BUY A 550 OR A 575 ??? PLEASE HELP !!

I have a 1998 355 Berlinetta .... which arguably I believe it is one of the best out there. I am looking to put it for sale and trade for a 550 or a 575
Particularly I am looking at a 550 and a 575 that are at Naples Motorsports in Naples florida ... they have had a RED 575 for a while .. it has a very nice and unique interior .. red beige combination and to me at least iot looks super nice .. 4200 miles .... but now a days I dont know what will be a good buy anymore..
They also have one 550 2001 that is a grey/beige with cuoio daytona interior super nice ... for less money obviously ...
My mechanic in Miami says that the 550 and 575 are very reliable .. but I rather get it from the owners .. obviously maint, is a big factor ..

"ALSO A HUGE QUESTION ........... MANUAL OR F1" ......... I AM SCARED OF F1 AND PREFER MANUAL BUT ....... I AM OPEN TO GOOD ADVICE"

Thank you in advance to all of you .... and hopefully I will be joining your V12 ranks soon !

http://clients.automanager.com/scripts/VehiclePhotos.aspx?VID=%7B92D8B57B-7560-40E2-9548-1211BF26BEF9%7D&PID=5&Source=Website

 

Why not try both and see which you prefer - not forgetting that any 575 will be a little newer

I suspect the question may have been asked before so it may be worth doing a thorough search here too particularly as there's the whole issue of the Fiorano Handling Pack that many think essential on early 575

 

As you probably know I'm the 348 guy. If not do a search on the 348/55 board and you will get a flavor of who I am. I'm a 6 month owner of a 550 bought more rough than what most people want because I am a diy'er, got the 550 cheap, expect to do work on it, have some track aspirations, though I have another dedicated racecar. My experience with the 550 has been amazing. Everyone said the 550's were among the lowest of Ferrari maintenance headaches. I did not believe it. Well 6 months in and jumping into various aspects of this car I have found nothing to fix. I cracked the timing covers belts perfect with 2007 date stamp, leaks no oil, no cels, A/C works!!!!! I can't freakin believe it. I have impatient idle hands so I flushed anything with a fluid and replaced with my favorite things and now I'm welding a new exhaust because I am bored. I am either one lucky duck or 550's really are bullet proof. And have you driven the 550? Oh the torque!!!! You are going to like it. I think what you will miss is that whinney forocious sound of the 355 at the higher revs...but you will not miss its lack of street car civility. the 550 is an amazing GT. I'd tell you to keep the 355 and buy the 550.

 

Although the differences between 550 and 575 are small, I really prefer the 550. That also answers your question on F1 vs manual... See how neatly I did that?

The 550 is a modern (well it was 10 years ago) interpretation of a truly classic Ferrari concept. V12 Engine in front, lots of power, sporty edge but a comfortable GT when it wants to be. It shows in everything - the dials are analog, you could only get the gated stickshift, there's hardly any electronics in sight. The only real thing that interferes with the classic driving experience is the ASR, of which I am not a fan.

In the 575 this concept got diluted. Apart from the styling updates which made the car less pretty (on the outside, the interior is better on the 575), the introduction of more electronics, the F1 shift, the soft suspension (which was quickly corrected when the press reception was damning by bringing out the Fiorano Handling Pack), it all made the 575 a bit less of a drivers' car. Of course - that might make the 575 more attractive to other people, it is just about what you prefer.

Either car is absolutely fantastic and you can't go wrong with a Maranello. They are bullet proof if well maintained, although they have a couple of little niggles such as having to re-set the windows every once in a while (they go skew and let wind, noise and rain in). I've done 16k very happy miles in my 550 in 22 months so far. Maintenance has been less than I expected - I just had my major done for $4k.

One other thing to take into account - you will lose more in depreciation on the 575. In a couple of years 550s and 575s will be the same price, perhaps the 550 even slightly more due to its "purer" image.

I know the 550 you're talking about (well I've seen it on the internet, never been to FL) - it is Grigio Ingrid. A very special colour that suits the shape very well. Looks like a great car from the pics - I'd be proud to own it. Personally, I really don't like red on a Maranello - I think the shape gets lost in that medium tone. But it is of course up to you, a lot of people like it.


Happy hunting - they are stupendous cars that really get under your skin.


Onno
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Top drawer advice! One heck of a garage, that is.


Onno

 

I'd go with the 550, I have an Ingrid 550 and love the color as does everyone who has seen it.

I would have been severely tempted by that one had I seen it before I bought mine 4 months ago, but now I really like the Sabia interior with the full carbon package, shelf, headliner, and daytonas.

I wanted a 550 because its a simpler car than the 575. and I wanted the six speed which are harder to find in 575s.

I also have a 99 355 Berlinetta F1 which I'm keeping, that way I have the best of both worlds

 

I also vote to keep the 355 and pick up the 550.

 

And I would go with the 575M. The few issues with the 550 were fixed on the 575M including engine mounts, plenum hoses, valve guides, and the rough traction control system. I prefer the look of the 575M to the 550 with the bare grille (chrome on mine), and larger prancing horse and more modern headlight assemblies, and both wheel options are far more attractive than the 550 wheels to me. The 550 had first generation electronics on it and problematic Bilstein shock absorbers. The 575M shocks are bullet-proof and the 575M has second or third generation electronics that have been very reliable on my car. The 575M also has updated camshaft drives and belts with Ferrari recommended belt change intervals of five years vs the recommended three years for the 550, even when using the new belts. The 575M also has more torque and hp than the 550 and, according to magazine tests, is anywhere from a half second to a second faster to 100 mph, not that you would probably notice in normal driving. You also have your choice of a manual shifter or an F1 shifter, and you should try an F1 before making any decision one way or the other. It is great fun braking hard into a corner and popping three or four perfectly matched downshifts in a five or six second time period. Considering both cars will stop from 100 mph in about five seconds, such downshifts are easily possible when slowing from legal speeds for corners.

