EBAY maranello

Is anyone familiar with this car? During the Ebay auction, I wrote the seller, European Motors USA in Dallas and asked them to provide any and all service records. They wrote back and said they had no records, and "the local Ferrari dealer" refused to discuss the car's service history. The seller then reduced the "buy-it-now" price from $110,000 to $92,500. There were only 3 bids on the car, and no one bit on the "buy-it-now" price. I like the paint and interior, but sure don't relish the thought of a huge "post-purchase" surprise. Or am I being overly cautious? (and I am a "newbie")




http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2000-Ferrari-550-Maranello-V12-Argento-SIlver_W0QQitemZ260018323170QQihZ016QQcategoryZ6212QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

Hi there and welcome to the Board. I asked similar questions some years ago when I was buying my first Ferrari and received what turned out to be excellent advice.

1. If you can't lay your hands on the service records, I would not buy that car, unless you can arrange to have a thorough pre-purchase inspection (PPI) by a trusted independent or dealer of your choice. Even then, I would hesitate. There are a lot of great cars out there with complete service records and there's no need to settle.

2. Even if you CAN get hold of the records, a PPI is essential. There are a number of potential issues with the car that need to be sorted through by someone who knows them. This is not something you can neglect or it will come back to bite you (BIG TIME), possibly to the tune of thousands of dollars.

3. If at all possible, it's worth the trip to go see the car, drive it, and talk with the people doing the inspection.

There are a lot of great 550's out there. Don't be hasty. Take your time, do due diligence and you won't regret it.

Good luck. I'd suggest using the search function for topics on the 550. You'll find a rich and useful base of information that will help you pick the right car.

With respect to the particular car you're talking about, the seller's response is unsatisfactory- I'd RUN, not walk away from this one.

 

Thanks Jeff....I appreciate your comments. Sounds to me like "go slow/do homework" is the drill!

 

especially: get a PPI done, by someone you have some confidence in.
Look in the SW section and ask for recommendations from locals.

(and after all that, I bought a 2-owner car, with spotty records, but I got a good PPI done, and knew what questions to ask; the car has been flawless!)

If this car isn't the one, talk to Jim Lyons @ Sports Car Company in San Diego. Get your PPI from Gary Bobileff.

G'luck!
James
'01 550

 

Good tips by all.

Off topic a bit... It looks like the Armour All'ed the black interior plastic of this car.

Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad idea.

 

a 5 year old 200 thousand dollar car without records? WHY?? my 1985 308 has service records from day one, and ownership history.

and wait till you try to explain the carfax odometer discrepancy in 5 years when you go to sell....

theres a reason no one bid on this loser....

spend the extra 10 thou for the right car, you wont regret it...you will have forgotten the extra money in a few months while you are loving your car

 

how would you make $100,000 move and not do your homework?

 

Anyone notice the odometer/instrument cluster was replaced on the car? (friendly sticker saying 4k miles, really!)

 

'Morning guys.....Thanks for the great comments and recommendations. I'm off to Concorso Italiano tomorrow to try to raise the learning curve.

 

i was the second owner of that car. was first owned by bobby rahal who replaced speedometer after it broke. all documented. serviced at continental -when i spoke with them prior to purchasing they knew car very well. not sure of history after i sold it 2 years ago but car was perfect when i owned it.

 

ex bobby rahal? is that a good thing? provenance vs. beat to s---?

 

Hi Jason....Thanks for shedding some light on prior ownership. I appreciate you sharing that. I'm going to keep looking. It's those last two years (since you) that I'm concerned about

 

you are welcome. good luck with search. there are a number of 550's in current ferrari market letter. just bought another myself from shelton.

 

Yet another on Ebay, but what a rambling sack of an ad.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ferrari-F-550-1-4-million-Dollars-1of-a-Kind-Ferrari-F550-500-H-P_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6212QQihZ006QQitemZ160017591306QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

1/4 million Dollars 1of a Kind Ferrari F550 500+ H.P.

You are about to Enter our World, A World of a very unique Automobile that May look the same, but No one has one like it!
what we are about to offer here to you, Is Not just another Ferrari that was sold for More than 1/4 million Dollars! plus the upgrades...


No matter where when and who¸ This SPECIAL F550 will turn people's heads¸ Even in NYC where is full of Glamors life style of rich & famous...More than 3,000 people viewed this car and 100s pictuers were taken..


The F550 is a creature of almost 5000 hours wind tunnel. Its aerodynamic of it is a result of 5000 hours of wind tunnel, the design of the F550 is fast & sinewy and Front tracks @ 65" are actually 2 inch wider than back @ 63" this guarantees prompt turn-in to corners


The layout of the F550 is true classical of the Ferrari, low and wide, with large hood & cut-off tail, immediately give you that impression of greatest sport car with front engine (easy to do maintenance) and rear gearbox (equal weight distribution).


structure of the front axle is designed to ensure an anti-dive effect when braking and we put this on harsh rugged 100 hours of test in Manhattans streets. In sever heat and humid & traffic condition.


All you need to do is to switch to comfort ride or sport ride with flip of the button to 4 electric motors that monitors and adjust the suspension 4 aluminum gas dampers and for sport of Hwy mode, you switch it on.


In the best Ferrari tradition, the interior harmonizes: functional practicality & sporty ness & luxury car. Its aerodynamic is amazing and unlike any other cars; Minimal drag, minimal side wind sensitivity, maximum vertical load, efficiency of the air intakes to the massive engine & interior.


The driver cockpit grouped all instruments @ field of driver's vision, 2 front airbags, also Immobilizer activated by radio frequency signal. Information is displayed on LCD & analogue with comfort zone climate control incorporates a radiation sensor for best cabin temperature.


