised and eventually there were three of us bidding on valve caps. I won. I snuck away from a dinner at moms tonight to place a bid through my phone.
I just bought jewelry for a car.

Sleeping Peacefully in My Garage

The Ferrari has sat in the garage since Saturday. The weather has been terrible and I have had to run errands for work each day. I am not looking forward to explaining to clients how and why I have a Ferrari. No we are not charging you too much. I am writing a book. No I am not going to keep it. To be honest I am starting to waffle about selling the car. While I have not had the chance to bond with it yet it has been wonderful to drive the few times I have taken it out. It is an absolutely beautiful work of art that makes a lot of noise and goes fast.
It gets worse. I am already buying it jewelry. Ferrari logo valve stem covers. I am bidding on a set on ebay. They are probably the least expensive thing you can buy for a Ferrari. I think I will also replace the plastic cover on the module that houses the air conditioning and heating controls. There is a thin plastic sheet that covers this module and it is slightly wrinkly. I have yet to find a source for them and plan to put a post on the Ferrari Club of America’s technical forum.

Rain and Gloom

Winter in Oregon is a cruel time to buy a Ferrari. Barb and I have already driven the car in the rain and snow but it seems unfair to subject such a beautiful thing to the rain and gloom. That said, my internal vision of Ferrari ownership is surpassed with the reality of Ferrari ownership. No I did not get to pick the car up on a beautiful day and take a trip through the Tuscany. No the roads were not lined with supermodels. But, when you get right down to it, I don’t like to travel and would not know what to say to a supermodel. Much less a bunch of them lining a road in Tuscany. Now, having owned the car for two days I look forward to picking Alex up at school, taking Max and Christina for rides around the block and driving to the grocery store. The car makes mundane trips a bunch of fun.
I took the car on the short trip to my office today. I did not expect to be told to “SLOW DOWN” and the warning light did not reappear. Last night I looked in the owner’s manual to determine why that light came on. The “SLOW DOWN” warning light illuminates when the exhaust temperature exceeds a certain threshold. If the light is blinking you drive slowly and call a service center as soon as possible. If the light is solid you stop immediately and have the car towed to a service center. The warning is to keep you from running the engine by running it too hot. I doubt that my drive home last night warmed the engine beyond acceptable operating temperatures. Some of the posts I read on the web indicated that the light may go on if the connections between the sensor and the catalytic converter are corroded or if there is a bad connection at the ECU.
There were several opportunities to drive the car today. I made the most of all of them. Ferraris are not the most practical means of going the bakery but work just fine. The more I drive the car the more I am impressed with how it handles and how wonderfully balanced it is. Tomorrow I plan on spending some time with the owner’s manual to familiarize myself with the controls.

Ferraris are Addictive

Picked the car up at about 1:00 today. The painters did a nice job on the front. My first order of business was to pick my eldest daughter, Alex, up from school. Sitting in a line of SUVs and minivans the 355 drew a bit of attention. Alex climbed in, stuffed her giant parka in the passenger foot well and said, “Dad, this is a cool car.” Then, “Dad, that guy is taking our picture.”
I am only guessing but I think owning a Ferrari in Portland, Oregon will be substantially different than owning one in South Beach. I drove the car for about 45 minutes today. I stopped counting the number of times people took the cars picture after 20. People honked, waved, and gave me thumbs up. Portland is a fun place to drive an exotic car.
Right after I dropped Alex off at our house a warning light containing a big yellow gas pump appeared on the left hand side of the dash. It took a few minutes to find the button in the center consul that opens the gas tank. Taking the car to the gas station resulted in a marked reduction in the efficiency of the station for the few minutes it took to fill up. Every attendant and mechanic gathered around and asked questions I was unable to answer.
I drove to work and parked the car in the parking garage. I still have to pay for it, so I will be working late this Friday.
On the drive home I had a scare. A red light flickered briefly on the dash. It flashed on so quickly that I was not sure it was a warning light at all. Maybe the lights from the car behind illuminating a light on my dash. A few moments later and I was sure I had a warning light flashing on my dash but it was so quick and infrequent that I could not make out what it said. As you can imagine I have a sinking feeling in my stomach. I am just a few hours into Ferrari ownership and warning lights are flashing. Finally, the light stays on long enough for me to make it out. “SLOW DOWN” illuminated in big letters. Slow down? Slow down, you're a Ferrari. I am going 35 miles per hour behind a minivan. I can’t go much slower. What kind of a warning light says slow down?
The temperature is hovering just above freezing and it is misting rain. Maybe the car is looking out for me. Our BMWs always got concerned at this temperature. All the other gauges look good – as far as I can tell I have only owned the thing for a few hours. A bit of research later reveals that the “SLOW DOWN” light can occur for a number of reasons. None of which are directly related to the car looking our for me. The car looking out for itself yes, me no. Honestly, I am not worried about any of them. I realized after about 10 minutes of owning the car that the value of the experience of driving the car for one year was going to exceed my estimated budget and if I go a bit over with repairs fine. Further, after driving the car for 45 or so minutes it performed flawlessly. The “SLOW DOWN” light disappeared before I made it home. Porsche owners do not read this next bit. The F355 is a more competent car than my 911. The suspension feels more balanced, the feedback through the wheel is just as good but the steering effort is less. The Ferrari has superior balance. The Ferrari is more mischievous. This car goads you into trouble. What a great car. Truly fantastic. I don’t want to sell it in 364 days.

