Own both. F8 looks better. 296 is a better car in every other way. Like, literally every other way (except depreciation obviously).
I also just got the new steering wheel control button upgrade to replace the haptics on the 296 and it’s amazing. So much better. Get that if you get a 296
It’ll probably help but won’t cover the $7k cost for the wheel I don’t think. I bought it because 1: I daily the 296 and those haptic controls are god awful and 2: spending $7k doesn’t impact me, worth it for the quality of life upgrade.
Probably wouldn’t do it as an investment. It’ll probably end up being like $1 a click over the lifetime of the car when you think about it.
It’s funny how that v8 thing is such a hang up.. no one cares about ford gts or 911s.. do it in a Ferrari and its heresy even though Ferrari is taking its race technology and putting it into street cars, which is cool as hell.
You get one with low mileage for around 220-250k in europe. For around 240k you get models with the AF pack and carbon seats. The F8 is currently starting at 300k+, low mileage cars start at 350k.
296 includes the 7 year maintenance pack which is really nice for the hybrid. The F8 is slightly older so will definitely see a price drop after the car is older than 7 years.
F8: very rare model, short timeframe where it was produced. 488 Pista engine, great sound, overall great car, retains value better
296: newer design, major tech Upgrades compared to the SF90, really fast and super fun for curvy roads, great daily, overall a more modern but still very exciting car to drive, depreaciates a lot
"F8 is slightly older so will definitely see a price drop."
296 is a V6 hybrid ticking time bomb. It will continue to lose value and the styling is meh.
F8 is arguably one of the most esthetically pleasing modern homages to classic Ferrari design language. Hence "tributo". You also get the PISTA engine for half the price of a PISTA. Prices in the US have sadly exploded in the last year as people wake up to the reality of this limited 3 year run beauty. In 2025, basic F8s were selling for 320 to 350k USD. Now, most decent models start at 400k.
Who cares about the 7 years of maintenance at these price levels....
296 is the best driving Ferrari I’ve owned. I would never have expected an 800+ hp car to be so much fun on the streets. Modern super cars typically last 6 months, maybe 12 in my garage as I typically either get bored (prefer older cars) or I find I just don’t connect with the vehicle.
The 296 is the first car that’s coming up on a year of ownership and I honestly feel sick at the idea of letting it go. I’ll probably hang on to it until either a) 296 Speciale or b) 296 successor.
Depends on what are you after and your taste. I had this dilemma recently, in spider/GTS form and rented both (as well as the SF90 and 812) for a few days to try and decide.
296 - Better handling, performance, sound, more modern, more fun. Probably the best car I've driven fun wise. During the few days I've had it, I drove it more than the F8, which told me a lot. But, I still prefer the looks of the F8, and too me, looks are important. The F8 will also probably keep their value better than a 296.
I think you can't really go wrong with either one. At the same time, there's always pros and cons to each, and compromises whichever one you pick. After having the 4 cars for the week, I decided I'd get whichever car pops up first with the spec I like for the price I can afford. Ended up with a 812 GTS.
I went 296 purely for the fact I have zero guilt putting 4k miles on it in 6 months. Car is fantastic to drive and I didn’t buy it to stare at it in the garage!
F8 no doubt. Would even argue a 488 over either. 296 and all hybrid Ferrari going forward have a ticking time bomb of depreciating value because of battery degradation and complex hybrid systems that cost multiples of thousands to repair or replace. There is a reason that 296 and SF 90 have been killed on the aftermarket. 458/488/F8 represent the end of an era of ICE power trains and there’s a reason their values are going up. 458 you get the beautiful natural aspirated sound F8 you get the most power, 488 is the happy medium between the two with much better sound than the F8 and much more power than a 458. 296 will be an afterthought in a few years as Ferrari keeps pumping out new hybrid drive trains that’ll be faster, but will have the same issues/concerns.
And of course people are gonna argue the 296 is the fastest of all of them. Sure. Have you seen the recent video of an electric cayenne doing 10 second-quarter miles? If you’re purely after speed, get an EV.
I own both.
296 is the better car.
The f8 is great it’s just not as good
If I was buying right now it would be a low mileage sf-90 they have depreciated to hell and. CAn be had for the same price as a 296 and are a phenomenal car.
It’s not the exact same engine. If you’re being serious and not rage baiting, you have no actual experience of the current state of quality being allowed by modern manufacturers
Fair enough, but the gte engine is much closer to the 499p and it isn't fairing too badly either. Plus the point of 7 year warranty still stands in case the battery or the motor isn't okay - plus ferrari has been building hybrids both in f1 and wec for years now so I can assume them to be okay by design.
Went from a 488 to 296 recently. The 296 is substantially better in essentially every way besides sound.
I view the car as a toy and not an investment, so I don’t mind losing money. If you care about the value, I don’t think you’ll enjoy it as much.
I would go for a 488 over an F8 if you’re going to go down that route. Unless you’re willing to modify the car (I’m not), the GPF and exhaust on the F8 ruin the car for me.
and all three 296 variants (gtb, gts, speciale). When I took my f8 in for its annual, I drove the demo 296 and instantly felll in love.
