Ferrari 599 so far...
Discussion
Well I thought I’d give everyone a little write up on how I’m getting on with my Ferrari 599. Hopefully it’s not too long winded or boring.
I sold my 430 spider in April of this year, it was a good car but I’d had it a couple years and decided to move it along to give me some more space. Well unfortunately I’m not very good at staying away from the classifieds and soon I had my eye on a couple different things to replace the now empty space in the garage. I thought about a Ferrari 599, but in the end decided that since I had just come from a Ferrari I would go in another direction. So I ended up with a fantastically subtle lime green Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera! I also liked the idea of having 4 wheel drive rather than rear wheel drive, I know the purist will say that rear wheel drive is better (I will concede it often is in some cases) but seeing as I do a reasonable amount of country road driving (and live in rainy Scotland) I wanted something that I could use whatever the weather. The 430 was great when it was warm and dry, but if it was wet or even pretty cold then I found it could be a tad “twitchy” if you were really trying to “make some progress”. That was fine if you were wanting to have some fun with it, but if you were in a hurry and just wanted to drive quickly and not like a hooligan you couldn’t do that as well as you could in say a 911 Turbo or Gallardo. This isn’t necessarily a criticism of the car itself, more just an observational point. I was planning to use the car everyday and although I had other cars to use if the weather was too bad or I had to park somewhere where I would worry about the car etc, I still wanted something that was easy to chuck around whatever the weather.
Anyway, not long after taking delivery of the Superleggera I came across a lovely 599 (I know I shouldn’t of been looking at the classifieds...I can’t help it. I have NO will power). Long story short it somehow it ended up in my driveway!...
It’s fantastic!!!!!!!!! Miles ahead of the 430 and just such a nice car to use. I’ve been using the 599 and the Superleggera as daily drivers which they’re both brilliant at. It’s interesting, I really enjoyed my time with the 430, I thought it was great but like everything it had little points about it I didn’t like, the 599 rectifies 99% of them.
Living with it
The 599 is huge, I will get that out the way first, but like everything you get used to it and also to be honest it’s not any bigger than all these current SUVs, so if you can drive one of them you can easily drive a 599. The steering is light but still has good feedback and it’s so comfortable! The car can change direction so quickly and accurately it’s amazing especially considering its weight. The boot size is reasonably good & obviously you get the parcel shelf as well which will fit a couple bags and a suit carrier. The fuel consumption however is not so great. It really likes a drink...BUT now I’ve got that little annoyance out of the way I don’t see any need to mention that again.
My biggest worry was what the traction was going to be like. As I said the 430 could move about a bit when it was cold and the 599 has another 130(ish)BHP. My concerns however were unfounded! You must remember how much power the car has so it’s not like the 4 wheel drive softies, but as long as you’re careful it’s a very planted car indeed!
The cabin is a delight, the seats as I’ve already mentioned are very comfortable, the carbon fibre topped steering wheel with the LEDs are pretty cool. The sound system again is much better than the one in my 430. The 599 has the Bose sound system which I believe was an option whereas the 430 was standard. The Sat Nav is much better than expected (most people say it’s crap) although to be honest a £100 TomTom is still miles better!
The 430 has this annoying little trait where in order to open the boot you had to unlock the car, put the key in the ignition and then press the button! Which what a bit of a nightmare if you had handfuls of bags etc. The 599 has a button on the key especially for the boot. I know it sounds like a minor thing but it’s these little details that make a difference for day to day use!
I deliberately went for a more subtle colour combo. Black is nice but having had a couple black cars it is a nightmare to keep clean, so that was out. TDF Blue is stunning but there are hardly any around. So in the end I settled on Argento Nurburgring (silver) with dark grey wheels and yellow callipers. I liked the way the yellow callipers matched the scuderia shields and the wheels contrasted the paintwork. I thought it was subtle, but without being boring. It’s funny it’s normally a colour I would have thought about but I saw it and just thought yes it works! The car also has the Carbon Ceramic brakes which I had never had before and they’re pretty good to be honest. I haven’t ever tracked the car (I’m sure that’s when they’d really come into their own) but for road use they’re great. The best bit though, is not brake dust, so your wheels look all nice and clean for longer!
What’s been interesting though is that I’ve been reading about what future values of these cars will be in the next 12 months or so. Now of course I know all if this is more or less b
ks because of course nobody actually knows! I think however they’re going to sit more or less where they are at the moment. Ok yes I’m sure they’ll drop a tiny bit but I can’t see any reason for them dropping any more. The 550s & 575s have been creeping up over the past few years to such an extent that a low mileage 575 isn’t that much less than a 599. I think it only makes sense that 599 prices will be kept up by 575 prices. Couple that with the fact that the new car (the F12) is about £240K I just can’t see any reason for their prices to drop.
