DocTock993

Can anyone comment specifically on ownership of a Ferrari F550 Maranello (2003)?
I'm interested in the daily-driver ability / possibility...

Texas993

Russ,

Go talk to Jonathan or Carl at RUF. They both come from the Ferrari world and know a lot about them. They now have one of the best Ferrari techs in the state over there - Michael. When I had a Mondial t I used Norwood Performance for service - they are tops. Give them a call and speak to James (owner) or Mike. Mike is a Porsche guy but knows a ton about the Ferraris and the local owners.

Also make sure you check out Ferrarichat.com. Local guy, Rob Lay, runs the site but it is more like RL - a global site.

I could go on and on ... call me if you want more.

Shizznik

Just an FYI.........'03 would be a 575.........and from what I hear, they're pretty service intensive as far as I have heard, the timing belts need to be done every 4 years? I believe and that service is quite expensive.....my 2 cents....however,
I LOVE those cars, would love to own one, just not for everday use....maybe one day!!

ard

have you read this?

http://www.sportscarmarket.com/articles/archives/939

Admittedly, this is about 1 particular car, but SCM is generally a "no drama" type magazine. But you were not inquiring about cost of ownership, so perhaps that's not an issue.

DocTock993

Thanks for the prompt answers.
The fact that it is mislisted and that excellent link have totally squelched that idea!

Patrick - Thanks for the offer. One of these days...

Robin 993DX

Too much drama with the Ferraris for me, lots of subpar parts used in these cars. After owning a 360 spider for 1.5 year I will never buy another Ferrari again.

However the 550/575 is suppose to be the most reliabile and easier to work on than the mid engine Ferraris.

Edgy01

By your Texas address I assume you have several oil wells. That's all good for what you intend.

That car has some known issues with the B pillar area,--weakening over time. As a daily driver, you would be adding to that issue in time.

The frequent maintenance is what really hurts using these as a daily driver. It seems like in no time you are back in again and again for what shouldn't need such attention.

While I consider the front-engined V12 engines true Ferraris in the real sense of the name, be prepared to anti up for those bragging rights.

Carlos993

I owned a 2003 575M for two years, beautiful car, great interior, no issues on reliability. The cost of regular scheduled maintenance was as expected. Much more of a cruiser than the mid-engined F cars or most Porsches.

Benton

Interesting. It pains me to hear that, as I dream of owning a 355 one day and doing all the work myself--I figure my mechanical skills are close to yours, so if you don't enjoy it, I probably wouldn't either!

JDHertz11

But the Ferrari's sound great! So is another Porsche in your future?

Ed Burdell

That's a shame, too - I had heard that the 360's had made substantial leaps in reliability and quality over the 355. Not so? Or just not to a significant extent?

Similarly, I've heard that 430's improve over the 360's reliability by a significant amount. Anybody here know one way or the other?

tcsracing1

im not sure on issues, but a 550/575 are on my list for afforadable front engine V12 ferraris.

I would love to have one as the prices are currently very low in the used market compared to when new!

Mark Harris

Robin,

For me you are one of the most trusted voices on Rennlist. I too have had a secret lust to cross over to the dark side at some point. I have to admit your brief statement above may keep me grounded for a long time.

Blaine S

paging GrantG..

David993S

I've chimed in previously on another thread about Ferrari ownership, so I'll comment again here. I've got a 360 Modena F1 and it's been as reliable and trouble free as my 993S. Granted, it's certainly more expensive to maintain than a 993 (but less costly to maintain than a Ferrari 355) but you know that going in and it's just part of the cost of ownership. If you can't afford the maintenance, don't buy one. My experience has been (and I've been a PCA member for 30 yrs and an FCA member for over 20) F-cars that are regularly driven and maintained are as reliable and trouble free as any other high end sportscar. My 360 is a '99 and has 39,000 trouble free miles on it and still going strong.

(Robin: sorry you got a bad one . And my RSR mufflers on the 993 are still sounding fantastic )

Cheers.
Dave