Awesome Exotic Car Buying Experience at Foreign Cars Italia

I wanted to share my Ferrari buying experience with Foreign Cars Italia in Greensboro, NC.

When I was 24 or 25 and living in Raleigh, NC, while working for IBM, I had learned the motto or phrase from my business mentor, if you’re interested in owning a Ferrari, why don’t you test drive one to see if I even like it. 

He did that for two reasons, I think. 1) To see if I had the guts to even ask for a test drive as people rarely test drive one. Why? It’s not a practical car, and you buy one more for the privilege of looking good than for its drivability. 2) To build my dream and motivation to get one. 

So my buddy Steve Dolinsky and I went to the closest Ferrari dealership we could find, Foreign Cars Italia in Greensboro, NC, on Wendover Ave. We walked into the dealership and were so excited to see all the coolest and latest cars!

We saw Aston Martin Vantages and DB9s, Porsche GTs, and my dream car, the Ferrari 360 Modena. I worked up the courage to ask the closest sales guy for a test drive in an F360, and he said sure! He asked for my driver’s license, and he enthusiastically said to meet him outside while he brought the car around. 

I was panicked that the sales rep said Yes, and I was even more panicked that I had no idea what I was doing! He said he would drive the car to show me the controls and observe and watch. Then we switched and off we went! 

Wow, was I surprised at how the F360 was so sticky to the ground, and I was barely going 30 mph as it was a test drive. He told me to go faster, and I happily did! Ok, I had enough as I was respectful and drove it back to the dealership. 

He asked if I was interested in purchasing, and I said absolutely and said I would think about it. I asked for his card and said I would be in touch if I would buy it.

Fast forward to 2010, and I’m 32, starting up The Motorsport Lab, and needed to buy my first exotic. I gravitated towards Foreign Cars Italia as they had the make and model of the Ferrari F360 that I wanted in my budget, exterior, and interior color. I called them and was introduced to Gary Furnas. Like every Ferrari purchase, I had a million questions about a used 2000 Ferrari 360 F1 Coupe. He calmed me down and helped me out as I said it was my first Ferrari. He provided me with all the service records on the car and educated me about the buying process, and I felt comfortable because I was educated and not rushed.  

In 2013, The Motorsport Lab was growing with our exotic autocross experiences up and down the east coast! We had events in Raleigh, Greensboro, and Charlotte and started servicing our cars at Foreign Cars Italia, and Stanley Regitz, the service manager, was amazing! He took care of our Ferrari 360s and Lamborghini Gallardos, quickly with very little time in between events! Stanley was a wealth of car knowledge and made introductions to local transportation companies like Spotlight Towing in Greensboro to help us with transportation logistics.

After a year in the Carolinas, we needed to upgrade our Ferrari fleet from 360s to F430s in 2014, and Stanley put me in touch with Mark Euell, one of their sales reps. Mark was so helpful that he told me of an incoming F430 before it hit the market, and he would easily take in my F360s as a trade-in as he knew the car’s history. Done deal!

Then a year later, in 2015, I searched for a Lamborghini Gallardo, and Mark put me in touch with Ferrari of Central Florida, who had one for sale. 

It was all a great experience!!!

As a repeat customer, I can easily say that everyone needs to test drive an exotic before buying as it feels different. An Aston Martin Vantage is different than a DB11 and a Ferrari. And what better place to do it than at Foreign Cars Italia.

Today, we’re not active in the consumer exotic autocross business anymore. Instead, we’re focused on delivering Italian Vacations where we visit exotic car factories and museums like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani, and even Ducati! 

Nevertheless, we still maintain relationships with dealerships as I’m still an exotic car owner and always in the process of buying and selling vehicles. By sharing our positive experiences with dealerships, we hope we get to meet others with the same buying experience on our tours!