No Ferrari Today

The car will be ready tomorrow. I am looking forward to picking it up.

STOP SHOPPING!!!!

No Ferrari today.
Joe sent a message this morning that he had looked at the car and it looked great. Then Joe sent a message saying that Gran Prix had accidentally deposited the check I gave him to hold the car. I called Barb and told her to stop shopping.
We did not have the full amount in our checking account. Like I said earlier, this would be pretty boring if I could just write a check for the car. Thing are more exciting when my checking account and money market account take a big beating simultaneously. Gran Prix offered to write me a check which I could deposit back into my account until I pick up the car. I think we will be fine but, to be safe we will do this weekend’s Christmas shopping on a credit card.
I have now paid for the car but the paint shop decided they did not like the way the new paint matched the old paint when viewed from an angle so they are going to spray the bumper again. That’s fine with me.

It Finally Falls Apart

Thing seldom work out exactly how you planned. This morning I talked with Scott to make sure everything was in order for the loan. Everything looked good. No skeletons in my closet. Scott has to attend a seminar tomorrow in Portland so he was going to bring up the paperwork Barb and I need to sign. It was only two months ago that I decided to buy a Ferrari and write a book. I have accomplished a good bit toward that goal. I have written 13887 words, now 13889. Posted an on line journal of my progress, found a good car. Found a way to purchase the car using little to none of my own money, and most importantly convinced Barb that buying a Ferrari is a good idea. Admittedly, things had gone too well.
I have hit a tiny speed bump and may not be able to pick the car up on Wednesday. I am using a line of credit, secured by our house to purchase the car. I chose this type of financing to allow me to write the interest on the loan off my taxes. I am also only paying interest for the one year I plan on having the loan to minimize out of pocket expenses during the year. It turns out that banks are required to give you three days to think about what you have done after you sign so you can change your mind. Once I sign tomorrow Summit will not be able to fund my account for three days. I will not be able to give Gran Prix a check that will clear until Friday.
I called and email Joe to let him know what had happened. I don’t mind waiting for the car but Wednesday is the only clear day in Portland’s ten day forecast so I may not get to drive the Lamborghini.
I have found a temporary home for the Porsche, Mom’s garage. I am planning on building an enclosure just larger than the 911 in her garage to protect the car from her Lexus and her cats. I hope to find better long term storage, maybe John, my business partners, garage. I looked into putting a lift in my garage but the Ferrari is 47 inches high and the Porsche is 48 inches so toe top car will hit the garage door when it is up.

I am an Ecowarrior

With luck Barb and I will be able to drive the Ferrari home this Wednesday. Joe emailed today to let me know the car should be back from paint by then. Wednesday afternoon should be clear. Not too important for driving the Ferrari home, we have already driven it in the snow, but necessary for driving the Lamborghini. I don’t think Gran Prix wants to wash it.
I talked with Scott the banker today to make sure everything was in order or as close to in order as possible. We had a bit of luck. I had opened an account with Summit a few years ago and received four checks to draw against that account. I was able to find the checks so Scott can deposit the money into my Summit account and I can use one of those checks to pay for the car. I asked Scott to just give me cash, preferably in ones, fives, and tens but he wouldn’t. Too much paperwork.
If you follow Ferrari news you know that Ferrari is planning a hybrid car in the future. I have done some thinking about my vehicles. My Toyota truck gets averages a solid 13.3 miles per gallon, the Porsche is a bit worse at around 12. The Ferrari should come in around 12 as well. Each vehicle uses about six gallons of gas per hour. Here is the good part. I can’t drive the all simultaneously. So If I drive the Porsche for one hour and use six gallons of gas while the Ferrari and truck sit at home, not using their collective 12 gallons of gas for that hour, I am really contributing six gallons back to the global supply. I am an ecowarrior. Having these three vehicles is better than a Prius.
Before you write, I understand the flaws in my logic. It was meant to be funny. Do not email and complain!
Over the weekend I received my welcome to the club packet from the Ferrari club. It came with a nice Ferrari Club of America sticker. I am going to put it on Barb’s minivan.

