Looking at a high mileage 550

are you referring to the black 550 still on ebay? what type of work is needed to be done? for under 40k i'd probably scoop it up, repaint it red and drive it into the ground. if only i didn't have so many other expenses coming on at the same time...

 

I'm not a mechanic so I couldn't say what was needed. I had to deal with a family emergency at the time I sold it.

 

Merry Christmas fastjon. Ee emailed along time ago. I almost bought your old 550 from Scott a few years ago. Maybe I should now. Glad you are enjoying the 328.

 

My 550 was $46k with 57,000 miles on it. Best purchase I ever made! I think the price may have also been because it's a Euro Spec and maybe people were shying away from it.

FBB helped me make my purchase decision when he said he'd owned a Euro Spec and had no issues with them.

 

what color? Sounds like a great deal. i have come across a few 50k 550s with around 60k miles on them. one was red that i regret not having the available cash to have scooped it up.

 

My euro 550 has 60kmiles. My near concoure USA 550 has under 25k miles. My eurospec car is better.

 

why? just because you can drive it in a more carefree manner?

 

Ever find a high mileage red 550. Love to find one.

 

Red! It was owned by a guy named James Diiorio and was for sale in Nevada. I bought it sight-unseen the price was so good! Had my carrier service guy pick it up and bring it to me. The only real issue that it had when I took delivery was a fuel leak at the driver-side pressure regulator, and the ABS/ASR warnings were scrolling due to a break in the wire to the ABS ECU and another break in the wire to the front driver-side ABS sensor. I found and fixed both issues myself, so other than those two things, the car is my favorite Ferrari.

I've said this on F-Chat before.... to put how much I love this car into perspective, I have a 612 that I HATE by comparison!! I bought it sight-unseen as well figuring "hey.... a Ferrari v12! What could there be not to like?!". Well, the answer to that question is "the ride and handling". The 550 IMO is just as nice a cruiser as the 612, but start to throw the each of them into the twisties and you learn really fast that the 612 is a pig in comparison to the 550.

For FBB:

What about your Euro Spec is better than your other 550? Do you think this is attributed to the fact that your euro has more miles... was driven and therefore is in better shape? Or do you like it better because the Euro has more power than the US spec?

I ask because I'm looking to get another 550 that's on the market right now. It's Titanium with Red leather interior, and I LOVE that color combo! It's also another Euro spec... the turn signal on the front fender, the 50-90-100 readings on the coolant temp gauge, and the oil pressure measured in "BAR" gives it away as a Euro. It has about 40,000 miles on it, is a 2000 model, and I think the price is a bit on the high side. Going to see if the seller is willing to drop another $10k of the price (seems it's been on the market a while).

I've also been looking (I believe) at this same black 550 that has the 79,000 miles on it

 

i wonder if you bought the same car i was contemplating. congrats either way i'm glad to hear it's working out well. please keep me in mind if you ever decide to sell.

 

Merry Christmas Ferari Chatters. If you co.e across a red 550 high mileage let me know.

 

Well my euro is better because I have owned it longer and sorted more issues. It has a full gold kit and idles smoother and the engine is stronger. It has customized aftermarket double adjustable moton shocks and springs and delrin bushings, so the suspension is sportier. My other 550 is a garage queen. It has not had the attention my euro has had or as many new parts. But the queen is prettier. I'm on the fence as to whether to make a racecar out of the euro. It would be a fun project but no one to race with, the vette racecar I got gobs of guys to race with. Life is tough!

I think the important thing here is to buy what you can afford and know what you are buying so it stays affordable. Being the anal guy I am if there is a 15k mile 550 for sale with current service I would be taking it apart and doing the major again myself anyway so I may as well buy a car that needs a major and buy the car cheaper. Someone else might have to pay to fix their car so buying one with service current is important to that person.

 

makes sense thanks for sharing. i've read over and over again that most engines make more power at 40k miles than at 10k. the wear-in period is an ongoing process for many miles from new.

i get why you don't have anyone to race with you. i could never afford to race my ferrari. hopefully when i have the time and extra money to go racing regularly i'll probably stick to bmws as they are fun but much easier to maintain, and there's plenty of guys to go racing with.

 

Agreed on the BMW. In fact I really want to sell my Z06 racecar and race a E46 BMW with SMG. Those things are so cheap! You get an F1 shifter for next to nothing. Another consideration is racing maserati coupes with F1 shifter. Its almost a Ferrari for under 25K. If the gearbox dies you junk the car. If your F1 dies on a 360 you cry.

