All good points but most of them do not apply in North America. Speed is almost half of market value of 599 here and Caterham (or similar) not available (besides being totally unusable everywhere but on track). As Dan mentioned before,I had similar experience and decided to ditch the 599 for Scuderia (especially after driving it). 599,while probably best GT on the market now,did not give me the "experience" only a CS could provide before and 430S does today. Can't and will not keep entire stable of cars for different purposes,so Scud is the best choice of "does everthing well" Ferrari for me while sticking to ordinary MBs and similar for daily driving and commuting hassles.
...which is the biggest point of all. If you ask me, just use the search button and find your own results. This thread would go on for way too long. _J
How i wish I was in your situation... lol well,if its my choice I would go with the Scud.. and if I was 10 years older.. i would get the 599. whichever choice. you make.. i think it rocks
@modena1_2003: exactly my point, the choice is a question of taste. My disagreement is with zeShark who thinks that the 599 is pointless (while the 550 made sense)... @3604U: makes sense! @MalibuGuy: blue TdF/beige @absent: zeShark has his 550 in Switzerland which is why I took a euro-centric point of view. Having driven both 599 and Scud there is no question the Scud is a more focused drive but to call the most extreme Ferrari since the Enzo a does everything well Ferrari seems ironic to me. No, I dont think the Scud does everything well, it is way too noisy and stiff for long distance cruising (>500km trips) nor for a relaxed drive around town. It is amazing on a track and for whenever you want to do driving for drivings sake but clearly not a good all rounder. If anything the 599 is a better all rounder by being very comfortable while blindingly fast when you want it to. Furthermore it seems that you do keep entire stable of cars for different purposes since you have MBs for daily driving. One could very well consider a 599 as a daily drive and a track-only/non-road-legal Caterham for trackdays!
I'd be interested exactly how many 599 owners have it as their only car (although I do have a friend in Miami who has an Enzo as his only vehicle - goes shopping in it etc!). I think very few do, hence the debate over what one wants one's supercar to do. I find the Scud perfectly acceptable for long trips - I drove mine to the Montreal GP which is 330 miles for me. Its actually better in this regard than the CS, and quite close to the regular 430 in useability while retaining the CS "extreme" feel. Its more of an occasion every time you drive it 5 minutes, which for me the 599 was not.
Agree 100% (that answers ddemet's post above). I grant the noise factor ,there is a lot of it but since this car is not a daily appliance utility, only a "free time" enjoyment it does not bother me (quite the opposite). Did not have the Scud on any longer drives like dan360 but on very rough (offroad acces to Mt Tremblant) it was not worse then the 599. Agree that 599 might be better as daily driver but there are plenty of better cars for that purpose and using one as such, only dilutes the sense of occassion every Ferrari should have (and has). When I meant "stable" I meant a stable of "special" cars (only one Ferrari at a time for me)as I consider all other "normal" cars (like MBs or BMWs) just more or less glamorous appliances (made specifically for daily use with their comfort and safety). So,at least in my case,a 430S is the best "do it all" Ferrari....
I have been driving my Scuderia almost everyday. The car is very nimble around town. Its actually quite a "civilized" track car. With the windows up I can have a very quiet conversation as long as I don't go heavy on the throttle i.e. less than 4k rpm. Its got good visibility too compared to a Gallardo. The suspension, I can set to the schumacher mode (soft) and it will ride the bumps nicely. Clearance of the front lip is very good too. Not too long like the GT3. It clears road humps and car park ramps very well. The only thing I am not "happy" about is the padding on the seats (or the lack of). I took the car for a long drive last Sat and after 1.5 hrs my butt started to hurt. The 599 is definately more civilized than the Scuderia but the Scud has the aural sensation on tap. Both are great cars.
Nice critique! As far as power is concerned I know it has plenty on tap. What do you think about NOVITEC's twin supercharger package for the Scuderia? _J
I am not familiar andI am sure it will add a lot more power and torque...but its not for me. Its won't be a Ferrari anymore... only a shell.
@dan360 & absent: 330mi is 500km, I was talking about 500km+ trip. I drive London to Switzerland a few times a year and that is 600mi trip. I guess I must be getting old because even in my 360 the trip was getting quite tiresome. On the other hand the mountain pass drive (which was of similar length, driven much harder but admittedly spread over 36h) was much more relaxing with the 599. As for owning only one car: I doubt any 599 owner will only have one car (I also have a Cayenne Turbo for the skiing season, an S3 for driving around town and a TT for Athens [Greece]) but in my particular case, living between three countries, I do spend a few months a year in London with only the Ferrari around. So the daily-drive aspect is quite relevant to me (but not necessarily to everyone else). Anyway, my point is that the choice comes down to taste. For someone even the Scud might be too comfortable and they might prefer a totally Spartan Lotus Elise for 1000mi trips. Whatever fits your taste. I was answering zeShark about the relative irrelevance of the 599 in 2008 compared to the relevance of the 550 five years ago and the value for money aspect. You can say that there other (cheaper) GTs around that offer the same comfort as the 599 (WITHOUT the raw performance and road holding) but then same can be said of the Scuds performance and (significantly cheaper) track cars. @lung7707: I think we quite agree. That has been my point all along, both are great cars with totally different orientations. @F360-1386: and according to some other people in this thread, what terrible dogs to drive ;-P
Blonde or Brunette? doesn't matter.... 599= wife Scud= mistress Both are fun and great but different purposes... Glad I could help
It all comes to how you use your cars. With the long distances you have to cover ,599 is obviously the best thing you can get and definitely is the best overall package. On the other hand,my longest driving is to the nearest track (about 45 miles)and my daily driving is in essence 12 miles of sitting in a stop and go traffic,sorrounded by pickup trucks,semis,minivans and all kinds of SUVs. Ultimate abuse for any Ferrari and totally pointless to use one for that kind of duty. I really hate where I live ,will try to retire ASAP and move,anywhere but Illinois.....