Both cars are great daily drivers and comfortable for long drives. They look like a Ferrari, even to people who know nothing about them. I do not believe you can make an incorrect decision in selecting either car.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

nothing tops a gated 575.......imho

 

tend to agree on the looks of the 550 vs 575, even though the interior of the 575 is much better.

However, tazandjan's mechanical take is a big consideration if you plan to keep the car > four years.

Lastly, the FHP, and I'm not certain, can be upgraded a bit, correct???, onto older 575's by just swapping the ECU.

 

Here is the thread that helped me decide.


http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=209522&highlight=550+575+dakharris

 

Terry; in the above thread there is a lot of criticism on the reliability if electronics on the 575. I understand you dont have that experience.
Can you give any further info/reaction on this criticism?

PS David; many thx for this thread!

 

nice gated 575 FHP fer sale in the F-Ads......

 

franc- My 575M has been totally trouble free and now has 16,300 miles on it, most of which were put on by the first owner. The only problem has been the tire pressure monitoring sensors' batteries expiring (~5 years for Beru Generation 1 sensors, 7-10 years for Generation 1.5 sensors). I have new Generation 1.5 sensors in hand and that will be fixed in a couple of weeks. When I look at the 550, I do not see a whole lot less electronics than the 575M, except for the electronic throttle and F1 system. One of the biggies for me are the crummy 550 Bilstein shock absorbers and actuators. A problem area, for sure, although some have been trouble-free.

The 575M fixed all the problems on the 550 and added new features like the TPMS. Some of the pros are not too fond of the TPMS system, but I am.

The good news is a lot of the 550s out there have had their problems fixed by, you guessed it, replacing the bad parts with 575M parts. This includes the plenum hoses and motor mounts. The bronze valve guides on earlier 550s do not seem to cause the oil consumption and smoking problems seen using the same valve guides as the 456. Perhaps the hydraulic lifters help.

Take your choice. Both are excellent and the 550s are getting ridiculously cheap for what they are, but the 575Ms are dropping like a rock, too.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

Absolutely right. Another poster (Jazzy0?) expected that 550 and 575 prices would achieve near parity before long. I'm not quite ready to go there, but the delta has already dropped from a $40k premium to around $10-15k, all things equal.

On balance, I think you are going to find 550 owners making compelling arguments for their ride and 575 owners doing likewise. This is to be expected. As has been said before, you can't really go wrong, provided you do your homework and are clear about what the right Maranello is for you.

575s have now officially cracked $90k on the downside (an '02 Grigio Alloy/Tan in LA went in the mid $80ks, and the '02 Grigio Alloy/Blu Scuro gated one at FoOC sold in the low to mid-$90ks to Mike Sheehan. A clean, no-stories 575 at these numbers is a screaming deal, IMHO.

ketel

 

The one I bought 4 months ago, Did I say I love Grigio Ingrid ?
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Thank you everyone for the great advise !! unfortunately I would only wish that I could keep the 355 and get another one .... certainly my 5 year old daughter ... told me already .... DADDY ... I WILL GET THE MONEY THAT THE TOOTH FAIRY BRINGS ME SO WE CAN GET MORE FERRARIS..... but unfortunately .... it just does not work that way...... unless the tooth fairy is called Bill Gates ... so anyway...... thank you for all your input .... and I will keep looking.

It is great to be a part of this forum surrounded by all of you "GREAT PEOPLE"

THKS

GABRIEL

 

fwiw my 575 F1 with 22k miles now has been virtually trouble-free, just the obvious problems like gas and tires. just put a clutch in it but that's it

I wish it had GTC brakes, I might add those or something comparable. Other than that its a perfect car IMO. F1 vs. 6sp I could go either way.

 

looks like the "history" 2002 is back out on ebay for $89k BIN

 

Wow! If a 575 3 pedal car could be had for a 15K difference I think the added HP etc and just newer car would be worth it. In the 348/355 word we saw 348's at 1/2 the cost of 355's early last year. Now they are near parity to $15K too. The 575 is just plain more advanced than a 550 and eventhough I am smitten with my 550 it would be very hard to pass up a 575 for just 10-15k more.

 

fwiw 575 vs 550 in a all-out top speed drag race is so minimal it can be measured with a grandfather clock. as if it matters

I like 550 face WAY better than 575. maranello needs to be smiling

 

there is a really nice 550 for sale out of TN on ebay.

i looked at the car when it was offered for sale via dave olimpi. complete ownership / records / paperwork. it was coming due for a service and tires hence couldn't agree on a price with the seller. looks like the new owner addressed all those items.

 

Gabriel,

I bought a 1998 tdf blue 550 in January of this year. I really like the car a lot.
Also own a 2006 430 F1 coupe. Thought about selling it to buy the 550 but decided to keep both. Glad I did.

You'll discover that your 355 is such a different car from a 550 (or 575M).

You'll be in love with the new front-engine V12 GT but you'll miss the fun of your nimble mid-engine V8.
Both types of Ferraris are incredible, but in their own ways.

So, if you are limited to owning only one Ferrari at a time, my advice is, make sure you take several long test drives in the 550 (or 575M) before you commit to selling your 355.
Good luck.

 

drrob. your account is not setup to receive PMs.

tried responding. cliff notes: i wouldn't hesitate buying it.

 

Having driven both models I can tell you that the 575 is far and away, hands down superior to the 550. Get the f1 gearbox, you'll learn to love it and it's the much improved unit in the 575...