Coupe v Spyder

Good to see you over here! To answer your question, yes, the Spyders were significantly stiffened after 2002. The chassis stiffness (or lack thereof) of the 2002s was widely observed by the press, and customers. Maser overall has been very responsive to critiques of their cars. I am pretty sure the change was made in 2003 - but definately seen in present day 2004 models. However, it still seems that the MB and Porsche cabs still have the edge when compared to Maser. When you test drive, make sure to take the car to the rougher streets so you can make your best judgement. I have not driven a spyder, so my info is secondhand.

I chose a coupe over a sypder for the following reasons

1) Needed more luggage room - spyder has small trunk and no back seats. In the coupe, the back seats double as luggage overflow
2) Would like the occasional ability to carry 4 people
3) My car gets fair bit of winter use - we only have one car so it must be as "versatile" as possible
4) IMO, the coupe (with its longer lines) is visually more appealing to me. The sypder is noticeably more stubby
5) I generally like the stiffer feel of coupes

Overall, each was related to our personal preferences. As usual YMMV...

After reading some reviews on early Spyders I was expecting the worst when I picked mine up, Was very surprised when I found the ride to be quite nice on my 04. Check out June's Motortrend, They complained about the ride of the 2002 but felt Maserati was listening as they felt the 2004 was much improved. Would put it right on Par with my Boxster S(which I felt had more body roll) and much better than the S2000. You will definitely feel the road but not in a jarring or harsh way, But heck I knew I was not buying a Lexus, I did not want a car that was going to float over the road. This car gives me the interaction with the road I want. Can even leave the sport button off to make ride even smoother on rough roads and living in the Northeast we got plenty of those. I also like the lines of the coup better but this car will only be an April-Nov driver so realized might as well have the Spyder. I go from my garage at home to garage at work and have had periods of over two weeks where top has not had to be raised. And with no latching feature and really nice lined top makes you forget it is even a convertible when it is up.

For me it;s not the shorter wheel base that makes it more sportier, it's the Roadster style and no back seat that does it. Even though car is pretty small it feels much bigger when you first start to drive it, But now it feels much smaller and is very fun to just throw it around. I always loved the feel of driving motorcycles but when my Daughter was born 5 years ago I was guilted into getting out of bikes and roadsters are the closest thing for getting that feeling back again

Spyder

1) You can hear your Tubi exhaust better

2) You'll look more Italian from getting a tan when you drive, and if you work a lot like I do, then people will also think you are more balanced since you obviously have time to get in some sun, and they'll perpetually wonder how you do it.

3) Little can brighten a day like a spirited drive in the open air, in a beautiful, passionate Italian sports car you earned.

4) You unselfishly share the beauty of your interior with all the SUV owners out there so that they can have some pleasant dreams and aspirations. Good for the mental health of the masses who choose to live a more conformist lifestyle, are uncomfortable demonstrating individuality, their vehicle serves a more utilitarian purpose, or they otherwise choose to supress their belief in personal freedom when it comes to the vehicle they drive. Maserati's help add color to the world.

5) With the top down, it's easier to respond to all those people who ask "what is that beautiful, great sounding car are you driving?"

That's a big reason I went with Spyder, I love the open air, Besides car here is how I keep a year round tan, You would be surprised how much sun you can get all winter long in a hot tub