RC Planes, Aston Martins,and Old Trucks

I am meeting interesting people as I go about buying this car. Joe at Gran Prix is an interesting person. The folks I have talked to who have Ferraris for sale are interesting people. Generally, boring people do not buy Ferraris.
On Thursday I went to Gran Prix to drop off a check. When I arrived the car had just left. Gran Prix trailered it to ATD, the Ferrari shop I had called for the pre purchase inspection. I showed Joe this blog and talked about what I wanted to do with the car over the course of the year. Gran Prix hosts events at their location and a few track days giving me good excuses to get the car out and talk cars with other similarly obsessed people.
I wrote a check for the car. The purchase is still contingent on the results of the inspection but I have a feeling that this is a good car. Parked in front of Joe’s office is a black Lamborghini Gallardo. I ask Joe how it is to drive and about depreciation on the Gallardo.
“Come back on a day with better weather and we will drive it.” is Joe’s response. I am going to hold him to that. I am interested to compare Ferrari to the Lamborghini.
Later that day I received an email from Joe. Dick Guthrie of ATD gave the car a thumbs up so Gran Prix is going to pick it up and send it to a paint shop to spray the front bumper cover which has several rock chips. I want to know a bit more about Dick’s opinion so I gave him a call. He told me the car is in great shape and needs nothing. That is good news. What is better is that this 355 has the best compression Dick has seen in a 355. The only thing he noticed was some scrapes on the undercarriage. I felt good about the car after my test drive last Friday. This news makes me feel even better. This is a good car. I ask Dick if Gran Prix pays him and bills me or if I pay him. I am supposed to pay and tell him I will drop by tomorrow and give him a check.
I have a theory about 355s and possibly Ferraris in general. There are distinct opportunities, in the life of the car, to buy one. The first opportunity is when the car is new or nearly new. In a regular car nearly new means fewer than twenty thousand miles. In a Ferrari nearly new means fewer than three or four thousand miles. As I have researched 355s I noticed that cars with mileage between ten and twenty thousand are selling at a premium. This does not make sense. I can understand a car with fewer than ten thousand miles selling at a premium but cars in the ten to twenty thousand mile range come with a fairly large liability. There is a good chance the valves and manifold covers will need to be replaced in the next few thousand miles. Cars with over twenty thousand miles often have this work done but sell at a discount when compared to their less driven peers. I think a buying opportunity exists in the mid twenty thousand mile range for cars which have been well taken care of and had major service items, valves and manifolds, completed. If my math is right a car with lower miles and lacking the service sell at a fifteen thousand dollar premium over a higher mileage car but may require over twenty thousand in service. That is spread of over thirty five thousand dollars for a car with ten thousand fewer miles.
Friday afternoon I had some free time and headed over to pay Dick for checking over the car. I could not find ATD right away. I parked my truck in an industrial and warehouse district in east Portland and started walking. It did not take long to find Dick’s shop. While there was no sign all the Ferraris parked inside gave it away.
I will try to give you a description of what I saw and heard after walking in. First, there is stuff everywhere. Interesting stuff. Ferraris in various states of disassembly. Classic motorcycles. An old Aston Martin being restored and remote control airplanes, mostly models of World War II fighters. There was classical music playing loudly from speakers mounted atop the office space carved out of one corner and a rather heavy gentleman dressed in shorts and a tee shirt arguing that the complexity of the universe and the difficulty of understanding nothingness is compelling evidence for the existence of a higher power. If I misstated his argument or the intent I apologize.
A woman comes out of the office and introduces herself and Linda Guthrie.
“Are you David?” she asks.
“Yes”
“I had expected someone shorter. Tall people are disadvantaged when it comes to Ferrari ownership.” Linda replies.
“Well I slouch a bit when I drive” is all I can come back with.
“Are you going to buy the car?” Linda asks.
“Yes, I bought it.”
“Congratulations, want a beautiful car. I like the contrast between the silver exterior and red interior. And 355s are such nice performing cars. Have you owned an exotic car before?”
“No, I have a 911.” I say hopefully, but can see from Linda’s expression that my 911 does not count as an exotic. She is right.
The fellow talking metaphysics decides it is time for him to leave, says good bye and wanders out. Dick emerges from the office. Dick and I are similarly disadvantaged when it comes to driving Ferraris. Dick asks if I bought the car and reassures me it is a good car.
Linda and Dick are fun, interesting people. Linda looks like she could be a friend of my mom’s but knows more about Ferraris than I ever will. After talking about the Aston, whose restoration has stalled for years as the owner tries to decide on paint and the old red truck whose dash has come in and out I ask Dick how much I owe.
“One hundred eighty dollars.” He replies.
“You said two hundred fifty when we talked.”
“Well my memory is not what it was.” is his reply. “One eighty will be fine.”
While I hope my car does not have to visit them I look forward to the chance to talking with Linda and Dick again. I think the timing of the car being checked out by ATD then going to paint will give me just enough time to have my financing in place and not have to pay for the car myself. Scott and Jake at Summit are fast tracking my request and with luck I will have the money early next week. If possible I would like to pick the car up on Wednesday. First, it should be sunny that day so I can drive the Lamborghini, second I have client appointments out of Portland on Thursday. The clients are located near Mt Hood so might try to get in half a day of skiing.