To quote Chris Harris he said “It’s a detuned Enzo engine for the same money as the new Porsche 911. That has to make it the bargain of the century” and I have to say I agree 100%. I drove the new 991 a few months back and it’s fantastic but for the money a 599 is miles better value. Same with the Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
I did a little trip recently with the 599 and the Superleggera which was fantastic! (I shall post the pictures below). We managed to get in some nice country roads and it was nice swapping between the two cars. The 599 is definitely more comfortable and relaxed whereas the Lambo is just a hooligan. The 599 plays the big GT card so well, but what I like so much about it is the ability to sit there comfortably and quietly but drop a few cogs and suddenly you’re in a supercar! My only criticism of the 599 is that it doesn’t have cruise control. As far as I know Ferrari never offered it as an option. I think they do now on the California (not sure about on other models). Other than that though it’s just fantastic!
The only issue I have is that like I said before I have absolutely no restraint when it comes to wondering through the classifieds. As a result I have found myself looking at something else a bit more collectable (I’m keeping tight lipped though on what that is). As a result I simply have no more space which is now leading me to think about the selling the 599. I don’t really want to but I quite fancy this other car and simply don’t have the space. I think in reality I’m going to keep it a little longer, it’s just such a nice thing to be in. I guess I shall see how the sale goes.
Hope that wasn’t too boring! Pictures will be along shortly!
I sold my 430 spider in April of this year, it was a good car but I’d had it a couple years and decided to move it along to give me some more space. Well unfortunately I’m not very good at staying away from the classifieds and soon I had my eye on a couple different things to replace the now empty space in the garage. I thought about a Ferrari 599, but in the end decided that since I had just come from a Ferrari I would go in another direction. So I ended up with a fantastically subtle lime green Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera! I also liked the idea of having 4 wheel drive rather than rear wheel drive, I know the purist will say that rear wheel drive is better (I will concede it often is in some cases) but seeing as I do a reasonable amount of country road driving (and live in rainy Scotland) I wanted something that I could use whatever the weather. The 430 was great when it was warm and dry, but if it was wet or even pretty cold then I found it could be a tad “twitchy” if you were really trying to “make some progress”. That was fine if you were wanting to have some fun with it, but if you were in a hurry and just wanted to drive quickly and not like a hooligan you couldn’t do that as well as you could in say a 911 Turbo or Gallardo. This isn’t necessarily a criticism of the car itself, more just an observational point. I was planning to use the car everyday and although I had other cars to use if the weather was too bad or I had to park somewhere where I would worry about the car etc, I still wanted something that was easy to chuck around whatever the weather.
Anyway, not long after taking delivery of the Superleggera I came across a lovely 599 (I know I shouldn’t of been looking at the classifieds...I can’t help it. I have NO will power). Long story short it somehow it ended up in my driveway!...
It’s fantastic!!!!!!!!! Miles ahead of the 430 and just such a nice car to use. I’ve been using the 599 and the Superleggera as daily drivers which they’re both brilliant at. It’s interesting, I really enjoyed my time with the 430, I thought it was great but like everything it had little points about it I didn’t like, the 599 rectifies 99% of them.
Living with it
The 599 is huge, I will get that out the way first, but like everything you get used to it and also to be honest it’s not any bigger than all these current SUVs, so if you can drive one of them you can easily drive a 599. The steering is light but still has good feedback and it’s so comfortable! The car can change direction so quickly and accurately it’s amazing especially considering its weight. The boot size is reasonably good & obviously you get the parcel shelf as well which will fit a couple bags and a suit carrier. The fuel consumption however is not so great. It really likes a drink...BUT now I’ve got that little annoyance out of the way I don’t see any need to mention that again.
My biggest worry was what the traction was going to be like. As I said the 430 could move about a bit when it was cold and the 599 has another 130(ish)BHP. My concerns however were unfounded! You must remember how much power the car has so it’s not like the 4 wheel drive softies, but as long as you’re careful it’s a very planted car indeed!
The cabin is a delight, the seats as I’ve already mentioned are very comfortable, the carbon fibre topped steering wheel with the LEDs are pretty cool. The sound system again is much better than the one in my 430. The 599 has the Bose sound system which I believe was an option whereas the 430 was standard. The Sat Nav is much better than expected (most people say it’s crap) although to be honest a £100 TomTom is still miles better!
The 430 has this annoying little trait where in order to open the boot you had to unlock the car, put the key in the ignition and then press the button! Which what a bit of a nightmare if you had handfuls of bags etc. The 599 has a button on the key especially for the boot. I know it sounds like a minor thing but it’s these little details that make a difference for day to day use!
