How to buy a Ferrari : The Full Story

Ferrari doesn't sell its cars to anyone walking through their doors, irrespective of how wealthy or determined that individual may be. Behind the scenes, there is a complicated system at play to determine who gets access to which cars. We did some digging to gain a better understanding of the process.

Words: Wilhelm Lutjeharms

Ferrari is certainly an interesting car manufacturer. One could even say that it is more than a mere car manufacturer. The iconic Italian brand has managed to retain its mystique, even in today's ruthless, number-driven world. 

• Find a Ferrari to buy for yourself here.

Of course, there is the Formula One team, which seems to be the company's primary marketing tool, as it doesn’t spend any money on traditional advertising. It also has a merchandising division that contributes a fair amount of revenue. 

Furthermore, the company's share price has risen from $52 since the IPO listing in 2015 to over $400 today. It is a massively successful company in many aspects, and the most profitable car company in the world. No wonder, then, that the rich and famous continue to queue for its wonderful machines...

You want a new Ferrari, but…

Most would assume that anyone with enough money could walk into a Ferrari dealer and, if not buy on the spot, at least order one or more of it its latest car(s). You would be wrong, however, as a successful purchase depends on a number of factors.

The first factor is exactly which car you want to buy. Ferrari HQ allocates the cars to respective buyers and not the dealer. It also seems that HQ does not necessarily communicate the methodology used to select which buyer will be offered which cars. However, there are some elements of the process that have become clear over time. 

Take for example the current four-door Purosangue... you might be able to buy one, but you won’t be able to order a new one with your exact desired specific specification level, as the order book is already full. However, if a client has cancelled their order, you might stand a chance to buy that one. 

If you wanted to buy the 812 Competizione (or Aperta), there is a fairly long list of boxes that should be ticked next to your name on their system to qualify to purchase the car. Focus now... as it gets complicated!

Ferrari has a three-tier system for customers, the first is “important”, the second is called “VIP” and their most important clients are called “top”. This plays a big role when ordering a limited-edition car, or when such a car is offered to the respective clients.  

It all boils down to the number of cars you own as well as which specific models you own. These cars are logged under a virtual garage on Ferrari’s system. On here Ferrari can also track which cars the potential buyer has on order from the factory and which cars he or she have sold. Ferrari is evidently not to keen on clients who sell their cars - it wants you to keep them. In the end, the system gives Ferrari a good sense of who is truly a collector and who is not. 

How does it work in practice? If, as an example, you already have two or three V12-engined Ferraris, you might stand a better chance of being offered the latest V12 limited-edition car, than say a customer who has three or four V8-engined cars. That is not all though, it will also depend on how long you’ve had those cars, how many you have had in the past and how many you’ve sold. The more Ferraris you keep, the better client you will be in eyes of the powers that be at headquarters.

You don't necessarily score points when you buy pre-owned Ferraris at the official dealer, either. It doesn’t really matter to Ferrari where you got your pre-owned Ferrari from, from them or another dealer. As long as you have it, it can be logged on their system next to your name. To an extent that places the focus on the car, but at the same time it gives Ferrari a better understanding of who the real collectors are.

It gets even more interesting

When it gets to really high-end Ferraris like the LaFerrari or its upcoming replacement, you really need to think cleverly and into the future. It seems that the LaFerrari replacement will be unveiled or made available to clients from 2025. There are rumours that only current owners of the LaFerrari will be eligible to buy the new one. 

That presents somewhat of a problem for owners who might have a number of Ferraris in their collection, and who would like to buy the new hypercar, but who don’t own a current LaFerrari. The only option is then to try and buy a pre-owned LaFerrari before the order book opens for the new model – which could have an effect on the prices of the LaFerrari! 

That was also the case with the Daytona SP3. You either had to have an SP1 or SP2 in the garage to be eligible for the SP3. If you sold your SP1 or SP2, you would likely be down-scored by the factory and you may not be offered any limited-edition models again. It does, however, seem like the repercussions could be limited by selling the car through an official dealer, but you will still be marked down as the sale affects the factory’s view of you as a collector. 

Standard production cars

When it comes to the standard production cars, these you can walk in and order, as long as the factory’s order book is still open. Ten months before the first Purosangue arrived in South Africa, the entire global production cycle was sold out!

Cleverly, Ferrari will only put a car into production if there is a customer at the other end who has ordered it. Already last year the order book for the 296 GTB closed, which means that you can’t order a new one from the factory. 

The new 12Cilindri, which was unveiled this week, order book will open in the next week, and any buyer with the necessary means will be able to walk in and order a car. This order book will then stay open until the order book is full for the production cycle of the car. In general, this can take anything from six months to around a year-and-a-half. The waiting period for a buyer to receive his car will be anywhere between 18 and 24 months. 

However, the first production units tend to be reserved for VIP clients, but next in the queue are seemingly those who put down an order early. 

Some enthusiasts might frown at the annual increase of the total production number of Ferraris over the years. At the same time it is evident that Ferrari remains very dedicated in its approach as to who buys its cars and also trying to make sure that the cars go to the garages of collectors, enthusiast and owners who will cherish them. 

Remember, all these ifs and buts the factory put in place are for new cars. You will always be able to buy pre-owned Ferraris… but sometimes you will have to pay a premium, however, as prices may have increased!

Browse our classifieds listings where there are currently more than 70 Ferraris for sale.