When asked “What car would you buy if you could afford it?” I bet nine out of 10 would answer “a Ferrari” without hesitating for a nanosecond. The heritage, the performance, the sound, even the kudos of having a Prancing Horse in your garage – all of the above make it impossible to resist.
Using it as your daily car, though, is a different story altogether. That’s why all Ferrari owners commute daily in other vehicles and take out their prized steeds once in a while, hence the low mileage in practically everyone out there.
One man begged to differ: Jalopnik contributor Doug DeMuro purchased a used 360 Modena nine months ago. He then wrote about his ownership experience and he promptly proclaimed “Yes, you can drive a Ferrari every day”. This caused a bit of a stir, with DeMuro explaining to the naysayers why he made the right decision.
In his latest post he’s made a sudden U-turn though and proclaimed that day-to-day use of a Ferrari is “awful” and something he “wouldn’t wish on my greatest foe”.
You see, apart from the abysmal fuel economy, which DeMuro was prepared for, there were many other things that, when added up, made him change his mind.
Getting a flat tire, for example, was infuriating. In order to keep the service book as clean as possible he had to visit a Ferrari dealer, in which he paid seven dollars for the patch and 116 (!) in labor for what was a 35-minute job.
The thing he hated most about the 360 wasn’t the running costs but the attention he got everywhere he went. That’s because the novelty of being “the guy with the Ferrari” wore off after a while to the point where getting lots of attention everywhere he went became a nuisance.
So, even if a rich aunt leaves you a fortune, you win the lottery or something, you might want to reconsider being able to drive the car you always dreamed off day in, day out and be content with enjoying it in only occasionally.
By Andrew Tsaousis