Ferrari 550, 1 owner, only 109,000 miles FSH.Well would you?
Discussion
PHAB said:
..Having unpacked the boot I removed the interior trims and piece of ply that exposes the back of the tank and the two pumps. Both of which looked to be in fine condition although not making any nice ticking noises when the ignition was turned on...which I took as an indication that either they were primed or they were dead. So I repacked the boot and went back to the drawing board, convinced it was to do with fuelling.
Having feverishly tapped away on my phone and read a few forum threads I then got onto the fuel pump relays. Better check those. Where are they? Under the passenger footwell. Remove passenger footwell and expose the octopus of cables, fuses and relays. Remove and check every fuse and inspect the relays and all is well. Real head scratching now. More forum reading and more inquisitive people taking pictures of a very tidy 550 with the bonnet up and innards exposed. Next item, fuel cut off solenoid. I note Evo had this fail on their long termer and had to have it flat-bedded back to Maranello. Its the system by which the fuel supply to the engine is cut if it detects roll or impact. Where is it? Located bang underneath the battery, mounted on the inside of the wing. Ah! My mechanic must have given it a knock installing the new battery...find it and check it...its ok and the reset button hasn't been tripped. Real panic/despair setting in now. I should add between every check prod and wiggle I tried to restart the car... and each time more heads turned as the engine fired and then died in the same moment, with the starter still whining. Double and then triple checked the immobiliser was being deactivated and then remembered if it was engaged the engine wouldnt even be turning...
Having feverishly tapped away on my phone and read a few forum threads I then got onto the fuel pump relays. Better check those. Where are they? Under the passenger footwell. Remove passenger footwell and expose the octopus of cables, fuses and relays. Remove and check every fuse and inspect the relays and all is well. Real head scratching now. More forum reading and more inquisitive people taking pictures of a very tidy 550 with the bonnet up and innards exposed. Next item, fuel cut off solenoid. I note Evo had this fail on their long termer and had to have it flat-bedded back to Maranello. Its the system by which the fuel supply to the engine is cut if it detects roll or impact. Where is it? Located bang underneath the battery, mounted on the inside of the wing. Ah! My mechanic must have given it a knock installing the new battery...find it and check it...its ok and the reset button hasn't been tripped. Real panic/despair setting in now. I should add between every check prod and wiggle I tried to restart the car... and each time more heads turned as the engine fired and then died in the same moment, with the starter still whining. Double and then triple checked the immobiliser was being deactivated and then remembered if it was engaged the engine wouldnt even be turning...
That's seriously impressive in a 550 stranded in a hotel car-park. I can't imagine many people driving a Fezza have the skills or knowledge to even attempt such a thing - i salute you sir! 
Yes I have just reread the first 4 pages for the first time in a long while....thank goodness I didn't see this thread before I bought the car.
Chrisw666 said:
Even when the car in question is a Ferrari 550 that will in time appreciate regardless of miles. A well used and cared for 550 will be better than some low mileage one that's been bought by a half wit with his £40k inheritance on one as a weekend toy but hasn't got the funds nor sense to look after it properly.
That said, there were a few wise owls amongst the doubters! PHAB said:
Once all the work was completed the car was given a full service - oil change, coolant change, steering fluid change, brake fluid change, air filters, fuel filters. Before the next long trip the plugs will be changed and the high tension cables may need to be replaced as they are beginning to perish slightly with age. Ive noticed having looked at quite a few 550s this year that this problem seems to be age related and not dependent upon mileage.
I've renewed the HT cables on my 550 and can supply them for most Ferraris.A small update...I decided more out of curiosity than anything else to dig the Tubi exhausts out of their dust rags, give the a good polish and fit them. Ive no intentions to do any long distance journeys in the car in the near future so didnt mind that they were going to be pretty loud.
Observations:
The tubi back boxes are considerably smaller and lighter than stock. Pic to illustrate.
Before fitting I gave them a very good polish up and also resprayed the mesh that they slot through in matt black...as it had greyed a bit.
Sound...well....the Tubis totally change the character of the car to be honest. They are very loud at idle...loud enough to "feel" the noise and have to shout when standing behind the car to make yourself heard. On the move its odd, because the noise is at the back of the car the sound is almost left behind you when at a constant speed...Id say it is almost bearable for a long journey at 80mph....but not quite. It certainly puts a smile on your face and gets heads turning when creeping around town or pushing on as it sounds like a racing car. Fun but perhaps too "look at me" for my liking!
Perhaps more significantly though, there is considerably less back pressure and you can feel this in the gear change up and down...it is a lot smoother and the need to match the revs exactly coming down is reduced to avoid a lurch. Im going to keep them on for now as they are a bit of fun but they will have to be swapped for longer journeys as they are simply too loud. Starting up in the morning outside a hotel in Europe would be downright antisocial!
I dont have a walkaround of the car on file but I have this very short clip....almost impossible to gauge the volume but it might be of interest. Ill get a proper walkaround up soon.
http://sendvid.com/v736a87z - short engine rev
http://sendvid.com/6v7kbo83 - awful walk-around. I will do a better one of these when I can!
