With the ever-increasing, crazy price of New you'd think that would not happen...

 

Manufacturer incentives are doing 0% APR loans on new cars, meanwhile the average used car loan rate is 15% currently.

 

The conundrum I face now is whether to put $1500 worth of new tires on my Quattroporte in order to sell it. Will that cost be recouped? Seems unlikely.

 

Yeah, I agree. Regarding financing, well, I guess I have never considered it. I end up buying fairly "frugal-minded" cars.

 

I think these days the used car market is entirely financed. Very few people buy cars with cash. I bought my Jaguar with a wire transfer in September and the dealership didn't even know how to furnish the banking information to be able to receive a wire. I had to tell them myself what my bank needed to be able to send them money.

 

If my business were still active of course I'd finance a vehicle if the business activity required a car or transport to "work"... but I'm currently winding-down things. Last new car I bought was in 2017... a Mazda6 bottom-trim car, $CDN 22k.

I just have trouble rationalizing how many "shekels" it takes to buy a new vehicle, what with how long it takes me to earn those shekels....and the joy I derive from the vehicle. It takes a lot to "entertain" me, hehe.

 

If my business were still active of course I'd finance a vehicle if the business activity required a car or transport to "work"... but I'm currently winding-down things. Last new car I bought was in 2017... a Mazda6 bottom-trim car, $CDN 22k.

I just have trouble rationalizing how many "shekels" it takes to buy a new vehicle, what with how long it takes me to earn those shekels....and the joy I derive from the vehicle. It takes a lot to "entertain" me, hehe.

I feel that for sure, and these days if you can buy without financing the world is your oyster with used cars. You can even still get the factory warranty on them.

 

I know you are watching things on BaT, Sean...as am I. So odd. Things are all over the place.

 

The red 2008 sold for $16K, although it was a weird one-bid auction.

 

Good for buyers, bad for sellers!

 

Isn't this still part of the correction to "normality" from the pandemic supply-chain crisis, and car companies then juicing their customers by charging more for less?

 

I don't think that explains it at all. It's just a slow drift down the drain, currently accelerating. No more car lovers, the maintenance costs finally killed them all off.

Some data: In 2010 I paid $14K for a 1988 Porsche 928 with 133,000 miles on it, mostly decent condition but, issues. Completely repainted, not super well. Dashboard totally cracked up. Aftermarket stereo badly installed. Aftermarket imitation wheels, wrong offset and size. Many badly rebuilt parts installed to try to fix it mechanically, all of which failed one by one. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the car and sold it for $13K in 2017, after putting at least 30K miles on it (odometer broke during that time so it was TMU).

Fast forward to now, I can't sell my 2005 QP with 85K miles on it in beautiful condition, original paint, perfect dashboard, excellent seats, original stereo etc. working well, no bad parts installed. No one will pay me $13K for it, or maybe anything at all for it. It's like a boat anchor, it is worth less than nothing. Yet the value of money has changed a lot since 2010.

 

Auction Results and Sales Data for 2005 Maserati Quattroporte (conceptcarz.com)

 

That is optimistic and out of touch with the current reality. I have mine listed on Autotrader right now. I will be surprised if I get even one offer.

 

Here is some info I received from a friend who collects cars and follows their values.

 

Maserati should have sued Demuro for that, it was misinformation and even dangerous. At one point he claimed that if you pull on the paddles in 'D' mode it doesn't do anything, as if there was something wrong with such behavior, but it isn't even true! I don't get information about hardly anything from Youtube, I visit specialty forums to get knowledgeable advice. Every Maserati auction on Bring a Trailer is immediately trolled by these idiots, always using a fresh account, and I am usually there to put things right with correct information. As soon as the trolls see I am around, they quit commenting. It is literally just sabotage for their own amusement. It's disgusting that it may have actually affected the market but it's much more general than Maserati. Jaguar and Cadillac values have also plummeted in recent months.

