The Fezza! Sold it this afternoon.
As I said when I bought it, the plan always was to sell after 2 years but this is a little earlier than I expected. I had a decent offer on the car and all reports suggest that high end car prices like house prices are weakening, so I decided to accept.
The 430 is a fabulous piece of kit and I am really lucky to have owned one. Its a true sports car whose slightly modified relatives were racing at le Mans just 10 years ago. And whose offspring the 458 has only just finished racing there. It goes like stink, holds the road like glue and drinks the finest like George Best. And in Rosso Corsa it looks stunning.
But unless you are really wealthy and I am not, a Ferrari isnt that useable. You cant afford to pile on mileage - depreciation is about £2 per mile. Other running costs are high. Security is an issue. So it was fun for a while and I might sometime return to Maranello but until the market stabilises one way or the other, I will do something else.
Question is what. I know how much you all enjoyed my indecision last time round so I plan on keeping you fully informed again. And the first possibility I am looking at as a way of having fun for a year or two without losing too much of my Future Ferrari Fund is to buy a Plus 4.
Possibility mind you. Anyone giving advice? Or offering odds?
F430 to Mog plus 4 is a big jump , 400 bhp to 150 bhp !
To be fair I went from 911 to Plus 4 and felt more liberated than anything. I think everyone has their minimum acceptable power (MAP) figure, anything over which is wasted power and money.
Yes, liberated is a good word - from the need to drive as fast as the car can, and instead enjoy the intensity of engagement that is available at lower speeds. I went from a 993 turbo to a 4/4 (via an Aeromax) and miss only the luggage space in the Porsche which was actually quite good.
The 'problem' I predict Howard will have with a +4 is that whilst it is very tactile and engaging and fun, even at cruising/bimbling speed, it can't hold a candle to his beloved Lotus for handling. So he will have to slow down through the corners as well as being slower on the straight bits. Of course, getting that AMG A45 he was considering as his daily driver would scratch that itch in a different way