Observations:
The tubi back boxes are considerably smaller and lighter than stock. Pic to illustrate.
Before fitting I gave them a very good polish up and also resprayed the mesh that they slot through in matt black...as it had greyed a bit.
Sound...well....the Tubis totally change the character of the car to be honest. They are very loud at idle...loud enough to "feel" the noise and have to shout when standing behind the car to make yourself heard. On the move its odd, because the noise is at the back of the car the sound is almost left behind you when at a constant speed...Id say it is almost bearable for a long journey at 80mph....but not quite. It certainly puts a smile on your face and gets heads turning when creeping around town or pushing on as it sounds like a racing car. Fun but perhaps too "look at me" for my liking!
Perhaps more significantly though, there is considerably less back pressure and you can feel this in the gear change up and down...it is a lot smoother and the need to match the revs exactly coming down is reduced to avoid a lurch. Im going to keep them on for now as they are a bit of fun but they will have to be swapped for longer journeys as they are simply too loud. Starting up in the morning outside a hotel in Europe would be downright antisocial!
I dont have a walkaround of the car on file but I have this very short clip....almost impossible to gauge the volume but it might be of interest. Ill get a proper walkaround up soon.
http://sendvid.com/v736a87z - short engine rev
http://sendvid.com/6v7kbo83 - awful walk-around. I will do a better one of these when I can!
em177 said:
AndrewW-G said:
As per Vixpy's post, not for £38k. No matter how well it's been looked after, or who handed it over, once the cheque had cleared, it will still be bugger to sell on.
Can laugh at the early posts now... Took our 550M up to the midlands for a wedding over the weekend. Had a lovely time with it, easy to forget what a quiet, smooth car it is for cruising and how generally great it is in terms of handling and performance when you're giving it a bit of stick!
Also love the fact that it's definitely a mans car with a heavy clutch and meaty gearshift!
Only problem I have is that the standard seats have done my back in. Might try and and get a hold of some of the sports bucket seats from somewhere as they're great in the Barchetta
Also love the fact that it's definitely a mans car with a heavy clutch and meaty gearshift!
Only problem I have is that the standard seats have done my back in. Might try and and get a hold of some of the sports bucket seats from somewhere as they're great in the Barchetta
CampDavid said:
They're into significant 3 figures now.
Unless anyone has got any first hand evidence of them selling for that, they aren't. Happy to be proved wrong though, they are a great car, but up until about a month ago when I last had a gander at the classifieds there were about 10 RHD cars for sale from memory, and £80K got you a RHD 35K miler. The ads up now are people taking a punt on SOR etc. I don't blame them, but I'd be very surprised if 550s had done 25%+ in a month or so. Incidentally, I think 355s are suffering from people expecting the cars to sell for excessively high prices as well. There have got to be 35+ for sale at the moment and I bet 90% of them are SOR - there is no way dealers are paying £65K up front for a 40K mile 355 then sticking it up at £80K.
Mario149 said:
Unless anyone has got any first hand evidence of them selling for that, they aren't. Happy to be proved wrong though, they are a great car, but up until about a month ago when I last had a gander at the classifieds there were about 10 RHD cars for sale from memory, and £80K got you a RHD 35K miler. The ads up now are people taking a punt on SOR etc. I don't blame them, but I'd be very surprised if 550s had done 25%+ in a month or so.
Wish you were right but I know the following Ferrari 550 (1999, LHD) sold for £110k at the Silverstone auction:https://www.silverstoneauctions.com/the-salon-priv...
355Chris355 said:
Mario149 said:
Unless anyone has got any first hand evidence of them selling for that, they aren't. Happy to be proved wrong though, they are a great car, but up until about a month ago when I last had a gander at the classifieds there were about 10 RHD cars for sale from memory, and £80K got you a RHD 35K miler. The ads up now are people taking a punt on SOR etc. I don't blame them, but I'd be very surprised if 550s had done 25%+ in a month or so.
Wish you were right but I know the following Ferrari 550 (1999, LHD) sold for £110k at the Silverstone auction:https://www.silverstoneauctions.com/the-salon-priv...
My general impression is that the market is cooling for these non limited run cars that have had major jumps in the recent past. As much as to some people they may be worth 150%+ of what they were 2 years ago, the market gets smaller and smaller the higher you go. Try offering a good condition sensible miles 355, 550, GT3, 964/993 to trade for an outright purchase and I'd wager you'd get a hefty shock. Funny thing is the higher up in value they go, the better value a private sale is at both ends, but not many seem to be willing to sell/buy the higher value cars privately.
All interesting. Id never consider selling but a quick glance through the classifieds suggest the prices have gone completely bonkers. £85k for a LHD...£100k + for a RHD with modest mileage. Closest thing to S50GTB is a RHD silver with quite a few owners, 79,000 miles for ... £86,000....the same spec LHD car is for sale from the same garage...with 19,000 miles for £79,000.
