I have a friend with a Ferrari. He actually tells a lot of people it's just a bodykit on a Toyota. It keeps people from thinking he's rich and/or a good robbery target.
If you don't want to appear rich or a good robbery target, why buy a Ferrari in the first place? Plenty of other rich people somehow manage to get by without such extravagant displays of wealth.
I have to say, if you're really in it to have an awesome car to actually drive (and not a status symbol per se) there's a long list of cars I would consider ahead of a Ferrari.
In their price categories, Ferraris are nothing to sneeze at for the driving experience. Comparing the 458, F40, Enzo, etc., to something like a Carrera GT or McLaren is at the least a draw.
No, I'm comparing supercars to other supercars (but not to hypercars like the Venom, Koenigsegg, or Pagani). I don't know what you have in mind for "an awesome car to actually drive" but maybe we are not on the same page here. Something like an Ariel Atom would be a bit cheaper and more fun on the track I guess, but much, much less fun on the street / day-to-day.
I am thinking that all super/hyper cars are at least as much about status and exclusivity than about driving. I can respect that, but I question the honesty or sanity of someone who pretends their Ferrari is a fake.
Well, I think people have different reasons for buying outlandish vehicles. Consider Jay Leno--he doesn't need to roll around in a flashy car to get special treatment or demonstrate his bankroll, but he's really into the wonderful variety of mechanical approaches and different driving experiences. On the other hand, you have people who know nothing about cars or driving, and will never hit the racetrack, who buy a Porsche Turbo or Lamborghini because it's attention-getting and expensive for its own sake.
I don't own a Ferrari, but if I had the means for an expensive track car and a trailer (i.e., nobody would even see me driving it on the street) Ferraris would be on the shopping list. I suppose the purist's solution would be a race-prepped 911 GT3 however.
