RE: PH buying guide: Ferrari 550 Maranello

[daytonarhymes]

Trevor M said:

A couple of examples of Ferrari prices vs. looks in PistonHeads linked ads, similar production numbers:

1971 246 Dino price: £129,995 looks: 10
1979 Dino 308 GT4 price: £32,995 looks: 6

1973 365 GTC/4 price: £95,000 looks: 5
1973 DAYTONA 365 GTB/4 price: P.O.A. (est. £160,000) looks: 9

Is it any wonder the lumpen 550 is so down in price? That's the way it is with Ferraris. Looks account for at least half the price. The 550 doesn't have them. Period.

The exception to the rule are the 308/328/355/360 two seaters. They're cheap because of the huge numbers available out there. There's a glut of them, unlike the 550. The massive depreciation of horrid looking Ferraris like the FF and the lard bottom California will be astounding.

I noticed the few times I've posted on PistonHeads, there's nothing but angry comments after I've thrown a bucket of cold water on the heads to sober them up. Oh well, that's the way it is. Your fantasies don't make the slag next door into a supermodel.

Complete bks.

"Is it any wonder the lumpen 550 is so down in price? That's the way it is with Ferraris. Looks account for at least half the price. The 550 doesn't have them. Period."

456??

[Camlet]

Trevor M said:

A couple of examples of Ferrari prices vs. looks in PistonHeads linked ads, similar production numbers:

1971 246 Dino price: £129,995 looks: 10
1979 Dino 308 GT4 price: £32,995 looks: 6

1973 365 GTC/4 price: £95,000 looks: 5
1973 DAYTONA 365 GTB/4 price: P.O.A. (est. £160,000) looks: 9

Is it any wonder the lumpen 550 is so down in price? That's the way it is with Ferraris. Looks account for at least half the price. The 550 doesn't have them. Period.

The exception to the rule are the 308/328/355/360 two seaters. They're cheap because of the huge numbers available out there. There's a glut of them, unlike the 550. The massive depreciation of horrid looking Ferraris like the FF and the lard bottom California will be astounding.

I noticed the few times I've posted on PistonHeads, there's nothing but angry comments after I've thrown a bucket of cold water on the heads to sober them up. Oh well, that's the way it is. Your fantasies don't make the slag next door into a supermodel.

Thanks for the cold water. Trouble is my 550 still sits beautifully alongside my F40 and 599 GTO. I guess Trev you think they're slags too. Anyway I'm very happy with my "fantasy". Needless to say, about the 550's market value, I couldn't give a toss about your analysis either.

[DBSV8]

Camlet said:

Thanks for the cold water. Trouble is my 550 still sits beautifully alongside my F40 and 599 GTO. I guess Trev you think they're slags too. Anyway I'm very happy with my "fantasy". Needless to say, about the 550's market value, I couldn't give a toss about your analysis either.

thats a nice selection you have there ,F40 sits with the 288 GTO in my dream garage.

have you ever considered a classic Ferrari , Daytona , 246 ?

several years ago last 5 yeasrs I was monitoring 246 prices all seemed to be around the 70k mark now they are over 100k ,

[Camlet]

DBSV8 said:

Camlet said:

Thanks for the cold water. Trouble is my 550 still sits beautifully alongside my F40 and 599 GTO. I guess Trev you think they're slags too. Anyway I'm very happy with my "fantasy". Needless to say, about the 550's market value, I couldn't give a toss about your analysis either.

thats a nice selection you have there ,F40 sits with the 288 GTO in my dream garage.

have you ever considered a classic Ferrari , Daytona , 246 ?

several years ago last 5 yeasrs I was monitoring 246 prices all seemed to be around the 70k mark now they are over 100k ,

Thanks. As part of the Persuaders TV show generation, I've always adored the 246 Dino. But Mrs Camlet already thinks I'm as mad as a hatter about cars and would declare war lol. Also while I do like the classics (especially the 250 Lusso) I enjoy the urgency of more modern cars. For me, the F40 is the perfect bridge between the two worlds. I also buy cars I love and leave investment grade to the clever people. That's why I still have my 550. I've lost a ton since I bought it as a one year old car in 1999. But I don't care because I love how it looks and drives.

[JazzyO]

Dave Hedgehog said:

impressive that you where able to qoute me in the 15 seconds it took me to edit my post

What a shame that in editing it you invented another Ferrari that does not exist, the 360 Scud....???

