I think it would be hard to get a 458 right now, Id go with a 430 scuderia

 

599 aging? Gracefully I would hope.

I have not had a Ferrari personally, however ultimately your own satisfaction is the goal. Go with the one that inspires you the most.

 

Personally, I'm not in love with the newer designs coming from SpA. As technically amazing and competent as they are, they just don't do anything for me from a design standpoint. Sorry, but if you REALLY want something special, look for something classic. It will age better. It's more serviceable (any good mechanic can tune a carb, but the modern Ferraris all require diagnostic tools that only dealers will have). You won't take a bath on the depreciation (I've done it many times over).

Lots of oohs and ahhs about the latest and greatest to come out of Maranello (or anywhere for that matter), and they certainly are improved over the previous models, but there's no longer a Ferrari "mystique". They've lost it. It's become a "big" company in which marketing trumps all else. Selling Lego sets? A Ferrari theme park? It's a three-ring circus now.

The old iron was touched by Il Commendatore himself, and THAT's what always had made Ferraris special. Yes, they're beautiful. Yes, they're fast. But, in the end, they had CHARACTER. Not so much anymore, I'm sad to say.

CW

 

It would be very difficult for you to get into a 458 being a first time buyer.
Being an existing customer I am told I can order mine in Sep 2011 and take delivery up-to 6 months after that.

I suggest an F430 or the Scuderia version would fit your needs fine.
You would need a right hand drive and therefore your market to buy from is limited.
Me being from India I enjoy living in the US and being able to buy and drive all of the wonderful
car that are not available back there.
Venkat

 

FYI any idea who's got the F430 Spyder (rosso corsa) in Delhi, it was at the Courtyard Marriott Gurgaon grand opening party parked out front. Someone told me it belongs to the owner of the hotel. I was there and blown away at the fact I saw a Ferrari in India. Talking to him may help.

 

Dude, go down south to Madras...the politicians children and grandchildren only go in Bentleys, Maseratis and Ferraris.

 

If the OP's sig is accurate then I am sure his dealer/contact could "find" him a 458 even in the 1st year. Its funny how $$ can help you move up on the allocation list.

 

Ritesh

I saw the OP's sig too, all of them except for the GTR are sold locally AFAIK.
Ferrari not being sold in India and he being a first time buyer to any dealer he approaches abroad will likely have to overpay way above list to get a 458.
It is a totally different market for F430 and Scuderia as my dealer locally has quite a few on the floor willing to sell to anyone with $$.

Venkat

 

I agree, My aunts brother had one and he gave me a ride in it and it was unbelievable!

 

Not surprisingly , Ferrari dealers in the UK are not willing to sell Ferrari's to Indian clients any more (it was the opposite a couple of years ago), so the only (hassle free) way to get one into India is via the factory.

Sadly , Indian Customs and Import Law bans the import of any new car that is more than a year old , so the 360 is certainly out of the scene and I would want to get a newer Ferrari than the replaced 430. It's a toss between the 458 and 599 now , but I reckon I'll narrow it down to a winner once I understand what I want out of these cars.

The 430 Scud would be a pain to drive on most of the roads in India.

As you can see from my sig, Indians aren't lacking in enjoying the cars. There are hardly a few supercars that are made only in LHD these days. And like I said , Ferrari dealers are hesitant to sell the on-floor cars to any client outside their allocated territory , so picking one up is a pain.

I think I know the person you are talking about. I'll check with him.

Not just the South , but North too!

True , the GTR and the Aston Martin are not sold directly , rest every other car in my signature is.

As for the legitimacy of my signature , please refer to these pages :

1 - https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...-e92-m-r8.html

2 - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super-...my-garage.html

I had a ride in the 599 a couple of months ago and I was blown - away as well !

So it basically boils down to this :

What I am looking for , is the addition of another marquee to our humble garage. Ferrari is one of the marquee's left to add. So the driving demands of the Ferrari would be no more than 10 - 20 kms at any given day at a stretch ! In that bracket , the 458 and 599 both fit , because the 599 is more of a GT car and the 458 is not a bad car if the most that is to be driven is the 10 - 20 km figure , and on smooth and well paved roads.

I reckon a test drive of the 599 and a hopeful viewing of the 458 would seal the deal for me. Thank you , every one for providing me with your valuable time and input. I will keep updating this thread as and when I can.

 

599; it looks like you have performance covered by the GTR.

 

you still haven't answered your driving style. If a Scud can't be driven a 458 Can't be driven. So you've dropped one off of your list.

 

Nice collection of cars! Love the M3 vid shot in Chandigarh...good luck with the 458 purchase.

 

that is one respectable collection of cars. I have seen a couple of 458's in stock here in Japan at some dealers so you might get lucky for them to sell them to you here. Mind you that these cars tend to be in their original LHD European setup (we are fortunate enough to be allowed to legally drive both LHD and RHD cars on the road here in Japan). So you perhaps if you get stuck with luck in the UK you can pop over here and I can give you some addresses of those dealer shops.

 

i went to Chandigarh all the time since it was so close to my pind, never knew people had supercars there, but it has been 6 years since i've been to my country :P

i'd get the 599...i got a ride in one awhile back and i loved it. too bad you can't really test drive the car before you buy it, unless you know someone else with the same car.