Discussion
Hi all, as usual at this time of year I'm looking at making the jump from GT2->458.
One thing I enjoy about the 911 is it's just another Porsche / Carerra / Boxster / Cayman, basically I can go about my business unnoticed.
But will I be able to do this in the Ferrari? Ok I'm not fitting a "listen to how small my willy is" exhaust and go revving up outside the chippy so hopefully that'll help, and I don't care about being raced anywhere, I tend to drive in such a way I'm never really know if anyone's "racing" me or not.
So just things like hassle in traffic, not being let out, vandalism when parked somewhere, abuse from other drivers...
What's the general vibe please?
One thing I enjoy about the 911 is it's just another Porsche / Carerra / Boxster / Cayman, basically I can go about my business unnoticed.
But will I be able to do this in the Ferrari? Ok I'm not fitting a "listen to how small my willy is" exhaust and go revving up outside the chippy so hopefully that'll help, and I don't care about being raced anywhere, I tend to drive in such a way I'm never really know if anyone's "racing" me or not.
So just things like hassle in traffic, not being let out, vandalism when parked somewhere, abuse from other drivers...
What's the general vibe please?
My experience in the Speciale was mostly positive - I, like yourself, didn't sit there revving and making unnecessary noise (I used HELE a lot in town) - and a lot of people commented in a good way about the car. Only negatives that I remember were the inadequates (generally in GTR's, AMG's or BadBoy Beemers) who had to make a point about traffic lights drag strips.....
I've had my 458 Italia for over a month now and so far so good. I do get let out at junctions etc and overall the reactions have been positive as well as whilst fuelling up the car - a couple have come to speak to me about the car, performance and what I do for a living etc!
I have faced boy racers in Fiesta's and Golfs revving behind me at the lights but I simply ignore - a teenage kid in the fiesta told me I didn't have the balls to race him so I just smiled and gave him a thumbs up
Not met the BMW M cars or GTs etc as yet.
I think it also depends on the colour - mine is Black on Black whereas a red or yellow car would probably grab a lot more attention - stick to the Greys and Blacks if you want a bit more discretion I guess. Overall though don't waste time and do it now - it's a bloody fantastic car!
I have faced boy racers in Fiesta's and Golfs revving behind me at the lights but I simply ignore - a teenage kid in the fiesta told me I didn't have the balls to race him so I just smiled and gave him a thumbs up
Not met the BMW M cars or GTs etc as yet. I think it also depends on the colour - mine is Black on Black whereas a red or yellow car would probably grab a lot more attention - stick to the Greys and Blacks if you want a bit more discretion I guess. Overall though don't waste time and do it now - it's a bloody fantastic car!
supermono said:
Hi all, as usual at this time of year I'm looking at making the jump from GT2->458.
Ok I'm not fitting a "listen to how small my willy is" exhaust ?
You have actually heard a 458 right? There far from a shrinking violet at low speeds, especially as revs rise and when you hit full song OMG Ok I'm not fitting a "listen to how small my willy is" exhaust ?
Potentially, welcome to the small willy club LOL.
Oh and buy a black on black one if you want the lowest profile while driving a Ferrari.
I see your a fellow biker, I bet your gixer thou has got a "small willy" exhaust (after market I bet)
It's mandatory, you know that Edited by FezSpider on Tuesday 5th April 13:41
AMDB9 said:
I've had my 458 Italia for over a month now and so far so good. I do get let out at junctions etc and overall the reactions have been positive as well as whilst fuelling up the car - a couple have come to speak to me about the car, performance and what I do for a living etc!
I have faced boy racers in Fiesta's and Golfs revving behind me at the lights but I simply ignore - a teenage kid in the fiesta told me I didn't have the balls to race him so I just smiled and gave him a thumbs up Not met the BMW M cars or GTs etc as yet.
