ENARANG

damn that would be hard to pick. I'd go for the Ferrari though.

The Benz is the luxurious yet ultra-powerful secret rocket. Debadge the thing and it wouldn't look much different to the average person then the SL55. What lies under the hood is the secret that can easily track down even the most exotic cars all while providing a car capable of being driven everyday and a "normal" interior.

The Ferrari is a mean flashy rocket machine. Delivering faster acceleration and 1/4 mile times then the SL65 and looks that just don't look ordinary in any way. When you look at it coming from your rearview mirror you know that this thing means business and time to get the hell out of the way.

My vote goes for the Ferrari F430 what about yours?

BoBcanada

Depends on your needs, for daily driver i'd pick sl65, if you already have lets say E500 or S class, then its a no brainer! F430!

IanSL55

This is correct. Though I doubt anyone who owns a SL55/65 uses it as his/her only mode of transportation. The Ferrari is hardly a daily driver... but if you're set in that department, I'd choose the F430 in a heartbeat as well.

~ Ian

Goodfella69

ferrari f430.......

04E55 AMG

No Brainer - Ferrari F430 Spider

When you buy cars like this, money factor does come into play but a F430 Spider if purchased at MSRP(big if when buying a new Ferrari) could sell years later for close to what you paid for it. All owners of the 65's will get hammered when selling.

Saw a SL65,SL55, and a SL500 (w/AMG package) and they all looked the same at a quick glance. When paying close to $180K you want exclusivity.

Have a deposit on one but wait time is 2 years.

IanSL55

Question: What's the deposit and do they pay interest on it? I'd like to think I'll be int he market for one in two years...

~ Ian

treynor

> When paying close to $180K you want exclusivity

I want invisibility. Cops don't give my SL65 a second glance, and unsuspecting porsches / ferraris / corvettes / ... all think it's a SL55. The entertainment value is worth the extra $50K

drunkenoldman

chicagoE55

I would take the 65 also. all cars are going to take a hit when you sell. only if you dont drive them you'll not take as big of a lose. In a perfect world. Everyone should have one of each

IngenereAMG

Well, Well, Well....

It's interesting to hear all the Merc guys liking Fcars. The guys on the Fcar site would NEVER go for anything else. Its really silly. Honesty is always better.

As for me......I'm not sold on the SL65. I LOVE my SL55...and with the work that I have done on it, it is a blast.

If Ferrari does to the F430 what it did with the 360 (overproduce)...there will be nothing really special about it. Part of the 'mystique' with Ferrari was that they just weren't readily available....and you really had to go out of your way to get one. Now.......any chump with the means to get the latest bling thing can get one...and have it financed through Ferrari Financial. The old enthusiasm has definitely changed. There were only 100 or so Cal Spriders, 39 GTOs...1200 or so Daytonas, there are only 15000 or so 308/328s............but 10s of thousands of 360s.

360 prices are plumetting as the new bling thing is coming into fashion (430). In the Ferrari Market Letter....there may be 10 355's for sale, or 6 348's or TR's............but there are 3-4 PAGES of 360's!!

Don't get me wrong...360's and 430's are amazing performance cars....but I think the looks are bland for an exotic car (the Gallardo is far more exotic). It has grown on me over the years...even that nose! As for daily driver ability.........Ferraris really are drivable. I have driven my F40 to work, the mall, etc. The modern cars WORK all the time.

If you want low profile get the SL. If you want excusivity, performance and exotica......get the Lambo.

Goodfella69

well the thing is IngenereAMG is that ferrari wants to make money obviously, so if theres 10's of thousand of chumps are willing to pay the big bucks for them they will make enough ferrari's so every chump will buy one to make ferrari's bank account get bigger. To produce beautiful and nicer cars

dgussin1

F430 without a doubt. The SL65 is a cruiser, I want a corner carver monster. Now throw a Ford GT into the mix and I think I would take that. Imagine upping the boost a little 6psi or so and doing a fuel and timing remap, it will have another 90 + rwhp. That would be one mean monster.

04E55 AMG

Standard deposit with my local dealer is $10K and no interest (you can so much in 2-3 years with $10K), but is refundable.

IanSL55

Interesting - Thanks!

~ Ian

blueSL

A recent interview with Jean Todt, new head of Ferrari, said that he wanted to keep the lead time for the F430 down to 2 years, and total Ferrari production in a year is now approaching 5000 across all models. There's 4 - 5 times as many 911s, 12 times as many Porsches, less than half that Aston Martins (for now). If you believe the latest Mercedes production figures quoted in the press, there's 10 times as many SLs as well (though I have seen figures of more than 100000 which I do not believe).

The 360 has been out there for, what, 6 years, call it 18000 max on the market. There were only ever 11000 F355's. I like the F430 styling much more than the blobby 360 styling, much sharper.

Ferraris are becoming more mainstream which may mean they lose something of their mystique but the view here is that Gallardos are in free-fall price-wise. Ferraris currently do hold their value and as a play thing, like mine, become quite inexpensive to run because the depreciation bottoms out. The danger is though that depreciation will bite harder as the number of cars increases. There are many more cars joining the population than leaving it, though increasing numbers will find their way to China and Russia.

Interestingly, the great majority of old Ferraris (say, pre-308) are in the US, probably down to the climate in FL, AZ and CA which stops them rotting.

morebhp

F430 for me - its the drive. Agree it will not be the every day car the SL65 is but thats what I want from a sports car - rawness, handling, excitement, feel, etc.

The SL has all of these but not in the extremese the Ferrari will have.

I ordered mine in 2001 and may get a car this year, although by the time it arrives I will have left the shores of the UK for sunnier climes.

mand

Ferrari

blueSL

Hi Paul, Spain has obviously won you over...

IngenereAMG

Obviously they are in the business to make money. Especially now, with them being about the only arm of FIAT that makes anything. My point is that with all of their commercialism, the magic has really been diluted. The fact that they weren't mainstream was part of the appeal. Now...they are just another car.

As far as making beautiful cars.....I would have to say that The 550/575 is frankly boring. From the front when one is coming towards me, I have mistaken it for a Camaro. And the 360(especially the nose) is pretty weak. The 360CS looks much better and is more of what I feel a Ferrari should be. This is just my opinion as beauty is generally in the eye of the beholder, but they just aren't exotic anymore.

Ferarri has also turned Maranello into a tourist trap....all in the name of the almighty dollar. Enzo needed to make money to support his racing habit...that's what the road cars were for. Now, its about putting that logo on everything from Barbi to underwear and giving the CEO $20milUS bonuses, and taking advantage of their customers wherever and whenever they can.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Ferraris and probably will never sell them, but I have been around the Fcar world for quite some time. I have been going to Maranello for years. I have many friends there as well as some business interests. I am just not sure that I like giving up the intimacy of the old company.