Performance Car of the Year

Performance Car of the Year

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paulbellis

Original Poster:

17 posts

274 months

Friday 8th November 2002
quotequote all
Car magazine Performance Car of the Year (December issue)...........the winner is the Zonda (surprise) Seems like a truly awesome machine. Saw one at Goodwood Festival of Speed this Summer, simply stunning.
Second place F575M with the Fiorano Handling Pack. 'Car' magazine testers absolutely love it, saying it is as bulletproof as a 911, as easy to live with as a Merc. SL, or as chuckable as an Evo. I think this looks superb, but slightly out of my price range.
However, in the new year I am hoping to get a 550, ideally Blue Tour de France with creme / tan interior, probably about a 99 car. I would be grateful if any owners here could offer advice re. what to look for or avoid and an idea of servicing / running costs.
Many thanks in advance. Paul









456mgt

2,505 posts

272 months

Saturday 9th November 2002
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Paul- good luck with this. The 550 is a fantastic car and I know Manu & Ajay are cooking up something to help out new buyers so it may be worth your contacting them directly. Good luck!

Kevin

ramasys

30 posts

288 months

Saturday 9th November 2002
quotequote all
Paul

I've got a 550M and its a cracking car. The thrills best when it has a TUBI fitted though - awesome sound. Deytona seats are a dream to have if you can get them. I, will be having the gear linkage and handling setup slightly modified on mine as I feel that they need to be more aggressive ..... but this is a personal thing. I would go to one of the specialists to get parts and tunning as this tends to be cheaper than most dealerships.

paulbellis

Original Poster:

17 posts

274 months

Saturday 9th November 2002
quotequote all
Thanks for the replies.

Just been looking in HR Owen at a 2000 Blu DTF which looked fantastic but I'm not sure about the modular wheels - look a bit fussy. Think I'd rather have the standard ones.

What is the reliability like? All the dealers seem madly over-priced looking at the private sales and trade-in values, but I guess it may be worth it for the warranty. Seems like the same car is about 10-15K more from a dealer than privately, ie. 1999 / 2000 cars circa 100K from the dealers, 85-90K privately. That 15K would buy a lot of service / parts even if something did go wrong.
Also have there been any modifications over time which mean I should go for cars from a certain period or is it a case of get the newest you can afford.
Sorry for all the questions but its a fair bit of money to invest to add to the toy collection so want to get it right.

ramasys

30 posts

288 months

Sunday 10th November 2002
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Paul

Dealers are generally overpriced. However, the ones up North give you a much better deal than the ones in London. I, personally, wouldn't buy anything before the year 1999. Now is a very good time to buy though due to the global economy. Do not let a prospective car mess up your common sense. If you have doubts WAIT until a better car becomes available. You'd be amazed at what people will try to sell you these days (dealers included). Pay for an independant Ferrari technician to have a look at the car you are going to buy or you could end up with a poor deal.

>> Edited by ramasys on Sunday 10th November 08:02