I think it also depends on the colour - mine is Black on Black whereas a red or yellow car would probably grab a lot more attention - stick to the Greys and Blacks if you want a bit more discretion I guess. Overall though don't waste time and do it now - it's a bloody fantastic car!
the kids revving at the lights etc is harmless fun for them imo they don't think their car is faster than yours - they're just encouraging you to zoom off the line as it is a great sight/sound.I have faced boy racers in Fiesta's and Golfs revving behind me at the lights but I simply ignore - a teenage kid in the fiesta told me I didn't have the balls to race him so I just smiled and gave him a thumbs up
Not met the BMW M cars or GTs etc as yet. I think it also depends on the colour - mine is Black on Black whereas a red or yellow car would probably grab a lot more attention - stick to the Greys and Blacks if you want a bit more discretion I guess. Overall though don't waste time and do it now - it's a bloody fantastic car!
the 458 is one of the all time greats
WCZ said:
AMDB9 said:
I've had my 458 Italia for over a month now and so far so good. I do get let out at junctions etc and overall the reactions have been positive as well as whilst fuelling up the car - a couple have come to speak to me about the car, performance and what I do for a living etc!
I have faced boy racers in Fiesta's and Golfs revving behind me at the lights but I simply ignore - a teenage kid in the fiesta told me I didn't have the balls to race him so I just smiled and gave him a thumbs up Not met the BMW M cars or GTs etc as yet.
I think it also depends on the colour - mine is Black on Black whereas a red or yellow car would probably grab a lot more attention - stick to the Greys and Blacks if you want a bit more discretion I guess. Overall though don't waste time and do it now - it's a bloody fantastic car!
the kids revving at the lights etc is harmless fun for them imo they don't think their car is faster than yours - they're just encouraging you to zoom off the line as it is a great sight/sound.I have faced boy racers in Fiesta's and Golfs revving behind me at the lights but I simply ignore - a teenage kid in the fiesta told me I didn't have the balls to race him so I just smiled and gave him a thumbs up
Not met the BMW M cars or GTs etc as yet. I think it also depends on the colour - mine is Black on Black whereas a red or yellow car would probably grab a lot more attention - stick to the Greys and Blacks if you want a bit more discretion I guess. Overall though don't waste time and do it now - it's a bloody fantastic car!
the 458 is one of the all time greats
Having moved into a 458 from a 430, i now have 3 years experience of ownership. You will get used to the car but 'others' will not. My experience to date has been 100% positive from other road users, but rarely do i take the car out and not have people swerving around with camera phones,taking vids, etc. Although my car is Rosso, i dont really think the colour makes much difference to the impact.
That said, i wouldn't want to use the car as a daily driver as i think i would be bothered by the attention it would receive when parked up......only takes one jealous numpty to spoil things. Also i think it would lose some of its mystique if i was using it to sit in the rain on a jammed commuter run. In these conditions i'd much prefer my X5 if I'm being honest.
That said, i wouldn't want to use the car as a daily driver as i think i would be bothered by the attention it would receive when parked up......only takes one jealous numpty to spoil things. Also i think it would lose some of its mystique if i was using it to sit in the rain on a jammed commuter run. In these conditions i'd much prefer my X5 if I'm being honest.
I'd say for the most part reactions are positive, though I've had one notable instance where a white van driver made a point of coming across on my lane forcing me to pull over to the left. Not sure why that happened to this day.
Personally I make a point of anticipating and avoiding situations where there could be damage or negative reactions as much as possible - e.g. parking very far away if I go to the supermarket, not parking across two spaces, driving defensively on roads with priority changes or parked cars, etc. Generally speaking though people I've come across are really nice - I was out on Saturday in Bristol and people were going out of their way to give priority to me, etc.
What I would say is be honest with your motivations - there's no point buying one if you don't want any attention, they will be a unique spectacle for most people in any colour, red especially as it's the universal shorthand for Ferrari. Frankly I'd suggest anyone moaning about the attention isn't being 100% honest with themselves as to why they have it
Personally I make a point of anticipating and avoiding situations where there could be damage or negative reactions as much as possible - e.g. parking very far away if I go to the supermarket, not parking across two spaces, driving defensively on roads with priority changes or parked cars, etc. Generally speaking though people I've come across are really nice - I was out on Saturday in Bristol and people were going out of their way to give priority to me, etc.
What I would say is be honest with your motivations - there's no point buying one if you don't want any attention, they will be a unique spectacle for most people in any colour, red especially as it's the universal shorthand for Ferrari. Frankly I'd suggest anyone moaning about the attention isn't being 100% honest with themselves as to why they have it
supermono said:
Hi all, as usual at this time of year I'm looking at making the jump from GT2->458.
