I had an interesting lunch outing with one of my long-time friends and colleague yesterday. He owns a '13 Ferrari California and has never seen a F-Type before. After lunch, he saw my '16 R 'vert and his jaws literally fell to the floor. After composing himself, he said it was the most beautiful car he's ever seen. I gave him a brief test drive in it and then he offered me a very interesting proposition. He offered to swap cars with me! His car is probably worth at least $140K-$160K in the market. First, I asked him if he was crazy and after a brief mental analysis, I concluded he was not. He specified to do an even swap.....and me buying him lunch for the next 2 years!....lol.

I asked him why he just doesn't buy a F-Type himself at a dealer and trade in his car and get the extra cash. He told me that he absolutely hates dealing with car salesmen and prefers to sell his car to a friend. I guess he also particularly likes the 20" Storm wheels on my car and to him, that seals the deal.

Because he sounded serious, I briefly test-drove his California. It's white on the outside like mine but his is tan on the inside. It has only 5K miles it and is in pristine condition. It has a fair amount of options like Carbon Fiber steering wheel w/LED's, full power Daytona seats, F/R parking sensors, rear camera, 20" rims, etc. Acceleration, ride, and handling is comparable to my R. Exhaust note is no where near as loud as my R (and there's hardly any pop/crackle when down shifting), but the engine sound is very rich and typically Italian.

I've always wanted to own a Ferrari, and before I bought my R, I was shopping for a used California. The deal breaker was the relatively high price and warranty issues. (His car is warrantied up 2018 and is transferable). A ridiculous opportunity like this will probably never come again. My dilemma is that I still very much like my 'R and plan to use it as my daily driver (special thanks to AWD). The California (along with the FF) is known as Ferrari's most practical, every-day car. I know a lot of enthusiasts dismiss it as a "watered-down" Ferrari, but after driving it, it is surprisingly very capable. And that engine sound is still amazing.

Before departing, my friend warned me that I needed to decide very soon because, knowing his temperament, he might change his mind (esp. if his wife found out). I don't know guys, what should I do?

 

Cmon really?

 

That's what I thought (and still do somewhat). But knowing my friend, I'm actually not surprised.


But humor me, if it was you, would you do it?

 

To my eye, the California has to be blue.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/f...e3/#post847707

 

Did he tell you that he's forcing you to never sell it or something?

 

I'm not a big Ferrari fan, but if I had to have one a California it would be. That said, prepare for big maintenance bills. And I bet insurance is high.

 

No, he didn't tell me that.....only that I have to buy him lunch for the next 2 years! lol.

He's actually an orthodontist. (I'm a general dentist). I've referred him a ton of patients over the last 15 years that I've known him. That actually comes out to a lot of $$$ in referred business I've given him. So actually, it may not be such a good deal after all? lol.

 

Take him up on the deal and tell him if you don't like the Ferrari you will not ask for your F-Type back BUT you would trade it in or sell it. If he does not mind then go for it - it's a win win for you.

If you don't like the California then get rid of it. Buy a SVR or Project 7 with the extra cash. Or get another R and offer him the difference, after all he is a friend.

 

I've set up shop in this thread.

 

IMO money alone is most certainly NOT the reason to make this swap. Upon first glance it's quite tempting to take the leap - and assuming potential repairs and insurance aren't an issue for you; all the better - but ONLY if after your test drive you can honestly say you would prefer the Ferrari over the F-Type. ONLY you can determine that but I wouldn't allow the $'s difference to sway you.

Good luck and let us know.

 

The fact that sentence even exists, with (yes us forum members) leaning towards the F-Type, or at least having this a difficult decision... is a real badge of honor for our cat.

 

Presumably, it's the California T, with the twin-turbo V8? You should definitely drive it, as it would have a different feel than the supercharged V8 in the R.

It may have Apple Carplay, which sadly, would make the decision easier for some...


Edit: I reread the first post, and it's a 2013. The 'T' started in 2014, for MY2015.

