California - what should I look out for?

[Simon-a15p8]

Evening guy,

So a few weeks ago I posted in the Aston forum as I was considering a Vantage. I’ve since been convinced by her indoors that a 2+2 would be a better option and the Cali ticks a lot of the boxes.

I’m aware of the opinion of many purists and that the Cali isn’t the true drivers car that Ferrari’s should be, however I’m not going to be planning on track days so a GT is fine for what I’d like to do with it.

It will be my first of probably a number of Ferraris and a daily driver until I have my new house built with space for a newer 488 or Portofino perhaps. I was wondering if you guys can help with the must haves as far as spec goes and also what I should look out for when buying used. I’m not a complete car novice but some existing owner knowledge always comes in handy.

Budget is around £70k and I’m looking for Rosso Corsa with Crema interior.

Thanks guys.

[tempt8]

I’ve owned 3 California’s over the years, they’re nice daily cruisers and hard top convertible means you don’t get any road or wind noise when the roofs up.
My personal must have preferences when I’ve bought a Cali has been, carbon steering wheel, 20’ diamond cut alloys, Daytona seats, yellow rev counter, yellow brake callipers.
Mileage isn’t really an issue on these cars as they’re built to be driven daily so don’t let a higher mileage car put you off as long as it’s been looked after.
As with all ferraris / supercars, make sure the history stacks up, it doesn’t necessarily need to have a full dealer history but check that it’s been serviced on time at a ferrari specialists rather than say Johns garage lol.
All the best in your search.

Edited by tempt8 on Tuesday 13th April 23:05

[Roof down]

I will watch this with interest, I keep toying with the idea of a Cali .
Which one I don’t know, but would have to be red / cream.
Mike

[johnnyreggae]

I think there have already been a few California threads in the past month so its possible they might be helpful and/or useful

[xcentric]

I did consider a California for the 2+2 capabilities, but having peered at them in more detail, it's quite hard to see how anyone can actually sit in the rear seats. The back a very upright, the seat base is short, and there is zero legroom if you're a slightly taller driver. Good for soft bags, maybe, but I'd struggle to get kids in there..... so do check out it will do the duties you might want it for!

[Simon-a15p8]

xcentric said:

I did consider a California for the 2+2 capabilities, but having peered at them in more detail, it's quite hard to see how anyone can actually sit in the rear seats. The back a very upright, the seat base is short, and there is zero legroom if you're a slightly taller driver. Good for soft bags, maybe, but I'd struggle to get kids in there..... so do check out it will do the duties you might want it for!

Emergency use only in case I have to do a school run in it. Should be fine for 20 minutes.

[jasonwdh]

Simon-a15p8 said:

xcentric said:

I did consider a California for the 2+2 capabilities, but having peered at them in more detail, it's quite hard to see how anyone can actually sit in the rear seats. The back a very upright, the seat base is short, and there is zero legroom if you're a slightly taller driver. Good for soft bags, maybe, but I'd struggle to get kids in there..... so do check out it will do the duties you might want it for!

Emergency use only in case I have to do a school run in it. Should be fine for 20 minutes.

I've sat in the back of a Cali (granted I was sideways on, I'm 6ft1) for a good 40 mile drive and I was fine - needs must
Kids will squeeze themselves in to get taken to school in a Ferrari!

[Beaver]

Check parking sensors and engine drive mounts.
I bought an approved used car last September, both issues became a saga as not covered by the Ferrari warranty.

Both not cheap to fix via main dealer..

My approved used car also had rust under the bonnet.

Other than that they’re great, my four year old fitted in the back just fine.

You can feel the weight of the car but it’s still a great drive and an event. Shape has aged really well

[qwerty21]

The California is a great all around car Pillar-less Coupe/Cabriolet, I have had mine for coming up to 5 years now, plenty of boot space for longer trips and enough power 99% of the time, issues i have had over the 5 years are engine mounts, which seems to be a common issue and i have had to change all 4 corners of the suspension which is not cheap about £1500 per corner, aparently if you regularly change settings from Comfort to Sport or vice versa it can cause leaks, now just keep it in Sport. Apart from regular servicing it has been faultless now at 34k miles. Good luck in your hunt for one.

