Hello everyone.

Have been "watching" the forum for a few weeks as am in the process of finding and buying my first Ferrari. Having wanted a 550 Maranello for some time, I had my first test drive yesterday and was instantly sold - though not on that particular car. I'm being very fussy about this first "F-car" on the basis I have no intention of ever selling it.

I look forward to sharing my experiences with you guys, esp. the guys on the modern V12 board, and not least taking advantage of the knowledge and experience on here.

I'm a 30 year old Norwegian, recently left London for Monaco, and car history is mostly Mercedes and Jaguar (all V8s, my first car at university was a tired XJ8 that cost next to nothing and I still loved to bits) and am looking forward to using the car a bit on some of the amazing roads around here (including the Route Napoleon and the Italian lakes).

Best,

Jacob

Welcome to Ferrari Life, Jacob! There are some 550 user-members here, so you would get good inputs soon. No need to rush on your first Ferrari, you should enjoy the search instead.

Good luck!

Welcome to Ferrari Life Jacob and great choice of first Ferrari (and I would say that!)
Will be down your way this weekend for the historic GP.....looking forward to it!

550 is a great choice and it sounds like you are doing this carefully, which is good .

Nothing like a 12 cylinder model

Thank you all for the welcome. As someone else on here said, it's a different level of car ownership. Obviously Ferraris generate a lot of enthusiasm (to some it seems practically like a religion) which is the main reason I decided to not go for the same car again (Merc CL AMG) which was a very competent but ultimately dull experience. Coming from the UK I had a RHD car (that I cleverly bought just before being transferred here)

Have decided therefore to split the duties between a Ferrari 550 and a Range Rover.

Diego - I hope your 550 experience has been satisfying for you! I hope you have a good experience of the historic GP, I hear its going to rain sunday... Today in MC was a beautiful day though with upwards of 24C.

Granucci - thanks for the supportive words, and compliments on your garage. The first Ferrari I ever got a ride in was a Mondial, and I've always thought the 456 beautiful. Nice colour as well, don't see a lot of those!

Jacob- Welcome and a bunch of us can heartily recommend a Maranello. Let us know if you have any questions and good luck on finding the perfect car.

Taz/Terry, thanks a lot for the welcome. Have been following the modern V12 board and read through tons of old posts, I feel I have a decent overview of what to look for thanks to your extensive advice to others who have gone down the same path!

I won't be doing too much as the car with be for road use only (for now....) but advice like going for 575M mounts, the silicone hoses etc seems invaluable. I am having a specialist source the car for me as they enjoy an unblemished local reputation for both pre- and after sales. They use their own techs and will provide a warranty. Makes it all much easier having a local counterparty as the search for the right spec will be Europe wide - looking for TdF with cream or tan interior, and ideally leather parcel shelf. It was reassuring talking to them about stuff like treating the (sticky) interior plastics at reasonable cost, and they will fit a Tubi exhaust at cost with the new car if it doesn't have one. Pretty clever of them as I decided to have them source a Range Rover for me as well as a DD/Alpine winter workhorse (as stated I need to get rid of my old right hand drive Merc).

I look forward to getting your input if I get any problems along the way, and hope to join in on some of the drives at some point!

Best,

Jacob

Welcome to Ferrari Life Jacob. A 550 is a great choice. Having spent many hours following Diego, Nigel and Jeroen's on Fled6 last week, I want one now more than ever.

Good luck with the search and keep us posted on progress.

Jacob- Leather rear shelves are relatively easy to produce and usually run $1000-1500, so not too expensive to retrofit. Before fitting a Tubi (make sure you get a 2nd generation with 575 embossed on the cans), you might try replacing the center muffler/resonator with straight pipes and see how you like the sound. The 550 sounds great with that simple mod. Early Tubis, without the 575 embossed, can drone a bit. Some people like the drone and some do not.

Using a trusted agent is a great way to go. Takes all the stress out of the process.