Sub £100k - which Ferrari - 550 v 575 v 599 v 355 Spyder?

[CKQC]

With all these (fairly different) Ferraris in the same price bracket, I am trying to decide which way to go.

My understanding about the cars:

1. 550 - An elegant shape and a car that handled well from the start.
2. 575 - The same lovely shape with a some upgrades, but the handling pack is a must.
3. 599 - A real monster and a handful to drive well. But modern tech and a peach of an engine, make it a tough car to overlook even though it doesn't have a manual box, which is almost a must for me.
4. 355 - A car I have loved for many years. I am only considering it because it is the only one I could buy a spyder and the manual gearbox is a delight.

I was hoping that PH might be able to offer some knowledge and owner insights from people who have had experience with these cars.

I seem to be leaning towards the 550, but I have to confess, I don't know why! Perhaps the pictures from this ad have done me in:

All information welcome!

I am going to get around to driving them all soon, but I hope that can all be done at one dealer so I can compare the experience without memory fading between dealers.

What do you think I should be aware of and what would you go for and why?

The car will be very much a fair weather driver and will go on a Scotland/Euro jaunt annually. I intend to keep the car I buy for a few years, so it's not a case of a temporary scratch to itch.

[Trev450]

Personally I would be looking at the F430 with that budget.

[RamboLambo]

F355 GTS but I may be biased. Looks of the coupe but with a targa top gives you open top motoring feel.

Last pretty Ferrari IMHO with those classic lines and not so mass produced. Difficult to find well maintained, good condition low mileage manuals and before you ask No mine is not for sale ever.

Only negative I can see is the high maintenance costs if you go main dealer annually

I'm not such a fan of the spyder purely because of the large cloth roof so of the cars you have listed I would have to say 599

[johnnyreggae]

575 with FHP is not within your budget nor necessary although I am sure what you have read on the internet is as ever so correct that your mind is already made up !

Edited by johnnyreggae on Wednesday 25th April 22:22

[MDL111]

johnnyreggae said:

575 with FHP is not within your budget nor necessary although I am sure what you have read on the internet is as ever so correct that your mind is already made up !

Edited by johnnyreggae on Wednesday 25th April 22:22

In fairness though that is what many people wrote (at least at the time) and therefore if one can’t drive one (or hasn’t yet driven) is the best indicator - at least a reasonable assumption when asking for feedback/thoughts

I have always adored the 550 (prefer the interior to the 575) - a elegant V12 manual - what’s not to like. Test drove one about 12 years ago, but at the time bought a 355 instead as I wanted a lighter weight/more sports car feel. The 355 was great for weekend driving as well as euro trips - surprisingly you can get quite a bit of luggage into the car (mi e was a coupe though). It was fast enough but not too fast if that makes sense.

I looked at a 599 a few years ago but never drove one, so apart from saying it is a big car, I can’t really help on those. Prefer the looks of the 550/575, but clearly that engine is an amazing piece of kit. I would imagine a 599 has the potential to throw up some bigger bills - more electronics/ceramic brakes/very powerful heavy car - than a 550

[SL550M]

OP. Nice choice to have to make!
I owned a 550 for 4 years and a 599 for about 18 months. The 599 is a great car, feels special, and the engine is magnificent. But the 550 is the one I'd have back in a heartbeat. I regret selling it. For me, it's a more engaging, more usable road car. In fact, it was my only car for the 4 years I owned it. That was a good 4 years! My experience suggests also that the 550 is less expensive to maintain than a 599 and has fewer electrical gremlins.

[Dinoboy]

550 would be my choice, they've aged really well and you could even have it on a classic insurance policy if it's just a weekend car.

[Behemoth]

550 for proper grand touring, 355 for twisties. Each can do either very well but the key compromise in each case is there & it is size. Decide which use is the most important to you & go for the model that does that one thing the best.

Indies can service both with no shame on your service history.

[WCZ]

599 imo, the engine is just so sweet and absolutely rapid

[utgjon]

Out of those?

While a manual 550 would be an interesting one to try, ultimately the 599 would be the one i'd buy; the engine is sensational, and you'd never get bored of the power. Subjectively, I'd say it's the best looking of the bunch too.

[Trev450]

CKQC said:

Trev450 said:

Personally I would be looking at the F430 with that budget.

Thanks, but if I had wanted a F430 I would have listed it. A very ugly car in my view.

Fair enough. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.

On the basis on your list, my heart would choose a 355 but my head would say 599. Came very close to purchasing a 355 a couple of years ago but the potential for large bills frightened me off eventually.

[Claret Badger]

For weekend and fair weather driving Id have the 355. For more year round driving and practicality, then a 550. Both should hold their values and both old enough to feel 'real'.

599 too new, big, heavy and mass produced for me and the 575 not enough of an improvement over the 550, and with the wretched F1 transmission too. Manuals too rare and valuable to be worth it over a 550 to me personally.

Ive driven a 355 and thought it a lovely car, if slightly underwhelming performance. Ive owned a 550 and miss it like crazy. It was practical, reliable and (for me) as quick a car as Id ever want. Only downside is I guess it doesnt 'shout' so you dont get as many people looking at you/commenting etc. I liked that though!

[F355GTS]

Very tough choice, they're all great cars, as good as the 500 and 575'sare I'd narrow the choice to the 599 or 355.

