Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Aston Martin DB7 Vantage

[LS (lashdeep]

Mmm...Ben Kao's 400i...now THAT was a real  V12 Ferrari GT!

I am enjoying everyone's comments on the 550/575 discussion. There is no debating that they are fast, comfortable and all Ferrari.

There seems to be a lot of potential for big bills with all of the purported mechanical issues. Even assuming 100% reliability, you still have the timing belt screw up.

It does seem that for what the 550/575s do, there are other better looking and better sounding alternatives.

Thanks to those who privately suggested the Maserati. That is a great example of a pretty car with an AMAZING noise and all the mystique of the Ferrari marque with less $/mile expense.

LS

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From: John Ashburne via Ferrari <ferrari [at] ferrarilist.com>
To: LS <lashdeep [at] yahoo.com>
Cc: The FerrariList <ferrari [at] ferrarilist.com>
Sent: Saturday, November 8, 2014 5:59 PM
Subject: Re: [Ferrari] Aston Martin DB7 Vantage

Ha ha!  When I was looking for my 400i, the first one I looked at was Ben Kao's Rosso Nearco 5 speed, which is a beautiful dark, blood red, like the red Alfa 8C 2900s in the 1930's. 

I ended up getting a silver/black 5 speed from California. 

Red can look very good but actually some of the darker colors are probably best. I did like my silver because it still looked current and was an under the radar stealth color. 

John

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On Nov 8, 2014, at 5:39 PM, Britt2Asa <britt2asa [at] aol.com> wrote:

Yes but.... My 400i was red. I won the club concours with it in 2006. Google my name followed by Ferrari if you want to see it.  Britt Rothman

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On 8 Nov 2014, at 21:53, John Ashburne <jashburne [at] aol.com> wrote:

Nice overview, Britt!  I have always liked the look of the 550/575 and felt they are unquestionably a "Ferrari" in looks but without the "in your face" attitude. Like the 400i, a Ferrari for the guy who doesn't have to have a red one that screams "look at me". 

I would take one in a heart beat if I had the means!

John

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On Nov 8, 2014, at 3:48 PM, Britt2Asa via Ferrari <ferrari [at] ferrarilist.com> wrote:

I know a load of people here with 550's and these guys have had them for years. That is a robust car and one of the most problem free car Ferrari has made. The water pipe issue needs to be replaced once with silicon. I would expect most cars have had this done. If not you do it when you do the belts. No big deal. ( I run the West Midlands Group for the FOC so. I have a big pool of people I draw my knowledge from, we have hundreds of members)

Never heard of any issue with the windows, ( that's the 456). Sure the leather may shrink a little around the dash with heavy sun but they are old cars and I would guess its a far bigger issue in the USA than in rainy UK !

Motor mounts and exhaust, never heard of any issues.I have to say with experience of living on both sides of the Atlantic that proper Ferrari mechanics and owners who know how to take care of a car are far greater here than in the USA and I sincerely believe most issues with these cars are the result of the owners more than anything. I have never looked at a classic car in the USA that was anything close to as described or was properly serviced or taken care of. This list may be an exception but over here the obsession with keeping all records, the fact the UK is small and you can always talk to the person who did the service, the generally knowledgable owners and the fact that you have to put your car through an MoT each year which means that many issues including rust are kept at bay all result in a much better ownership experience.

I also can state with a fact that you guys pay far to much for quality Ferrari work and servicing. A cam belt on a 328 would cost a max of 1000 gbp here ( I know Francis can back me up here). Even with a water pump you would spend less than 2k ( 3000 dollars) for proper work in a proper shop. When I read in Forza about 5-6k pound bills every three years on a 328 service I just figure somebody is being bent over ( so to speak).

I'm not against Maseratis either, I like them as well as Astons. I don't think newer Astons are any better or worse than any thing else and if you are struggling for parts for an Aston Martin I am certain you will get them here at a better price if the USA sources give you trouble. All these cars are toys, all of them need to be maintained like a small aircraft, none of them are inherently bad. So the debate about which is better really comes down to a personal choice as another lister said.

The 550 is a great beast, took one to the revival two years ago. I have no idea what the sound issue with the exhaust could be, we had a 4 hour drive each way and it was magnificent !!

Regards

BR in the UK

Sent from my iPad

On 7 Nov 2014, at 22:53, "Doug & Terri" <dnt [at] dock.net> wrote:

Clyde admonishes – “Lash - - The timing belt on a 550/575 is so easy to do even you could do it!”

 

Ah yesh Clyde – true true.  But who’ll do the sagging windows? The leather dash?  The motor mounts?  The eating through exhaust system?  The front shocks?  The water pipe in the head valley?

Just wondering

DOUG

(   ka-ching    )

 

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