Looking at a high mileage 550

A V12 Ferrari is a V12 Ferrari.... There is no substitutes for them I would not be too afraid. 80.000 miles is not that much if driven normlly. These cars can run forever if they ae just used frequently and get some attention.

 

I have a black/black 550 , had it at the BBQ. Great cars

 

Is the car in Beverly Hills ? I had a customer with a higher milage black / tan 550 that he was thinking about selling maybe it's the same car.

 

Have 50k miles on mine and it runs great !

Just take care of it and it will be fine.

Barry 308 GTB must have 70 or 80 k miles on his by now..

B ut he takes very good care of it as I do.

cheers,

Bill

 

Can you tell us the VIN?

 

The VIN might show it to be the Black 80K mile car that traded a year or two ago, and was discussed here.

In another thread there was a comment about Austin Healeys bringing 40 and 50. Do the comparison. Do you see what I see?

 

Ketel -- for a PPI in southern CA, you might consider Cavallo Motorsports in Carlsbad. I purchased my 1999 550 from them and consider them honest and highly capable. Frank

 

40-$50K for a 80k mile 550 seems cheap. I would be a driver for sure. Maybe a 60kmile car will go around 60-$70? Years do matter too. Every year they got a little bit better from just production knowledge with very little in the way of actual if any improvements like the dramatic difference between a 95 355 and say a 97 355.

I know a lot about 550's if you want to talk. I got two of them. I think you can justify buying a cheaper car if the work and money you put into it is less than just adding $10k and buying a better car from the start. So look at the car carefully and decide what needs to be done in the next year and compare it to a car with those things already done or on the car.
For example if you must have barchetta wheels they can set you back 5-$7k I have heard. But a car with them already on them does not go for much more than a car without them. It is kinda like kitchen remodel. A belt service is not a major service. Be careful of people selling a car with a belt service calling it a major. There are many nail polish belt swapping mechanics out there. Service records are nice but often times tell you very little and there are some people I know who if I see their name on a repair bill I know I have to do that work again!

 

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.

Where is currently for sale?

 

High miles, track time...hmmm.

Get a compression and leakdown, make sure it shifts smoothly and clutch is good. Then drive the crap out of it, replacing wear parts as you go (hoses, brakes, etc)

I would offer 35k and hope to pay low 40s. I don't think there will be many takers for this car, so make your offer and let them stew over it for a while.

Good luck

Scott

 

1999 Ferrari 550 Maranello | eBay

"Great chance to get into a 550 Maranello at a good price. If you are looking for a concourse car this is not your Ferrari if you are looking for a nice, straight 550 that you can drive and enjoy this is a great car for you. I had the car inspected prior to purchase since I was unable to talk with the previous owner, I am happy to forward this inspection to any interested buyer. The cam seals are leaking along with the steering rack. If you are going to have a 30k done these issues can be handled at that time. After the car was inspected I drove the car 300 miles down to my home on the central coast and I was very pleased. It was serviced by Ferrari of Ohio (Mid Western Auto Group) from 00 until 03, then from 05-09 or 52k it was serviced by Ferrar of Atlanta once the car was brought to California it was serviced by Dino Motors in the Bay area. The AC blew cold, everything worked properly and the car stayed cool while I sat in traffic for a hour on the 101. The clutch is good and has plenty of life. I was personally at the shop while I had it inspected and racked. The front brakes and rotors are like new and the tires have over %65 life left. The right rocker panel does have a few dents that you can only see when the car is up in the air. The springs have been upgraded with a Eibach lowering sprint set on the factory coilover that brings the car down about 1", this 550 also has a very nice set of headers on the car along with a harness bar for a set of 5 point belts other than that the car is stock. While I had the car inspected I did have the fluids changed just to be safe and a complete saftey perfored along with a California smog which is passed perfectly. The front bumper does have rock chips along with a few on the hood, nothing that cannot be touched up. All questions are welcome along with any inspections that you would like to have done locally, all inspections must be performed prior to the ending of the sale. This car has a clean carfax and will be available to prospective buyers. Anyone with 0 or negative feedback must email me prior to bidding or I will cancel your bid. Thanks for looking at my auction."

 

Smith Volvo in San Luis Obispo.

I was there this weekend visiting, and almost went by to look at it, but my schedule changed.

As for the dealership, my family and I have bought several new and used Volvos from them over the years. They also have been a Lotus dealer, and appear to have a decent inventory of gently used sports cars and exotics.

That said, one of the used cars made it through their service department with some glaring deficiencies which they graciously covered after I had the car delivered to my mechanic in Oregon.

Definitely a PPI at another location.

 

Why are people so afraid of higher mileage cars??? Not that this is high mileage. They go for a disproportionaly cheap price. I have a higher milage Porsche 993,DB7 V12,and Jaguar XK8- they all run well with minor items to address. Its my Ferrari 456 that needed a tranny rebuild at 24,000 miles as it was a garage queen for years.

 

100% true. It is the garage queen you have to watch for especially if it sits rather than is maintained.
What people don't understand is a queen needs just as much maintenance as a driver.

As to the steering rack OEM will cost you several 1000$
Atlantic ent. Rebuild is $350
Rotex rebuild is $175
Takes 1.5 hours to r&r

At $40k I would think of parting the car if I owned it.

 

anyone seriously interested in getting a vehicle from Smith Volvo should PM me.

 

Ian Smith would happily sell you a "garage kept" Katrina submarine.

The PPI thing rings true but the problem is he's in the middle of nowhere in SLO, shop wise.

 

HI,

Yes i can do a PPI for you, which i would recommend with that mileage

Craig

 

Ketel,
I am a new 550 owner and my only regret is that I didn't buy one sooner. FBB is an invaluable resource when it comes to 550's and keep in mind that we have "No dog in the fight" so no one here gains anything by steering you wrong.
"Life is too short to smoke cheap cigars, drink cheap liquor, drive slow cars, and eat anything that can be described as fast food"

 

What FBB implies is that 40k is a cheap price. If he owned the car and all he could get was 40k, he thinks he could make more by parting it out.

Scott

 

I know this car and the gentleman who owned it for 5 - 6 years or so. An older professor with whom I share a hobby - track driving. Basically, the guy drove it all over the Southeast and tracked the sh.t ou of it! Probably putting 50 K miles in total on the car, of which at least 15,000 or so were track miles. Drove with him many times at Road Atlanta. The car was well maintained and drove great.....until all those miles at high engine temps caught up to him. I do not know details but I do know that the car then spent lots of time at Ferrari of Atlanta service, requiring lots of $$$. That prompted a sale of the car. Have not seen it since.

So, in summary, definately a "driver" which needs to be carefully gone over mechanically. Likely 25% of those 80K miles are track miles - so you're looking at the equivalent of something like 150K street miles or more.

Good luck! (my friend now tracks a 997 GT3 - much easier to live with as a track car).

 

...not surprised that it ended up at Smith Volvo.

Your input is priceless and the Board owes you a debt of gratitude. This is the kind of info we all need. Thank you. Run, ketel, Run!!!