As somebody else suggested it depends on use to some extent, the 355 is not super fast in modern car terms but is plenty quick and agile enough for a fun B road blast/ weekend toy, the 599 is crazy fast but a big car and can be difficult to thread down the lanes but then it is much more comfortable car for a European tour/ crossing continents.

[SL550M]

SL550M said:

OP. Nice choice to have to make!
I owned a 550 for 4 years and a 599 for about 18 months. The 599 is a great car, feels special, and the engine is magnificent. But the 550 is the one I'd have back in a heartbeat. I regret selling it. For me, it's a more engaging, more usable road car. In fact, it was my only car for the 4 years I owned it. That was a good 4 years! My experience suggests also that the 550 is less expensive to maintain than a 599 and has fewer electrical gremlins.

I'd love to hear more details thoughts from you, if you have the time.

OP. I feel like I'm going out to bat on a sticky wicket here, but here goes....

Stating the obvious, the 599 is dynamically and technically on a completely different level to the 550. It's a great car. That Enzo engine is epic...but honestly, how do you use it? Maybe now and then you can give it the full beans, but only for 3 or 4 seconds and then....oops, sorry officer, here are my keys and please kindly show me the way to the nearest prison

I think the 599 will be typically more expensive to run and maintain, but that's a different topic.

Anyway, for me, the 550 was just such a sweet, beautiful car for the road. It's got 480-odd horsepower, that's plenty for me thanks. It's a lovely place to spend time on long journeys; that lovely (cliché alert) click-clack gear change makes it such an engaging drive on EVERY journey. Mine also had a sublime and very expensive (thank you previous owner) sports exhaust so I'd wind down the window and listen to that beautiful sound. It was reliable too. My only issue in 4 years and over 20k miles was a sticky handbrake cable (sorted under warranty). God I loved that car. Why on earth I ever sold it will remain one of my life's great mysteries. I'd now need to spend three times as much to buy back my old car. Oh well...time for a drink!

PS. Good luck with your search. Enjoy the process; it's all part of the fun.

[CKQC]

Thank you all. I will be testing all of them, but at this point, I think I am leaning towards a manual 550 or 355.

Looking at the classifieds, are there any particular examples under the £100,000 mark that you would suggest I look at? I'd be keen to know why anyone might think a particular car is a good idea.

Please feel free to keep discussing and linking to ads for 575s and 599s. My mind is far from made up!

[cgt2]

I've had several 550's, a manual 575 and briefly a 599.

I'd choose the 550 every time, it's a better car than the other two, although it is a heavy car and handling is not what I would call nimble but it's a beautifully balanced GT car. The 599 had many electrical gremlins and you would spend far more maintaining it.

[CKQC]

Thanks CGT2. For you, why the 550 over the 575?

[cgt2]

CKQC said:

Thanks CGT2. For you, why the 550 over the 575?

More special feeling interior (retro dials, cabin design though the 575 was slightly better finished), felt very similar performance wise but the 575 felt slightly more anaesthetised overall whilst the 550 was rawer (both had identical Tubi exhaust setups). I can't speak to a 575 F1 as mine was a manual and I was never a fan of F1 even when new and which now does feel like a very dated transmission compared to something like an F12.

The 575 manual carries a hefty premium over a 550 but having both side by side I preferred the sound and feel of the 550, the 575 just felt a tad bit more toned down. You wont drive either like a go-kart so the Fiorano pack didn't appear to make a noticeable difference on my car, these are not point and squirt go-karts. If you push on hard in either car on a twisty lane they do feel a bit unwieldy but on a fast cross-Europe dash either car is peerless.

If you want a more lively car in the twisties a 355 is a fine choice. Some of my best drives were in a manual 355 Berlinetta.

Edited by cgt2 on Friday 27th April 12:03

[WCZ]

cgt2 said:

I've had several 550's, a manual 575 and briefly a 599.

I'd choose the 550 every time, it's a better car than the other two, although it is a heavy car and handling is not what I would call nimble but it's a beautifully balanced GT car. The 599 had many electrical gremlins and you would spend far more maintaining it.

yeah the 599 is an expensive car to run too
I'd drive them before you buy, I was very underwhelmed by the 355 when I drove my friends

[CitySlicker]

WCZ said:

cgt2 said:

I've had several 550's, a manual 575 and briefly a 599.

I'd choose the 550 every time, it's a better car than the other two, although it is a heavy car and handling is not what I would call nimble but it's a beautifully balanced GT car. The 599 had many electrical gremlins and you would spend far more maintaining it.

yeah the 599 is an expensive car to run too
I'd drive them before you buy, I was very underwhelmed by the 355 when I drove my friends

I disagree, my 599 has been great in my three years of ownership. I've only had to change the battery and a headlight light bulb and servicing bills are normal Ferrari pricing.

People keep saying the 599 is a big car, compared to other supercars it probably falls around the median in terms of width as such if people can't place the 599 comfortably on the road then they can't place many supercars!

The Ferrari V12 is an engine to be celebrated, from the 550 through to the F12 and soon 812. I had a 488 spider recently for a week and despite it being significantly newer and more capable in somehow felt wanting. I'm off to Modena to tryout the 812 at Fiorano next week. Can't wait to experience the final hoorah of Ferrari's pure V12!