Maybe this should go in off-topic but anyhow . . .

Does anyone own or has anyone driven the Ferrari Modena? Are the seats comfortable? How is the ride? What is the noise level like?

The reason I ask is I have a buddy who has his heart set on a Ferrari, he's never driven one and I've told him that he shouldn't get his hopes up to high since he goes for the comfortable, smooth, luxurious type cars. Also, they go for around $150,000 and since he's never paid more than $50,000 I don't think he really understands what he's getting into, you know he's blinded by love and all that good stuff.

I'd really appreciate any comments you guys/gals have about what it's like to really own a Ferrari.

Thanks

 

i remember reading a review somewhere on the spyder, one of tehir biggest compliments to ferrari was the noise level. they said that with the top down, you could still have a normal coversation at 120mph, i.e. not yelling. i've never drive one, so i can't ell you if this is tru or not, nor can i say anything about ride quality, but the seats were very comfortbale.

 

Hello. I did drive one for a short period of time, a 2002 360 Modena Spyder. I didn't notice a great deal of noise in the cabin. It was a Spyder so noise with the top down is a different story, but like the previous reponse said, you can still hold a conversation. The seats were very supportive IMO and even though they look "agressive" they were surprisingly comfortable . My longest drive in it was only about 45 minutes but I was comfortable the whole way. I highly recommend the F1 tranny though if he wanted to spring for it, this was the closet thing to a manual transmission without having to use a clutch and I thought it was much funner shifting with the paddles than with a standard shifter I felt like a race car driver

 

Thanks for the reply RedSLKChic, hopefully he'll go ahead and get one. By the way, I love the color of your car, for some reason I don't see many that color here in Southern CA.

 

No problem. You know I have seen that many Magma Reds here on Long Island either, maybe 1 or 2 older ones, but now 2003's yet! I do see some rather hideous colors though, lol

 

Hey MBZman, if your friend wants a comfortable ferrari i would recommend the 550 Marnello. Its almost comparable to an SL55 AMG but better handeling. As for the 360 Modena the ride is hard but not harsh, in sport mode you can feel every bump and the cars ride gets very harsh. The sport mode is useful when going on curvy roads or when on the track. The 360 Modena Coupe's cabin is very comfortable compared to the 355. It has more legroom and bigger,wider seats. Expect interier noise levels to be a little loud but depends on what gear your in and at what rpms. The F1 tranny can be jerky sometimes especially when the engine is cold. As for maintainence you can count on spending about 2,000-3,000 a year. The major service is at 15,000 and 30,000 when it requires new belts,etc. Also the 1999 Ferrari Modena are the ones to watch out for...since they were the first MY modols and had some glithces with the F1 Transmissions.

Hope i ansewerd your questions... Just make sure your friend testdrives a 360 and a 550 so he makes the right deciesion.

 

go to www.ferrarichat.com for more info

 

99DINAN3, thanks for the link, I'll pass it on to my buddy.

 

I used to love Ferraris, now they are the bain of my existance! They are amongst the most uncomfortable of cars to drive for even an hour. A cross town trip is agonizing. The seats on a Ferrari is rock hard. I seriously mean it. Granted that gives great support, but man, it's uncomfortable. I hope your friend is using the Ferrari as a 2nd or 3rd car. For that function, they are pretty fun.

I've not driven a 550, but the V8 Ferraris are pure performance machines. Their rides are harsh and they bounce all over the road like a go-cart (which can be fun, if you're in the mood, not so fun if you just want to get across town!). The engine note is sooooo sweet, but after a few hours of the engine whining, it can get pretty exhausting. In fact, I rarely arrive anywhere refreshed in a Ferrari (Or a Porsche Carrera/Turbo for that matter).

Back when Ferrari had the rat-trap motorized seat belts ala 348/512TR, those things were notoriously unreliable. Imagine your embrassment when the seat belts on your car fails! I'm not going to get started on Ferrari electrical systems (I think a lot of the Ferraris I'm used to had the Marelli Magneti system...I think they're using Bosch now?)

I used to love sports cars, but when I needed a daily driver and decided to join all my buddies and buy a Mercedes, I was so pleasantly surprised. Long drives are comfortable.

By the way, I don't know how they do things anymore, but back in the days, Ferrari stickers were never the selling price. I was under the impression that the 360 sold at $150,000 only if you preorder it from the factory...ie. with the 2-3 year waiting list. If you want the car now, the out-the-door price is way above sticker...ie. a 512TR with a $175,000 sticker goes out the door for close to $250,000. I don't know about the second-hand Ferrari market, but I assume that they don't have the same level of mark-up. However, I have great reservations about buying used Ferraris. They're pretty delicate cars and people who turn them over in 1-2 years might have beaten the crap out of them!

If your friend really wants a good sports car, may I humbly suggest a nice Porsche Turbo. They're everything a Ferrari is (except mind-numbingly flashy) and they're reliable. Plus, they're within the price range of your buddy's budget. Of course, if you do a tourist delivery on the Porsche, the dealer will take several thousands off the price even BEFORE the haggling starts.

 

I forgot to mention that Ferrari loves to use their customers as QC. They issue quite a few recall on their cars.

I've only had my CLK for 1.5 years, but I have had zero recalls and no warranty repairs.

 

By the way, none of the above postings about recalls applies to the ML class!

 

I was driving with my friend over the weekend and we swung by the Budget rent-a-car in Beverly Hills, they had both the Maserati Convertible and SL55 AMG. He said to me "if you honestly think I should consider this Maserati than I will." After I looked at it, in it, and around it I said no way, it just doesn't do anything for me.

Bottom line is he has his heart set on owning a New Ferrari no later than this time next year. Who the heck am I to tell my buddy, or anyone else for that matter what they should and shouldn't do or buy. We've been friends for a long time and he's the type of guy to do things for the wrong reasons. The next time I see him I'm going to tell him to rent a Modena before doing anything stupid. Don't get me wrong, I think Ferrari's are great cars if used properly (not daily driver).

Oh, by the way, the SL55 is a killer car, although the rims are a bit funky.