Introduction, and how do I answer the doubting 550 Jonahs ?

Mine has been very reliable. I’ve done 60,000 miles over 10 years, daily drive it every summer, do road trips in it, take it to the track, do 95% of my own maintenance and the only time it ever stranded me on the side of the road was when the throttle cable snapped. I wouldn’t hesitate to jump in it and drive across Canada without a worry. I’ll definitely put more than 100,000 miles on mine. If the car you are looking at has been reasonably well looked after and you continue to do so, I don’t see why it should be anything other than a fantastic car to drive and enjoy.

For the alarm, make sure you have at least the red fob, there are experts out there that can clone the fob and extract the code. Check to see if the car overheats when idling, I see many 550s advertised for sale and the dash photo shows the temp gauge reading too hot. Shouldn’t get much past 190F. Also check the fuse board for any wires that look overheated at the connectors. May not be a deal breaker, but it will tell you what probably needs to be fixed immediately. I believe it is common for the cooling fans and fuel pump wires to overheat at the connectors into the fuse board indicating an issue.

Good luck, if you go for it, you will love it.

 

Dozens of threads (& opinions....) but bottom line is a key can be cut and a fob cloned so one of each please - end of - anything else (including code) is a bonus - Eric355 is your local specialist for these

 

Is this a real friend? Doesn't really sound like it. If not, quit answering his calls.

550 is a great car. It is perfect? No, neither is a Toyota Tercel and if one of those was my only car Id rather just shoot myself.
Buy a well cared for car and enjoy it.

And by the way, you do not owe him an explanation. If he cannot accept your choice of car he has no right to expect one.

 

I thought you meant that first post as a metaphor to your own purchase jitters? It's a real person?

 

The color combination, low mileage and one owner sounds amazing. If it is well maintained too you will be able to keep if for long.
I was in the same situation a few months ago and pulled the trigger on a 575 F1.

Bentley’s are amazing and give you that special feeling. The interior is a special place to be in. The car is comfortable and beautiful. It has heritage. But the thing with Bentley is - you can do it - but it won’t put out the fire. How do i know?
I tried quenching the thirst with a Bentley last year. It doesn’t work that way I found out. Now I use the Bentley as a daily and the 575 will be the fun car.

Be careful not to buy an expensive replacement, that you eventually will sell to have the one you really want.
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" 100k miles, you have got to be joking, no one ever did that in an F car. ..."
*****
110+K miles on mine; 108k by me. I agree, cam belts may be the biggest negative for Maranello ownership. I'm due for #5 or #6, can't remember, 3 for miles and 2-3 for time.

 

Fobs and keys are not really an issue anymore. At the worst Mark (ferrarifobs.com) or eric355 has to pull your PIN from the immobilizer ECU or red fob to build a complete set of fobs for you. Mark can also provide a set of F430-like key and fob combinations. Originally, she came with two black fobs and one red fob and two keys. Mark or Eric can fix you up with a full set of fobs.

 

So cambelts need replacing every 3 years, but its not that big a job on a 550 - not engine out like some others.

 

Replacing the cam belts is every 5 years, not 3.

 

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Obsolete information taken from the 550 owner's manual, since the updated 575 belt design...

 

John- 5 years is generally accepted now since the 575 and 550 cam drive mechanisms are identical and the Kevlar belts have been out for 20 years.

 

Didn’t know they were changed to more durable Kevlar belts. Good to know. Thanks!

 

My 575 has been more reliable and less costly to run than my 550, but that may be because the 575 had a thorough and OCD service history while the 550 was super low mileage but with big time gaps. Think the 575 is also better developed.

I’m not sure about what your friend meant about electrics. This is not a 1970: British car. This era of Ferrari was pretty well engineered. From anecdote an early 2000s Bentley Conti GT is much more prone electronically.

Also on forums you just read people posting their problems. People don’t tend to make a post saying Well, nothing went wrong with my Maranello this month. Add in the fact that a 550 won’t depreciate and you have an excellent value car.

Not to mention one of the best cars of its era, if not the best! Buy well and enjoy!

 

MVM...BUY THE 550....post pics for us...Enjoy,,!
Sounds like a lovely example..

 

I just received my 575 manual and did 3 days and 800 Km in Europe and I told my wife I could daily drive it. What an amazing car that does everything right. Don't think about it buy it an enjoy it you won't regret it