Ferrari 550, 1 owner, only 109,000 miles FSH.Well would you?
Discussion
This is great input all based on good solid logic and real experience . . . however, fellow 550 lovers know that there is a corner of one’s brain, which simply says ‘sod it, this is so lovely I just hope nothing nightmarish happens and while it is running perfectly I will take a walk in paradise’.
I think the comparison to a Fiesta is becoming a little irreverend – and the horrifying experience of a bad fitting bonnet ( £13k –ouch ) and worn valve guide(s) is simply not representative of normal running – that car was a one off nightmare.
I draw experience from a Lagonda which must have had 200-300k miles on the clock, a DB5, which had an engine rebuild (£12k) and never missed a beat for the next 60k miles a DB2/4 which had so many miles on the clock that it had become irrelevant – all of which had their maintenance ‘blips’ but still ran to the stunning corners of Europe regularly without a single hitch.
I will continue to post the running experience of this 550 and hopefully restore some faith in the sense of taking this walk in paradise without going broke – I see so many ‘low mileage’ cars on the market that maybe this is a pioneering experience since I will continue to pile on the miles, while always maintaining the car in pristine condition.
Will it ever sell at 200k miles ? who knows...I never plan on selling it – but many DB4s and DB5s sell with totally unquantifiable miles on the clock – maybe we need to take a 10 year view when an engine re-build will have zeroed that element of worry.
Meanwhile all 550 experiences gratefully received – making this a unique thread !
I think the comparison to a Fiesta is becoming a little irreverend – and the horrifying experience of a bad fitting bonnet ( £13k –ouch ) and worn valve guide(s) is simply not representative of normal running – that car was a one off nightmare.
I draw experience from a Lagonda which must have had 200-300k miles on the clock, a DB5, which had an engine rebuild (£12k) and never missed a beat for the next 60k miles a DB2/4 which had so many miles on the clock that it had become irrelevant – all of which had their maintenance ‘blips’ but still ran to the stunning corners of Europe regularly without a single hitch.
I will continue to post the running experience of this 550 and hopefully restore some faith in the sense of taking this walk in paradise without going broke – I see so many ‘low mileage’ cars on the market that maybe this is a pioneering experience since I will continue to pile on the miles, while always maintaining the car in pristine condition.
Will it ever sell at 200k miles ? who knows...I never plan on selling it – but many DB4s and DB5s sell with totally unquantifiable miles on the clock – maybe we need to take a 10 year view when an engine re-build will have zeroed that element of worry.
Meanwhile all 550 experiences gratefully received – making this a unique thread !
....to keep those who are interested updated....there has been a bit of progress with the car - mainly the interior which is now looking as good as the exterior. Details to follow but here are some pictures to whet the appetite! Apologies for the quality.
As you can see from the pictures above (compared to pictures on previous pages) the interior is now getting on for showroom......for info, the work done consisted of:
-Replacement of leather "horseshoe" (bolsters) on drivers seat including piping.
-Replacement of leather pieces on the side and rear of the drivers seat and handbrake cover.
-Replacement of leather on the airbag cover - had shrunk and dried out and looked awful. Luckily the steering wheel leather is perfect still whereas on many 550s it has bubbled and dried.
-Fabrication and fitment of quilted rear shelf in tan leather...not quite to factory spec as I wanted to leave the navy carpet around the edge for continuity with the rest of the interior. The factory option had quilting on the side panels in the rear (as well as headliner) which I think is a bit overpowering. Quilt pattern and size is factory spec.
-Fabrication and fitment of fire extinguisher cover - old one had perished and was way past its best!
-Connolising wash of entire interior to remove stains and lighten the tan colour a bit and bring the new pieces into line with the existing interior.
-New polished chrome gearknob!
All work carried out by Surrey Trimming Limited (Chertsey) who were absolutely fantastic. Highly recommended.
Work still to be done - new headlights........current ones have done 100,000 miles and are pebble dashed.....stand out like a sore thumb against the paintwork which is concours. Not sure how im going to go about this....£5000.00 for a new pair from Ferrari.
-Replacement of leather "horseshoe" (bolsters) on drivers seat including piping.
-Replacement of leather pieces on the side and rear of the drivers seat and handbrake cover.
-Replacement of leather on the airbag cover - had shrunk and dried out and looked awful. Luckily the steering wheel leather is perfect still whereas on many 550s it has bubbled and dried.
-Fabrication and fitment of quilted rear shelf in tan leather...not quite to factory spec as I wanted to leave the navy carpet around the edge for continuity with the rest of the interior. The factory option had quilting on the side panels in the rear (as well as headliner) which I think is a bit overpowering. Quilt pattern and size is factory spec.
-Fabrication and fitment of fire extinguisher cover - old one had perished and was way past its best!
-Connolising wash of entire interior to remove stains and lighten the tan colour a bit and bring the new pieces into line with the existing interior.
-New polished chrome gearknob!
All work carried out by Surrey Trimming Limited (Chertsey) who were absolutely fantastic. Highly recommended.
Work still to be done - new headlights........current ones have done 100,000 miles and are pebble dashed.....stand out like a sore thumb against the paintwork which is concours. Not sure how im going to go about this....£5000.00 for a new pair from Ferrari.
k off.
k-ink said:
They really love to try and rape their customers. Not sure why anyone would put up with those prices to be honest.
I would suggest taking the lights to a specialist polisher. I think you'll be suprised how good they will look after spending £50!
Indeed - get them polished first, maybe even worth seeking out one of the mentalist car restoration types to see what they can do. Anything sub-£5k would be a saving! I would suggest taking the lights to a specialist polisher. I think you'll be suprised how good they will look after spending £50!
Lovely, lovely car though PHAB - that interior is a beautiful thing indeed.
k-ink said:
I would suggest taking the lights to a specialist polisher. I think you'll be suprised how good they will look after spending £50!
There is a Readers' Cars thread where the chap has polished his Honda Insight headlights and they looked brand new.Got to be worth a try!
£5000 is crazy time.
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