Used car buying guide: Ferrari 599

That wasn’t the most hardcore iteration of the 599, however. If you have more than £1 million to spend and access to a grand prix-spec race circuit, the track-only 599XX is one of the most unfathomably quick and capable Ferraris you can own. Power was up 109bhp over the standard car and kerb weight down nearly 300kg. It’s a truly biblical machine, but money alone won’t get you a taste: Ferrari made only 29 examples of what was then the fastest car to lap its Fiorano test track, so patience is a virtue in your quest to buy one.

Thankfully, prices descend to a mere £500,000 for the road-legal GTO, which weighed only slightly more and packed a smidgen less power than its track-only sibling but offers similar thrills on the circuit with the notable advantage that it can then be driven home.

How to get one in your garage

An expert's view

James Cabon, Kent High Performance Cars: “Make sure it has been serviced by a reputable specialist or main dealer. They tend to have quite high numbers of owners – it’s a Ferrari and they tend to change hands a lot – but just make sure the car is a nice, clean example.”

Buyer beware...

â–  Bodywork: The rear quarter panel can corrode slightly but can be fixed with a fresh coat of paint. The 599 is a big car that’s unwieldy to manoeuvre around town, so check every panel – including underneath – for dings, dents and chips. Elsewhere, the wheels aren’t immune to kerb-rash, lug nuts have been known to rust and the Perspex rear light clusters can crack or craze.

â–  Gearbox: More common automated manual ’box is generally solid but will punish you for late oil changes; every 35,000 miles is a good bet. Specialist software will tell you how much life your clutch has left in it, and you should consider replacing at 75% wear. Budget at least £3000.

â–  Engine: You will have a lot of time to brag about your Enzo engine at the petrol pumps, because you can’t expect much more than 15mpg. A major service should be carried out every 5000 miles or so, for which you can expect to pay around £1500. Oil leaks from the forwardmost gasket are common and the plastic top of the fuel pump is prone to cracking, so smell for petrol fumes in the cabin.

â–  Electrics: Unless you’re bravely planning to drive it every day, keep the battery charged to avoid annoying system faults: use the cut-off switch in the boot and put it on a trickle charger if possible (battery conditioner was a factory option from new). Jump-starts aren’t recommended. Fault codes sometimes disappear after a full shutdown, so try that before panicking.

â–  Brakes and suspension: Optional ceramic brakes offer massively enhanced stopping power but don’t last as long as steel items and are far more expensive to replace. If the ride feels choppy, check for fluid around the shock absorbers, which are costly to replace and tricky to rebuild. Control arms and ball joints need replacing fairly often; listen for knocking.