2007 599 GTB - 6 Month Review from First Time Ferrari Owner

As some of you may recall I decided to trade my 2018 Porsche 911 Turbo S for a 2007 Ferrari 599 GTB. I have long been in the Porsche world but this was my first dip in the Ferrari pool. I was excited, and nervous. Was I making a big mistake, or would this be a dream come true? I have owned my 599 for six months and I put about 1,800 miles on it, so I thought it would be a good time to reflect on my experience so far.

Let me do away with of any suspense right up front. I love the 599. I am thrilled that I decided to make the change. The Porsche was faster, more fuel efficient and more livable for mundane drives. But none of those things were what I was looking for in this car. I bought this car for FUN. I wanted something exciting. I wanted the drive to feel special every time out. The Ferrari excites in a way that the Porsche just can't match.

The Good:

• The F1 Transmission - I know people tend to diss it, and folks love to convert these cars to manuals and I get that. The F1 is nothing like the PDK and that it what I love about it. Yes, it feels a bit herky jerky at slow speeds but to me that gives the car some character compared to the faster but more clinical dual clutch transmissions. That kick in the ass it gives you when you accelerate hard and upshift makes me smile every single time. I have driven the Porsche GT4 RS and a GT3 (with PDK) recently. Great cars, but I honestly missed the raw experience that I get with the F1 in the 599. I would not trade my 599 for either of those cars.
• The Positive Reactions - People just react differently when they see this car versus any Porsche I ever owned or driven. It is especially cool with the kids. I love to see their faces light up, and just get super excited seeing the 599. I am always happy to open it up so they can see inside or rev it at a light, or whatever I can do to make their day.
• The Performance - My Turbo S was tuned and modified and the speed was insane. But all that speed is hard to use on the street very often. The 599 is not as quick, but certainly not slow. I feel like it has that right mix of being quick enough to really have fun with but no so over the top that you can only enjoy a morsel here and there.
• The Sound - V12 Ferrari. Not sure I need to say anything else. I did the secondary cat delete and that to me is the perfect modification to keep things civil when tooling around, but letting her sing when I want to let her rip.
• The Looks - I always liked the style of the 599 and I think it aged extremely well. I can't stop looking at it.
• The Value - I honestly can't believe the bargain that these cars are today.
• The Smell - I know it sounds crazy, but the smell of that fine leather interior gets me every time.

The Not So Good:

• The Sticky Buttons - Not a huge deal, but annoying. I know they can be fixed but an annoyance nonetheless.
• Seat Leather Pulling Off Frame - I believe this is a common 599 issue. Not the end of the world but seeing the leather coming out of the seat frame is annoying.
• Electrical System Failure - The car has run like a champ for me, but a couple weeks ago it threw an electrical system failure message that has not gone away. Everything seems to work fine, perhaps it is related to the TPMS? I just put the car away for the season so I will have it looked at in the spring.
• 9 MPG - This is almost a sense of pride rather than a complaint. The big V12 loves gasoline, and I love to drive it in the most inefficient (FUN) manner possible so trips to the pump are frequent.

The Unexpected:

• Mistaken for a New Ferrari - Obviously we all know the 599 is now a couple Ferrari V12 generations old. But I have had many people talk to me about the car and think it was a brand new model.
• Favorite Ferrari Model - Another thing I heard multiple times from different people was that the 599 was always their favorite Ferrari model. I found that surprising given the number of excellent Ferrari models out there. But people legit tell me all the time that the 599 is their favorite.
• The Beeps - Good grief does the 599 love to beep. Put the key in, beep. Seat belt not on, beep. In reverse, beep.
• The Heat from the V12 - This is something that I probably should have anticipated but didn't really think about it. That V12 throws a lot of heat! I noticed many times this year that if I am out driving, and then park it in my 2-car garage and close the door that an hour later may garage is 7 degrees warmer. The engine heats my whole garage.

I could go on and on, but most of you probably stopped reading by now anyway. Sorry for the long post. But in summary the 599 has been the exciting dream car that I hoped it would be. Can't wait to put more miles on it and learn even more about it.

 

Thanks all for the kind words and advice. If I were to add anything else to my original post it would be to add the FChat community. I find the folks here extremely helpful and supportive and one of the reasons I got the car in the first place.