Ferrari California.

[Tobyone]

I have no real idea what negative press there was really, or what justifies it.

Let me know if you find a good forum

Wilpert, have you got a new car? :floor: :floor: :floor:

 

[wilpert]

[quote="Wilpert, have you got a new car? :floor: :floor: :floor:[/quote]

Well, since you ask...... did I tell you about it, it's a lovely ruby red colour with a tan leather interior.
I'll post some Pics in case anybody missed the earlier ones 😂

 

[jonttt]

One of the few Ferraris I've not driven so will be interesting to see how you get on with it. Its a sign your getting old when you finally realise that chasing the most expensive / fastest car you can afford does not = the most enjoyable car you can own :wink:

Re ferris stories, at college my mates dad let him use a mint cortina he had restored as soon as he passed his test, he was 17, his dad owned a garage and I was so jealous. He came into college one day full of bruises, he had managed to roll the car in a field the previous day. Wow lucky to get away with just bruises. Nope he walked away without a mark, the bruises where from his father ....different times but always made us chuckle

Anyway, here's to the summer and some roof down cruising 8)

 

[MisterCorn]

A friend of mine's younger brother decided to 'borrow' the family Vauxhall Astra whilst the parents were away. Damaged a front wing and got it replaced before they returned. Many years later tge parents wondered why a lot of the car was going rusty, but not one wing. AFAIK they are still unaware of the truth.

MC

 

[Zingari]

NNice choice Wilpert :thumb: I've been on/off the bus for over a year deciding whether or not to buy one of these.

From my (lmited) research I believe they are quite bulletproof just some issue with the clutch in the auto box that can go pete tong but that can be sorted for about £8k The good news I think it's rare which means it won't happen to a California again until I buy one outside of Approved Warranty :roll:

One thing that always bugs me on Ferrari interiors is the patina/wear to some of the buttons, the 'Rev' button always seems to show wear in nearly all I looked at. Yes it's minor but it would bug me as I couldn't unsee it and leave me with the feeling I'd bought a Porsche with Moody Blue leather :what: I'd also want to repaint the grilles around the exhaust tailpipes as the heat must 'bleach' them?

Your ownership experience is welcomed.

 

[wilpert]

Thanks zingari,

I too was on the fence with this one, I'd kinda toyed with the idea and then I happened to see one in the colour that caught my eye, I was always attracted to the arena red Porsche colour and this was as near to it as I've seen. That and they offered me a fair deal on the tts (bit of cash my way), so I went for it.
I suffer from paranoia too with dct box potential problems and apparently failing roof mechanism. Although I understand this is often just a problem with sensors.

Perhaps, the wise move would be to get a later model, so you can get more warranty down the line but at 3k ish per year maybe an older car and a slush fund would be better🤔 I didn't want to put more money in and I felt that an extra 20 -30k for a newer car would not provide me with 20 - 30k worth of extra driving pleasure.

As for the niggles:
The interior buttons on mine are pretty clean and unmarked but I have seen some that are a bit faded and sticky looking.

The leather interior is a different class for a 13 yo car, firm seats but still super comfortable.

I understand that the original Harmon Becker head unit is a bit pony but mine has been swapped out for an alpine unit with car play and an amp in the back so feels more modern and sounds really good. I understand it's an easy swap though.

Re the warranty, I got a year that the previous owner had bought from Ferrari and I'll extend it next year but from then on, I'm on my own because they don't warranty after 15 years.

Driving, I'm my limited experience, the closest feel I've had to this is my 981 Boxster GTS but this one the steering is extremely light and you can really feel the power coming from behind your backside. Despite the front engine, this still feels very mid engine as it sits behind the front axle. When you press on the gas, you feel the front lift a tad and the sound is awesome.
Definitely don't need a switch to make the exhaust sound good. The V8 is perfect for this and it's more than enough to upset the neighbours. 👍

Haven't tried launch control yet as I'm a bit nervous but I'm sure I'll give it a go one day.

So far, as you can possibly tell, I'm loving it.

As for updates, I'll provide plenty of these as it will enable me to hang around in here for longer.

Just relieved I didn't have to do the walk of shame when i defected 😀

 

[Tobyone]

I myself really would not bother with any warranty especially at 3k, and you can guarantee it wont cover a whole host of stuff anyway.
At the time mine came with a warranty, my F1 gearbox pump packed up after 3 months.
The warranty said it covered oil pumps.
Yaaaaaa I thought that will do me, put my claim in and behold my pump wasn't covered because it was not part of the engine as it was situated separately
Have your pants down every time, guaranteed.

Just keep that 3k as a slush fund, I doubt you will need it.
Look after it and just like anything else will reward you.

Ahh yes the buttons, welcome to our world of sticky buttons, I have just reconditioned all mine.
I think its the least of your worries a few buttons, I mean just look at it loooookkkkkk its beautiful

 

[OttoOtto]

One thing that always bugs me on Ferrari interiors is the patina/wear to some of the buttons, the 'Rev' button always seems to show wear in nearly all I looked at. Yes it's minor but it would bug me as I couldn't unsee it and leave me with the feeling

It seems to be the same on other Italian marques; I never understood why they would cut corners on switch gear etc. I see Mat Armstrong finds a lot of part numbers that cost a fortune for original versions (such as his Murcialago) that are the same as those used by Ford and .. Rover!

