After looking for a very long time, I have actually now found two cars that I like so much that it's down to a coin flip. 1998 550: Red/tan, 5,000 miles. Full records, everything correct. Fresh major. Car is showroom perfect. No options. $90,000 2002 575: Red/tan, 15,000 miles. Full records, everything correct. Fresh major. Car is showroom perfect. F-1, Daytona seats, leather shelf, shields, upgraded sound system (no FHP). $115,000 Both show 3 owners on Carfax, no issues. Both are absolutely stunning inside and out. I have expressed my opinions about various purchase decisions on other threads, but I would really like to hear which YOU would choose and why, given just the facts and features above.
if you can live with the f1, i'd go for the 575. a newer car not only in model years but from the aspect that a 575 is an upgraded / refined 550 as far as all the mechanicals and such underneath. no bubbly hvac panel, updated exterior and whatever else they improved upon underneath. the $25k spread between the two cars should narrow somewhat in the coming years but no reason to nickel and dime it.
Frankly, I'm not a fan of Red/Tan on Maranellos. Too much body surface for such a bright color. That said, I'd go for the stick. One of the major joys in driving a Maranello is rowing the machine. The car wasn't designed for an F1, and it takes a lot away from the car. Options don't really add a lot to this car. It is what it is. Just my two fully devalued cents. Dale PS I have driven a 575 F1. I just didn't get the point. The 550 has so much torque that you can drive it around town in 3rd if you wish.
Five versus fifteen K miles makes you consider how many miles you will accrue yearly and how long until you might sell it. Newer and more power is nice but the price difference makes a good rainy day fund. If it's just a weekend pleasure vehicle, I'm thinking the 550 is a big enough jump over your previous Mondial to satisfy most urges. They both seem like good values- tough yet fun choice to make!
You are planning on keeping the car for some time. Buy the 550. 575 is loaded with electronics that are badly supported by the factory. In addition as much as I like F1's it WILL be more expensive over the long haul. One or more of the expensive components WILL break. The car is so complex electronically at 575 school we spent 1 full day being shown (for the first time ever in a Ferrari school) where all the major electronic components were and we removed a dash in the class so we would be able to access all the various components when the time came. Your closest dealer had one under warranty with a CAN bus problem that their shop foreman (he's good) couldnt fix with about 40 hours into it with direct factory assitance. At that point Ferrari sent 3 or 4 engineers from Maranello who collectively got nowhere in about 50 more man hours at which point they ordered a shopping cart full of parts and installed it all to fix the car. How would you like to have paid that repair bill? 550 does not have those problems. 575 is a good car but I would not own one with the intention of it being a keeper, I would with a 550. Buy a 550, spend a couple of bucks getting the shelf and headliner done in diamond pleated leather and when the tinker toy shocks break install Koni's or Olins.
Since the 575 has no FHP, the 550 will be the much better driver. For me, it would be the 550; I like the 6-speed manual, and the car is a bit more pure to me. I also cannot imagine you would miss the 575 if you bought the 550, so that would mean 25k in the back pocket. Never a bad thing with cars like these. They sound like nice examples, but please put some miles on that 550 if you're going to buy it! Onno
Yes. All recalls, 3 hoses, 575 motor mounts, fresh battery, fresh tires. I have to say that I was leaning toward the 575 before these comments. Brian, scary stuff on the 575 electronics. What does that say about the even more complicated 599? Having experienced the joys of the Mondial electrical system, I have a deep phobia of electrical gremlins. Going over the papers on the 575 last night, I noticed that the owner had asked the dealer to check clutch wear about 1,000 miles ago. The page with the report from the technician is missing. Need to track that down, but just wondering what the expected clutch life is on a 575 F-1? I understand that the 550 clutch should go 50,000 miles if burnouts are kept to a minimum? Looking at other 575's for sale, 15,000 miles is on the high side and cars with over 20k miles have dropped into the $100,000 range. So it looks like I could expect that car to lose $15K in the first year that I drive it my anticipated 5,000 miles. The big benefit to the 550 seems to be that I could run 15,000 miles up on that car and not affect the car's value much at all, given its ridiculously low miles right now. With a little twisted logic, I could convince myself that the 550 is actually going to cost me $40K less to own than the 575, if I assume that maintenance will be about the same. Since neither car needs a thing, that's a safe assumption, right?
575, only because its been driven. A 5,000 mile 1998 could be a bit scary. Theoretically, that car should have had 3 major services by now. I suspect it's probably only had one. Regardless of what the records say, if I went for the 1998, I'd have a major done immediately. Then check the hoses for the update, and new motor mounts.
