Yea man, don't get the California. The 599 for sure gets my vote of the two.

 

Grigio Silverstone on Cuoio 599 GTB is the classiest front-engine Ferrari there is

 

if you could find one, i would definitely get a manual 599. probably going to be the last 12 cylinder ferrari with a 6 speed so if you decide to hang on to it, it could become a collector car down the line. just a thought. good luck though!

 

Agree what most have said, please don't get the California. I'd personally buy the Superamerica or Scud, but like Rick James probably would have said the 599 is a helluva car.

 

If you want a convertible go cali, if not go 599.

 

I'm sure it's going to cost me...but I do need to go drive a 599...and I know it.

 

California is good way to go. Since you are buying used car you must consider few important things. First of all, California`s are well treated cars. Drivers are people who like to enjoy in ride, not to inspect car`s top performance. Second, they are affordable in comparison with other F cars, so you can get one with nice mileage & year for reasonable price with complete service history. V8 is much more practical/economical for daily drive than V12. Also its convertible with nice trunk. Its not most beautiful Ferrari ever built, but IMO it has recognizable Ferrari charm.

On the other hand, if you have few extra cents in left pocket, take a look on 599! Its great car in any way, but be prepared for extra costs in terms of maintenance/fuel/taxes...

 

The California is probably the least problematic Ferrari and shouldn't be too expensive to maintain. I have heard that the 599 is quite expensive to fix if something breaks, even more so than an F430. Just something to consider.

 

So I was able to drive a 599 today...it didn't suck...that's for sure. It did ride noticeable firmer than the California, but not unbearable. Bottom line: I LOVED IT. Now it's a balance of finding the right one and making the numbers work. This one is a 2008 in Rossa Mugello, on consignment and apparently the seller isn't planning on budging at this point. There is another Rossa Corsa one that I would prefer (2008), significantly higher priced, but less than 2K mi vs the 7800mi of the RM one.

I am probably going to dig deeper in each to understand the main differences in options...see if there is anything significantly different. Both have Carbon Driver Zone, Daytona Seats, polished wheels. Less$$$ one doesn't have Nav while the other one does (which I could care less about..my phone has more updated Navigation than any car).

But now I have a couple of questions:

Steering Wheel LEDs: I drove the car in Auto and Manual modes, with the Manettino set to Sport. But I could never get the LEDs to light up. Is there supposed to be a setting to turn these off/on, or do they only come up in Race or CST-Off?

Exhaust: Of course the exhaust sounded glorious, but it did seem to have a fair amount of drone. The one I drove wasn't at a Ferrari dealership, so the sales guy wasn't as familiar with the model (not his fault, he was as helpful as I could have asked for). So, I wasn't sure if this was stock exhaust or aftermarket. As for those experienced 599 drivers here: how do you feel about the interior sound of the exhaust? It wouldn't stop me from buying the car, but would definitely wear on me for 'longish' trips.

All-in-all...I'm in love, but there are considerable financial details to keep in mind. Not only will a 599 cost more to purchase, but I'm hearing the feedback that they will be more expensive to maintain.

I guess it's probably a situation of finding the right car to come around and then make it happen. Still on the lookout for a good (RED) California, but at a price that differentiates it enough to choose over a 599.

 

I drove a 16 m on sat and pushed it hard and never noticed the steering wheel LED's light up. I had it on race mode. When I asked the salesman he said that they had lit up. Now I'm not sure if they did or not.
The 599 is infinitely customizable. Go based on the window stickers. Don't give any credit to aftermarket add on's