[Boxer]

Test drove the black 550 today, other than it needing new rubber, it drove pretty well. Couple things did raise a question which I would appreciate everyones input on:

- the clutch felt stiffer than I remember, is this a a sign of wear? There was no slippage when accelerating hard in 6th from 2000 rpm to 6000 rpm

- the steering felt a bit heavier than expected, wear in the rack ?

- how much oil would you expect it in 1000 miles?

Thanks.

[JazzyO]

6,000 rpm in 6th? Respect!

It's difficult to assess the state of the clutch as I can't relate your experience to my clutch (not sure how heavy your previous 550's clutch was). But I can try and describe the action on my 550's clutch. It's a smooth action that requires the same pressure throughout. The pressure is heavy for most modern cars but it is noticably lighter than my Boxer and much lighter than my old 1982 Alfa GTV6. It was at least twice as heavy as the 355 of Louis, and I suspect the 360 will be similar to the 355 so maybe your memory has lightened it a little driving your Modena.

The clutch should start to grip just before the middle of release. If it grips in the middle and has shown no sign of slippage, I think you should be fine. What's the mileage on the car? Mine has done 46,000km (29k miles) now and the clutch is fine. But it is not unknown for 550's to wear the clutch out by that time, particularly if they are used in traffic a lot. Mine's done a lot of longlegged journeys, which saves the clutch of course.

Steering on a front-engined car is usually a bit heavier (if compared to a mid-engined car with similar PAS). The 550 steers heavier, for instance, again, than Louis' 355. I really like the weighting on the 550's steering - it shouldn't require any real effort to park, for example. If that was the case, then there could be something wrong.

Oil in 1,000 miles? 0 litres. Well, maybe 0.2. My 550 uses hardly any oil for such an engine - I think I've added 3 litres in those 22,000kms (15k miles) I've done. It must be said that my specialist checks the car before I pick her up and he may have topped up occassionally, but even on a long holiday of 6,000km I've only added 0.75 litres.


Onno

[Granucci]

Steering: Check to make sure you got the upgraded motor mounts. Make sure the steering rack is in order.

rik

[agp22]

Boxer,
You can compare with my car next week.
Clutch, if it's worn out it's normal, that's not a reason not to buy it.
Steering; as JazzyO put it, but you can always compare with mine
Oil, don't know, but I think high performance engines always eat up oil more than a regular car's engine.

[Boxer]

Appreciate all the input. Gave this one a lot of thought last night. After running through both my notes and pictures, and have come to the conclusion that it is just not a good 550. It is tired and unloved (front tires and Pirellis and back are Bridgestones). Despite having only 37,000km on it, the paint is tired, the seats and interior are a bit shabby & worn, and the headlight covers are foggy. It also does not pull as hard as it should (compression issues???). Did a bit of research on the clutch and it is probably warped discs from too many excessive heat cycles. Final issue is price and after checking with a few experts, the gap between fair market value and the sellers firm (unrealistic) price is GBP 10-12k.

Net net, I am not going to bother with an offer.

[JazzyO]

Definitely seems like that is the right decision, Boxer. Different tyres front and back is always a very bad sign, as is tired paint. I spend a couple of hundred each year to keep my 550 looking as fresh as possible - it's not that much money and if they are not prepared to do that then why should they be spending the larger money on maintenance?

There are plenty of good 550's out there, so why buy a bad one? The silver one at Verdi looks nice, for instance.


Onno

[cgt]

Originally Posted by JazzyO

Definitely seems like that is the right decision, Boxer. Different tyres front and back is always a very bad sign, as is tired paint. I spend a couple of hundred each year to keep my 550 looking as fresh as possible - it's not that much money and if they are not prepared to do that then why should they be spending the larger money on maintenance?

There are plenty of good 550's out there, so why buy a bad one? The silver one at Verdi looks nice, for instance.


Onno

Boxer, I am sending you a PM re. another possible car.

[Granucci]

so what is THIS?!

I would drive my Mondi in the rain, If it weren't in the shop, or the 456
IF IT weren't IN THE SHOP

so, what is this about a story on a 550...not, being, driven.

We need weather pics and stories....this car, is an all weather car and if I can drive mine [if available] I would be posting and yacking about it...

bump

[Gcalo]

Boxer

On manuals, a heavy clutch feel can be from a T/O bearing that's not doing well and it can be a need for the clutch master to be bled.

If the tires on that car were as you say it indicates maintenance matters which probably means the fluids have not be chaned in a long time.

I bled my clutch in July and it made a huge difference in smoothness.

[JazzyO]

Rik - this was concerning a 550 that Boxer test drove for a possible purchase. Since then he has bought a 575.

Regarding all weather: my 550 is not coming out of the garage at the moment. I drive her in all sorts of weather, but not with salt on the roads. Breaks my heart as the weather was nice yesterday, and the ice and snow has finally cleared, but you can't get the salt out of all the nooks and crannies and she's too special for me to risk rust.


Onno