BYE,BYE FERRARI HELLO 996

I just got rid of my FERRARI 328 (89) I traded for an 01 996.I am so glad the ferrari does not even compaire with the PORSCHE as a matter of fact the ferrari was a JUNK PILE! The performance is a MILLION TIMES better with the porsche plus the porsche does not puke oil out of it every time i drive it.IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT BUYING A FERRARI TALK TO ME FIRST!!!! Any other former ferrari owners out there?

Oh, say it isn't so. The 328 is on my list of cars to own! I've heard the Mondial isn't worth it, but the iconic 328? Could it be the 12 years of technological advances have altered your perspective? Shouldn't you compare the 328 to '89 vintage 911?

BTW, Pix please.

Very different cars, plus your comparing a car from 1989 and one from 2001.

I know thay are two different cars,but price wise thay are about the same.I was a big ferrari fan until I bought one ($40,000).My friend owens a 360 modena and from driving it several times I would much rather have my 996.Guys until you actually owen one and experince the COSTLY maintenance that you have to deal with all the time and how it starts only when it wants to you cant understand how much better the 996 is.I know thay are defferent but FORTY THOUSAND IS FORTY THOUSAND.

40K is NOT 40K. You can't compare cars based on cost. That argument will NEVER fly. You need to compare cars that are in the same class and a 89 328 is not in the same class as the 01 996.

of course you can! 40K can either buy junk or excellence... magazines compare cars on cost all the time... I'm curious to hear your explanation as to why you can't

welcome, sounds like you made a good choice!!!

And therein lies your problem. "What your money can buy for 40K" is a different story than comparing cars in the same class. For sake of this thread they are not 2 cars in the same class. period. Now, if you want to compare an 89 911 to the 89 328 then we're talking comparison.

The only thing ferrari has going for it is the look,sound,and mystique.Not reliability,and for ($40,000)it should at least start ALL THE TIME! It passed a ppi with flying colors!Thay are just JUNK If you dont belive me BUY ONE!

Dell.. I hear ya... but if you have 40K to spend you'd create a list of things important to you... whatever that may be... speed, reliability, panache... depending on your list you could end up with either... there is no logic behind that decision but emotion. I agree they are not in the same class at all... 40K for a Porsche gets you a better class of car (again... according to my list of criteria important to me.. others would disagree)

As much as I love Porsches (I have 4 at the moment), and as much as Ferrrari's suck, I am still gonna own a '67 Ferrari 330 GTC some day. Beautiful, worth the hassle. Uber 99 996 76 930 64 356C race 64 356c street

I can honestly say that although I greatly respect the 360/430 ferarris... I will never buy one, no matter how much money I have, I just don't think its in my nature to buy a car with huge unpredictable running costs I like my 996 because it is drivable everyday and no matter how much people **** their pants over RMS, its still less than a $1000 repair.

[QUOTE=P-Car fanatic I like my 996 because it is drivable everyday and no matter how much people **** their pants over RMS, its still less than a $1000 repair.[/QUOTE] right on. Plus if the RMS leak gets to the point (unlikely) of needing the engine replaced, Porsche sells replacement engines very cheaply, around $6500. A replacement engine for my M5 is $20k. Ub

Congrats on the 996! I'm also in the mindset that you can compare $40K to $40K. Reason being it's how much you have to spend on a car whether it's a daily driver or a weekend car. I have a friend who just went the other way. He just sold his 99 996 and bought a 86 328. He has only had it a short time but I think he will end up regretting it. We went for a drive the other weekend and I left him sitting in the dust! I can't wait till we'er on the track together, I'll blow his doors off and then save $$ by not having to service my car after it's been driven hard. K

I hope you're kidding, the Magnum PI edition? Yuk. It's gotta come with a hairy chest and Mr T. starter kit right?

I think I can join this discussion with some good feedback...my very good friend owned a 98' F355 Berlinetta F1....I have driven it many many times myself.....nice car, u could even call it "a work of art" like many other ferrari models.....BUT, you could also call it a "piece of sh*t" like many other ferrari models, lol. Seriously, that car was the most pristine example of a 355 you could find...4K orginal miles, one owner, no accidients or paint work, all up to date on services....the thing litterally had a check engine light or mechanical issue EVERY OTHER time u took it out....it costed my friend $8,000 in bull**** maintance at the ferrari dealer over the nine month period he owned the thing...he finally had enough when the check engine light came on and the paddle shifter refused to go into gear one day after it had a $2000 service performed on it and was deemed a clean bill of health by the dealership....I heard very similar stories of various other ferrari models as well.....older ones aren't worth the headache in my opinion...all of them will get there doors blown off by even a mildly modded up newer 996 C2 or any turbo 911, so lets not even look at "actual" performance (mystic aside). I say, if you've REALLY had a hard on to own a ferrari your whole life and you own two or three other cars (AND another "real" high performance sportscar) with enough cash reserve to cover the related expenses of ferrari ownership (high maintance costs, garaunteed unscheduled repair costs**, etc..) then go for it!!! --- Kevin

I rented a 360 Modena with F1 shifter last week in Montreal. WHAT A PIECE OF ****!!!! Granted it was a rental and people might have abused it, but the acceleration sucked, the shifting sucked. Handling was awsome, brakes were good., and of course, it looked and sounded phenomenal. People were stopping and staring all the time, while I was thinking "if they only knew what a POS it is"