One thing I enjoy about the 911 is it's just another Porsche / Carerra / Boxster / Cayman, basically I can go about my business unnoticed.
But will I be able to do this in the Ferrari? Ok I'm not fitting a "listen to how small my willy is" exhaust and go revving up outside the chippy so hopefully that'll help, and I don't care about being raced anywhere, I tend to drive in such a way I'm never really know if anyone's "racing" me or not.
So just things like hassle in traffic, not being let out, vandalism when parked somewhere, abuse from other drivers...
What's the general vibe please?
I would say colour is a factor. I changed my black California to a Rosso Corsa 458 Spider. I actually got more (positive) attention in the California. The 458 has been mixed - petrolheads love it but the average joe reaction is mixed - I've certainly had more negative attention in a red 458. Around London doesn't get as much attention as more common.One thing I enjoy about the 911 is it's just another Porsche / Carerra / Boxster / Cayman, basically I can go about my business unnoticed.
But will I be able to do this in the Ferrari? Ok I'm not fitting a "listen to how small my willy is" exhaust and go revving up outside the chippy so hopefully that'll help, and I don't care about being raced anywhere, I tend to drive in such a way I'm never really know if anyone's "racing" me or not.
So just things like hassle in traffic, not being let out, vandalism when parked somewhere, abuse from other drivers...
What's the general vibe please?
Perhaps colour is a factor.
That's really interesting thanks. Colour wise it has to be red for me unfortunately, I love the 458 in red. I don't like silver/black from a personal point of view so this could be an issue I suppose.
Regarding GSX-R exhaust, lol I have always had standard exhausts on everything, although my 748SP has factory termis on that are a bit too loud if I'm honest but that's mostly used on the racetrack where it's fine. I've never been one to make a load of noise, just my mindset for some reason, I like to try and go unnoticed where possible.
Regarding GSX-R exhaust, lol I have always had standard exhausts on everything, although my 748SP has factory termis on that are a bit too loud if I'm honest but that's mostly used on the racetrack where it's fine. I've never been one to make a load of noise, just my mindset for some reason, I like to try and go unnoticed where possible.
Ok, so I'm seeing 120-140k , 120 end for LHD and 140 end for RHD. I like the romance of LHD oddly, but is it too much of a pain? And what other options should I really insist on? Also private sales seem fairly common -- is there any recognised escrow service for making that less risky? I don't really see why two grown ups shouldn't be able to cut out the 20k a dealer puts across our deal and both walk away happy.
supermono said:
That's really interesting thanks. Colour wise it has to be red for me unfortunately, I love the 458 in red. I don't like silver/black from a personal point of view so this could be an issue I suppose.
That is great to hear! Buy the car which fuels your desire and not to serve some narcissistic fallacy of how people may interpret how big or small your penis is. Besides as you point out there is a higher probability that this is correlated to how people drive these cars in built up areas. Yes you will be noticed more however I haven't experienced anymore/less undue attention when compared to other performance cars.There is something very special about a red Ferrari, I guess that's why 80% of first time buyers go for red
supermono said:
Ok, so I'm seeing 120-140k , 120 end for LHD and 140 end for RHD. I like the romance of LHD oddly, but is it too much of a pain? And what other options should I really insist on? Also private sales seem fairly common -- is there any recognised escrow service for making that less risky? I don't really see why two grown ups shouldn't be able to cut out the 20k a dealer puts across our deal and both walk away happy.
LHD is not too much of a pain, even the Severn crossing tolls.I paid less than 120 last year from a widely respected independent dealer, less than 14k miles, first registered as a new car in the UK with all servicing traceable through the Ferrari network.
Happy to discuss details via PM if you like.
Camlet said:
IMO Grigio Silverstone looks beautiful on a 458, combining tremendous presence with considerable grace. Happy hunting.
Yup, very classy.I have to say if you're only considering a rosso 458 then chances are you're not exactly looking to blend in, so it's tough to argue that you're overly concerned about reactions.
A red Ferrari will stand out, will arguably be the most recognisable at a glance as a Ferrari, and will receive commensurate reactions positive and negative.Gassing Station | Ferrari V8 | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff