Thinking of buying a 550 Maranello

550 negatives???

none*

 

Mark, I had a 550 and loved it. I traded it on a 99 355 which suits my driving needs better as I live out in the relative boonies of the north coast of California and two lane roads, often narrow and always twisty make the 355 a much more suitable car. If I lived in a more open environment with some highways etc I think the 550 would be perfect. Great cars imo with the only downside being the weight. They still handle beautifully but you can feel that mass at work all the time and just did not feel right here. I dealy miss the torque though. Best of luck in your decision, John

 

Just bought a 550 - I'm still in love with it.
Only things against it:

1) Crazy MPG
2) Questionable build quality on some components
3) Running costs (although if you have warranty and FFSH it should be easier)
4) Looks TOO good - going to walk into a lamp-post one day from turning around to look at it.

CK

 

4) Looks TOO good - going to walk into a lamp-post one day from turning around to look at it.

Ha, happens to the best of us! I totally walked into a parking meter one day checking out a beauty across the street. Almost knocked the wind out of me. Needless to say, scored no points on that manuever.

 

I recently acquired a 2000 with a new factory warranty.
I am taking care of a minor ecu problem and FNA is being great about resolving the issue.
I love the car. No negatives other than worrying about parking it at most places due to it drawing people wanting to look at it.
An absolute blast to drive. Nothing compares to the torque it has. I live in the country with open roads with gentle sweeping curves and rolling hills and highways. The car is really at home here.
You can watch the gas guage go down as you drive it though as previously mentioned.

 

Blow Dog, can you elaborate on (3)? Apart from the fuel consumption, I thought 550's were generally trouble-free to maintain (again, on a relative basis)?

 

I recently sold mine (sort of) and have a Stradale waiting for me at the dealership. I have been told that once I drive a Stradale, it will change my DNA forever and forever. But I have to say, it will be hard to top a Shark. Very, very, hard...

 

If you are a driver, don't buy a garage queen!

DL

 

Mark,

I thought there was some debate in your mind re the 'classic' vs 'new'....

I recall you mentioning that you loved your 328, but didn't feel the same bond with the 355.

If one of the reasons you failed to bond with your 355 was it's 'newness' then I'm not sure the 550'll do it for you either, notwithstanding its performance and handling, but then the 355 was hardly lacking in those departments either.

Just a thought,

Robert.

 

Hi Mark

Have you seen this one on Ebay?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=18180&item=2497680048&rd=1

Cheers Kevan
See you down the road - with huge grins on both our faces

 

Mark

KHPC in Maidstone have a few on their website

http://www.theferraricentre.co.uk/

 

"you may be right, I haven't driven one yet but I think i must be gettign old and fancy a 'Gentlemans Carraige' "

Mark, The 550 is indeed that and I don't think you can adequately compare a front 12cyl and a mid 8cyl car in many ways. You can decide, as I have, which is more appropriate for you needs, but comparing them will make you crazy as they are so different in all characterisitics. But gauging from your quote above, I can almost assure you the 550 will be love at first drive. Let us know when you get some seat time.

 

Ghost -
Servicing these cars are more expensive than V8 equivelents. There's also the fear of something going wrong - as often is the case, let's not forget we're driving £150,000 cars - parts are neither cheap nor are they in abundance.

However, I'm very new to this game and I'm not really qualified to give an opinion on reliability yet (cross fingers)

CK

 

Just came back from a trip to the Bay Area. Up & down the I-5. My little 550 did well on this trip. Oh, it is soooo nice driving a 550.

 

the 550 is my favorite Ferrari. Ive never ridden in one so i cant tell u anything about that, but, no matter what angle u look at it from it sill looks gorgeous. Those pesky v8s are nothing compared to the raw unbridiled power and torque of what a Ferrari really is, a v12 in front of you. May i suggest to you a black 550, my opinion it looks the best on that car.

 

The Maranello is a good choice, you will never regret your decision. Grigio Titan is also a really nice color for the maranello, it matches perfectly the "gentlemen design" of the 550/575. Take a look at mine:

 

I am one year into my 550 ownership.
Overall I am quite pleased with the car, in spite of a few minor gripes which you'll be able to read about in the archives. Nothing major, but not having to put up with leaking windows, geometry problems or missing damper cushions.

The car's grunt is addictive, not a screamer you have to squeeze every RPM of to get going (I also have a 355), quite a handful in Sport mode or with ASR off. The flipside is a relative lack of perceived high end power.
An excellent traveller, room for luggage, effortless.
Brakes very questionable and not confidence-inspiring at high speeds, one of the weakest points IMO.
OEM exhaust is dead boring, post-02 Tubi mandatory, even if it's close to be too much.
Turning radius ridiculously large.
Handling very well sorted, bluffing for a car that size. Weight will show on a track, but on real world roads, it's a very fast car.
Gas mileage is not that horrific considering the car's abilities, I average around 15L/100km on the 355 while the 550 returns 17L/100km, with little dependency on driving patterns.

Overall, I always found the 355 to be fun and charming to drive, but the 550, while not being a hilariously tossable go-kart, is simply special. You don't get to be Evo's car of the decade for no reason.