 

I agree car values seem soft right now, in my opinion it is because of the demand for SUVs and inflation / fed raising rates. Right now you can lease an Aviator or GX for $1100 a month, an Armada or Sequoia for $800 a month, or a half ton truck for $500 a month. It wasn't long ago here people were paying $25k markups for half tons. Stuff like Taos, Tiguan, Jetta is around 250 a month. I think demand for cars is still falling.
I'll be listing my 2019 Ghibli SQ4 Grandsport soon, it has 17k miles and is in great shape, looks like I'll be lucky with low 40k range sale price. You drive these cars because they're awesome not because of value.

 

Sure but I was not expecting it to get to such a point that literally no one wants them. A single bid in an auction on Bring a Trailer?

 

Unfortunately I think the Internet is still to blame, almost nothing good is said about the F1 transmission in online reviews or discussion.
I've wanted to try one for a while, I think I'd like it. I've heard the high rpm shifts are really good.

 

Car prices collapsed because no one cares about Maserati in real life.

You get more attention in a red honda civic than a red maserati Gran Turismo.

In real life, girls drip wet for Civics, and dry up like the desert for Gran Turismo.

That's how I bought one with 9000 miles for only $11,000

 

Couldn't afford a Mustang, eh? Sucks to be you.

 

Seems like you've been busy trolling here since you joined yesterday.

 

OK but why would buyers listen to people who don't own the cars? Do you rely on movie reviews by people who haven't seen the movie? I bought my car specifically to get an F1 transmission; I test drove it and thought it was incredible. I still can't stop myself from marveling at it how it works after all these years of driving. The Granturismo continued to have the option in ROW markets for years and years, I don't know if it ever stopped.

 

OK but why would buyers listen to people who don't own the cars? Do you rely on movie reviews by people who haven't seen the movie?

I'm not sure you know how the Internet works. Just look at the sunshine longhorn stuff today. I'm starting to think it's someone using an AI chatbot, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now. He's gonna go nuts on TikTok and FB and people just eat that stuff up, repeating and reposting what someone said. No one will fact check it or attempt objective thought. I don't get on the net much anymore outside of work because it isn't fun like it used to be.

Like I said I've wanted to try one and think I'd like it because mechanically I know what it's doing and high RPM shifts are supposed to be awesome. But it's largely misunderstood because many people are not technical. And they aren't common so it's not like I can go test drive one nearby. Hence I read about them first. I'm still planning on buying a Vantage in the not too distant future.

 

... I bought my car specifically to get an F1 transmission; I test drove it and thought it was incredible. I still can't stop myself from marveling at it how it works after all these years of driving. ..

At first I was hesitant, now I just enjoy the car and the shifts, I'm more worried about why the front end comes up so much on acceleration now than I am about the F1. and of course I revel in the sound, the sweet sweet sound !

 

At first I was hesitant, now I just enjoy the car and the shits, II'm more worried about why the front end comes up so much on acceleration now than I am about the F1. and of course I revel in the sound, the sweet sweet sound !

I've done lots of autocross in my Coupe and the stock suspension allows a fair amount of travel (even new). I fitted the formula dynamics springs and they made a huuuuge difference.

 

The Coupe and Spyder were not known for their handling, unfortunately. This was remedied with the Quattroporte and GranSport, I believe.

 

I have a hard time believing qp could handle better at autocross being 700lbs heavier.

 

G-force measurement on a constant radius skid pad is merely one measurement of a car's handling, and can vary drastically by tire choice, surface temperature and surface condition. The physics involved in rapid dynamic weight transfer into and out of a corner (front to back and left to right, etc.) in autocross taxes a suspension system in a way that makes a G-force measurement alone incapable of fully predicting times. Acceleration and braking are obviously also factors.

