550 as a daily driver? | FerrariChat

550 as a daily driver?

Discussion in '456/550/575' started by dmark1, Jul 2, 2009.

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  1. dmark1

    dmark1 F1 World Champ
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    Feb 26, 2008
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    Mark
    I currently own a CS and am considering purchasing a 550 as a daily driver. I drive about 15K miles per year and wondered if anyone here has utilized
    the Maranello as a daily driver, and if so,does it make a reliable one? I am thinking about purchasing a relatively high mileage (20K) example and just utilizing it
    every day with the CS to be my weekend fling. What do you guys think? Any reliability issues of note?

    Thanks in advance.
    Mark
     
  2. bundas

    bundas F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Dec 31, 2005
    7,090
    lexington ky usa
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    mitchell barnes
    love my 550. reliable comfy. traffic stopper. good choice. i do not drive it every day because of the many cars i have to choose.
     
  3. italiafan

    italiafan F1 World Champ
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    Jul 19, 2006
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    Stickbones Swagglesmith
    not a daily
     
  4. dmark1

    dmark1 F1 World Champ
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    Why not? The car certainly seems civilized enough to drive on a daily basis. Is there some problem with
    reliability?
     
  5. fatbillybob

    fatbillybob Two Time F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner

    Aug 10, 2002
    26,294
    socal
    Mine is a daily driver. They are flawless. Best of 4 Ferraris I have ever owned since 1978. All they need is gas and oil and scheduled maintenance. They are as comfortable as a bmw to drive all day and do not assault your sences. I went with argento (silver) to be a low key daily driver which is a good thing because the economy sucks and when people see these cars they think dollar signs. It is just kinda nice to drive a cool car that blends in a little. There are more jealous cretins out there these days to give you trouble.
     
  6. 308 GTB

    308 GTB F1 World Champ
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    Feb 7, 2002
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    Barry Wolinsky
    Mark,

    I have 64,000 miles on my 1999 550. These cars do better regularly driven. The 20,000 miles on the Maranello your looking at make it a healthy car, not a relatively high mileage car.

    Good luck with your purchase and enjoy those 15,000 miles a year!

    Barry
     
  7. Jsuit

    Jsuit Formula 3

    Jul 12, 2005
    1,178
    East Coast
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    John
    Excellent Daily driver
     
  8. JazzyO

    JazzyO F1 World Champ

    Jan 14, 2007
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    Onno
    Done around 20k miles in mine and no hassles at all. The only thing is that they are very wide and that can be a big hindrance in narrow-streets Europe. Other than that, perfect daily driver.


    Onno
     
  9. bang456

    bang456 Rookie

    Nov 19, 2008
    26
    Stavanger, Norway
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    Pål Flemming Bang
    A frend of mine at home in Norway used his 550 m as a dd. I think about 10-13000KM per year. As i recall no problems what so ever:) A nother frend of mine tried to do the same with his 1989 412i and had lots of troble, engine out stuff, elektrical etc. The 550 was even ok in the snow, the 412i terrible....

    Regards Paul
     
  10. JazzyO

    JazzyO F1 World Champ

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    #10 JazzyO, Jul 3, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  11. nerd

    nerd F1 Rookie

    Oct 12, 2003
    2,535
    Coronado, CA
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    RSK
    #11 nerd, Jul 3, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    A CS and a 550 are a nearly perfect combo. My only reservation in using the 550 as a daily driver in Phoenix (or in your case Dallas) was a less than stellar air conditioning system. Its was good, just not as good as the CS.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  12. italiafan

    italiafan F1 World Champ
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    I don't think there is a problem with reliability.
    I agree with everyone else, they are fabulous cars, comfortable and capable in all circumstances.
    I just think it "loses something" if you have it as your daily workhorse.
    I'll run weekend errands in my 550 without a problem...but driving it into the office everyday would probably diminish its greatness somehow.
    Just my 1 cent.
    :)
     
  13. darth550

    darth550 Six Time F1 World Champ
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    Jul 14, 2003
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    I drove my fist one every day for 6 months then only on Fri-Sun, to make it more special.

    After I got over that nonsense, the other 2 were out of the garage every single day with either myself or my wife driving them. :D:D:D
     
  14. dmark1

    dmark1 F1 World Champ
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    That is something that I am concerned about. Did you try tinting the windows darkly to beat some of the heat? 107 today in Dallas....

    I have made a deal for a 1999 Red/Tan one with 13K miles and a new major service with belts. Spent 85K which is probably high but I wanted a car with no excuses.

    Here is the link to the car I am purchasing - anyone know this car? http://www.dupontregistry.com/autos/Search/DRauSearchDetails.aspx?itemid=670527

    Thanks again for your comments

    Mark
     
  15. nerd

    nerd F1 Rookie

    Oct 12, 2003
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    Howdy Mark, I didn't do any tinting of the glass and had an all black interior which worked against me. If the car was parked in the shade, it had no trouble dealing with 110+ air temps. It did struggle to recover when parked in full sun.

    I haven't followed that market closely in the past 2 years, but the price you paid seems fair for all parties.
     
  16. fatbillybob

    fatbillybob Two Time F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner

    Aug 10, 2002
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    My A/C is quite good. I never have it at the coldest setting but the air flow is a bit weak compared to GM standards. I never have problems in the heat but my car is Argento/nero
     
  17. tazandjan

    tazandjan Three Time F1 World Champ
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    Jul 19, 2008
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    Terry H Phillips
    Mark- If you have any worries about the A/C, have the dryer/filter changed and all the refrigerant changed. Will make your 550's A/C work at its peak and should not take too long to figure out if it can hack it. Also, unsightly as they are, Brian Crall (rifledriver) highly recommends a sunscreen or sunshade for the windshield to keep temperatures down and protect the leather on the dash. Recovering the dash can run $1500-3500, depending on location, so the sunshade is some pretty cheap insurance.

