Hi Everyone, I'm in the market for my first Ferrari and I am very interested in the 575. After test driving it I think its easily the best car in its class but I have a few questions for all you knowlagable ferrari people out there. What is the cost to own one of these cars and are they at all reliable? If I buy the 575 I will be using it as a daily driver and at times I will be taking it from Boston to Toronto canada so I will be putting miles on it. Should I expect it to fall apart after 15K? The dealer said if I service it regularly it should be fine but I just want to make sure. I should also mention that I'm most likely going to buy the 575 second hand. Thanks in Advance for your help!
If you use the search function...using the key word "575"...you should easily find enough information to keep you reading for days on end. That being said, from what Ive read on this board, the 550/575 is one of the most reliable platforms (if not the most reliable) Ferrari has ever built. Certainly usuable as a daily driver(although, Id get another vehicle for snow days ) and should be good for many, many klms...no chance of blow up or rebuild after 15000 k,lol.(of course, you DEFINATELY want to have a prepurchase inspection done by someone who knows the car..and different from who is selling it) The only thing is being a 12 cyl car and a ferrari...you can expect to spend some dollars on regular maintance...as well as the infrequent surprise expense. Some on the board suggest an annual budget of about 2000...I find this to be a reasonable amount. Some years you might do only the oil change, other years there me be an actuator or some cpu/o2 sensor needs replacing...certainly, the biggest expense is the "major" service..ranging from about 5000-7000 depending on anything else that they find that might need doing at the time. This big service must be done every 15000k or 3-5 years..depending on who you ask. That should answer your question as to how miles add expense to the ownership of this vehicle. If your buying used...some suggest getting a better "bargain" by paying less for one with higher miles and a recent service...they should run better and have had their initial issues sorted...rather than a "garage queen" for more money..but less likely to have had any potential gremlins exposed yet. If its from a dealer...you might want to consider a 1 or 2 year warranty. They are very relaible cars...but its always better to have a fall back position. If you prefer a firmer suspension, and are not really into the whole f1 transmission thing...you might want to consider a late model 550 instead. The advantage is a much higher rate of depreciation compared to the 575, and not a big difference in performance. In fact, some prefer the 550 over the 575 who could easily afford either..it is a matter of personal opinion. Certainly, if you are in the market for a used 575, you owe it to yourself to give the 550 some thought as well, if only as a basis for comparision. Quite a few 550 owners where not such big fans of the skyhook suspension of the 575, calling it "floaty". However, many former 550 owners also claim they would never go back after getting the 575...so, whatever floats your boat (excuse the pun), I guess. Good luck in your search and hope you buy well! Oh...and welcome to the board..if you do buy there is no better place to learn, chat and exchange info and ideas>
Have a '03 575 F1 (see my profile) which is for sale as of tomorrow at Ron Tonkin Gran Turismo 503-255 7560, Just took del of a 430. The car is a magnificent Gran Tourer. In the 2 yrs under warranty which expired in April of this yr no major problems at all- a strut had to be replaced under warranty.The car is dependable.I change the oil every 3 k mi and the brake fluid yearly.Tirelife depends on your driving.I replaced the P zero's at 8000 mi-car now has 11K mi.Many options the most special of which is full carbon fiber interior, If you are interested call Greg Theis-ferrari sales mgr.(at above #) PS .the cost of major serice incl belt job at 3-5 yrs/or 30k mi is about $6000. Marty
the maranello platform is solid stuff. do search the archives. the only material problem i had with my 550 was related to a TSB (failed engine mounts). other than that, you pretty much just turned the key and drove it. i used mine as a frequent daily driver (though not in the snow, for sure). i would echo goldy's sentiment re: considering a 550 instead of a 575. the depreciation curve on these things new or newish is atrocious at best. 575s are still commanding premiums, but you really don't get much for the extra money (imo, ymmv). i prefer the aesthetics of the 550 over the 575. i briefly considered buying a new 575 after owning my 550 for a while, but couldn't begin to justify the depreciation hit or the, imo, reduction in aesthetics. i was pretty sure my butt-dyno wouldn't really be able to tell the difference. plus the 575s aren't due for belt service yet. you can probably find a 12K to 18K mile 550 with the belts just done at a dealer for very reasonable money. the car should be seriously solid until the belts are due again (five years, if you want to be careful). if you buy a 575 it'll likely be sans-belt-service and then you can lump that big bill onto the depreciation costs. whatever you do, my advice would be to buy from your local dealer and get the ferrari warranty if you can. random stuff DOES go wrong, and it IS expensive to fix it all. but to your original question re: "cost to own" - my rule of thumb has been to set aside 2000 to 2500 per year, which covers regular maintenance, the major every five years, and one "exceptional" problem during that five year period. just one boy's opinion - probably worth well less than you paid for it . doody.
envision a medical examination table at the morgue. imagine your lifeless body on the table. i tried to turn my 550 around in my driveway once in the middle of winter. the gee dee thing got STUCK. maybe if you put gislaveds on it or something you could get away with it, but with the standard types of tires the car wants, it's a non-starter. i had to go to the hardware store (for some flukey reason i pulled my jeep out to the end of my driveway - to this day i don't know why i did that - otherwise it would have been completely blocked in by the stuck 550) and get traction sand and lay it down in lines in the path the tires needed to travel on. that was a pretty frustrating afternoon. i never tried again. fwiw, doody
Not true at at. All you need is proper tires and if it gets too bad chains. As for a used 575 I'd get one from a dealer and get an extended warantee. Doody, many new cars are undrivable in the snow with high speed tires. With proper snow tires they are fine. European style chains will get you to St. Christoff with no problems. They make ski racks that fit 575's. Veryon's have a lot more torque than 575's and they are fine in the snow as well.
hmmm --- i don't recall ever seeing a "chain package" on a ferrari order sheet of course it's possible. anything's possible! i put snows on my S55 and drove it one winter - it was hardly an optimal solution, all things considered. despite the advice to the contrary here, i'd suggest to the initial inquirer that you just buy a four figure beater 4x4 for snow use instead of a new quarter-mil 575. if anybody has pictures of a Maranello with chains on it, i'd like to see that picture! doody.
There was a thread somewhere with Ferrari's running in the snow in Russia and some of the cars used them. The winter testing of the Viron talked about using them. I've used them in Europe on performance cars. They're pretty high tech, plastic and easy to mount. They're also safe to reasonable speeds. Ferrari's can be driven in the snow easily. My TR was fine as was my 308. Older cars are fine as well. 250 GT0's were raced in the snow.
Hi everyone, Thanks for all the replies! I think this is great advice, and after reading up, I think I'm going to go test drive a 550 and see what it is like. I have a strong feeling I'm going to pick one up. After doing some quick searchs online I found some 550's with recent service for some very reasonable prices. About the same as a new SL55!! I'll be using this car as a GT and not for thumping around on a track so I think all this 575 FHP, and GTC stuff isn't for me, and it certainly isn't for my money! Thanks again guys, and as for driving a ferrari in the snow... I think I'll stick to my Toyota Rav4(I bought it before I was rich)
This board is well known for great advice, and if you do end up picking one up, you are required by Fchat law to come back and post pics of your beast...consider it your "payment" in full! Good luck! Goldy
I bought an '02 575 with 2800 miles, five months ago. I was worried about the low mileage but got an additional 2 years of Ferrari extended warrenty. I have driven car as daily driver and also on several 3k+ mile road trips and several 1400 mile/24 hr trips. I have added 12k miles since purchase. Costs: 5k service= $1750, 15K+belts=$5400 and coming up on another oil change and fluid service soon ? cost. The belt change is 36 months from date of manufacture or 30k miles. At the belt service a defective left cam-drive bearing was found and replaced under the extended warrenty.(This is the sort of random part failure that would usually show up early if the car is driven rather than sitting in a garage.) I am quite pleased with the 575 and treat it a normal car and use it for transportation rather than a static art object. Steve
Now at 57,000 miles..another cam-belt change at 40,000 miles and replaced half-shafts under extended warranty. Several problems with the gas tank vapor recirc system (not warranty covered) and recent problem with intake manafold gaskets which was covered by warranty. Also has occasional service light with the tire pressure system (may be the CPU). This week she is going for a warranty renewal inspection and oil change. Great car, has never left me stranded, is expensive to service but well worth it.
I have a 06 Z06 it is not nearly the car my 360 is. Besides this is the Ferrari board and it is ok if we are dilusional. Nice try troll.
When I was an ABS engineer, my friend and colleague was developing the traction control system on the 575. He let me drive his test car, a 550 with the 575 engine, in Sweden during a development trip. The car had snow tires and with the traction control enabled was as easy to drive as any other 2wd car in ice and snow. He was recording data while I drove and put the car into sport mode. What I did not know was that this disabled the brake function of the TCS so that it was in engine only mode. We very nearly left the road at an elevated speed. Here's a picture of my POS development car. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Odd comment for a guy who started a 550 v 575 thread, no? I would walk across the street so I didnt have to look at a Vette
I think he meant that if you want to achieve $1.00/mile you need to buy a Vette, not a Ferrari, because it will be more expensive. I don't think he meant don't buy the Ferrari. Ah well, even if he did.... I'm going to buy one anyway! As for the running cost, have a look at the article on www.evo.co.uk. They ran a 550 long-term which should be a good indication. I've started a thread in this section with the exact link to the article. Onno
Hi their check this out 550 / 575 Fans http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJb-wyPJTg8&mode=related&search= Enjoy !!! Orlando
