360 vs 599

To me, I would keep and fix the 360. If you would have said F12 then no contest. I have never been a 599 fan on the outside but love the interior of the GTB. Hard choice though regardless.

 

Id take the 599 because its easier on my old body, but if I were younger than 45 Id take the 360. I sold my 360 for a Cali

 

The instrument cluster going bad and leaky shocks are 2 repairs that will eventually happen on the 599. They are $$ and unnecessary for a car like that. See if the service history shows anything

 

If serious, get a PPI on the 599 and go from there. I don't think there is an upside in either given the cost of ownership.

 

I think you should drive the 599 first. After having a 355 I was pretty set on getting a V12 model and the 599 is the one I lusted after. Keeping the expensive repairs aside, when I drove it I was pretty underwhelmed. The same happened when I first drove my 355 but the only underwhelming thing was the stock exhaust which I knew could be "fixed". The 599 is quite a big car but it also feels it, also the one I drove was kinda floaty. Not sure if they're all like that but I decided to forget the idea.

I have been in an F12 and agree if you can swing that one, do it.

 

Drive a 599. This will answer your question. If it pushes your buttons, go for it. If not, hang onto the 360.

 

I just sold my 599 after caring for it for over 7 years. I can tell you the issues that I dealt with over those years if you are interested. Probably most were spoken about in the 599/612 forum.

 

To me the 599 is in a different league compared to the 360 (OK i'm biased - I owned a 599 and never considered a 360).
Even a 458 seems underpowered compared to a 599, so a 360 stands no chance... The Enzo-derived engine of the 599 is a force to be reckoned; of course the 599 is in another weight category (also literally) than the 360 and it will be reflected in the maintenance costs.

 

I sold it because I had run out of room in my garage. I have (had) 6 Ferraris......330 GTC, BB512, 05 SuperAmerica, the 599 and an F12. I have an 812 GTS on order. The 599 is a bit redundant with the F12 and 812 coming. I had to make a space for an 05 Ford GT I just acquired.

Over 20 years ago I purchased a new 355 Spider. I really liked that car. But I got caught up in the "what's next" when the 360 was announced. So I sold the 355 and waited 3 years for the 360 to arrive. It just was not a fit for me and sold it after 6 months. I dunno....it's to each his own I guess. The 599 is a GT through and through. Great for long trips and even around town. I took it to Mid-Ohio once and quickly learned it is not comfortable on a track. Too big and nose heavy. Lots of understeer. Understand I have been a V-12 guy since 1976. Cared for 16 different Ferraris since that time. I always prefer the front engined V-12s.

Things to look for in a 599.....to the best of my recollection:

Front shocks tended to leak fluid.....expensive replacement
Power steering pump weakness.....the one in my 599 was replaced twice
Motor mounts......why Ferrari mounts fail is somewhat of a mystery to me. Same happened to my 550, SA and recently the 599
TFT failure.....first it will blink...then it will lose some of the display...ultimately it turned to snow. Francorchamps in CA is the go-to shop
Leather on the dash shrinks.......as it dries out the edge against the windshield will pull away. The dash has to be removed to make the repair
Dash air vents curl along with the leather pull. Replace when the dash leather is re-done
Corrosion on the A-pillar.....maybe mine was the only one but I had to have the passenger A-pillar corrosion removed and piece repainted
Chin spoiler gets scraped/scratched......typical for low ground clearance Ferraris
TPMS sensors fail.......nothing unique about this
Check battery for strength......if the car sits a trickle charger is a must. A weak battery creates a myriad of electrical faults. Get a CTek. Dont bother with the antiquated 599 charger [option I think]
Headliner drop.....didn't happen to mine because it was a leather liner....I never had a problem with it
Stickies.....of course you know this. But you would be surprised how many pieces and the exorbitant cost it is to address every one. I probably spent $4-5k over 7 years to have each piece removed and properly re-finished. Don't let a seller fool you by saying it has a few stickies. The 599 has a ton of them.
Kits.....the car should come with a jack kit, charger kit and tool kit. Check for completeness. Same for books and 2 keys

I am sure there are other things I have not thought about. Again if you spend some time on the 599/612 forum you will find a lot of sage advice and more information.

Please understand I am not trying to talk you out of a 599. If I had a choice between a good 599 or a good 360 (even a 6 spd) I would choose the 599 in an instant.

 

And Happy New Year to you and yours!

I forgot one nice addition to the 599. The FabSpeed secondary bypass pipes make the exhaust sound Fantastico. Well worth the modest investment.

 

Have you driven the 599? I love how they look, sound and are a great bargain but they felt too big for most roads.

 

I'm a fan of both the 360 and the 599 but this thread makes me appreciate the (relative) simplicity of my Mondial.

2cam

 

I would go 599, as a V-12 is one of the greats that every car guy should own once in their lives…..and it has a better transmission.

 

This reminds me of the m3-4 vs m5

They suit different tastes

 

I am biased as I do own a 599, but an Enzo derived V12 is the absolute way to go. And this is probably a low in the market that you won't see for a 599 in the future.

The way I see it is the opportunity to purchase and own either one. There are definitely more 360's out there where if you wanted to get back into one, you can probably easily do it. Much less 599 units produced overall and probably much less opportunities in the future.

 

Before I got my 360 I might’ve said 599, but I really enjoy the balance of the 360. Cars are not going to be this light going forward and the 360 has plenty of power to be fun. Car is easy to hustle and have a lot of fun with. Drive my car 500+ miles home after I got it and was surprised how well it handled GT duty (599 probably better at GT duty but likely more limited in tighter cornering). 360 will be much easier to maintain and operate than 599. Almost all 599 were carbon brakes in addition to other illustrated 599 problem areas.


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One is a sports car. The other is a GT.

 

Horses for courses of course, but when I first felt the accelarative force of the 599, I was smitten...

 

Both the 360 and 599 felt unfinished in the handling department in my eyes. Especially the 599. That damn car with the HGTE package is a real handful.

 

360 definitely needs more tire over the stock starfish wheels. 18 or 19” challenge wheels provide a significant grip increase


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