Daily Driver 88 TR or 99 550 ?

Definitely the 550 Maranello.
The car feels great on the highway at normal cruising speeds. It is very comfortable and has a relatively low revving engine at these speeds. But when you hit the pedal it is brutal piece of machinery. It is a real comfortable GT.
My next choice would be a 360 Modena, and my third choice would be a 512TR (but that one is not in the list so ignore this one).
I have heard some stories on this board about people who use the TR as a daily driver and are very happy with it. I don't know! The car has a great engine that has proven to be very reliable. I still believe that if you drive them regularly they don't break!

 

i've had a TR for a month now that i drive several times a week. i had visions of using it everyday as well...but they have faded as i get to know the car more. sure it's a great car, but unsuited for the stop and go of everyday use. i've also gotten used to the smoothness of more modern cars for a regular commute. the TR is more brutal, more demanding than a modern car. if i had my druthers, i would go for the 550 by a wide margin over a 360, followed closely by a 355.

john

 

I wouldn't recommend owning ANY Ferrari as your only car. The amount of time the car can spend in the shop waiting for parts is just too much. My 456 has been in the shop for the last 3 weeks, with another week to go, mostly due to parts.

I wouldn't worry about rain on the TR. I drive my Boxer in the rain occasionally, and I wash it, and it's no problem.

However, the question is a no-brainer. The 550 is a much better daily driver. I don't know that it would necessarily be more reliable (I think both the TR and the 550 would be pretty good), but I think it would be much more comfortable and capable.

 

IIRC you bought a Really Nice TR at retail and then spent significant $ on a proper, full major service. Now that you've got a solid TR with all services up to date I'd be tempted to hang onto it. I'm always surfing the Ferrari ads here and elsewhere, but I kind of like having a known quantity sitting in the garage as opposed to taking on another used Ferrari. IMO, the TR is also something of emerging classic and an icon.

Donv's comment kind of sums it up, though. My 328 was in the shop over a week for its major, and now it's in for 5 days for a front bumper strip/respray (full disassembly, etc.) I knew this when I bought it, and it's my second car - so no big deal. Even if it doesn't leave me stranded, this car just doesn't have the service network to be my primary driver. No loaner cars, parts that have to be ordered from out of town, and the best mechanics always seem to have a backlog.

Then there's the plus of having my Jeep around for airport parking (got scraped a few weeks ago - some klutz and his luggage), Home Depot trips, sandblasting rides through our chronic construction zone on the 15, etc. If I wasn't focused on other financial goals I'd gladly have a Range Rover. But it would be constant heartbreak watching the Ferrari go to pot every day...

If money is absolutely no object, then the 550 is clearly more comfortable, holds more, etc.

 

If daily driver is your most concern..... yes, the 550 will be most suitable and comfortable for daily use. It's nice and comfortable and need the least effort to drive. But then the least fun. Other choices you need a little more strength and alert to be in control. I use my TR nearly daily but that's me.... I don't mine tiresome just as long as it's fun.

 

I love TR's but face it, it is old enough to vote.


550.

 

one other consideration might be how easy/$$$ it would be
to replace either the TR or the 550. TR's, while probably
readily in supply, may not all be gems. 550's, otoh,
will likely be available over the next several years in
nicer condition. Don't know production numbers on each,
so you'd wanna take that into consideration.

Either car would be nice to have(wish i had one/both),
and you don't wanna get into a situation where you really
dig the car, wanna replace it down the road, and find it
hard to find something decent.

 

Congrats on your TR purchase and for driving it so often! I've had my 90' for about 6 months and no problems. I don't drive it weekly, seems like it's more of an event car for me, as in "oh that sounds like a fun road trip, let's take the TR"...a car I enjoy driving with no commuters and where the roads are not congested. Twistie roads watch out!

For daily, the SUV or convertible suit me fine.

Just my opinion...the TR's a hoot to drive, but I can't imagine it as a daily driver. A fun car that I enjoy to the max and hope that all those people snapping it's pic while they are driving will not swerve into my car.

Newer Ferrari's are probably better as daily drivers, but I can't afford to find that out/give my 2 cents just yet.

 

It would have been a much stranger result if the 550 hadn't have turned out to be the choice of the poll - That's what it was designed for !

Argento