My neighbor is a huge car guy and owns everything but Ferraris because “they make you buy all the shitty Ferraris before they’ll let you buy the good ones” :p
I suppose the fact that the #1 car guy in America won't buy Ferrari amplifies the signal that Ferrari isn't actually a car company
That they also won't let you modify your cars to your liking (see Deadmau5's fights with Ferrari) is another
It is uncontroversial to say that Ferraris are cars of note. Somebody will save them. His resources are better spent on the stupidly niche things that nobody will care about if he doesn't. So it's easier for him to say "meh, not for me" than it is for someone to whom those kinds of cars are more relevant.
One of rich folks here I know automatically orders the latest Ferrari, gets it in some months or years, then sells it after driving one month.
Even for some profit. Because he is one of rare people who is "on the list."
Then orders the next one.
Ferraris are a bit like NFTs for boomer investment bankers.
If you go to the Rolex subreddit, it's full of people getting waitlisted for watches they want to buy and excitedly posting when they finally "get the call" from the dealer — sometimes years later — that they are now allowed to buy the watch. It's a common "strategy" to buy lesser watches to ingratiate oneself with the precious Authorized Dealer™ demigod so that one day you might be able to buy the watch you actually want.
Go search /r/rolex for the phrase "got the call" and prepare to cringe.
If everyone was able to afford a Rolex or a 911, they wouldn’t be cool anymore because their unattainability is what makes them desirable.
That said, even if I could afford a GT3 RS or a Daytona, I would never play their stupid game to get one.
You don't even get a foot in the door with 1 from Ferrari.
I read a Reddit post from someone who had an acquaintance that speed-ran the process (clearly a 9 figure+ individual), and it was ludicrous.
I think it took him something like 3-5 years, while it normally takes double that. I think right out the gate he had to buy a few of them, then he could buy the nice ones, and the special editions, then he bought a used f40 or something like that which was 7 figures, and started participating in the racing experience they have, so there's a parallel track where you have to buy some track focused cars as well. Along the way he made sure to show up at all of the events, and it's important to, because to get on "the list" there is a scoring system behind the scene where everything that a customer does is assigned a point value, and only the customers with the highest level of points get the allocations. That includes things like maxing out options on every curve you buy, and paying up for the bespoke personalization services.
I think it was something like 3 years, 10+ cars, and 10 million dollars to get through the gauntlet.
It is basically like a kindle book - You aren't buying a car, you are buying a license.
Ferarri investigates you, and makes you sign a contract on how you use their car.