    My 575M A/C works fine here, but we do not have the humidity you have in Dallas. Plus, I just changed my filter/dryer and refrigerant, and, per advice here, had the vacuum pump run overnight before refilling.

    Taz
    Terry Phillips
     
  18. fatbillybob

    fatbillybob Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Aug 10, 2002
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    TAZ makes a very important point. One would think a vacuum is a vacuum but it is known that if you take your time and put a vacuum on your system for a full 24hrs then fire in the R134 or R12 it makes a huge difference in the coldness and function of your system. 90% of A/c shops will put a vacuum on and then immediately refill you. That works OK but not 100%.
     
  19. Ferrarista3

    Ferrarista3 F1 Rookie

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    #19 Ferrarista3, Jul 4, 2009
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2009
    The car looks very nice in those pics.

    Good luck with your purchase.

    Some months ago we were looking at 550s and here in Europe finding a well kept 550 (both cosmetically and mechanically) can be surprisingly hard. I think that a good car is definitely worth the extra money (within reason of course).
     
  20. dakharris

    dakharris Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #20 dakharris, Jul 4, 2009
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2009
    I'm not familiar with the glass tinting laws in Texas. In CA, it's a fixit ticket. You will want your window as dark as you dare. I find driving my 550 as easy as driving mom's station wagon...until you step on the right pedal. Then the beast in unleashed. A kitten or a tiger. Your choice. Do it!
     
  21. ze_shark

    ze_shark Formula 3

    Jul 13, 2003
    1,274
    Switzerland (NW)
    Same here. I use my '01 550 for daily commuting, bought it a 10K, now "pushing" (not pushing at all actually) 30Kmi, and it's still as reliable and as usable as the first day. Just bugs me that there's no trunk opening function on the key chain remote, but for the rest, it's an enjoyable daily driver. At least you don't need to drive in triple digit figures to have a nice time. Car remains bland without Tubis though.
     
  22. Jettafanatic

    Jettafanatic Karting

    Nov 8, 2008
    150
    Santa Barbara, CA
    Full Name:
    Claudio
    If I had to summarize my car in 1 word: "effortless".
    The 550 is a great daily driver though you really , as with all cars, should try to drive enuogh to get the engine to temperature to burn the moisture / impurities in the oil if you can.
    Our cars are known to go easily into the 85-90 K range.
    I have put 7K miles in 6 months on mine ( came with 10) and am loving it every day more.
    A/C not THE coldest, but it really is not bad.
    I would suggest ( and this is up to you) for you to have all ( yes all) windows tinted with a light film which is 99% UV and 80% Infrared-blocking. This will help more with the heat / damage to the interiour of the car more than just putting on a dark tint.
    Cheers!
     
  23. Consolr

    Consolr Karting

    Jun 12, 2008
    100
    Chicago
    Full Name:
    Scott MacK
    I drove my dad's 550 a few weeks ago. Amazingly effortless to drive. The clutch is as light as on my Mini Cooper. Steering is easy too. My first thought was that you could actually drive it everyday with no trouble. I totally agree that the exhaust is a bit subdued though.
     
  24. cwkwok

    cwkwok Karting

    Jun 17, 2009
    52
    Clear Water Bay, HK
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    Allan
    #24 cwkwok, Jul 5, 2009
    Last edited: Jul 5, 2009
    I use my '99 550M as daily driver to work here in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is known for high moisture & heat, especially here in Summer, where temperature is normally 33c + easy, alot of rain too.

    I bought my 550 half a year ago with 16,000km, now its got 26,000km. I think I will put on more than 15,000km / year. The car has been very reliable as a daily driver, and I really just had to put in oil and gas (US$130/tank here in HK! Ouch!), aside from some wear and tear bits, the car has been very reliable.

    I owned several Porsche 993, 996 before my upgrade to this my first Ferrari, and was always warned by friends how unreliable Ferraris are, now I have surprised all of them about how reliable and low cost it really is to run a Ferrari (aside from gas), especially in such hot & moisty place like Hong Kong!

    I installed the loudest "Motorsport Only" Capristo exhaust, sounds great (although not the high pitch Ferrari V8 sound), its really LOUD even at idle. I've been loving the whole package and always catch alot of attention despite Hong Kong is popular with 360 & 430, 599 especially in weekends.

    A/C works fine despite the high heat in HK, I would say the AC is alot better than the 993 I had, but can't beat the 996. Its comparable to my MB CLK's AC though!

    The only complain is that the clutch is super heavy compare to any BMW, Porsche I have owned. Stop and go traffic stresses my left foot like hell, but I still enjoy this unique torture! Bitter sweet it really is!

    Allan @ Hong Kong
    1999 F550M
    Capristo exhaust (stage 1)
    Pipercross filter
    Denso Platinum spark plugs (slightly better economy)
     
  25. dmark1

    dmark1 F1 World Champ
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    #25 dmark1, Jul 6, 2009
    Last edited: Jul 6, 2009
    Thanks guys for the response. I will have the ac serviced (and vacuumed extensively as suggested) as soon as it arrives in Dallas. The car had a major service including cam belts done
    by a company in Gaithersburg, Maryland - Competizione and Sports Cars. Anyone have any experience with these guys? They are the ones doing the PPI on the car as well.

    The car has sat pretty extensively for the last 3 years - only 3K miles in that period of time - that kind of worries me.

    During the last major service (done in April of this year), the motor mounts were changed to the 575 type- is this normal or a needed upgrade? Also, looking forward to making
    the exhaust LOUDER - what do you suggest? Tubis only? Or maybe Capristo Stage 2?

    Thanks again and will post pics when she arrives.

    Mark
     

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