I deliberately went for a more subtle colour combo. Black is nice but having had a couple black cars it is a nightmare to keep clean, so that was out. TDF Blue is stunning but there are hardly any around. So in the end I settled on Argento Nurburgring (silver) with dark grey wheels and yellow callipers. I liked the way the yellow callipers matched the scuderia shields and the wheels contrasted the paintwork. I thought it was subtle, but without being boring. It’s funny it’s normally a colour I would have thought about but I saw it and just thought yes it works! The car also has the Carbon Ceramic brakes which I had never had before and they’re pretty good to be honest. I haven’t ever tracked the car (I’m sure that’s when they’d really come into their own) but for road use they’re great. The best bit though, is not brake dust, so your wheels look all nice and clean for longer!
What’s been interesting though is that I’ve been reading about what future values of these cars will be in the next 12 months or so. Now of course I know all if this is more or less b
ks because of course nobody actually knows! I think however they’re going to sit more or less where they are at the moment. Ok yes I’m sure they’ll drop a tiny bit but I can’t see any reason for them dropping any more. The 550s & 575s have been creeping up over the past few years to such an extent that a low mileage 575 isn’t that much less than a 599. I think it only makes sense that 599 prices will be kept up by 575 prices. Couple that with the fact that the new car (the F12) is about £240K I just can’t see any reason for their prices to drop. To quote Chris Harris he said “It’s a detuned Enzo engine for the same money as the new Porsche 911. That has to make it the bargain of the century” and I have to say I agree 100%. I drove the new 991 a few months back and it’s fantastic but for the money a 599 is miles better value. Same with the Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
I did a little trip recently with the 599 and the Superleggera which was fantastic! (I shall post the pictures below). We managed to get in some nice country roads and it was nice swapping between the two cars. The 599 is definitely more comfortable and relaxed whereas the Lambo is just a hooligan. The 599 plays the big GT card so well, but what I like so much about it is the ability to sit there comfortably and quietly but drop a few cogs and suddenly you’re in a supercar! My only criticism of the 599 is that it doesn’t have cruise control. As far as I know Ferrari never offered it as an option. I think they do now on the California (not sure about on other models). Other than that though it’s just fantastic!
The only issue I have is that like I said before I have absolutely no restraint when it comes to wondering through the classifieds. As a result I have found myself looking at something else a bit more collectable (I’m keeping tight lipped though on what that is). As a result I simply have no more space which is now leading me to think about the selling the 599. I don’t really want to but I quite fancy this other car and simply don’t have the space. I think in reality I’m going to keep it a little longer, it’s just such a nice thing to be in. I guess I shall see how the sale goes.
Hope that wasn’t too boring! Pictures will be along shortly!
blatant
"i have a Fez and a Lambo and you don't post"
do carry on as I'm drowning with envy
If you can afford both then why not indulge in both
sick of seeing people with 800k in their bank accounts sitting at home in retirement like soppy old duffers waiting for death to appear
"i have a Fez and a Lambo and you don't post"
do carry on as I'm drowning with envy
If you can afford both then why not indulge in both
sick of seeing people with 800k in their bank accounts sitting at home in retirement like soppy old duffers waiting for death to appear
Edited by tbc on Tuesday 6th November 16:47
tbc said:
blatant
"i have a Fez and a Lambo and you don't post"
do carry on as I'm drowning with envy
If you can afford both then why not indulge in both
sick of seeing people with 800k in their bank accounts sitting at home in retirement like soppy old duffers waiting for death to appear
Wtf??"i have a Fez and a Lambo and you don't post"
do carry on as I'm drowning with envy
If you can afford both then why not indulge in both
sick of seeing people with 800k in their bank accounts sitting at home in retirement like soppy old duffers waiting for death to appear
Edited by tbc on Tuesday 6th November 16:43
Edited by tbc on Tuesday 6th November 16:44
OP, Immense car and great write up
DS3R said:
tbc said:
blatant
"i have a Fez and a Lambo and you don't post"
do carry on as I'm drowning with envy
If you can afford both then why not indulge in both
sick of seeing people with 800k in their bank accounts sitting at home in retirement like soppy old duffers waiting for death to appear
Wtf??"i have a Fez and a Lambo and you don't post"
do carry on as I'm drowning with envy
If you can afford both then why not indulge in both
sick of seeing people with 800k in their bank accounts sitting at home in retirement like soppy old duffers waiting for death to appear
Edited by tbc on Tuesday 6th November 16:43
Edited by tbc on Tuesday 6th November 16:44
OP, Immense car and great write up
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