Looking at buying a 97 or 98 550 Maranello

I have heard but not seen problems with the leather on the dash shrinking when exposed to excessive heat. The solution is to keep her soft with leather conditioner and use a reflective shield inside when parked for long periods. I do not know the current market value.

 

I would also check that the interior sun visors work correctly. Some (including myself) have visors that won't stay in the up position because of deterioration of the interior (cheap) plastic parts in the visors. They are around $1000 to replace but can be repaired by taking them apart and flaring the metal mounting bracket rod (to increase rotational friction).

Also check for leaking shocks ($1600 each including labor), broken door stop brackets ($200 repair), and weak hood gas struts that don't hold up the hood if there is some wind (about $100 each; you can replace them yourself). All prices are F-car dealer parts/repair quotes.

 

I have seen 97 550s for sale at a low price of $97,000 about 4 months ago. There was also a really nice yellow 550 (I think it was a 99) on Ferrariads.com for $99k. Both cars were near the mileage range you list. Good luck with the search.

BT

 

Me too. There are a handful on Ebay. Dennig also lists a few. '98s are about $90k, '99s $100k. Typical miles seems to be about 6k/yr. You'll pay a premium for very low miles, of course. For example, Naples Motorsports in Fl has a yellow 6k miles '99 for $120k. I looked at a '98 yellow 36k miles example at Chequered Flag in L.A. last week for $90k. Even though its 30k belt service had been done, I passed because I figured that a 40k+ miles 550 would be a hard sell a couple of years from now. Unlike other <$100k 12cyl models, eg TRs and Boxers, they are still depreciating in value, maybe 10% per annum. Popular colors, red, black, yellow are priced higher. Grey, blue etc seem to take longer to sell even though they are usually a bit cheaper. GTA prices seem to average about 10% less than 550s but remember it is seven inches longer than a 550 at 15'6" in case garage space is an issue.
Caveat emptor. Good luck.