Drove a 550 Maranello and 360 Spider today =)

[Shinigami]

I'm a bit tired, so I'm not going to type all of the same stuff I already did on other forums, so please forgive me if I only provide a link to what I wrote elsewhere: http://www.tournament.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=173722

Reason why I'm tired is because I came back late on monday night from a 2000mile trip to the UK and back, then spent tuesday AND wednesday night working VERY late. Good think I was pumped up with adrenaline when driving these two incredibly beautiful cars today however =)

All I can say is "wow". They really are excellent. The 360 is THE best car I've driven. Hopefully I'll get a chance to try a VERY high end Lambo/Ferrari/Zonda one day ;)

I was supposed to do it on wednesday, but at the last minute it had to be cancelled as one of the cars wasn't available. Then I got a call thursday morning asking me if I wanted to come, so TT, if you're reading this, I'm very sorry I didn't call you so that you could come and take some pics =( I'll see if this time I'll get a time not just an hour before I go there when I test drive the 360 Coupe (with manual) :)

I have to admit it's not that hard to get a chance to test drive supercars when you drive in to the dealer in an AMG, maybe I should go visit the Geneva lambo dealer ;)

Anyway, really tired now, I've had very little sleep in the past week, so I think I'm going early to bed now, ta ta guys!

[TT]

Indeed "pics or STFU" usually, but since in this case I was aware about it and Shin had nothing against my presence there I guess I can certify for him partially :P

I just hope you will soon guy your own Ferrari :)

[Shinigami]

I know, Pics or STFU :)

But you know, I already mentioned about this on so many other forums, and it would have been a crime to not share the experience with you guys. I mean, you can ask me anything about the car and I can tell you how it was, from the engine sound, to the clicking of the F1 paddles, the millisecond dual 'nudge' which happens when you change gears in full throttle under sport mode, and the little 'burble' sound that happens when you completely lift off the gas.

And TT can go ask the owners son (Blaise) what happened yesterday between 11:50 and 2pm, and he will tell you that he was out driving with a guy who had short hair and parked his SLK 55 AMG on front of the Zenith garage :p

Yah, but like said, I'll see when I get to drive the 360 Coupe with manual and then I'll ask TT come and take some pics :)

Now don't get me wrong, I AM serious about buying a Ferrari (one day), but IF I came to the dealer in a camera so that I could take pics while driving the car, it just wouldn't seem 'serious' and the dealer would probably thing I was just someone trying to get a joy ride out of the car(s) and taking back home some souvenirs of myself driving a Ferrari (the guy was with me in the car during the whole ride, explaining to me how to do this and that, very cool and helpful guy Blaise was btw).

I hope you guys understand :) But if you want to drive a decent car, it really helps if you try to show real interest and try not to make it seem like you're just in there for the thrills.

After the ride, we began speaking numbers and so on. I told him that I'd be planning to buy a Ferrari in a year or two's time, so he said that he'll be on the lookout for the exact type of 360 I want (Coupe, Rosso Corsa) and I just want to still experience the manual shifter, as well as a standard non-tubi exhaust (to be honest, the tubi exhaust in the spider gave a bit of a headache in the beginning because it was LOUD). I would prefer a 360 which is a bit more discreet, so if the non-tubi is loud enough for me, then I'll tell him that I'd prefer it as such (but a tubi might be just perfect for a coupe, so who knows).

Ah well... I'll keep you guys updates ;)

[TT]

Uhm.. so the Spider had a Tubi.. was it the dark grey one with grey soft top and tan interior?

:arrow: http://www.swisscarsightings.com/ferrari/thumbs/Ferrari%20360%20380.jpg (http://www.swisscarsightings.com/ferrari/Ferrari%20360%20380.jpg)

As for me coming along next time, I don't want to ruin everything :D (not a real difference if you take pics yourself or if you ask a friend to do so I guess :bah: ) I can wait untill you will get yours :D

[Shinigami]

It was Rosso Corsa red with black top. We put the top down for the whole trip however. Interior was dark tan (not the lighter kind).