I Just Bought A Ferrari

I just bought a Ferrari! It was anticlimactic.
Joe called today to ask what I wanted to do about the car. The auction was ending in about 10 hours. I took the call in my truck and did not want to verbalize the decision I had already made sitting at a red light in NW Portland.
The night before I had another chat with Brian Abers. Brian had read the first 30 or so pages of this book and told me I was doing a good job and to buy the car. He wanted to know how the story ended. Brian’s encouragement was what I needed. I was sure the 355 would be a great car. Both Barb and I like it. It will be a great character in this story.
I returned to the office, put out fires then went home for lunch. I was in a bad mood at lunch due to the issues at work and did not want to think about the car. Back at the office, after lunch I emailed Joe and told him I did not want to get in a bidding war with the 12 year old and would not pay more than 71 thousand for the car. I then purposefully shut down my email and did not look at my Blackberry for about an hour. When I logged back in I had a message from Joe saying the car was mine. Simple as that.
I am not sure what I expected. The rain to stop. Maybe some theme music.
I called Joe to start the process of getting the pre-purchase done. I then called Scott, the banker, and told him I needed money. I had started filling out the forms for the line of credit but stopped when the car was “sold” on ebay. I now have to hustle to get those done and to make matters worse Scott is going out of town for the next two days.
That’s it. I just bought a Ferrari. I am sitting in my house. It’s quiet. It’s raining. No different than before.

