My Ferrari...

[konicaman]

A good friend of mine spent some £100,000 on a brand new Mercedes - after 4 years the chassis looked like a colander - corrosion everywhere. I drive a 16 year old Xantia - no corrosion so far except for a small spot on the rear wing; been there for years - and the Konica T3 I bought from new 40 years ago is still going strong...

 

[uhoh7]

We need some Ferrari bashers in here to complain about the warranty.

Then some other blokes can try to calm them down by discussing wine. 😉

 

[mfunnell]

Well, the closest thing I have to a Ferrari is a Toyota. This may or may not be connected with my use of Canon DSLRs...

I do, however, own an M240. Unfortunately, when I bought it I did not magically find a Ferrari in my garage 🙁

...Mike

 

[Ben Z]

I more see the parallel to Porsche - useable every day, all conditions. And German.

I see that parallel too. My 911 is 10 model years old, I've had it five. I could sell it today for about $10K less than I paid for it, which works out to less than I could've leased a mid-sized Nissan for. The shape is iconic, nobody other than enthusiasts can tell what year it is, and even if they knew, a Porsche doens't get old, it becomes vintage. The air cooled variety are appreciating in value at an astounding rate. Other than tires and oil changes I haven't spent a dime on repairs. (That's been my experience with rangefinder Leica's too, just a CLA, no actual repairs).

Probably the only place the parallel doesn't hold up is it took a class-action suit for Porsche to own up to and offer relief for the intermediate shaft bearing issue that causes total engine failure. All it took for Leica to do likewise with the M9 sensor debacle was a couple threads on an internet form.

 

[V-12]

We need some Ferrari bashers in here to complain about the warranty.

True, but in any proper survey who amongst both Ferrari owners and the general car owning public would put Ferrari at the top of 'expectations' in a reliability survey? Which comes back to the general Leica whine of 'considering the $'. The more you pay can mean the more you have to endure, I mean, nobody thought they could buy a TVR sports car and drive it all the way home, but they hoped. And a relatively cheap Ford Focus keeps on rolling, and its the people who have owned a Ford that whine about the Ferrari when they splash out on a dream, just as the same people who own a Nikon would whine about a Leica when they splash out on a dream.

It's so easy to bash a niche brand when coming from a do everything 'basic' model, less easy to justify going back to a basic brand when the niche one fits your own niche perfectly.

(And I don't mean 'basic' as in a denigration, just a camera that shares so many traits with so many others it is sometimes hard to differentiate)

V

 

[robert blu]

Interesting discussion. I do not own a Ferrari, I own a film Leica together with a small x1.
It's ok to have to service, control, make maintenance of something special on a regular basis. But, at least where I live a Ferrari can be serviced in a few days where a Leica needs a couple of month! If the german friends could put more effort in the service to clients I'm sure they would get many more clients (me included) in a short time!
robert

 

[shortstop]

I've Leica rf and Nikon slr. I've always thought that Leicas are best rf and Nikon best slr. They are two different system for different use. Street photography for example is better done with rf, macro and tele-photography with slr. It's also true that Leica is more expensive and that with slr you can do everything. My Nikon is a FM3A thath is more or less small like a Leica. But leica lenses are unique...

 

[bigeye]

I'm traveling to Vilnius next week. Should I bring the escalade or pickup truck?

 

[pgk]

Doesn't it all depend on how you drive? Many may want to emulate other drivers and their skills but not everyone has the driving skills, or perhaps more importantly, is prepared to learn or modify their driving skills in order to drive a different car. And driving a performance car on public highways is not like driving elsewhere. Tricky when you have invested a lot in an expensive machine which is rather more of a handful than anticipated😉.

[Caveat: I shoot with Leica Ms because I enjoy doing so and I bought my first 30+ years ago. I'm used to them and their idiosyncrasies and I don't anticipate that their performance is any better than my abilities. On the other hand, I drive a car which I bought with 12 miles on the clock, 13 years ago. Its now at nearly 153k and has never been washed so perhaps I'm not so good on car analogies.]

 

[Pioneer]

My Jeep is a lot like my Crown Graphic. Not very fast, not terribly comfortable, and not real classy. But I don't have to baby it, it always gives me great experiences, and it always seems to come back with some very high quality results. And best of all, it is a rangefinder!

(The camera silly, not the Jeep. 😀)

EDIT - Oh yeah. I have always been able to fix it myself if it needed it.

 

[pixelated]

At least a Leicas, Nikons, Hasselblads, or whatever don't tempt you into doing this with them in the first hour of ownership;

(It used to be a $60,000.00, 700 horsepower Dodge Challenger Hellcat)
story here;
http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.co...r-after-buying-it/?ocid=Yahoo&partner=ya5nbcs

 

[rbelyell]

the entire concept evinces such a thorough lack of understanding as to what a ferrari actually is that any comment on it would be entirely futile. suffice it so say this 'comparison' can only be considered the hugest of insults to ferrari. thankfully for the protagonist we are not at the turn of the last century or a duel with signore ferrari would surely ensue. and the signore could just as surely count me as his second. then i could photograph the entire event! now what camera should i use...must be reliable...

 

[uhoh7]

Still a Dotsun no matter the name tag.

My "Dotsun" 🙂


P1080400 by unoh7, on Flickr


P1080411 by unoh7, on Flickr

 

[Ronald M]

So, I take it you agree with me that the M5 is a way better option? My friends eventually came round to the same opinion as those Ferraris were just bitches when it came to reliability and talk about high maintenance.....!!

You need to know Tony the mechanic.

Exotic cars, furs, diamonds, other jewels , Leica cameras, high end watches, fancy homes, are all PITA to me . Believe me they all have issues with insurance, maintenance, theft etc. Been there done that.

I have a small home that is very nice inside. Drive a Chevy, Time is by Timex, $35, and runs within 15 sec a year. Cameras would be the indulgence. I live worry free as much as possible and do not even know the jones family.

 

[Bike Tourist]

After a history of Porsche, BMW and even Austin-Healey ownership I went first to Fords, then to bicycles. I'm car-free. (But I can always borrow my wife's car, if necessary.)

Similarly, after many Leicas, Hasselblads and other brands too numerous to mention, I stabilized on Nikon. Just too expensive to switch.

 

[Sparrow]

...guzzles fuel like there's no tomorrow; is not outstandingly reliable; and costs a fortune to repair. Should I replace my Ferrari with a BMW? Or a Ford?

Admittedly I don't own a Ferrari, but several of my friends do. Or used to. One had several. But in the sentence "Should I replace my Ferrari with a BMW?" replace "Ferrari" with "Leica" and "BMW" with "Nikon". Also think about whether the person asking the question has ever driven a Ferrari or used a Leica.

Cheers,

R.

.... I always thought this type of post was an ego thing, just a way of bragging on the part of the poster.

... anyway, what is the best varnish to paint over my Picasso?