Not sure where they brought the car from, might have been from their Sion office?

I really want the 360 so bad =( But right now I wouldn't be able to afford the SLK AND the 360. There's been some talk of moving our office over from the WTC to the Nestle office in Bussigny (which coincidentally is about 10 minutes walk from my house). If we do this, then maybe I would be able to sell the SLK, buy the 360, and drive it occasionally on the weekends. The reason I'm saying this, is because I drive approximately 15-20,000km's a year, and the 360 should really only be driven a maximum of 7500km's.

If I lived within walking distance from my work, then I wouldn't need to drive so much, especially as we might also move our servers from Geneva to Bussigny (I also do the trip there several times a month to do some maintenance). Since my GF works at the Nestle office in Bussigny as well, I could just use her Smart Roadster for the longer trips (she used to work in Morges, which meant that she quickly racked up over 10,000's in less then a year due to all the trips back and forth from home to work).

And finally, I need to wait another year or two, and then I'll have had my drivers license for a long enough period where my insurance becomes really cheap (I think you need to have your license for 8 years or so with no accidents to go into the lowest brakcet).

So, if things work out, I might have it in a year. If not, it will take 2-3 years :(

Oh well, I'll keep on doing the vroom vroom with my SLK in the meanwhile :lol:

[TT]

HAHA It's not like if you were stuck in a Fiat Uno dude :P

[komotar]

Sounds awesome, Shinri_Shiogami!

And like TT said, you're not stuck with a Fiat Uno :wink:

I hope everything goes according to plan and that you'll
get your red 360 soon!

This brings back a memory. About a year ago I went to the Porsche dealer
with the Merc E class, I borrowes for a test drive... Black with nice rims.

It helped :twisted:

[|Nuno|]

Awesome, mate. Good luck with getting the Modena. :good:





The reason I'm saying this, is because I drive approximately 15-20,000km's a year, and the 360 should really only be driven a maximum of 7500km's.


But here I have to disagree. :) It's just a car, enjoy it as most as you can - and having it sitting on the garage probably isn't the best way... :wink: But this is just me thinking out loud, of course. You probably have good reasons to say that.


And by the way, try to avoid "garage queens". Just some friendly advice... :)



EDIT: Just curious, which Model Year are you aiming at?

[Shinigami]

I've been reading up a lot of advice from other Ferrari owners, and the general consensus is that for those who cannot afford to drive a Ferrari all year round, should keep to a maximum of 7500km's with one.

The F1 gearbox (which might be what I'm aiming for) got a major revision in 2002, but some people updated 2001 boxes as well. The current 'best' price to km's driven ratio is in the 2000 to 2001 year ratio for me, as those cars usually go for a maximum of 140,000chf. I don't think I wanna spend any more then this... And a car like this can be found with anywhere from 20 to 30 thousand kilometers.

Of course, if I decide to go with a car 1 or 2 years from now, I might be able to afford a 2002 model or newer with a maximum of about 30 thousand kilometers, that would be perfect.

Garage queens are not bad IF they have been driven regularly. The thing is that whilst I wouldn't think of driving it everyday (in order to keep the number of km's down), I would drive it regulary once or twice a week, preferably for a comfortably long distance (anywhere from 100 to 150km's a week should keep her happy).

Anyway, I still got a lot to learn about the car, so I'm constantly trying to find new bits of info in order to gain more experience prior to a purchase.

[|Nuno|]

I've been reading up a lot of advice from other Ferrari owners, and the general consensus is that for those who cannot afford to drive a Ferrari all year round, should keep to a maximum of 7500km's with one.