But small things, they can be sorted. Wilpert - I'm very envious it looks great! I think the haters were mainly the reporters that focus on track times which isn't really what the CA is about - beautiful and classic design, comfort and amazing sound (it's fast too of course ).

Sure you will enjoy it and maybe you've hit the sweet-spot of the depreciation curve :thumbs:

 

[1marc]

To be honest, I've said the interior has a few marks, in reality they are very minor.
A bit of condensation damage around the coolant vent in door top and a little bit of delaminating in the centre tunnel.
The leather is like proper leather, which is why it feels a bit retro.

My biggest downer is I don't have a garage. I have a large driveway that can take around 5 cars but the council refused permission for a garage.

I'm thinking I'll look into some sort of smaller car port or even a 'temporary canvas structure. I don't want a large plastic bubble or anything like that.

Maybe even a decent outdoor cover would work.

How come the refused planning? Was it a whopper of a garage with room(s) above? I thought permitted development meant you could build a 30sqm garage with a roof no higher than 4m without seeking planning permission as long as it wasn't within 2m of any boundary.

 

[1marc]

To be honest, I've said the interior has a few marks, in reality they are very minor.
A bit of condensation damage around the coolant vent in door top and a little bit of delaminating in the centre tunnel.
The leather is like proper leather, which is why it feels a bit retro.

My biggest downer is I don't have a garage. I have a large driveway that can take around 5 cars but the council refused permission for a garage.

I'm thinking I'll look into some sort of smaller car port or even a 'temporary canvas structure. I don't want a large plastic bubble or anything like that.

Maybe even a decent outdoor cover would work.

How come the refused planning? Was it a whopper of a garage with room(s) above? I thought permitted development meant you could build a 30sqm garage with a roof no higher than 4m without seeking planning permission as long as it wasn't within 2m of any boundary.

 

[wilpert]

To be honest, I've said the interior has a few marks, in reality they are very minor.
A bit of condensation damage around the coolant vent in door top and a little bit of delaminating in the centre tunnel.
The leather is like proper leather, which is why it feels a bit retro.

My biggest downer is I don't have a garage. I have a large driveway that can take around 5 cars but the council refused permission for a garage.

I'm thinking I'll look into some sort of smaller car port or even a 'temporary canvas structure. I don't want a large plastic bubble or anything like that.

Maybe even a decent outdoor cover would work.

How come the refused planning? Was it a whopper of a garage with room(s) above? I thought permitted development meant you could build a 30sqm garage with a roof no higher than 4m without seeking planning permission as long as it wasn't within 2m of any boundary.

good question re the planning:
my house was built on a plot at the end of a row of other houses.
the builder completed this in 2016 and when he submitted the plans, they approved them on the basis that permitted development rights were removed (this is often the case when people build new stuff)

I have pushed the envelpe a tad though and had a full on cedarwood man cave with mains drainage, shower, toilet etc. I use this a a gym and even put a small sauna in.
This could also fall foul of planning but fingers crossed as its in the rear garden, nobody seems too fussed.

The garage though would be to the front of the house, so full planning permission would be required.
My builder submitted plans for this and neighbours objected - even though they all have a garage at the front of their house !
I think he had pi$$ed them off a bit.

I have considered some sort of car port but I will want something that has a low roof, so it doesn't stick out too much.

In the interim - my contingency plan is in place.
I went to Halfords yesterday and bought an outdoor car cover, seems pretty good quality and fits really well, cost me just £62 quid, which seems like a bargain.

 

[Seventy Seven]

Appeal if there is comparable precedent.

 

[Tobyone]

Where we are they have lifted all permitted development, need planning for anything even a small garage

 

[wilpert]

Where we are they have lifted all permitted development, need planning for anything even a small garage

Toby, is that because they are all new properties?
They tend to do this because some developers use the pd allowance at the time of building so add rooms in the roof on new builds etc.

Ours is a single house that was built in a side garden. even though the house was competed only in 2016 the original planning permission was granted to build it in 2003, so the planning approval is some 20 years old. The conditions clearly still stand but you can appeal against removal of permitted development rights.

When I built my garden room, I kept it under 30sq mts and followed the rules re distance to main house and not exceeding the correct height etc.
it's been there nearly 2 years so hopefully in a couple of years time it will be too late for them to do anything. That and the fact that there was a pretty huge shed type building there before so I'm some respects I e just replaced that.

The local authorities have lightened up a bit in garden buildings as they encourage work from home. So I've had independent wiring, own mains supply, drainage etc and I have an office address at my home.

 

[TurboSandGT4]

Congrats on lovely looking car Wilpert

My house is not cool enough to comfortably sit a Ferrari plus the 911 Turbo makes it hard to change to something that has an engine in front of me.

I hope the running costs are kind for you and look forward to your thoughts on Ferrari ownership -enjoy!

By the way I have replaced the 981 GT4 with a base 718 cayman and am very impressed with how good it is as a road car.