[jrb]

I'm looking for some advice from folks more savvy than myself about purchasing the Maserati Gran Sport, and, in particular, the MC Victory. I came very close last year to ordering a new Gran Sport. My lease on an M3 was up, and I wanted something just different than the German cars. Ultimately, I got cold feet at the thought of the first year depreciation and instead leased two BMWs: a 550i and the new Z4 M Coupe. But then three months after we lease the two BMWs, my wife gets reassigned to a new position in her corporation, and her company will now lease her a very nice car: in essence they will get her (and us) another 550i.

So thoughts returned to Gran Sport. Of course, there are now few left, and no new ones being made. There is an MC Victory for sale nearby for $119k. I'm planning on heading over and driving it (or at least one of the dealership's Gran Sports) this weekend (as well as driving the 911S), and am looking for advice as to what seems a reasonable offer to make if I fall in love with the Maser. I understand the MCV is really a cosmetically tweaked Gran Sport, but am wondering if anyone has a feeling if its limited edition status might hold down depreciation.

I'm also wondering if the pricing is soft right now, even on the MCV. I just received an email from Maserati touting a new financing arrangement as well as significant incentives for new car purchases. I'm assuming that it's time to move the current lot of inventory, and probably to clear the Gran Sports and Coupes off in anticipation of the coming Coupe. (Just guessing here.) Prices for new "06 Maser Coupes and Gran Sports I've seen posted by a Las Vegas dealer indicate that there are indeed savings to be had.

Anyone like to comment? Of course, I'm curious about the new Coupe and could certainly wait a bit, but it seems unclear what its price point will be.

Thanks.

 

[M!]

if you love the GS, the MCV would be *the* GS to get if you do not mind paying for the premium. hard to say whether it will have better resale value compare to the premium you are paying now. i dont think it will hold down depreciation.
i am sure as a limited edition model the dealers will be very reluctant to move them at discounted pricing now. they also know there are only a few left.

in any case, you will not regret leasing a MCV.

 

[Vincent]

Well, as an owner of a MCV, I am inclined to be biased.

However let's look at a few facts:

1. there are only 180 of them and I think only 90 are going to the US. So technically the MCVs are not that concentrated (i.e. the same dealership getting more than 3 or 4).

2. is the MCV really a cosmetic "souped up" GS? I dont think so. Why? The moment your ass is snugly fitted into those MC carbon fibre seats, you will know what I mean. Yes it has more carbon fibre... but these are just extras - i mean where the heck can people find 2 MC seats to retro fit them onto a GS?!?

3. Prices - i dont know what's the price difference between a GS (optioned to the level of a MCV) and a MCV is... but in HK, it's negligible. If you guys think maseratis get dis-sed at the States, you should come to HK and see how many ferraris there are here. So for me, I bought mine because I love the car, the heritage and more the exclusivity of owning a special edition car.

4. performance - well, this is a personal thing for each of us. It's not slow but it's not a ferrari. The maserati engineers (probably the ferrari ones as well) decided that they cannot create something to rival the 430. The GS is so close yet so far. If you drive a GS and then a 360 (or even a 430) back to back, you will know what I mean. But hey the idea for a GS is not to thrash it every single time you hop on to it. I love taking a cruise down to the busy CBD in HK with my MCV... people do look, not in the same way they will gook at a ferrari... but rather with a look of envy and taste.

5. exclusivity - dont need to say more on this. I drove from my place to work every morning. Within this short 10 km drive, I am bound to see at least 5 Porsches and the occassional 360 with a Lambo once in a while - i am not even counting MBs, bimmers, audis... Now maserati? I will see one everytime i drive my MCV - when I install a mirror in front of my grill to show me smiling in my MCV.

Now, does that mean my MCV is perfect? NO. She is not. Everytime I get into the seat, I have to take my wallet, phone, balckberry, keys out from my pants - otherwise I will have stuff jabbing up my rearend or thigh... My parking spot (see pic) doesnt allow me to open the door wide enough for me to snake in. So I bump my head on the frame everytime.

But I still love her, cause she is my first maserati.

 

[Vincent]

oops... here's the pic

 

[M!]

vincent is correct on those seats. and i envy him very much.
my dealer basically tells me Maserati does not really want to release parts number for the MCV seats (or the CF paddles i wanted).

the CF of the seat almost makes the painted back of my 90th spyder's GS seat look childish -_-"
the seats have a very special fitting.. the GS seats are less supportive and loose in comparison (and they are very good already).
and those long CF paddles.
and the smell of alcantara...

the only thing that really is a drawback might be the expense of replacing the CF front lip should it ever get damaged. just make sure you go slow into ramps and stay away from those parking curbs.

jrb, if you were so close to spec'ing a GS last year, you know deep in you that you want one. this is the time to get it.

 

[Vincent]

One extra point - M! is right. the carbon fibre front lip will be mega expensive to replace. this might be the reason why the car is not lowered to the max.

also dont tailgate too close to others (especially on drives with ferraris) as stone chips could very well damage that lip as well... and you can do a paint job over it.