Oh yes, I forgot that you guys have a real Winter in Switzerland... :P But about the 7500 Km's thing: remember that this isn't the U.S.A. - over here in Europe, in terms of price, cars aren't so sensitive to the amount of Km's that they have. :) Not to mention that the Ferrari V8 is known for being a VERY solid engine. Only drawback is that it needs more maintenance than the German rivals. Plus, it will run better as the Km's go by. :wink: Just be sure to have a PPI done, to check if everything's ok.



The F1 gearbox (which might be what I'm aiming for) got a major revision in 2002, but some people updated 2001 boxes as well. The current 'best' price to km's driven ratio is in the 2000 to 2001 year ratio for me, as those cars usually go for a maximum of 140,000chf. I don't think I wanna spend any more then this... And a car like this can be found with anywhere from 20 to 30 thousand kilometers.



So, you changed your mind after the test drive, huh? :mrgreen:

Anyway, you can update any F1 'Box pre 2002 in the Modena. It's just a TCU change, and I'd highly recommend it. :) Actually, I think 2002 software isn't the last evolution - in 2004 models, the system was again improved.

Personaly, when buying the car new, I think the F1 in the 360 isn't worth the extra money. But since you don't intend to use the car everyday (where the F1 shows some weaknesses, like in parking and driving off from standstill in uphills, etc) and it doesn't seem to command a premium in the used market I say go for it, if you liked it. Just remember that the clutch won't last as much as in the manual, and it's still not a perfect system. :)



Garage queens are not bad IF they have been driven regularly.


That depends... If they're driven regulary but for short amounts of time and distance, that's no better than just sitting on the garage - and most of the time, that's the case with garage queens. :| Plus, a car with ~ 30K Km's will be in better mechanical shape than other with the same age but only ~ 10K.



Anyway, I still got a lot to learn about the car, so I'm constantly trying to find new bits of info in order to gain more experience prior to a purchase.


Yep, that's the best thing you can do right now (apart from earning money to buy it :P). The more you know about the car, the easier it will be to find "The One". :D



Ah, and be sure to post some pics/videos when you finally get it, ok? :mrgreen:

[dingo]

....The current 'best' price to km's driven ratio is in the 2000 to 2001 year ratio for me, as those cars usually go for a maximum of 140,000chf....

Damn they are cheap over there....here you would at least another 100,000 CHF on top of that! :( No wonder they are so common over in Switzerland.....

[Shinigami]

Nuno: yes, ofcourse the F1 box got improvements every year, but a major improvement was made in 2002. But I do see what you mean :)

dingo: maybe, but I can also compare car prices between Switzerland and the states, and in the case of, lets say an SL 55 AMG, price new in Switzerland would be 200k chf, and with 10 thousand kilometers, it would go for only 20k less... But in the states, the same SL 55 AMG with 10 thousand kilometers would go for something close to 120k chf... it's madness, it truly is (and makes me cry inside a little).

Ah well... I'll post pics and videos or whatever you want when I get one (if I get one). Just don't hold your breath, as it won't happen anytime soon :)

[Wutputt]

Must have been an awesome experience to drive more than one Ferrari the same day. Nice to hear of your plans of buying one. I hope you'll find your dream 360 ;)

[Ferrarikid]

haha well hopefully when me and my dad drive up to the ferrari dealership in a 69 vette we will be aloud to drive one lol but besides that i know the owner pretty ell he invited me to a private show so i will drivwe one someday lol

[taygunho]

Damn they are cheap over there....here you would at least another 100,000 CHF on top of that! :( No wonder they are so common over in Switzerland.....
:D i am just laughing because in turkey taxes are extremely high if u want to buy a sport car u must have alotof money
some samples
Cayenne turbo: € 202.320
911 CARRERA CABRIO: € 166,361
BOXSTER: € 95,088
BMW 330i Sedan: 79.306€
BMW M5: 177.097€
BMW M6 : 215.093€
audi s4: 112,710€
audi tt 1.8 t 64,089€
chrysler crossfire3.2 : 71,504€
ferrari f430 f1 : 282.628€
ferrari 575 maranello F1 :376.272€
ferrari 612 scaglietti f1: 418.249€
lotus elise: 71.240€
lotus elise 111r: 93.170€
mercedes slk 55 amg: 128.409€
mercedes e 55 amg: 180.193€
mercedes cl600: 252.819€
mini cooper s: 28.270€
mitsubishi evo VIII :56.600€
nissan 350Z: 73.500€

[matoias]

Brazil is more!!!!!!