Machinery should not sit. If you look at a 15 year old machine in use with lots of miles and a 15 year old machine that has sat in a corner unused I just about guarantee that both machines will take just about as much work to get them in like new working order. So with a high mile machine you get it cheap with some dings. With the low use machine you pay extra for prettiness.

 

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=91326&endYear=2015&modelCode1=550M&showcaseOwnerId=0&startYear=1981&makeCode1=FER&searchRadius=0&mmt=[FER[550M[]][]]&listingId=388615875. The link does not work but one can paste the address in your browser.

I have no financial interest in this vehicle or the dealership-just passing information.

The 1999 550 is back for sale at Smiths Volvo in San Luis Obispo. I took a ride up the coast to SLO over a year ago to look at this car. The mileage is not mentioned in the copy but, at the time, it was 79K. The salesman was generous with his time, started it right up and offered me a test drive. I passed at that time as I was still early in my knowledge resources and uncertain of too many things. I will say that the car appeared to be as advertised.

 

has anyone done the carfax on this black car ?

i believe this car is out of GA. was owned by a 80+ yr old UGA prof that drove it all over. FOA serviced no expense spared. great old guy...... he sold it to buy a GT3.

 

60k seems awfully high for an 80k plus mileage car (and im in favor of high miles within reason). For 40k id think about it as a project car.

 

Built in February, 1999, assembly number 32654; for sale in January, 2000, through Ferrari of Denver, black with tan interior, one owner, 7,000 miles.

For sale through Denise Robinson of Louisville, KY, December, 2001, and January, 2002, 11K miles.

For sale at MotorCars International, Springfield, MO, 12,000 miles, books, tools, and records, 30K mile engine-out service done.

I saw this car at EuroFest, October, 2005, in Greer, SC, at the Zentrum. Nero DS 1250 with tan leather, sport seats, 28,047 miles, owned by Scott Kleiner of Watkinsville, GA.

It was then spotted at Road Atlanta, 18-19 April 2009, with aftermarket wheels and racing tires; still with Scott.

Back in April, 2010, Scott (FerrariChat: skleiner) listed (t)his car for sale on FerrariAds for $50,000, with the following description: Black with tan leather, some track time, minor cosmetic dings, new radiator, hoses, electrical harnesses, ECU unit, clutch, brake pads, and rotor, tires, fuel filters, and much more. Belts changed at 35K miles two years ago. Complete service records, extra HRE custom wheels with black centers and half-worn Michelin Sport Cup tires, some wear in the interior but still very nice. Sport seats with harness bar and custom five-point harness bar available; fire extinguisher.

 

Henry- Engine out service? What did someone do, blow up the engine?

 

Post #24

 

This link should work:
Cars for Sale: 1999 Ferrari 550 Maranello Coupe in San Luis Obispo, CA 93401: Coupe Details - 388615875 - AutoTrader.com

Pretty color combination.

 

i think the that is a ferrari service misnomer..... FOA did a ton of service to it. the wiring harness was replaced... bunch of stuff

he tracked the car but drove it very conservatively.... a rode with him at RA, i would consider it spirited driving.. so i wouldn't consider the car beat on by any measure.

 

I don't know, but this car scares me. The pics show a few typical issues with these cars that still have not been resolved. I'm knee deep in a a 17,000 mile example

 

Yeah, that price isn't even close to realistic, even with an up to date service, that car is probably worth 50-55, which it doesn't have anyway. That is a 40k car all day long. I paid 53k for a rebuilt car. It had 28k miles and was CLEAN, which this one also is not. I'd say 38-40k. It has NOTHING going for it. No service, rough condition, high miles, etc. This is the least valuable 550 on earth. Good car to buy for 39k though.

 

You can buy a 10+ y/o low mileage Ferrari and spend a ton sorting it out, or you can buy a, "high mileage" Ferrari that has been kept up with.

My 456M had 7K miles on it and was eleven years old when I bought it. It's a rare red one, so I just didn't care after eighteen months of looking for a red one, so I bought it, never having even driven it (My drive home was the first time I ever drove a Ferrari).

It's my car now. There are over 24K miles on it. So, 17K miles in 33 months. It has needed NOTHING since the initial sort-out. More reliable than my '04 Toyota Highlander in that time frame. If I sold it for what I bought it for, the new owner would be getting a far better car than I bought. About $20K to make it perfect. Now I'm going for pluperfect, making it a concours show car.

When I buy a 612, it will have at least 2.5K miles on it per year. That seems to be kind of a magic number.

The '80 308 I bought is solid as a bank vault, BTW, and it had 51K when I bought it.

Cheers,

George