All great I suppose but sustainable? Not so sure.
All great I suppose but sustainable? Not so sure.
Easiest way to find out what your (as in anyone) 550 is worth is ring up a dealer and see what they'll buy it off you for. Then add £12K. You'll be there or thereabouts on what it is worth retail. Asking prices on ads have almost zero to do actual value when there's been this much alleged price inflation going on.
I may sound cynical, but I've just been round the houses on this with selling my GT3. In *theory* it was an £80K car from a specialist dealer. Virtually no one tracks them anymore so the fact that it's end of track season shouldn't matter too much, and if it was such an appreciating asset as internet lore would have us believe people would be snapping them up at all times of year. Serious dealer bids I had were all £60K - £63K and in the end I sold if for a bit more privately
All of which is actually a good thing as it means the fun cars are more affordable for more of us.
I may sound cynical, but I've just been round the houses on this with selling my GT3. In *theory* it was an £80K car from a specialist dealer. Virtually no one tracks them anymore so the fact that it's end of track season shouldn't matter too much, and if it was such an appreciating asset as internet lore would have us believe people would be snapping them up at all times of year. Serious dealer bids I had were all £60K - £63K and in the end I sold if for a bit more privately
All of which is actually a good thing as it means the fun cars are more affordable for more of us.
Mario149 said:
Easiest way to find out what your (as in anyone) 550 is worth is ring up a dealer and see what they'll buy it off you for. Then add £12K. You'll be there or thereabouts on what it is worth retail. Asking prices on ads have almost zero to do actual value when there's been this much alleged price inflation going on.
I may sound cynical, but I've just been round the houses on this with selling my GT3. In *theory* it was an £80K car from a specialist dealer. Virtually no one tracks them anymore so the fact that it's end of track season shouldn't matter too much, and if it was such an appreciating asset as internet lore would have us believe people would be snapping them up at all times of year. Serious dealer bids I had were all £60K - £63K and in the end I sold if for a bit more privately
All of which is actually a good thing as it means the fun cars are more affordable for more of us.
That's really interesting, thanks. I've been following the market for years now, as I nearly bought a 550 or a GT3 as a weekend toy back when they were circa £40k, and although I've moved onto other things, would still be interested in the future. It's interesting to hear of evidence that these high prices are largely speculative. I found the same when selling my Lotus 2-Eleven recently - lots of cars (relatively!) advertised for circa £35k, but nobody would offer me anywhere near that and I ended up selling privately for a very small markup on the trade-in/SOR quotes that I'd had. The other thing is of course the market for cars like these is very small - hardly anybody's buying brand new £80k Porsches anymore (the new sales figures are shocking compared with Range Rovers for example), let alone secondhand Ferraris for that much.I may sound cynical, but I've just been round the houses on this with selling my GT3. In *theory* it was an £80K car from a specialist dealer. Virtually no one tracks them anymore so the fact that it's end of track season shouldn't matter too much, and if it was such an appreciating asset as internet lore would have us believe people would be snapping them up at all times of year. Serious dealer bids I had were all £60K - £63K and in the end I sold if for a bit more privately
All of which is actually a good thing as it means the fun cars are more affordable for more of us.
All going well! Will update soon, service around the corner so will do so after that. Cant believe whats going on with the RHD 550 prices...world's gone mad. Quite a bit of available time being spent on the SL600 as I think it will be doing the trip this summer...just about to go in for a full respray. Haven't had the 550 out for a while due to the awful weather....itching to though!
Edited by PHAB on Tuesday 8th March 23:09
PHAB said:
All going well! Will update soon, service around the corner so will do so after that. Cant believe whats going on with the RHD 550 prices...world's gone mad. Quite a bit of available time being spent on the SL600 as I think it will be doing the trip this summer...just about to go in for a full respray. Haven't had the 550 out for a while due to the awful weather....itching to though!
Edited by PHAB on Tuesday 8th March 23:09
I can't believe I haven't seen this until now!
Sir, as others have said you're a proper PH hero. I know you've said you aren't considering selling it but it must be comforting to know that although you might not have actually made any money on it it must be worth more or less what you've spent on it so far?
Sir, as others have said you're a proper PH hero. I know you've said you aren't considering selling it but it must be comforting to know that although you might not have actually made any money on it it must be worth more or less what you've spent on it so far?
This thread is definitely one of the things PH is about.
Great write-up, especially that unlike the masses, you'll pick up the tools and resolve problems despite the pony on the bonnet.
It actually makes me also really want a V12 Ferrari but then there's a lot of us here that do.
Please keep posting - fascinating.
PS - Great story about the break down at the lights and the second key. Have you considered cleaning the engine bay earths?
Great write-up, especially that unlike the masses, you'll pick up the tools and resolve problems despite the pony on the bonnet.
It actually makes me also really want a V12 Ferrari but then there's a lot of us here that do.
Please keep posting - fascinating.
PS - Great story about the break down at the lights and the second key. Have you considered cleaning the engine bay earths?
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