Silly F50 Questions....

There are some very basic visual cues that differentiate the US and ROW cars, but the easiest way to tell is with the VIN. US cars will have an "A" as the eighth digit, while ROW cars will have a "B".

 

US F50s have longer moustaches than the Euro F50s.

US F50
https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/305894_10150880440245284_1978793234_n.jpg?oh=aaa2372501d7aef4711a6b6eacf28dc2&oe=5871D853

Euro F50
https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/298612_10150880443365284_1681989296_n.jpg?oh=534b4c5223c4c1432d16e887341ec351&oe=58ACC65E

 

All US cars are my1995 I think. Ferrari had to do that in order to avoid needing obd2

 

Please don't take this as criticism but there does seem to be a little irony when someone who has been advertising to buy F50s for maybe five years fesses up !

"What are things to look for/consider when buying a F50 and how much do they cost? "

 

I have no idea if the OP is serious or not, but thought putting some buying considerations in one place might be useful.


Assuming a PPI with usual checks is done (e.g. compression/leak down), then:


Engine: Engine is load carrying and is subject to more vibration than normal. Check front of engine and under tray for oil leaks from poor seals. The large top seal is fiddly to install with engine in as space between tub and front of engine is minimal. May require an engine out. Check for excessive chain noise from which could indicate tensioner issues.

Clutch: if driven poorly, may need early replacement. Check gear box seals are not dry due to lack of usage.

Suspension: check that adjuster cycles properly. They should automatically lower at 30km/h IIRC.

Fuel tanks: good for 15 years. Check date stamp on tank not just service record to determine remaining life.


Controls:
Aircon: check the fan speed and temp knobs work. The rheostats may need cleaning. If the transistor inside fails, hard to find replacements.

Dashboard: single biggest issue with the car. They can fail for various reasons: internal battery can die if car is left in an isolator off or battery drained state. Important to check that the dashboard cycles correctly on start up, and that all instruments are working when running hot. Temp related instrument failures only show up after heat has permeated into the dash. Repairs are $10k-15k - a joke, but it's on you.

Odometer: is digital and can be easily disconnected. Service history with mileage and visual match of condition is essential. There's a way to switch between km and miles, so check that history matches up.


Interior:

If car has been in open configuration for much of its life, then check seat leather and cloth for fading. Hard to clean or replace. However, I believe that the factory is now using the same material in some 70th anniversary cars this year paying homage to the F50, so they can be sourced. Carbon fibre door trim can degrade and turn milky - no cure but replacement.

Hard and soft tops:

Soft top: inspect condition of the canvas checking for folds during incorrect storage.

Hard top:

Check that if the hard top is currently installed, that spacers have been correctly adjuated to ensure proper clearance from the body. Otherwise, could lead to scuffed paint.


Exterior: unlike F40s, many cars still have original paint except possibly the nose and bonnet. Check underneath nose for damage/ poor repair.

Rear lexan cover: check carefully for stress.



Maintenance-wise: worth remembering that the car was a ground up design and shares few parts with other f-cars . So can be expensive or hard to find.


This is a small fraction of the expertise/experience available on the forum. I'll defer to other more qualified folks to add/expand.

 

For determining US-spec, the VIN is obviously the most important clue, but for a quick at-a-glance determination, the US spec cars have a small window in the headlamp housing for leveling that you won't see on the ROW cars.

>8^)
ER
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Plus the hugely long side turning indicators, which are little dots on the bodywork on UK and I guess ROW cars.

 

On Euro-spec F50s, the front turn signals are clear versus amber on the U.S. ones.

 

There is reinforcing on the back side of the rear bumper on the US cars. Euro cars do not have a center brake light. Euro seats are asymmetric and use standard seat belts. US cars use the mouse rail seatbelts. USA market seats are symmetric and not interchangeable with euro cars.

Pro tip: Never use the battery cut off switch in the front bonnet. The reason the dash dies most of the time is because the backup battery in the dash will run down when the main battery is cut. When that backup battery dies apparently the dash fails. When I bought my F50 I found the battery cutoff switch was bypassed and wondered why they did that. Now I know.

 

Red Sled's comments are spot on. I've three additional points:

1. Check the torch before buying. It is re-chargeable and portable. It also operates when the doors open. I had to take mine to a non auto electrician to be re-conditioned. The inside was a mess. It is charged when the car runs. I assume left in storage the torch may die for good.

2. As Red suggests the aircon suffers badly from lack of use. One issue is the clutch inside the unit. Make sure you run the aircon a fair time before deciding it's fine.

3. Check the car has all its serial numbers within the car - especially the stamps on the front and rear covers.