I've never owned a Ferrari but, like many here, fantasize about owning one at some point. At the risk of oversimplifying, consider the country and cultural attributes of where these machines are built. I love British and Italian suits but, when it comes to mechanicals, the closest I will come to owning a Ferrari is a scale replica on my shelf...much cheaper and more enjoyable to admire! -- Michael

bowmanm, Yes, I'm afraid it's true. We even bought him an obnoxious Hawaiian to go with it. We hang out with a bunch of great Ferrari guys and he wants to attend the Ferrari meetings. I am happy with beating them on the track. I'll be even happier in a year when I get a 02 996TT so I can beat the guys driving 360s and 550s. The guys want me to get a 355 instead but I'll pocket what I would spend on maintenance for a 355 and mod my TT! K

A good friend of mine owned a 308 and a 355, I was really disappointed with the performance compared to my C4 and C4S. I have not driven a 360 or a 430, it's my understanding that the new f-cars are much better than the models from the 90's.

Wow, this is totally changing my impressions of these cars. My dad has had a Testarossa for 15 years now. He doesn't drive it at all (under 400miles), but it sure looks good. He did have to take it in for maintenance. Belt replacement and misc. maintenance was ridiculous, 5k because they had to lift the entire engine to access the belts. Okay, on second thought, I will continue to enjoy these cars from afar (or drive dad's).

A couple of items worth noting. 1) ferrari quality improved a lot after Enzo died, not just the F1 cars but the street cars as well. 2) ferrari retains a very high percentage of it's initial cost, higher than Porsche. FWIW I also had a 328 and I considered potting it in resin and making a sculpture out of it. My 1991 Testarosa was no model of quality either. OTOH I am impressed with my 430. Still, in spite of the weakness of certain models, ferrari holds value. 3) Leon, you were in Montreal! I wish I had known. Where did you rent a 360? A friend of mine wants to do that for her husband as an Anniversary present. Were you at the supercars event perhaps? I think that's what it's called. For a bunch of money you can rent an exotic car and track it with an instructor for a day at Le Circuit Mont Tremblant. Take your pick of a Ferrari, Lambo, Aston etc and enjoy. Regards,

You will find that the people that dont have problems with there ferraris never drive them.What is the fun in owning a car you cant drive for fear of having to spend $2,000?My 328 was absolutely gorgeous but it was a junk pile!The 996 is awesome to drive and look at also.I never drove a 348 but I heard thay are junk to.If you ever dreamed of owning a ferrari just call a dealer and ask them what a new cluch costs!

That vintage is not fair. The 996 is more comparable to a 355 or a 360. The 360 is way cooler!!!! Nothing beats the sound of a Ferrari nor the macho feeling in your chest. I love Porsche and I really love Ferrari. If I could only own one car, it would be a 911 but what's the fun in owning just one car........................... The Ferrari is like a nice suit for special occasions, the 911 is my comfortable Khaki's.

Nothing beats the F1, it's like a video game in the later models. Porsche should copy this technology.

Personally I think you made the right choice, if you cannot understand what makes a Ferrari a Ferrari - the soul, the mystique, the heritage - then you'll probably be a lot happier with the Porsche. For me, those are the things that set Ferrari apart, and always will, and the things of which Porsches in general will always be just a touch short.

Ferrari's hold their values well as a factor of supply and demand. Ferrari is the Jewel in the Fiat crown and does not have the same need to sell cars and make $$ as Porsche, which is still independent. I love the style of the F360/430 and it is hard to imagine a car with more curb presence. I would disagree that Porsche is s little short on soul, mystique and heritage. I feel that Porsche has all that in spades too, but with in a different way with a different feel. If I were offered a free F430 or GT3 (and I had to keep the cars, i.e. not sell and buy), I would honestly pick the GT3 (and not because I worry about maintenance costs). I just prefer the Porsche although I do understand what makes a Ferrari a Ferrari. Now where Ferrari does have have it over Porsche without any doubt is exclusitivity. Pretty obvious though, when almost every car Porsche makes is priced way below the least expensive Ferrari offerings. For cars like this though, it mostly comes down to what speaks to your personal taste most. I love 'em all...

Hmmm...that seems different than what I've seen, deep depreciation hits, way more dramatic than on a TT or GT3. That said, I'd love to have one in my garage. But, a Ferrari will never meet my right brain and left brain criteria for actually owning something. -- M

I was at Mont Tremblant taking an Advanced Racing Course with Jim Russel. What an awsome track!! Did not drive the Ferrari on the track because it was really messed up. Drove this car for 2 amazing days: This is the parking lot at the track. Pretty nice cars, no? And here is the POS I rented. Looks great, sounds great, drives awful: Rented from Express exoctics. Ask for Francois : [phone removed]

Congrats! Enjoy!

$0.02... The master mechanic for a well known european tuning/maintenance shop here said that they have seen most of the Ferraris in town for major problems too early in their life(before 20000mi). Yes including the new models.

The 328 was the last Ferrari built that people who liked to work on their own cars and wanted a Ferrari coould buy. After that it's a take to the official Ferrari dealer for repairs and maintenance. The 308/328 range are good cars, looked after and driven as they should be are reliable and certainly not "junk" Most of the problems are caused by lack of use or owners who really don't understand what they bought (or can't afford the repairs). Certainly the quality is not as good as Porsche. or even Audi. People buy Ferrari because it is a Ferrari. Sometimes for the wrong reasons...but it is their money.