Item: Used Ferrari 550 Maranello 1996 - 2002
Author: What Car? Team

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One of the world’s most famous brands and an integral part of the Formula 1 grid since the first championship in 1950, Ferrari fully lives up to its exalted reputation, producing some of the best sports cars money can buy.

Its entry-level model (although that term hardly seems appropriate) is the Portofino convertible, which is powered by a twin-turbo V8 and capable of blasting from 0-62mph in 3.5sec.

Then further up the range you find the mid-engined 488s, in coupé and Spider forms, and two GT cars: the GTC4 Lusso and the appropriately named 812 Superfast, a V12 monster that can hit 211mph.

FERRARI

More a superfast tourer than a genuine sports car

Used Ferrari 550 Maranello 1996 - 2002

You wouldn't be considering a Ferrari if you were short of a few quid, but the 550 is sensationally expensive. The 550 would have set you back over £150,000 when it was new, and three-year old examples are still worth almost 60% of that figure.

True, this means that used versions will have depreciated by tens of thousands, but getting your hands on one will still cost you a huge wedge of cash. Fuel consumption checks in at the 13mpg mark, and it'll also cost you an absolute packet to insure and service. Low running costs may not be important to Ferrari owners, but the 550 is pricey to run, even by Ferrari standards.

More a superfast tourer than a genuine sports car


Buyers of the 550 can have the car in two forms, the Maranello coupe, or the Barchetta open-top. There's no contest. The Barchetta is vastly more expensive, and Grand Tourers don't really work when they haven't got a roof.

The coupe body suits the car's character much better, and it's faster, too. The Maranello has a 485bhp 5.5-litre V12 engine, and knocks off the benchmark 0-60mph sprint in 4.3 seconds. The Barchetta takes slightly longer because the extra weight of the roof-folding mechanism makes it a little heavier.

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Ride comfort shouldn’t be sacrificed at the altar of handling sharpness</li> <li>Plenty of power from a melodic engine</li> <li>Handling that doesn’t come at the expense of a back-breaking ride​​​​​</li> <li> Practicality is not essential but nice to have </li></ul>

Driving fun is right at the top of any sports car buyer's priority list, and every one of our award candidates has backroad entertainment coded into its DNA.

The Mazda MX-5 embodies sports-car spirit without wearing an exotic price tag, and has deservedly gained a strong following over the years. Much newer to the scene is the mid-engined Alpine A110. It may carry a name from the past, but this potent, mid-engined sports car was designed with the very latest lightweight thinking.&nbsp;

Rounding off our shortlist, though, is a name that'll be familiar to even those to whom sports cars hold little interest. The Porsche 911 was born an icon in 1964, and the latest generation bridges the gap between sports car and supercar. Yet, somehow, it manages to preserve a distinctly civilised character.

Sports

Our reliability surveys are as comprehensive as they can be, but cars this expensive are a bit thin on the ground, so building up an accurate picture of reliability is tough due to a lack of data.

However, what we can say is that the widely held belief that Ferrari ownership is one long reliability nightmare doesn't appear to be true any more. Ferrari build quality has improved immeasurably in recent years, and according to the limited data we've seen, this seems to have carried through to the mechanical parts.

Ferrari did issue a string of recalls, though, so check that the work has been done. Early 550s needed their magnesium wheel rims changing for aluminium ones, and a very small number of cars needed work on leaking radiator pipes. Some 2001 cars experienced handbrake failure, while others of the same period experienced problems with the seat runners.

If you were unsure about the definition of a Grand Tourer, you'd only need to look at the 550 to instantly understand - a front-engined, rear-wheel-driven V12 powerhouse with a Ferrari badge on the front.

Granted, this isn't Ferrari's sharpest-handling car. It has massive ability, but lacks the effortless control of a 360 if you try to push on down a twisty road.

However, that isn't the point of a GT. Cruising ability is the key factor here, and that's where the 550 excels. The ride is absorbent over most surfaces, and although there's a bit of tyre noise at speed, refinement is excellent.

The cabin is beautifully made and gives a feeling of luxury worthy of a Ferrari GT. There's also a huge list of standard equipment, but then again, for this sort of money, there should be.

Used Ferrari 550 Maranello 1996 - 2002 review

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Used Ferrari 550 Maranello 1996 - 2002 review

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