I can't drive a stick....thoughts?

No suggestion on car - already covered extensively by other posters.
if bean town is Boston, Harvard has a pretty decent medical school. Not to mention all the good private docs. "all the docs" is very broad. Methink there are some pretty decent ortho docs near you.
Beside driving the Ferrari (which is a very small part of a good life), a pain-free back is nice to have. Get a second opinion.

 

There are rumored to be around 20 brought to the U.S. They don't come around often, but I own one.

 

Impressive! I first read about them about a year ago and thought my wife would love the concept of the Valeo transmission. She likes the idea of manual transmission cars, but struggles with the weight of the clutches on sporty cars.

Interestingly, I think this might be a YouTube upload by a fellow FChatter:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKtajdD1hBc[/ame]

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Andrew, UK-relevant info for the VALEO, which is all I have, is 2 RHD coupes and 4 cabrios made.

 

I think that a CS (or Stradale, Speciale) would be terror for your back. I had bad pain after a day as a passenger with TexasForever's, and I was perfectly healthy! Even 430s are not as smooth as a 550.

I think you're really looking at the 612/599 or FF/F12s as your realistic, comfortable F1 options. Heck you might be able to get into an FF as a trade, or even $10-20K over your 550.

 

+1

 

Very sorry to read of your troubles. I was thinking the same thing about the FF. You should at least find one to test drive. It might be a good option.

 

Sorry to see you're in pain - wishing you an eventual full recovery.

Here are your choices, IMO.

Virtually the same car with paddles (F1): 575 F1
Similar GT with true Auto: 456 GTA
Modern GT with similar engine and F1: 612 F1
Modern GT with collaborative chain-driven engine and F1: 599 F1

Best of luck.

 

If he has a bad back, not sure this is an improvement.

 

Another thought about the FF is that it can be a true year-round car in Boston.

 

agree. I have a bad back/neck [some fusion--40% disabled]. We have decided on a FF for several reasons. Prices seem very nice lately on the older and still under warranty. [perhaps I should have kept that a secret :\ ]

 

I'd stick to a GT if your back is having problems. 575 or 599 would be the toss up. Or maybe even a 612 if you need back seats.

 

Everyone knows the new automatics are better in almost every way.
I drive a stick because I enjoy it.
If the joy is gone get an auto.

 

Given the choice on offer in terms of front-engined V12 Ferraris, I guess the answer is going to be down to personal choice / budget / 2 or 4 seats. If I had to give up my 550 because I could not longer work a clutch, I think I would go for a 575 because it is as close to the 550 as one can get without a clutch, but I would be very tempted by the idea of an F12 (or, budget permitting, the new GTC4 Lusso, in order to have a Ferrari as a DD).

I was very interested to read / watch the video about the Valeo - I never knew it existed, so thanks for that. Funny seeing Clarkson doing the article about the family hatchback or whatever, while the lady gets to drive the Ferrari!!!

 

You must understand your body is not like a car. You cannot fix it by just repairs alone.

The body is a multi-system of balanced living parts that must be developed in equilibrium and kept in condition by exercise, proper nutrition and weight control. I'm not sure where you are in those departments since you've only mentioned doctors doing "repairs". Just repairing won't work but it's a lucrative business.

Sports injury clinics are different. Those people require greater involvement from their patients with exercise and weight control regimens because they know their patients are not doing average mundane things with their bodies. Driving a manual 550 hard is not the same as commuting to work in a Honda Civic. The best drivers are athletes and those people get their medical attention from sports injury specialists.

If you have back problems you may need to look at what your abdominal and lateral muscles are doing or are NOT doing. You need to check your weight and look at what you are doing when you are not driving. It's likely that those activities or lack of activities are making matters worse. If you are making unusual physical demands on your body, consult an expert on sports medicine, not the average specialist.

 

I am in alignment with 4th gear. Without also addressing the back further, the next car may become the pain in your back. That proper alignment and tracking of your joints can be worked on to provide a stabilized set of joints, less painfull movement, reduced impingement and better quality of life, would be my bet. I once sold a CJ-7 due to L5/S1 being herniated. It took about three years for that to stop plaguing me regularly. It seems to me at the 2-1/2 year point you may be just at the point where some real healing and restored range of motion can be had if you persiat with some restorative therapy.

Perhaps read the book Total Body Training by Bob Gajda, triple crown body builder. Taking physical therapy under his guidance was a real eye opener for me regarding body mechanics and healing. When carple tunnel proglems later hit me, I applied what I'd learned in Gajda's clinic and recovered and was able to keep riding my motorcycles and bikes, and resume working with power equipment which had been exascerbating the problem. I used a gyro exercisers to stabilize and restore strength to the wrist joints throughout their full range of motion. My work at the time had been playing out the strenght in the joints, overstressing them in only certain directions, leading to improper tracking and rubbing of oarts that shouldnt rub.

Building on your core, stabilizing joints by improving full range of motion strength, and some gentle stretching as needed by working the opposing muscles of any tight ones....all helped me resume my activities without surgery.

Best wishes for good further recovery, and hoping you find the car that fits your needs.

 

Find the doc who worked with Bird and his back, he could probably fix anything ha ha! All jokes aside find a good doc and do what they say-don't mess with your back

Until then get an FF and sell me your 550 for cheeeep since I give such good advice. As others here mentioned that FF is the ultimate fcar when you live here-especially this time of yr when you know you're running out of days you can drive anything else Ferrari has built

 

Yeah, aging has also come as a bit of a shock to me. It's like one day I felt just like the young guy I used to be decades ago and the next moment I look in the mirror and there's an overweight grey-looking 60-year-old stranger staring back at me.

I was determined to at least justify the youthful exuberance that I still felt. While injuries and medical conditions accumulated over the years restricted the exercises I could do I could still ride my bike as hard as I used to so that along with attention to diet and some weight training became the core of my rehabilitation and my everyday lifestyle.

I think you will make a big difference in your recovery if you can find a specialist who understands your needs and knows you are willing and capable of restoring your health through a balanced physically-rigorous recovery plan. That person must also be able to explain to you exactly what is messing up your back and how that relates to the rest of your body and what you can do to correct the problem and strengthen your body. You gotta know how that part of your body works because if you don't, you'd just be shooting in the dark. Realize that it's only you who will be monitoring your progress 24/7 not someone you only see when you have an appointment so you have to be your own expert on your body.

The really good doctors have true understanding of their craft and can explain what they know to anyone in appropriate language. It's a great feeling to know how your body works; and it's not unlike understanding how your baby works when you feel in-sync with the car as you are driving.

Good luck!

 

Alternatively, follow the age-old maxim "a bottle of Burgundy a day keeps the doctor away"!

 

Bill, I'm feeling sorry for your actual health condition....

Honestly spoken, if I where in your condition, also for me it would be quiet difficult to find a new car.... The Maranellos are quiet unique, despite the fact that their successors are doing some things better. But that's the case with almost every Ferrari....

What about a very nice 456 or nice 612? Almost everything is possible, and almost every mordern V12 Ferrari (strictly F1....�&#65533 is marketed below the value of a nice 550.... (not included the latest cars like F12 and by now.... an FF).



Let your hard and your health decide in which direction you're moving…



Saluti,

Jürgen

 

I love my MT 430. I passed on a F1 shift car back in 2009 when I was looking.

Fast forward. My GF has a 2012 Italia. I really enjoy driving that car, paddle shifts and all. I cannot imagine a car getting much better than it.

Get a 458.