Why haven't 550s Appreciated More/Dropped in Value?

2006

 

I don't agree with the toupee analogy at all. Went from a 456M - same exact frame as the 550/575M - to a 360 Modena manual and I'm much happier in the V8. I'm also 6'2" and 61 years old. I've done a couple of 300+ mile days in it with no problem, and the secret to that is simple: do a lot of strength training, especially squats. Leg and lower back strength= endurance in the seat, and in the saddle of a bike too (I have a Beemer). I can pop in and out of that car without a thought like it's nothing, because if you're strong, it is nothing. I see guys ten years younger than me struggle to get in an out of 550's, and they are high for a sports car.

As for the 550 value topic, they aren't old enough yet. And as for the kids not being interested in manuals, I wouldn't worry about that, as almost all young guys who look at my 360 ask about how it is to drive a manual and if it's hard to learn. Most Ferrari buyers are adventurous by nature. Learning a manual will just be another aspect of that adventure.

The 550 will be a very desirable car someday because it's modern enough to be safe and competent on the street or track, and old school enough not to have too many electronic gismos. I like the 360 for the same reason: Airbag, ABS, and Traction Control are very good things to have in a mid-engine car that is prone to snap oversteer!

Manual 575M's will eventually be priced into unobtainium territory, IMO, as will manual F430's. They really are the last of the best.

 

The 550 is a fantastic car. Just a wonderful machine to drive. I love them, easy on the eyes and the interior is just a perfect place to be. A mild exhaust upgrade really makes the 12 sound as it should. They are not a track queen by any means, but possibly the perfect GT.

I would suggest to grab one while you can, they have no other place but to head up in price dramatically.

 

I really think the front engine GT market for high end sports car enthusiasts is rather narrow. I’m not suggesting that it’s dead by any means - certainly brands like Aston and Jaguar, as well as Ferrari, are playing in the realm. Still, most young Ferrari buyers, used or new, want mid engine sports cars. That’s what they dreamt of growing up and that’s what they gravitate to. Just look at the lineup evolution of Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini, and even Corvette. The 550, while still having appeal, isn’t the type of used Ferrari that most buyers are eager for.

 

Young buyers mature. The screaming red in your face 488 is a phase like any other.

 

After a 308, 348 and 360 in the past and 60 in a few months I set off to the city last week to buy a V12 GT with my eye on a 550. It was nice but a 599 that appeared on the day stole my heart. A California 30 took my eye off the goal for a moment too.

The young will prefer the sports cars though, I did back then too

 

Clearly there’s still a market for new and used front engine GT’s. Again, I’m not suggesting there isn’t. But, it isn’t a powerful, robust market. Obviously, most buyers, younger and older, gravitate towards the pure sports car experience. This thread is asking about 550 values (arguably the best modern Ferrari front engine model) and, in my opinion, that is what’s impacting their value more than anything.

 

Long term I'm bullish on the 550.

A manual transmission car that bases its value on beauty and the driving experience will age like wine. Whereas a car that bases its value on having modern technology and performance will tend to age like milk as cars get better and faster. A Ferrari 550 will always be one of the most beautiful GT cars ever made, it does 200mph, maintenance is expensive but a new Porsche will depreciate much more than the V12 maintenance costs. They aren't making involving manual exotic cars anymore and the pool of buyers who can afford exotic cars is growing. That bodes well for 550 values in the next two decades.

 

Maintaining is no more difficult than any belt drive ferrari. Parts are no more costly except 4clylinders of more parts and machining for engine rebuilds which are rare. But basic stuff like sensors are all the same relative cost. In fact I use the Kia crank sensors that we use for the 348s and they are more robust, durable, longer lasting, better functioning over broader heat range including higher heat tolerance for 3 bucks a sensor than the oem ferrari sensor. So far I have never had a Kia sensor fail on any ferrari.

 

The 550 is the modern 275gtb that anyone can still own. I don’t expect the 550 to be the future 275 but the lineage is clear. Newer v12 models have lost that lineage and that connection to probably the quintessential v12 Ferrari that will always have intrinsic value like gold.

 

I have found that the cost of ownership and the ease of service of my 550 and 575M compared to my 355, or any other mid-engined Ferrari V8 that I have owned make them a true bargain. Front engined Maranellos are relatively easy keepers as far as I am concerned.

The Maranellos are the last truly beautiful Ferrari front-engined V12s to mye eye. I look at my 575M and there are strong styling points going back to the 275 and 365 gtb/4. These were the first two cars that sparked my interest and passion for Ferrari when I was a kid. The new cars all look like appliances to me.

 

Exactly! Only a matter of time, IMO, before the true value of the intrinsic goodness of the 550 as the best and last in the long lineage of "classic" front-engine V-12 all-manual shift Ferraris is finally recognized. May take some years for that to happen but it will eventually. In the meantime, don't worry about monetary value and just enjoy them to the hilt for the bargain-priced fabulous machines they are!

