What To Do 360/550/996 Turbo | FerrariChat
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What To Do 360/550/996 Turbo

Discussion in 'Ferrari Discussion (not model specific)' started by ferraristyle1, Aug 2, 2013.

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  1. ferraristyle1

    ferraristyle1 Formula Junior

    Aug 2, 2013
    264
    Baltimore, MD
    #1 ferraristyle1, Aug 2, 2013
    I've finally made the decision to look for my first Ferrari and have given myself about a year to hopefully find the right car. I've mainly been a Porsche guy and currently own a Cayenne GTS and a 996 Turbo.

    The 996 Turbo is a beast, tuned, exhaust, headers, all the bolt on goodies and is putting out 550/609 at the wheels according to my last dyno run. Once the turbos kick in the car is literally the fastest car I've ever driven with torque for days.

    So 308/328/348/355 are all out because they are too slow for me. 360 and 550 are right in my price range.

    My original plan was to have 3 cars. The SUV, a sports car, and a GT car. The reason why is I hate taking the 996 turbo on long trips, its just so rough and literally bottoms out on everything, mostly do to the K3 suspension I have on it. So here is the issue.

    I've read many posts on 550 vs 360. The 360 has the looks I want but I feel the 550 has the torque I would love. The 360 has a much better "shock factor" then the 550 or the 996 turbo (yeah I sort of like the attention). I think the 360 and 550 are pretty evenly matched in 0 to 60 and 0 to 100, and the thought of a 200 MPH supercar is quite intoxicating, however I think the 996 would be quicker then both.

    What are the actual performance numbers on a 550 and 360? On the web they seem to be all over the place.

    So should I

    A) Trade the 996 Turbo on a 360 (Non F1) then buy a 928S4/GT for a GT car?
    B) Keep the 996 Turbo and get a 550?
    C) Get a 360 (Non F1), keep the 996 turbo, and just take the grocery getter Cayenne on trips

    Two things majorly effect my decision are performance and shock factor. In the comparisons post I hear the 550 has the snap your head back accelerations where the 360 has to be kept in the high RPM's to get the performance out of the car. Would the ride in the 360 on a longer trip be as harsh as the 996?

    Also, I feel the 550 maintenance cost to be less expensive then 360 but would appreciate comments on that.
     
  2. toggie

    toggie F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Nov 30, 2003
    19,036
    Virginia
    Full Name:
    Toggie (Ron)
    #2 toggie, Aug 2, 2013
    Last edited: Aug 2, 2013
    First of all, welcome - to both becoming a Ferrari owner and being a poster on fchat.

    The option you didn't include in your choices is:

    D) Trade the 996 Turbo on a 360 (Non F1) then buy a 550 for a GT car.

    Like many others, you'll have a hard time choosing between the mid-engine V8 Ferrari sports car vs. the front-engine V12 Ferrari GT car.
    They are two different types of Ferrari addiction.
    This is probably why I own both a 550 and a 458. :)

    To answer your other questions:

    - The 360 can do long road trips fairly well. The RPMs will be higher than the 550's but not overly so. The car is smooth at highway speeds. Trunk space in a 360 is limited to the front trunk and space behind the seats. If you pack using soft-sided duffel bags, there is enough room. I used to own a 2001 360 years ago and enjoyed taking it on several short overnight trips in my region. The 550 has the wider rear trunk and you can put a couple of duffel bags on the rear parcel shelf too. The trunk on the 550 is nice to have for long trips but realize it is not a full-size trunk like a MB or BMW either.

    - Maintenance costs between the 360 and 550 isn't going to be all that different. The timing belt changes are slightly easier to do on the 550 but there is a lot more that goes into a "major service" that you'll have done every 3 -5 years on both cars. Your maintenance costs will vary quite a bit each year (on both the 360 and 550). Some years, you'll only do an oil change and minor items, so maybe only $500 to $1.5k that year. Other years, you'll do a major service and maybe have one significant repair item (new brakes, suspension work, etc.), and that year might cost you $5k - $12k. So, on average, maybe plan on a maintenance budget of $3k - $4k per year, but it won't be evenly spent over the years. The key is to buy a car that is in good shape with minimal deferred maintenance hidden in it. This is why everyone is so big on getting a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) done by someone who really knows Ferraris. Nothing wrong with finding out a particular car needs $15k of deferred work done to it to make it perfect, as long as you find that out before you buy the car and the seller is willing to discount the asking price to reflect what was uncovered in the PPI.

    Hope this helps and good luck to you.

    P.S. You might want to put your State in the Location field of your User Profile here on fchat. It helps to know what part of the country (or in some cases, the world) the person lives in. It helps with recommending good Ferrari mechanics in your area and maybe keeping an eye out for good cars that come up for sale near you. And, other owners might invite you to Ferrari events in your area.
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