Taking this all in consideration, 700 lbs difference in car weight could be a far greater handicap in autocross than one may realize. In my years of autocross, slower weight transfer was a big time killer. Nimbleness and rapid transitions are king

 

My 07 Executive has a burnt license light and the screws are seized in there. It's a 17 year old car.
The interior is in v-good shape but some areas are showing wear. It's a 17 year old car.
I did not want to pay $3000 cdn for factory brake parts so I ordered some from Florida for $1100 cdn shipped. It's a 17 year old car.
The front doors for the 07 do not have speakers... that was unforgivable.
I had to change one window mechanism. It's a 17 year old car (15 then).
It's time I changed the accessory belts. it's a 17 year old car.
I have about 115,000 km on it now.
When people buy a used Maserati, they expect a "new"' car. It's a mental thing with buyers.
There are plenty of 17 year old cars from various manufacturers that haven't held up. No one mentions those because they were less expensive when new.
Once you see brake rotors on Rockauto for $100... what they are actually worth, these cars will start to sell as there is nothing out there that looks as good for the price these cars are getting. I mirror switch for $25 would also be nice.
Expensive parts damaged the resale value.
My Volvo 740 basically disintegrated but no one complains about Volvos, even the ones that are disintegrating.
When was the last time you saw a Jeep product that wasn't rotting?

The only issue with the Maserati QP is the association with Chrysler, aka, the automotive kiss of death, and over priced parts.

My qp is 17 years old and it drives well. Stop listening to stupid people and maybe produce a youtube video that is positive.

Now the Ghibli...., using parts from the Dodge parts bin, even buttons, what were they thinking?

 

Now the Ghibli...., using parts from the Dodge parts bin, even buttons, what were they thinking?

The Coupe and Gransport share parts with a Fiat Panda, and a Fiat Marea.

 

Well said. Well apart from the last bit...

C

 

So all this applies to BMW equally? To be honest, I have no idea what you are talking about. Cars only have resale value when they have cheap parts? Like Porsches and Ferraris? Most people take their cars to professionals and don't buy their own parts anyway. You lost me.

 

Well now, I never said "cheap" parts, did I? A quick search for parts for a Porsche 928 and I can see dozens of suppliers. Brake rotors ranging from $45-$150 (cdn). And there is a healthy used parts community for Porsche, BMW lovers. The simplicity of the M3 models and older BMW models keep them popular but the owners of newer models I know aren't overly happy with their after warranty purchases. What's the difference between a Rotor for a 928 or Quattroporte? About 6x the price. People buy cars and when they can't afford to fix them, sell them cheaply or let them languish, Porsche, Ferrari or otherwise. That tarnishes a reputation. Sometimes, a car becomes popular. My son and I were looking for decent RX7 models (FC) when he turned 16. We had a few to choose from; running models, static models, at least one terrarium, as they were not overly expensive, generally unwanted, but all needed something. Now, they have gone up considerably to the point where a beat up '79 costs more than it did new. The convertibles are the exception. Ferrari's are a rare animal and have their own biosphere. I recall looking for a Mondial, around 20 years back. They were $25-30,000 cdn and not well sought after. Today, the same cars sell for between 45-70k usd. I can find a dozen oil filters under $20. Find me a Maserati Quattroporte filter under $20. What is the difference between a $20 filter for a Mondial and a $80 filter for a Quattroporte? $60. Of course, resale values depend on many items and keeping a car "original" keeps the maintenance cost up considerably, but unless the Maserati cars are exceptionally poor quality, there is no logical reason for poor values except pumped-up original prices that deflate after the warranty period due to excessive parts and maintenance costs. But they are still the nicest-looking used cars on the road (imo).

 

I see. Honestly I didn't know that other cars have so much better parts supplies, I remember the Porsche 928 being quite a problem while I owned it, where parts were concerned. Mine was full of dreadful rebuilts that kept failing.

 

Am I the only person who buys cars on Autotrader? I have listed three vehicles there over the years and have never gotten a single offer on any of them.

 

I will never understand the stigma amongst enthusiasts about "parts sharing". It's not the engineering of the whole, it's literally a part. The Lamborghini Diablo literally had Nissan headlights, ffs, and has not hurt its value. My QP shares its dashboard and side mirrors with the Ferrari Scaglietti, and its engine with numerous Ferraris, but that doesn't help its street value one bit. Parts sharing generally has no impact on a car's ultimate value one way or the other.