 

Anyone that saw me hustle my 575M back in the mid 2000s would argue that the car was as exciting as any mid engined ferrari on road or track.... I made that girl dance, and the V12 was absolutely perfect in its natural sweet spot... the handling at speed was awesome, and if you paid attention to the brakes (the biggest problem for driving hard until you changed pads for something more aggressive) then the 575 was excellent. Upgrade the exhaust and the note was amazing too

Same as 599, both cars shrink around you, and if you have the confidence to drive st the speeds they need to come alive, you find they are as capable as any mid engined V8, and more comfortable while you are frightening yourself and your passenger!

I think the V8s sounds more spectacular to the uninitiated, and the performance is easier to attain, hence their popularity

 

Interesting how there are widely divergent views here on this subject. FWIW, in my experience after 2.5 years of 550 ownership I've observed:

-People LOVE the 550 wherever I take it and it always draws a crowd at a C&C. I always lift the bonnet because people love to look at the big V12 which you can actually see in a Maranello, unlike the modern mid-engine Ferraris where the engine is harder to see (and not a V-12).

-On the street people know it's a Ferrari. I bought it thinking, like most of us, the 550 is a lower-key Ferrari and wouldn't draw as much attention as do the mid-engine cars. WRONG! I notice other drivers and their passengers whipping out phones to take photos all the time, I get thumbs up, people at gas stations take pics and want to look at it. Turns out the 550 is not so "low-key" after all (and mine's even black).

-Not a "sports car", doesn't handle like a sports car....gimme a break! People who say this evidently have not driven a 550 at speed on a twisty road (or road course) like it's meant to be driven. This car is a FERRARI, folks! OF COURSE it handles like a sports car (that also happens to be a superb "GT" car). Is it ultimately as sharp/nimble as a mid-engine Ferrari? No, but so what? It still handles SUPERBLY, better than 99% of other high-performance cars you might compare it to. It's plenty sharp with ultra-quick steering and minimal body roll, it's always planted and has no bad habits that I've found. Its limits are far, far higher than most of us will ever be able to exploit. It's simply a superb car to drive anywhere, anytime.

Of course, these are my opinions, YMMV.

 

Maranello power is unquestioned. Handling is GT. But the chassis is simple 4 coilovers. Coming from V-8 Ferraris I tuned some GT out of the chassis with very simple Moton double adjustable shocks (custom valved) and spring rates I selected myself by doing the suspension math. I was surprised by how happy I still am with my choices. The 550 can be tuned from Jeckyl to Hype very easily.

 

Please stop posting information like this on publicly available forums. Some of us haven't gotten our 550s yet!

 

I try to avoid going from Jeckyl to Hype whenever possible.....it's like going full retard, there's just no getting back.

 

LOL! I have been sitting on my hands for many years now with my second 550. I really want to build a 550 racecar that will never be returned to the street. Prodrive proved the concept. I have a hard time destroying a beautiful machine. But I think about if often and in a future moment of weakness there might be... "no getting back!" If that ever happens this Board will be the 1st to know about it.

 

As a former owner of 2 P-car 928s and a 964 C4? I'll just say that the 550 is the only fairly modern Ferrari that I would truly like to own. I'd be more than happy if their values tank in a few years & maybe I can pick one up!

 

This 550 races in the UK. It isn't very heavily modified (as required by the rules of the series it races in) and, I imagine, could be modified back to standard without too much effort if required. Great to see it out there, racing primarily against 328s and F355 Challenge cars.

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I get it... but I heard the exact same things about my 928 when I had it. The problem is it wasn’t a 911 and the only people that had one were oddball guys that either bought it because it was a $2200 porsche or that it “wasn’t a 911”. 550 fits in that niche to some degree.

 

Not an apples to apples comparison. I owned a 928. It was the worst car I ever owned.

 

Nobody’s suggesting the 550 isn’t an amazing car. It’s superb. Still, it doesn’t change what most people want from a Ferrari, particularly newer/younger buyers. They want mid-engine style and performance.

 

Besides 4 less cylinders, two small seats in the back and a german maker versus Italian the significant difference is what? I had my 79 for 18 years. Bought it for $5800 in 97, sold it for $2000 in 2016. Typical 928 experience. My point is simply that the 928 isn't a 911 and the 550/575/599 isn't a mid engine sports car. It's why they used a mid engine in the sf90 and every supercar they make and not a transaxle.

 

And yet Ferrari made the 599GTO...A supercar for the track. The F12 ain't no slouch either. 95% of the time the 1st Ferrari is a V8 midship. When Ferrari owners grow up they buy V-12's.