by Mike –
Here is my pick for the classic car for sale today that I would like to own. This may seem like an odd selection from me but I once owned a 2001 550 Maranello and drove it every day for one year.
The Ferrari 550 Maranello is a fantastic car. I prefer the manual shift transmission to the paddle shifters that came on most of the subsequent 575M models.
1999 Ferrari 550 Maranello
The seller says:
* Pristine condition
* Major service done
* All records
* One owner
* 2,300 miles
This Ferrari 550 Maranello is for sale on eBay and is located in Southern California.
The Buy It Now price is $85,500 with the Make Offer option.
~~~
This is quite the find for someone who wants a modern Ferrari V12 that is very fast, looks great, sounds great and has the conveniences of a modern car like air conditioning that really works and air bags.
The only thing I could wish for on this car would be yellow contrast stitching in the interior and a leather quilted rear shelf but for this price and the low miles I could over look that.
The 550 Maranello and the 575M are much more comfortable to drive than any of the contemporary mid-engine V8 Ferraris, like the 360 or 458. They also attract less attention on the road which as one matures becomes a consideration.
The seller does not provide much information but what else is there to say? The options are apparent in the photos and the one owner and 2,300 miles says it all – assuming the maintenance was performed properly and there have not been any accidents.
The seller did not provide a photo of that magnificent V12 so I have pulled one from my files supplied by Maurice Mentens (the model is Ricky).
These cars today have depreciated so far that they have become real bargains. Although they probably will not appreciate, they can be bought today for a very low price compared to the $225,000 price when new, driven for a few years, and then likely sold for the same, or almost the same, as the current purchase price.
The maintenance costs for these cars are higher than for most other cars but it is possible to drive a great V12 Ferrari for a few years for the cost of maintenance, as long as you take care of the car properly.
Let us know what you think about this classic Ferrari in the Comments.
If you have a classic car that you want to sell and would like some help from
My Car Quest – send an email to: mike@mycarquest.com.
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Hi, I would like to see more classic British cars on here…..
Did you see the Jensen Interceptor a couple of days ago?
https://mycarquest.com/2013/02/car-of-the-day-classic-car-for-sale-1975-jensen-interceptor-iii-convertible.html
How about the MG A a couple of weeks ago?
https://mycarquest.com/2013/02/car-of-the-day-classic-car-for-sale-1960-mg-a-twin-cam.html
Mike, did’t you have several jags also not very long ago?
Yes, I did write about an XK 150 plus a Triumph TR6 and a Sunbeam Alpine Roadster and a Sunbeam Tiger.
Hey, I have written about British cars a lot!
Back to subject on hand, I think the Maranello above is appears to be a very good deal if professionally maintained and without stories. I can see this being a daily driver. How was the maintenance?
I did use my 550 as my daily driver – more than 8,000 miles in one year. As I said in the post about my 550 the only maintenance problem I had was I replaced all of the oxygen sensors. It was a terrific car, fun to drive and comfortable even on a long trip.