 

[Bcube]

Since you already have a "hard-core" driver with the Mcoupe and multi-passenger needs are gonna be met with the company car. And cause you live in SoCal, have you considered a spyder? I mentioned this because I am more of a Gran Turismo type of fellow.

I kinda of walked into a fairly decent deal with my CC spyder. I had been shopping Ferraris, but the 360 spiders are still too overpriced, the 550/575 are still dropping in value and haven't bottomed yet, and while the 355 spiders are the right price, they don't me too well. Or is it, I don't fit them?

Anyway, the wife locked onto this non-skyhook CC Spyder with the vintage package. At first apprehensive, but through discussion on this board, I've determined I am not missing out on anything by having the standard suspension. Plenty comfortable with the standard seats also, for trips to Monterey or Vegas for the weekends. Plus, convertibles are usable all year long here, and have (usually) better resale.

For comparisons, my 150 mile daily commuter is a Z4 roadster.

 

[jrb]

Thanks Vincent, M!, and Bcube:

All your replies helped a lot. Of course, I would love the seats, but the carbon fiber lip pretty much excludes the Victory. God knows I've spent enough time with a Vette and now the Z4 M Coupe running the front lip over those evil little parking curbs in almost every Los Angeles area parking lot. I'd be careful for the first three weeks with the Victory, then I'd forget and the lip would be history.

As Bcube surmises, I already have a "hard-core" driver in the M Coupe. It didn't take long to learn that cars like the Vette Z06 or even the 911 Turbo are just not as much fun as little sleds like the M Coupe, the Honda S2000, or the Porsche Cayman S in day to day driving. (I almost purchased an Elise, which I suppose in most respects is the most fun of all, but I felt like I would be in constant jeopardy of being stepped on by some ungodly aggressive SUV driver.) The Maserati GS or Coupe Spyder is enormously tempting, but I'd like the back seats in order to accommodate wife and eleven year old. In truth, I'm pretty happy with a GT car like the Gransport, and, while I seem to be the exception in prefering the Coupe/GS aesthetics to the Aston's, I believe the Coupe and Gransport are (now that the Maranello is history) pretty much the most elegant designs available.

A question for all:

I am curious about the new Coupe: or, more accurately, curious about why there seems so little information about the new Coupe. I can't find much using the search engine on the board, and haven't come across any info in magazines or on websites. By now, a new Porsche, BMW, or even Ferrari model would be pretty easy to project. I suppose the last mystery I came across like this was the pricing of the new Vette Z06: which was genuinely set almost right before launch.

M!, I read in another thread that you think the new Coupe will be a $110,000 item. Is this conjecture from public information, the word from a Maser dealer, or an educated guess? The pricing, and nature, of the Alpha 8C caught me a little by surprise: more upscale than I anticipated. It certainly leaves a lot of room for Maser pricing underneath it, although I'm very curious about what power plant the Maser Coupe might be employing. Kind of strange, isn't it, that the 400 hp seems fairly puny these days? Is there information somewhere about the new Coupe that I'm not aware of?

And M!, I'm pretty sure you're right. A Maser will be the next purchase. My concerns were service and depreciation. And I think I can live with the depreciation, and am genuinely surprised that the last couple of years of Maseratis seem to be no more problematic than BMWs and Porsches--as long as one is willing to spring for a clutch. I came across a red/beige GS in another city that is pretty spectacular. It's a little confusing though, sorting out whether to purchase the last of this issue or the first of the next.

Thanks again.

 

[M!]

well, all the info are pretty much IMHO and i dont think there is anything factual from the factory yet, except the larger engine and option of an AT.

i would imagine a new V8 coupe based on the QP, just like any other coupe based on a sedan (5->6; E->CLS; S->CL) would be a little more expensive than the 4 dr cousin, just because.

(this again, leaves room for the very early rumored V6 coupe/spyder, if it is still in development).

now, going back and comparing the giugiaro coupe vs the new pininfarina coupe, it will be quite different. again, i m guessing here:

the current GS has been introduced as a more sport oriented model, which alienated some traditional buyers. to capture these people back, as well as to get them oriented back to the marque, Maserati decides to tame the GS into a "Contemporary Classic" with all the leather and trims.

the next coupe will obviously be more stylized and plush. certainly they are saying now that the design is a modernized A6G pinin; but it is a QP coupe with a larger engine. later down the road, they will offer more sport oriented version of the coupe.

so, if you want a very special giugiaro coupe, the MCV is the best around.
(if you dont like the CF front lip, i would like to trade with you. the regular GS is very good too.

as well, if it all comes down to price, an 06 GS with dealer discount and factory incentive should make you happy for 2 years+, and get the coupe in 08 or 09. (also when the coupe prices soften when the spyder comes out

if you like to be first on the block to get the latest real "Contemporary Classic", go for the new coupe next year. this may also be true for current owners who want a new coupe now as their warranty expires. but dont expect the coupe to go cheap or discounted in the first year.

a comment on the 8C, i think fiat/alfa romeo/maserati is very brillant in launching this image car this way as a limited edition CF car. there is not much out there like this. they can price it anywhere south of a F430 and north of the new coupe basically.

 

[thebimbo]

You're kidding, aren't you??