Worth going down the Ferrari route?

Lavazza

Member
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1,060
This.

I went for the FF as the daftness of a 4wd, v12, hatchback Ferrari appealed to me and the back seats are handy for the kids. It’s mega fast, sounds the business, feels very special and on the plus side, it doesn’t attract quite as much attention as a red 458 might.

I thought about a 599 but heard some expensive maintenance stories and felt that age was now against it. I think if I wanted the risk associated with an older Fezza, I’d probably seek out a 550.

I have toyed with an f12 but this covid world has hurt the value of my FF and so that would be an expensive change with little upside. So I’ve resigned myself to just using the FF more and getting some value from it. First world problem I know!

I also drive the Lusso for a few days but felt it was not as involving as the FF and where the modernity of it was nice, I didn’t deem it worth the extra cash.

in short, I am very happy with my choice and would heartily recommend the FF. Ideally a post 2014 one.
Can you share any pics of your FF?
 
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alfatwo

Member
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5,517
Trouble is if had one on the knock and its all gone pear shaped, Its going to be cheap..
If you have sprogs, a mortgage and her indoors to keep, your fairly new Fezzer is going to be cheap as chips..
And there's still no buyers!

Dave
 

Lavazza

Member
Messages
1,060
Trouble is if had one on the knock and its all gone pear shaped, Its going to be cheap..
If you have sprogs, a mortgage and her indoors to keep, your fairly new Fezzer is going to be cheap as chips..
And there's still no buyers!

Dave
Still waiting for values to fall...
And I'm a potential buyer.

If you can afford to own a Ferrari, you're probably more cushioned than most to start with.
 

alfatwo

Member
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5,517
Still waiting for values to fall...
And I'm a potential buyer.

If you can afford to own a Ferrari, you're probably more cushioned than most to start with.
Your going to blag it then.;) be careful..
You might have keep your head down!

Dave
 

Lavazza

Member
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1,060
Your going to blag it then.;) be careful..
You might have keep your head down!

Dave
Just to clarify, (without the context of the rest of my post), I wasn't referring to my own financial circumstances, but rather speculating that a possible reason for values not falling might be that current Ferrari owners might not have the same level of exposure as many who are impacted by the current crisis, but we shall see.
 

bigbob

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8,952
Just to clarify, (without the context of the rest of my post), I wasn't referring to my own financial circumstances, but rather speculating that a possible reason for values not falling might be that current Ferrari owners might not have the same level of exposure as many who are impacted by the current crisis, but we shall see.
Bizarrely I would think the older the cars are the more they are protected as they are depreciating less, will have a high percentage of cash purchasers and are used less. Newer cars - still in the inclusive servicing period - are probably on PCP or LP and will gradually come back onto the market over the next couple of years or earlier if repossessed. I would have thought these are the cars where the bigger falls are due but the knock on effect to the older stuff might be small and take a while.

PS The one thing that surprised me before this all kicked off was how much the 488s had dropped in value especially given how loaded they are with spec with £30-50k in extras seemingly common.
 

PrestigeAutoworks

Junior Member
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50
in my opinion, I’d go for the FF.
It’s practical for every occasion and absolutely flys. With a little exhaust mod you really unleash the V12 sound.
I’ve only had odd things here and there go wrong on the ones I’ve repaired, nothing extreme and the servicing side is nice and easy, not too costly.
 

Doctor Houx

Member
Messages
791
Are you speaking from experience, or repeating same old?
Marcos 3 litre GT and TVR Griffith owner long long ago. Both Concours winners, both very characterful and very noisy. Both had build quality that was shamed by a Lada. Both left me stranded at the roadside more times than I can count on fingers of both hands!

Loved them both regardless!
 

Lavazza

Member
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1,060
Bit of thread resurrection, the car I keep coming back to is the 550.

But left wondering how I'd feel if I px the GTS and then feel that the 550 isn't a sufficient upgrade.

Thoughts?

Also, does anyone know anything about the car at Justin Banks?

I appreciate it's done some miles, but as a driver, it's something that I'd virtually use as a daily, a bit like I do with the GTS.

Thoughts welcome...
 

Nayf

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2,734
The GTS will have more sonic theatre - the Ferrari sounds good but it’s actually restrained out of the box.
Very different experiences though - you need to try the 550, it’s not as easy to drive around town particularly when the gearbox is still cold. But on an A or B road, it’s mighty...
 

Lavazza

Member
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1,060
The GTS will have more sonic theatre - the Ferrari sounds good but it’s actually restrained out of the box.
Very different experiences though - you need to try the 550, it’s not as easy to drive around town particularly when the gearbox is still cold. But on an A or B road, it’s mighty...
Does a 550 feel like it's worth twice as much?
 

rossyl

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3,312
Bit of thread resurrection, the car I keep coming back to is the 550.

But left wondering how I'd feel if I px the GTS and then feel that the 550 isn't a sufficient upgrade.

Thoughts?

Also, does anyone know anything about the car at Justin Banks?

I appreciate it's done some miles, but as a driver, it's something that I'd virtually use as a daily, a bit like I do with the GTS.

Thoughts welcome...
Stunning.

The only way to answer your question is to drive it.

I think the 550 will be a full fledged classic and a car to keep for a very long time.

It however depends if you truly love it. Or, are you simply buying it because what you really want is - hard to find/out of budget/doesn't have as good residuals etc.

In my view, when buying something like a 550, you've definitely got to love the car.



Sent from my COL-L29 using Tapatalk
 

Lavazza

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1,060
It however depends if you truly love it. Or, are you simply buying it because what you really want is - hard to find/out of budget/doesn't have as good residuals etc.
If I went for a 550 I wouldn't be buying instead of something else because of budget or residuals. Although I'd be interested to learn what Ferrari might have a better value proposition.

I could go for a wide range of Ferrari; 360, 430, FF, 458... but I like the idea of a manual gearbox GT and using it.

Never driven one though, and that's really important. I have watched Harry's Garage though!
 

Ewan

Member
Messages
6,756
The 550 is great to drive, and very useable as an everyday car. Bullet proof engine and as an ownership proposition, far more reliable and less expensive than many of the newer models. Stick a sports exhaust on (e.g. Tubi Style), and off you go.

Looks like there’s lots on the 550 in the latest EVO. I’ve thumbed through the pics, but yet to read the prose. But it’s bound to be complimentary as I’m yet to find anyone not like how this car drives.

And as one of the last manual V12 Ferrari’s, hopefully a good bet on long term values.
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