Lots of keyboard warriors here it seems. Particularly the discussion about value is pretty uneducated. Every single V12 Ferrari has tanked in value in the first decade and a half. This process has gone on since the '50ies. So if you're comparing V12 Ferraris from the 1970's with one from the late 1990's then you're not very informed on how classic car values evolve. Also, you cannot compare build numbers across decades as the luxury market was much smaller back then, and annual production was much lower.

Arguing about looks is silly. Personally I think the 550 is a brilliant design and I love it to bits. People that think of Toyota Supras surely must also think of an MR2 when they see an F355. Or be blind. But as I said, it is a moot argument. Looks are highly subjective. So what isn't?

Well the facts are:

A front-engined V12 Ferrari in the pre-Boxer tradition that has a fantastic weight distribution (if a bit too much weight). Huge torque available at low revs, but noretheless a free revving V12 that pulls very easily, and quickly, to the 7.7k redline. 485bhp with standard exhaust, around 500 with a Tubi. 0 - 60 in 4.2, 0 - 120 in 14.4. Still impressive numbers when read out, more impressive when trying it yourself. Understated, and to me, quite lovely, cabin. Almost all dials and displays are analog, and combined with the traditional gated gearshift it has a lovely "driver's heaven" kind of feel to it. Normal seats are very comfortable too, for long drives. Car is very reliable. Ownership costs (excluding depreciation) are very reasonable. Including de-/appreciation they are fantastic. And these days the entry price is very low too.

Irritations? Well the ASR is next to useless. Normal exhaust too quiet but Tubi too loud when pottering through a village. Windows stop sealing and have to be adjusted fairly regularly. Window strips peel. Leather can shrink on dash. Sticker for the AC panel wrinkles with age. Trunk can only be opened from the centre console. Car is not modern anymore and if you want a decent stereo/satnav/ipod connection you are going to struggle.

But the 550 is a car that most people won't get. You need a bit of class, sophistication and proper driver's touch to feel the subtleties of it. All great drivers that tried it have raved about it (Richard Burns, Derek Bell, Phil Hill, Michael Schumacher and many others), because at the limit this car is truly good. It is not a 456 with a bench less. This car is much more sporty and it wants to be spanked.


Onno

[JazzyO]

sparks_E39 said:

Odd this topic came up, I was just round a mates watching Bad Boys 2 and we all remarked on how gorgeous the 575, which is basically the same car, is. A late 575 in silver with the handling pack is on the lottery list.

The Bad Boys 2 movie features a 550 with 575 headlights in some shots. The 575 wasn't launched yet when it was filmed.


Onno

[breezer42]

Trevor M said:

I noticed the few times I've posted on PistonHeads, there's nothing but angry comments after I've thrown a bucket of cold water on the heads to sober them up. Oh well, that's the way it is. Your fantasies don't make the slag next door into a supermodel.

Maybe your arrogant tone and assumption that looks aren't in any sense subjective is what riles people, rather than just the inane content of your posts?

[DBSV8]

Trevor M said:

The massive depreciation of horrid looking Ferraris like the FF and the lard bottom California will be astounding.

I noticed the few times I've posted on PistonHeads, there's nothing but angry comments after I've thrown a bucket of cold water on the heads to sober them up. Oh well, that's the way it is. Your fantasies don't make the slag next door into a supermodel.

are you "French" Canadian , per chance ??

[Adz The Rat]

Pr1964 said:

But Who in their right mind would buy a 550 over a 612 at the same price ?

Edited by Pr1964 on Saturday 3rd November 14:02

Me.

The 612 doesn't really appeal to me, Im not a fan of the looks at all.
The interior is much nicer but the exterior, no thanks.

I would choose a 550 in a heartbeat.

[911stu]

For the price of well stocked TT you could have it serviced.

[Ftumpch]

I'm going to buy one of these as soon as I can bear to part with my 246 Dino.

That is, when the bloody thing stops appreciating!!

[911stu]

Ftumpch said:

I'm going to buy one of these as soon as I can bear to part with my 246 Dino.

That is, when the bloody thing stops appreciating!!

Yeah, that must be really annoying

[f328nvl]

JazzyO said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

impressive that you where able to qoute me in the 15 seconds it took me to edit my post

What a shame that in editing it you invented another Ferrari that does not exist, the 360 Scud....???