You Can Drive a Ferrari in the Snow

Yesterday Barb and I drove the silver 355. We almost did not go. Late Thursday night I wanted to check sales activity on 355s so I looked at recent ebay auctions. Two cars had sold. A yellow 1997 spider with 49 thousand miles and a black 1997 spider with 24 thousand miles. The yellow car went for $55100 while the black car brought $60000. There were several pictures of the yellow car. It looked to be in good shape. Neither car had enough service history information to provide a good picture of its mechanical state.
I then looked at the current crop of 355s for sale. The silver 355 from Gran Prix was listed and already bid up to $72950, Gran Prix’s asking price. That is frustrating as I had planned to drive the car the following day and make an offer in the high 60s pending service history review and PPI.
After looking at the bid history on the car and both bidder’s recent activity I felt better. I then took a look at what the high bidder has been bidding on. An Xbox, some video games, and watches. I have posted screen shots of the bid history if you are interested. Huh? Finally, I compared the price for the silver 355 to other cars currently for sale. The silver car is the most expensive 355 in terms of bidder activity. Based on the cars bid history, the high bidders history, and the unusually high price relative to other cars I believe the bid is spurious. I have a mental picture of a pimply 12 year old in Peoria with his new ebay account bragging to his friends how he is buying a Ferrari. I accept the possibility that I am completely wrong. The bidder could be a local buyer, familiar with the car, who does not want to purchase directly from GP. Not sure why as they are very easy to deal with. The bidder could be someone who has always wanted a silver 355 with red interior and is willing to pay extra to get it. In any event I decide there is no reason to drive the car tomorrow event thought it will be the last day of the month and Joe wants to get the deal done. If the ebay auction falls apart I will have ample chance to buy the car. I will know that in five days. If the auction is successful I have missed out on another good car but there will be others and I have some good content. Beaten to a Ferrari by an 8th grader.
The next morning I call Joe, tell him I have seen the auction don’t feel it is necessary to drive the car as they have sold it for more than I am willing to pay.
“Come drive it anyway.” Joe says. “No one is going to buy the car until you decide what you want to do.”
I know this is a tactic to get me in the dealership and drive the car but it works anyway. I call Barb and we head to Gran Prix to drive the car.
It has been raining lightly but as we get closer to Wilsonville the weather gets worse. There is some snow falling. While I have never expressed this verbally I always assumed the test drives would take place on sunny dry days. It is 37 degrees and trying to snow.
When we get to Gran Prix the main show room is being remodeled in preparation for their new role as Lamborghini Portland. All the cars are crammed into the second show room or sitting outside, looking forlorn in the rain. There is a red 360 Challenge Stradale on the floor. What a fantastic thing. This has to be the most impressive Ferrari I have seen to date.
The Challenge Stradale is a performance oriented 360. As if ordinary 360s are not. The interior has just the creature comforts you would need to make the car passably comfortable by today’s standards. Engine output is increased to 425 bhp and there are significant but unobtrusive aerodynamic modifications. This car is fantastic. The seats are great. The spartan interior wonderfully rendered. What a great car. At $230000 this is a Ferrari that is inappropriate for my project but this is the Ferrari I would want in my garage if I could only have one.
The 355 is sitting behind the Stradale with a big red bow on the roof. I should have brought a camera.
Barb and Joe head out in the car first. I wander around the dealership and while talking with the guys in the office on my cell phone. I also call my dad to tell him we are test driving a Ferrari in the snow.
After about 15 minutes Barb is back and it is my turn. I ask her what she thought as we are changing seats. “Easier to drive than our Porsche.” is her remark. The car is roomier than I remember. No problem getting in once I have the seat back. I brought appropriate shoes this time so hopefully no getting stuck under the heater vent.
We head out of the dealership and onto the country roads. It is immediately obvious that Joe’s crew has found and fixed the odd noise coming from the engine. The car sounds great with no odd mechanical noises what so ever. I want to take a longer test drive this time and get to know the car a bit better. We do find nice stretches of road with good curves. Joe mentions there is a dip in the road where he became airborne with a fellow during a test drive in a 911 turbo. He need not worry with me.
The test drive is uneventful. The car performs great on the wet roads. Ferrari’s have windshield wipers like regular cars. I test the clutch for slippage by putting the car in 6th at about 45 miles per hour and flooring it. The car accelerates smoothly as the RPMs raise.
After a longer than normal test drive we head back to Gran Prix. It is about 12:15 and Barb has to pick our son up at school before 2:00 so we have limited time.
Joe shows me the service binder they have. The car has had the valves and exhaust manifolds replaced the clutch is new and the 30,000 mile services was performed about three thousand miles ago. All good from my perspective.
I tell Joe that I like the car and offer mid to high 60s for the car. Joe responds that he already has an ebay bid for 73 thousand and they have mid to high 60s in the car. I ask Joe what they want for the car. Closer to 73 is his reply. On the drive down I set my high offer at $67,000. If I can buy the car for $67,000 I will be getting a great deal and have a good chance of breaking even on the car. As I don’t know the service history $67,000 gives me a bit of wiggle room. I now know service is up to date but do not want to offer a higher bid without reflection and consultation with Barb. I tell Joe I will be in touch.
That night at dinner Barb and I are talked about the car. We both agree it will be a good fit. Barb remarks it felt like it could be one of the family. I tell about a conversation I had at dinner the night before with my business partner and a mutual friend. We were discussing the book and I mentioned that Barb was going to drive the car the following morning. I had not yet done my ebay snooping. Someone remarked that you don’t see many women driving Ferraris. There was consensus at the table that we would all be intimidated by a woman driving a Ferrari. Barb liked to hear this. I bet she puts as many miles on the car as I do.