[Shinigami]

Funnily enough, I drove another 360 today :)

A black one (both inside and out), manual H-gate shifter and a Challenge setup (the grills and seats and so on).

TT was there to take pics too, I lent my car to the owner of the 360 who took TT in my car for a ride, whilst I went out for a drive with his car and my GF on the passenger seat.

I hope TT posts the pics soon coz I need some 'souvenirs' to remember the day by =) (racing through the woods and country lanes made my heart pump sooo hard, the adrenaline rush was quite something).

[TT]

:arrow: (the rest will come ;))
http://img280.imageshack.us/img280/2840/ferrari360andslk55018de.th.jpg (http://img280.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ferrari360andslk55018de.jpg) http://img280.imageshack.us/img280/6117/ferrari360andslk55021gz.th.jpg (http://img280.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ferrari360andslk55021gz.jpg) http://img280.imageshack.us/img280/9434/ferrari360andslk55058kd.th.jpg (http://img280.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ferrari360andslk55058kd.jpg)

thanks for summoning me ;)

[sameerrao]

The black 360 rocks ... nice pics TT.

Just buy it Shinri .. you know you want to ...

[Shinigami]

Pics look good, like always!

Yeah, I really do want to buy one, but it won't be possible just yet. I need to save up money for at least another year, especially as I think I'd like a relatively low mileage one (say, up to 15k miles) and I absolutely MUST have it in Rosso Corsa, it's just THE Ferrari color for me. Boring perhaps since so many of them are red, but I just like it that way ;)

And then, I really would like to have a tubi and the Challenge kit on it (and I want it to be a Modena, not a Spider). Right at this moment, I really don't mind if it was an F1 or standard manual. Either will go fine, the most important being the general condition of the car.

Oh well... unless I can get some more 'little jobs' to do in weekends and evenings, it will still take some time before this dream becomes true.

Oh, and may I ask a favor from those who happen to read this post? Has anyone got interior pics of a Challenge Stradale? (shame the C/CS is so much more expensive then a standard Modena...).

Cheers :)

[TT]

Thanks Shin, always easier to take nice pics when you shoot nice cars ;) and even if this topic is about the Ferraris, I have to say the more I shoot your SLK the more I like its lines.. is sooo compact, like a little toy, but packing so many horses! The thrust and the soundtrack are still something special! And incredible to see how small it looks when put beside a Modena, even if latter is black, it still seems HUGE!

[Shinigami]

The 360 looks so large because it's a lot wider, it gives it a bigger stance. A real road hugger =)

Apparently changing the headers for the SLK will push HP up to around 400, and changes the exhaust note to something really wild. Too bad it costs just over 3000euro for the mod (if I go onsite in Denmark to do it in Kleemann's office). Might as well save up money for the 360...

[TT]

Yep for sure and the soundtrack is damn nice already.. for sure it passes the tunnel test :D BTW, is there any worthy exhaust system which improves the sound without messing it up completely?

[Shinigami]

Brabus, Kleemann, Renntech etc, all release exhausts for the SLK. I haven't heard them however, since they're extremely rare... so I don't know if they make it louder, higher, lower, more staccato, or whatever.

The only word I have is from the manufacturers who say that "it makes the SLK sound better". Everyone has their own definition of 'better', but apparently several people have changed the headers which resulted in a more free flowing engine, so I guess it made them 'louder' for sure.

[TT]

Indeed, "better" is a very subjective concept sadly, and the only way to judge is by hearing them all, which is honestly, impossible :bah: