Buying help please

I've been considering a 599 for quite some time now and I'm finally ready to get serious but I'm having a hard time understanding the market.

It seems that I can't find much rhyme or reason regarding asking prices. I'm seeing cars of the same year, with nearly identical mileage but pricing $30,40,50k higher / lower..?

I'm factoring in the more "big ticket" options, but beyond the the HGTE, model years, mileage and condition, are there other options or considerations that move the pricing so much?

I currently have a 458 also and looking at these cars for sale, the asking prices are (generally) as one would expect. Considerations like mileage, condition, model year, very easy to see reflected in the price.

Hope someone could enlightening me a bit.

 

There are several reasons why cars with the same numbers, as in years, mileage, options, and MSRP will vary in price. A key factor is how well was the car maintained mechanically. Another is the aesthetics of the car, not always discernible from online photos. As far as mileage, you could have two 2010 cars each with 9000 miles. From maintenance records you can see one car put on 8000 in the first 3 years and the remaining 1000 over the next 12. The other car was driven regularly each year of its life. Obviously that car would be more desirable since it didn't sit unused for years.

Of course one last reason is some seller may just have a totally unrealistic valuation of his car, or another seller just has to sell at any price.

 

They are an incredible bargain, probably best value in the Ferrari market at the moment. I bought mine new, 30,000 miles on the clock, pick a color you like and buy it.

 

Just buy the color you like, with full carbon or full leather to your liking, there are all 599 have the fast reving engine and the lighting speed and neck breaking gearbox. Maintenance is important, and new brakes new clutch valve cover gasket and shocks will send you 50 k further … that could justify a price difference with well maintained models

 

Like every Ferrari, the complete history matters. If you find a car you like and all the paper work is with the car you will know what you're getting into. Like the 458, it's a high end piece of machinery. It's going to NEED, that's part of the privilege of ownership.

 

I dont pretend to understand the 599 market place. Low mileage cars demand a premium, but I think also come with built in issues. From my experience, I bought a car with 19K miles and now have 43K miles. this is what I've had to do mtns wise:

• New clutch
• New radiator
• New Fuel pumps - both sides
• New MAF sensors
• New O2 sensors x4
• New Hydraulic lines in the rear
• TGK valves for A/C

I think most of what I've posted are the usual things that go wrong. ON top of that is normal fluid changes 1 x per year. To me if you have all that documented, and up to current spec, your car should carry a premium vs. one that has sat on a show room floor. All the stickies are done in my car and its had new Dash leather in the front.

things I need to do :
Shocks - have them just need to get them installed
Engine Mounts
Rear parking sensor... such a pita
pro active replacement of valve cover seal/gasket - I have a tiny leak that makes an appearance when the weather gets cold.
rear leather around speakers - I have a small seam that is coming un done... most cant see it, but I notice it in the mirror
re spray the front bumper... Mine is a driver so its super prone to road rash... & I have it!

 

WAY too much to unpack in one post. A few have added some details but it is endless. Spec varies WILDLY; adding a full HGTE package was $42K and you can't get it now. Carbon upper and/or lower, carbon seats, fire extinguisher, colors (leather, exterior, stitching), quilting, etc. The list is VERY long and expensive. AND some things changed over times, like the spoke width on the HGTE wheels. You should get the spec you love, not one you can live with.

Condition is worth more than most things. There is no such thing as a cheap Ferrari, so you are looking at condition. Dash leather, sticky bits, shocks, motor mounts, .... Again, a very long list.

To make ALL of that more complicated, consider that there are only about 1700 cars in the US. That is total, not per year. Of those only a few are on the market at any given time. That means you will not find your perfect spec car unless you wait a LONG time, maybe forever. So know what is critical, what is important, and what you would like, and/or change to meet your desire.

The thin market is why prices are wildly different, that won't change. AND, most sellers do not HAVE to sell, at least owners don't but dealers may feel some pressure. That means you won't steal a great car from anyone, because they will just let it sit.

 

My comment, get one! You will never regret it. Find a spec that is close to your desired car and buy it. You will spend a lot sorting everything but compared to a 458? You have to be kidding me.

 

One of the reasons you see such a variety in prices is that there were only about a quarter as many 599s built as 458s and other V8 models. Makes it harder to form a logical market. We see that in most of the late 65° V12s.

 

How do you intend to use the car? Knowing that will help you narrow-down the kind of car you want/need. Do you want a low-mileage creampuff that will never get driven with the "hope" that it will one day make you money? Or do you want a a reliable car that you intend to use and enjoy regularly? Those are two very different things, in my opinion. For me...I like to drive and enjoy my cars, so I trend towards cars with higher mileage that have seen regular use and have had regular / well-documented maintenance. Finally, buy the best car you can afford that fits your intended need.

 

Good point, Terry. How soon we forget, but the 599 was making its debut and production during the financial crisis. No idea if this had anything to do with final production numbers, curious where the 599 sits compared to 550/575 and F12 production numbers as a whole?

 

About the same for 550/575 base models at a bit over 5000 (3083/2064) and the 599 at 4500-5000. No clue on the F12. V8s were around 20,000 each, plus or minus a few thousand.

 

I'll give one piece of advice, skip the HGTE package. Once the shocks start going, every seam in the road is like driving over a piece of rebar. I wish someone would figure out a way to make a shock that would last more than 15,000 miles on this car, but alas, not meant to be. If the production 599 GTB is a smoother ride with a different part number, I'd take the standard 599.

 

Same shocks, but the springs are stiffer and the shock/body ECU has stiffer settings.

 

agree with most of the above sentiments, but never had the issues that some are mentioning. one thing that gets lost when talking about the HGTE package is that it came with a whole lot of carbon. makes a huge difference in the look and feel. that said, the best part is the race car feel with the upgraded performance. just be careful in race mode!

 

I have driven the 599 on track, and it is a beast... a tad heavy, but considering its real weight, it performs great! it's performance envelope is way more than mine... in the mountains or in regular driving, there is not much else that will touch it, and it is super comfortable....

 

Good point. My car has the full HGTE added BUT, it also had all of the carbon packages, including door sills.

 

my car has an HGTE aftermarket kit on it. I bought it that way... Its pretty stiff and has all the HTGE "Stuff"... it was speced with all the carbon stuff, except the dash and transmission tunnel its all leather... which I like ... too much carbon makes it very hollow sounding inside if you ask me. I had the 50th anniversary car for almost a month and it was carbon everwhere, and that was the thing I noted that it was very noisy inside ... if you had a penny in the little bin.. you would hear it rattle at idle...

 

One of the reasons I bought my car was the leather dash, I think it's a better look.