[Jeff Higgins]

That's all good news, Mike - thanks for sharing. I do have to say, however, it's a far different picture than that painted by my Ferrari owning acquaintances and that I've gotten by chatting up Ferrari owners at various DE's over the years.

These guys all tell me that Ferrari won't even sell parts (maybe just some parts?) to private owners. They all say that nonsense started with a certain model on, but I'm not sure which one. Even the shop owner I mentioned above says he can't get parts from Ferrari. Comments on that? True, b.s., or somewhere in between?

That, and parts costs I've heard bandied about are simply staggering. The spark plug story is one particularly egregious example, but it seems everything is similarly marked up, even if there is absolutely nothing special about it. It is great to learn there is a cross reference available that could lead a guy to the same part, but without the cost-multiplying yellow box.

And crude? Yes, but that appeals to me, in an odd kind of way. I equate it with "no b.s.". I've had the "opportunity" to wrench on a few over the years for friends and acquaintances (couple of 308's and a Testarrosa) and, yes, they were relatively easy to work on. I think maybe companies with racing in their blood look at maintenance a bit differently than those who do not. "Big" stuff is way easier to do than on your average sedan, just like on our Porsches.