[blueg33]

Daytona seats are a must for me on pretty much all Ferraris bar the 575 (I know it’s irrational).

Having read the threads about mileage blocking devices, I would try and check for that.

Edited by blueg33 on Friday 16th April 20:05

[F355GTS]

blueg33 said:

Daytona seats are a must for me on pretty much all Ferraris bar the 575 (I know it’s irrational).

Having read the threads about mileage blooming devices, I would try and check for that.

The Daytona seats in the California are not as comfortable as others, somehow they made the ribs to pronounced

[Akajak]

If it hasn’t been mentioned some cars had/will have faults with gearbox sensors which used to be a very expensive fix; I believe that this can now be fixed more cost effectively

[Simon-a15p8]

Akajak said:

If it hasn’t been mentioned some cars had/will have faults with gearbox sensors which used to be a very expensive fix; I believe that this can now be fixed more cost effectively

How can something like this be checked?

[ANOpax]

Simon-a15p8 said:

How can something like this be checked?

It can’t. The only signs of impending failure would be a reluctance to shift or the car sticking in odd or even gears only. Some will drop out of gear into neutral and fail to re-engage.

So if the car drives well and the gearbox performs well on the test drive then you’ve got a clean bill of health at the point of sale. You can minimise (but not eliminate) the risk of sensor failure by going for a 2013 car onwards which is when the brittle tie wrap (the main cause of failure) problem was fixed.

Edited by ANOpax on Friday 23 April 08:00

[Kyodo]

Just to add as Akajak mentions, what was once a hugely expensive repair is now much more bearable with some experienced Indies having the skill and the means to carry out repairs to DCT units. I investigated this myself before taking the plunge on an early California recently, so if a gearbox issue arises at least we have somewhere to have it remedied.

[Simon-a15p8]

Kyodo said:

Just to add as Akajak mentions, what was once a hugely expensive repair is now much more bearable with some experienced Indies having the skill and the means to carry out repairs to DCT units. I investigated this myself before taking the plunge on an early California recently, so if a gearbox issue arises at least we have somewhere to have it remedied.

Thanks for this. I was looking to keep it pretty ‘sensible’ at £65k -£70k so should get a 2010 -12 with lowish miles on for that. Not going for a 2013 onwards, I fancy a Portofino or 488 once I’ve finished with a house build.

[jon66]

Just to throw a slight curveball into the general consensus regarding mileage

Having just had my 2009 California checked over last week and given a clean bill of health, despite having covered well over 50000 miles now, it was said that the cars that are regularly driven and used tend to see less problems with failures than those that are used only infrequently. Obviously theres the "wear and tear" aspect to consider but that's the same with any car.

[Simon-a15p8]

jon66 said:

Just to throw a slight curveball into the general consensus regarding mileage

Having just had my 2009 California checked over last week and given a clean bill of health, despite having covered well over 50000 miles now, it was said that the cars that are regularly driven and used tend to see less problems with failures than those that are used only infrequently. Obviously theres the "wear and tear" aspect to consider but that's the same with any car.

I’ve considered a higher mileage but I’d be annoyed by the higher number of stone chips and wear on the leather which I understand isn’t the best.

What things are likely to be failing on the cars that have lower miles?

[Spleen]

Simon-a15p8 said:

I’ve considered a higher mileage but I’d be annoyed by the higher number of stone chips and wear on the leather which I understand isn’t the best.

What things are likely to be failing on the cars that have lower miles?

My F430 F1 has done (when I bought it in Feb) 14600 miles, I'm now on just over 16000. When it went for an inspection the thrust bearing was found to be leaking and the first question was, 'Has this been sat around for a while?' It's also developed a ton of rattles as it's done more miles in two months than it's done in three years. The thrust bearing is a big issue as it's a gearbox off job but thankfully the second inspection shows no further leaks so we're good to go. The bearing has lots of seals in it so unless it's used often they stiffen and eventually leak.

Not sure what the Cali set up is but the point is that seals dry up if they're not used and if said seals are part of a critical component it'll cost you. As for any other bits, take your pick I guess.

[sealtt]

You’ve got to get a California T, so much better seriously.