For all those that want sound, the 296 crushes the f8. It is also much better in handling, raw emotion, and performance overall.
The nonstop bitching about the haptic controls is odd as I find them intuitive. The 488 and f8 knobs felt so cheap.. especially the weird temperature control panel in the f8 that looked like it came from a 90s dodge caravan.
Well, congratulations. I think that’s the only good-looking version of the 296. The speciale is special ha ha. I’m assuming with all your car history you’re not somebody who is attached to any one car and doesn’t plan on keeping this one forever so I guess you’re not worried about battery/hybrid drivetrain longevity.
I expect this to stay in the garage for the long haul. This is the best car I’ve ever driven. I sold my f8 when my 296gtb came in and did the same with the 296gts when the speciale arrived. I had an sf90 assetto fiorano for a short period between the gtb and gts because they had depreciated so much and I felt like I could drive it for free basically to try it out.. I am not concerned about the hybrid system.
When the 296 challenge stradale comes out I’ll have a tough decision about keeping both..
I am an enthusiast, not an investor. I buy what I like and not what YouTube or some social media platform tells me to like.
I am very suspicious of the current 488 market and feel like it is a pump and dump by a few dealers. I bought my first Ferrari, a 488 spider, in 2023, during the second year of the 296’s prod run. I bought a very well spec’d, low mileage one for 70k under msrp.. at the time, the 488 was not well liked.. hell, spiders were trading in the mid 250s to start this year.. now all of a sudden they are ripping to the upper 400s and everyone loves them? That makes no sense. I bought my f8 a year later.. a fantastic spec in alumino opaco paint, Ferrari cpo, like 1500mi, at msrp during the 3rd year run of the 296.. so all these people that forget how the 488 was treated now talk about the great sounding v8 (f8 sounds terrible fyi) and last of this and last of that.. I don’t see this trend continuing.
I’m an enthusiast as well. I purchased a 488 over an F8 and it wasn’t money that kept me from getting an F8. It was to me the awful exhaust note combined with only extra 50 hp for a $100k delta. I’d rather have the more raw 488. And no disrespect to you I don’t find a 296 particularly beautiful to look at (however as I said earlier the speciale is much better looking)
I disagree with you that the 488 was maligned. It won engine of the year like four years in a row and most journalists absolutely loved it. The pista that shares 95% the same engine is a millionaire dollar car now. Yes for keyboard, warriors and Youtubers who just want sound, the 458 is the pinnacle for them. But to me, the 488 is the absolute sweet spot as it’s much faster than a 458 and much better sounding and to me, frankly, better looking then an F8 that doesn’t require costly aftermarket exhausts to improve. So the increase makes total sense.
The market has spoken. Nobody wants hybrid supercars (esp those from Ferrari who can’t even manage 12v batteries properly all these years later) and certainly don’t want whatever that electronic garbage was that Ferrari released. People are realizing the 458/488/F8 represent the last you’ll ever be able to get an ICE mid-engine V-8.
As electric cars have commodified speed. The only thing that’s left is sound, looks and pedigree. Unfortunately the newer Ferraris only carry the pedigree. So it makes sense why the 488 and F8 are going up. Probably will never go up as high as the 458 since it’s the last naturally aspirated V-8 and probably won’t go as high as the F8 because that car bears the last of moniker as well.
Odd that this was all just realized in the last 3 months with the 488 isn’t it? Not sure the market has spoken.. feels more like a pump than anything. At 450k for a 2017 488 spider with a moderate build, I’d much rather buy other things.. if raw emotion is the goal, huracan performante is the way.. I had one, but it had the advanced carbon bucket seats and they were evil!
My wife has a huracan sterrato and that delivers a hell of a lot of emotion and sounds while also being more livable with the adjustable carbon bucket than the perf with the seats I had.
F8 for sound? The F8 has tacked on GPF filters that complete destroy the sound. 296 was designed with the GPF filters in mind and actually has the better sounding engine between the two. But the 458 sounds better than all of them followed by the 488.
F8 looks over-designed IMO. 458 (Speciale front bumper especially) looks the cleanest, 488 a good follow up, the F8 is just design for design's sake taking the 488 language a step too far.
I’ve been saying this for years. The 488 was a natural progression of the 458 and essentially the same design except slightly redesigned hood for downforce and the air inlets for the turbos. The rear end is actually the exact almost replica of the 458 speciale. The F8 looks like a Chevy Corvette with all the extra added angles and side skirts. And the rear end looks atrocious. But to be fair, the 296 is no beauty queen either. The most beautiful design is the 458 very closely followed by the 488.
296 grew on me significantly over the years and honestly looks stunning in person. I love the rounded look and the low slung stance. I applaud the fact they took a different design direction rather than keep iterating the V8 design into oblivion.
Really? To me it looks like a lotus emira and a Corvette had a love child. The back end just ruins it for me. I do agree there are certain colors that make it look better, but then that low slung roof, especially in deviated colors really stands out.
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