Behind all these luxury wrap-around quality leather upholstery, there is large storage with original leather luggage & classic leather straps, with its new upgraded built in voice on command navigation and 2 remote controls, comes a 2 tone inter. that smells new, you can see in photos, everyone just stops and pulls their camera to snap a shot before they they lose that chance. Even the police compliments you and shows you a sign of respect to this Goddess.


It has 8 magical electrically assisted seat positioning (squab rake, lumbar support, reach, height, head restraint, tilting of the seat) as well as 12 degree steering tilting, all these make you feel like you are in Maybach 200 MPH time machine. will feel like the first owner who paid over 1/4 Million Dollars-very proud to say you own it for.


This $10,000 Race Version stage II Zeuna Starker exhaust system features: POWER, PASSION, PERFORMANCE Is one of the top notch in craftsmanship and performance. Increases 17% Dyno tested the exhaust flow boosting of the massive V-12 power of this F 550, Allowing to breath easier and sound like Jet turbine.


100 mm quad muffler with high polished tips Race Version Full Polished Stainless Steel Construction, thus allowing for maximum power. The sound is not aggressive by any mean, In fact is very pleasant and you will say is the best part of driving the car.



Zeuna Starker is an exhaust systems supplier headquartered in Augsburg, Germany. With annual revenues estimated at $725 million DM, ($425 million), Zeuna Starker is one of the largest independent exhaust producers in Germany. Major customers include Mercedes Benz, BMW, Lancia, Alfa , Ferrari, Rolls Royce, and Bentley.


Driven only 150 miles a week= 2000 miles a year, with recent fresh service oil, lubes, brakes, belts,....All original mileage, No odometer rollback detected. The previous owner was a non-smoker.


100% To best of our knowledge, there has never been any repaired collision damage, except we had the lower bottom of the car painted matching yellow to make it look lower without dropping it nor adding any ground effect.


This vehicle has been pampered and saved from any parking dings or scratches or parking marks except has in ding on lip of the driver door. The vehicle looks as new as the day it was first sold. It appears to have always been garaged.


Great Responsive, smooth shifting transmission, You can actually drive and operate this like an automatic transmission. The car has so much so much torque that you can drive off in 2-nd gear without even noticing it and reach up to 60 MPH without any need to change gears. Unlike the other cars, where you feel pressing the clutch or changing to make the car go fast!


The vehicle's electric is working perfectly. Has new 800 CCA battery and new O2 sensors, This yellow cream puff is a top-flight, with no known defects. The care of this auto has been well maintained, and its' extra clean exterior is all the proof you need. Like new interior! The interior truly is extra clean, smell new.


3 Genuine SCHEDONI Luggage set that was offered exclusively by Ferrari for $10,000! NY's Celebrity sound system! The complete personal travel kit! The service History, the extensive research we have done about this Legendary F 550. This is Part of Ferrari's Prestigious History and its Heritage of Formula 1 Racing Championships.


A complete package with all it's books, service, 2 clean owners, complete package with all it's books, service, 2 clean owners, Luggage, travel kit, GENUINE SCHEDONI FOR FERRARI LEATHER 3 PIECE LUGGAGE SET SCHEDONI Italian hand made for Ferrari - can not purchase on open market, customized travel set option when purchased brand new, worth $10,000.


Leather tool kit, leather suit cases with inside storage pocket and ID tags, one large size the other medium, plus one tan leather suit carrier with two large pockets for extra storage, all three come with yellow protective cloth cases, Never been used


Comes with F1 Ferrari Michael Schumacher Motorcycle Flip-Up Helmet is great and looks beautiful in real eye. You can't get it in US and Europe market. The logo of MARLBORO is big and will draw a lot of eyeballs and it looks very attractive. Surely, it can get a lot of attention from people who admire at your helmet.


Beautiful 3.5" TFT LCD monitor built into the motorized, fold-down faceplate on-screen display of JPEG images, DVD/CD receiver with built-in amplifier (400 watts RMS/50 peak x 4 channels)


Plays all DVDs, CD-R, CD-RW, Video CDs, and MP3/WMA/WAV discs, Giga MP3 capability ? will play up to 100 hours of MP3/WMA files burned onto a single recordable DVD-Audio compatible front-panel SD card slot, on-board 5.1 surround-sound decoding, 7-band iEQ DIGITALLY INSIDE THE RADIO XM and SIRIUS Satellite Radio-ready ( plus subscription)


12 CD changer controls, audio/video input (can be switched between audio/video and backup camera modes)
Wireless remote, dual-zone mode, 5-volt front, rear, center channel, and subwoofer preamp outputs HS-IV AM/FM tuner, audio/video output


Comes with amazing full color Ferrari F 550 brochure includes four pages of the vehicle's vital statistics. Including these specifications: engine, transmission, body/chassis, special features, options, running gears, dimensions, under skin look, and much more.


Even shows head to head comparison to their rivals and its original price. These are preferred over dealer brochures, mainly because of their detail; they could not produce such a nice print at that time

 

Wood, really? Are they serious?

 

The above is correct, the car does not have factory original SF Shields, They are clearly aftermarket Stick On badges, and I believe the colour may have been changed, The PPG Colour sticker has had a "Argento Nurgburgring 101/C" white label selotaped over the original Yellow Label - Needs Checking Carefully ???

Argento

 

Hey Argentium....Would that be normal procedure after collision damage or a repaint to just put a plain white sticker over the yellow label? And is there any clue in the VIN as to the original factory color? Thanks......