 

That California could be wholesaled for $125k. Who cares which he likes better, what tune-ups cost, or what color it is or anything, last I checked he can buy another F.

He's essentially offering you a $10 bill for your $5. Where's the debate here. An emotional connection to your particular car is just silly. Just buy another, or a better- an SVR.

That being said, the real story here will be if you get your dentist friend to actually go through with the deal without backing out. If that happens let us know. Because as of now, all this is - is the tired," I love my F" thread again. We get that. The guys not being forced to be denied the ability to own another F. If the Ferrari owner doesn't wan't to deal with dealerships and salesman than you do it for yourself. At the end of the day, you tell your friend that you guys agree, the F is a better choice. End of story.

If this is all true, put on your big boy pants Captian Obvious and get the horse, flip it, then buy what you want. And if you think I'm just sprouting, send him pics of my sweet coupe and I'll personally show you how so you'll know next time. I'll throw in a set off those wheels he loves as a bonus, whatever they were.

 

I don't think it's quite that simple. This is someone he has a longstanding professional (and it sounds like personal) relationship with. If he takes the California and immediately sells it to buy another F-Type and pocket the difference the other party may respond poorly to that.

Whether that risk is worth whatever the monetary difference is the OP has to figure out.

 

It seems to me that if you need to ask for support of the idea, you have some reservations and you should not do it. Just smile and move on.


Larry

 

The rich buddy wants his F and doesn't want to deal with dealerships.

Wheres the emotion here? Further didn't the OP say he sent him tons of money over the years? So now, the rich friend is going to dump him as a friend for helping him get into the car of his choice? The buddy asked him, not the other way around. Why should this guy feel guilty for accommodating him, for whatever the reason.

I need more rich friends in my life I guess because I'm missing something. I would just tell him "Look, I've never owned a Ferrari before but I'm willing to see what it's like. If I don't like it, I may join you as another F owner." Who knows, the OP may actually even like the Horse better. After all - it is a Ferrari were talking about here. That notion may not be impossible even though were talking here in this biased forum. If not, get what you want just like the other guy got what he wanted.

I think about a few episodes of Wayne Carini and Peter Klutt. Man those guys don't shed a tear when one of their customers do a silly *** trade for a divorce, a parents death or to fulfill some childhood fantasy about a car they once had in high school. Buyers and sellers get all misty eyed and end up getting scorched on trades because of their emotion or worse their apparent desire to be featured in an episode. Often the deals are so lopsided, they don't even talk about the numbers in the episode. That's when you know the client got his panties handed to him. Hey the magic is in creating an imaginary win-win and that doesn't always equate to a financial win for everyone but the perception can be that everybody got what they wanted.

 

Everything you've said is perfectly logical. Unfortunately, humans often aren't. They often get very weird about possessions that used to belong to them whether it's a gift or something from an exchange. I've even encountered this in my professional life where I have a side business buying and selling collectible cards. Someone trades me a valuable card and I sell it the next day..if they find out they act like I've done something dishonest even if it's none of their business.

I find it very hard to predict when someone is going to let sentimentality triumph over reason (in part because according to the GF I'm an "emotionless robot") but I could see a high value car exchange going horribly wrong, even if there isn't any reason it should.

 

I asked the OP if theres an underlying contract that he's obligated to hold on to the traded car. Only he can answer that question. He said "no". I guess we can infuse all this conjecture into the nuances of the transaction. I took him at his word.

The other way to look at it is...

I gave this SOB thousands of dollars of business and now he's pissed because I didn't like his Ferrari just like he didn't. The hell with him. LOL.

My gut feeling is that this deal will never happen because of the issues were bringing up. It's always interesting to explore human nature at work - greed vs honor. Always an interesting case study.

 

I would do the swap, after running CARFAX on it.

A lot of people view California as not a true Ferrari, but I personally like it most of current offers. Keep in mind, California is a roadster and not a sports car.

 

You're missing the point here. The California could just as well be a Tiffany lamp, a baseball card or an empty lot in Ogden, Utah. He doesn't need to like it. It's a business decision.