Lots of keyboard warriors here it seems. Particularly the discussion about value is pretty uneducated. Every single V12 Ferrari has tanked in value in the first decade and a half. This process has gone on since the '50ies. So if you're comparing V12 Ferraris from the 1970's with one from the late 1990's then you're not very informed on how classic car values evolve. Also, you cannot compare build numbers across decades as the luxury market was much smaller back then, and annual production was much lower.

Arguing about looks is silly. Personally I think the 550 is a brilliant design and I love it to bits. People that think of Toyota Supras surely must also think of an MR2 when they see an F355. Or be blind. But as I said, it is a moot argument. Looks are highly subjective. So what isn't?

Well the facts are:

A front-engined V12 Ferrari in the pre-Boxer tradition that has a fantastic weight distribution (if a bit too much weight). Huge torque available at low revs, but noretheless a free revving V12 that pulls very easily, and quickly, to the 7.7k redline. 485bhp with standard exhaust, around 500 with a Tubi. 0 - 60 in 4.2, 0 - 120 in 14.4. Still impressive numbers when read out, more impressive when trying it yourself. Understated, and to me, quite lovely, cabin. Almost all dials and displays are analog, and combined with the traditional gated gearshift it has a lovely "driver's heaven" kind of feel to it. Normal seats are very comfortable too, for long drives. Car is very reliable. Ownership costs (excluding depreciation) are very reasonable. Including de-/appreciation they are fantastic. And these days the entry price is very low too.

Irritations? Well the ASR is next to useless. Normal exhaust too quiet but Tubi too loud when pottering through a village. Windows stop sealing and have to be adjusted fairly regularly. Window strips peel. Leather can shrink on dash. Sticker for the AC panel wrinkles with age. Trunk can only be opened from the centre console. Car is not modern anymore and if you want a decent stereo/satnav/ipod connection you are going to struggle.

But the 550 is a car that most people won't get. You need a bit of class, sophistication and proper driver's touch to feel the subtleties of it. All great drivers that tried it have raved about it (Richard Burns, Derek Bell, Phil Hill, Michael Schumacher and many others), because at the limit this car is truly good. It is not a 456 with a bench less. This car is much more sporty and it wants to be spanked.


Onno

How did you find the limit of a Ferrari 550 on Jersey?

I had one and it was alright, a trip to Le Mans was memorable. However it had loads of irritations, some of which you list. Most annoying was that it kept having to be fixed (see the blog thing at Club Scud) and, due to wide long doors and a modern Ferrari girth, it was too wide to park almost anywhere on the planet and be able to get out of the damned thing.

[caraddict]

A friendly bump. Just wanted to say that I absolutely love this car.

V12 front engined Ferrari with a manual shifter... That's an essential in my dream garage, and this one combine gracefully aged looks + it's modern enough (personally I'm biggest fan of the 90's cars).


PS. IIRC there was a guy over in the US who had an F50. He got tired of waiting months and months for parts and swapped to a 550, and said it was the best thing he did because he got the comfort along with the power as well (and of course, much less rawness and even less exclusivity but then again how often do you spot a 550 in the wild?)

PS 2. The gentleman who said that these have a lot of road presence is absolutely spot on. Whenever I see a 355/360/F430 I think "That guy's out having fun!". When I spot a 550 was comes to mind is "Man, that guy's really enjoying life!".
THAT's the difference.
I for one also love anonymity, so that's another +1 for it.

Edited by caraddict on Wednesday 9th January 20:20

[f328nvl]

80085 said:

It has 4 seats and a big boot!.

Erm, no it doesn't, and the boot lid and opening mechanism is really badly designed.

Yes I did have one.

http://rjmghome.blogspot.co.uk/

[enzodino]

This is the last Ferrari with soul . It’s anologue and gorgeous. The lines are perfect. You can’t rely on computers to flatter your driving which makes it even better. It has a beautiful mechanical feel through the Gearbox and the Steering has both precision and feel. Buy one now and you won’t loose a penny because everyone is waking up to a he fact that this is the perfect Ferrari.

[BarbaricAvatar]

The only thing that spoils the 550 is the front grille. The GT1 cars fixed this.



If you could have this or similar style intake on the road car then it would be perfect.