I think over your ownership life it will be a greater difference than that. Lot of thing on the 550 that will cost less over time. And unless you are really hooked on the idea of having an F1 you really are not giving up anything. Settling for a 550 is not quite like settling for a Yugo.
+1. I would buy the 550, given these two, although red wouldn't have been my first choice. It feels like the better value, and for driving satisfaction the six-speed will likely be more rewarding (given that you're not using this as a commuter/daily driver car). Holy crap. I've tended to think the more recent Ferraris would be bad long-term "keepers", and this confirms it. Maybe the mix of sophisticated electronics plus a spares network that, to be charitable, isn't as robust as Mercedes', is a recipe for future grief.
It is not just Ferrari. It is all of them particularly the Europeans. I never used to buy extended warranties on my own cars. I do now and when the warranty is out so is the car. The electronic systems have gotten very extensive, are very cheaply made and very hard to diagnose. Pretty much the entire industry has embraced the "replace with a known good unit" method of diagnosis and to be honest from a labor cost standpoint it is often the most efficient way to do it. But with the cost, spotty availability and nonreturnability of Ferrari electronic components the cost of the process is really frightening. More and more people are going retro. Can't tell you how many of my clients are getting rid of current Ferraris and looking at 328, TR etc. It is one of the reasons for some price movement in that era of car.
It's nice to see you back, Brian. Pardon my being "off topic" but I've saved many of your posts over the last several years to a separate folder. Your experience and advice have enhanced my 550 (and 308) ownership in many ways. Barry
I own an old beat up Range Rover Classic that I use as a crap/work/haul/tow boat anything car. Last night I tried to adjust the seat and the passenger side view mirror moved. Now I control the seat by only moving the mirror adjustment, but the door has to be open for that to work. I use the seat control to adjust the mirrors. And the dash lights dim when I apply brakes How many hours of tech time do you think it would take to diagnose that? (And no, there has never been any work done to the car with the electronics. They all worked fine last time I adjusted the seat a month ago.) Gotta love those cars
Jon, The 550's shifter and clutch make the Maranello a perfect commuter/daily driver car. You'll find its generous torque helpful in city driving, minimizing gear changes in most situatons. Barry
+1... Quick! - Think of any really good looking larger bodied red cars!...Ha, knew you couldn't. Red full size Range Rover? Red S-class Mercedes? You just never see them Kinda puts a dent in all that "resale red" sillines when it comes to 550/575s. ketel
I think the resale red thing on roadgoing Ferraris is a Magnum leftover, honestly. I haven't seen red 550s or 360s command much, if any, premium. With the 308s and TRs, maybe so.
Larger bodied? Are you saying that the 550/575 is FAT? Yeah, red doesn't look good on GT cars. No one paints them red. I'm sure that you would turn down these awful examples. Enjoy your off-color cars. I have to admit that I don't have the guts. I prefer Pozzi/Cuoio on the 550, but red/tan is going to be the color that the Magnum PI fan that I'm going to sell the car to down the road for $50,000 is going to want. He isn't going to want silver/blue, even if you have service records, tools, books, etc., etc. and a fresh major from the Ferrari dealer. Ask me how I know. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Seems I struck a nerve... Yes, dakharris, all nice cars...but, personally, ALL would look better in other colors besides red/tan. It seems even you'd prefer a Pozzi/Cuoio 550, which is a damn fine looking automobile, IMO. As for the MagnumPI knuckleheads, to heck with them. I personally don't buy my cars worrying about what the NEXT owner will want. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that I keep my cars a good long time, but that's neither here nor there. Also, I would think someone with a Magnum PI mentality wouldn't really be looking at a 550/575. There are so many other Fcars that would better fit the bill AND look better in red -- 328s, 308s, TRs... I like to think of the 550/575 as a gentlemen's Ferrari - not lumbering or slouchy like a 412 or anything like that, but a car for an owner that has probably had other Ferraris in the past and does not need the crazy attention a Red/Tan 3x8 or 430 will give him, but does not want to compromise on performance either. ketel
550. Test drove one a couple weeks ago with a service manager of Algar in the right seat. After we were done the ride, there was no question in my mind that the 550 is the better choice of the two. There was no question in his mind before we started. go for the 550. DM
Not so fast. I think that Red/Tan looks great on the nouveau dinos such as 348/355/360/430 cars. But that long nose on a Maranello makes for a lot of real estate. Personally, the best color combo I have ever seen for a 550 is TDF/Tan. But it is funny how taste changes. My old 550 was Silver/Red, which is actually a classic combo. (Think SL 300s.) However, I guess that it is not blingly enough for today's crowd. I guess that is why I added some dice. Dale Image Unavailable, Please Login
