[Rafi Jooma]

Hi there, this is my first post on this forum. I currently own a Mercedes Benz 2003 CLK55 AMG Coupe. I wanted to get some opinions from Maserati owners. I'm thinking to sell my car and get a 2002 Maserati Coupe Cambiocorsa. What do you guys think of that trade and which would you rather have and why? Any opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

BTW, this Maserati will be my daily-driver.. not a weekend-car like most other Maserati Owners.

 

[Swiss-Maserati]

My previous car was a CLK 55 AMG (2000). I changed for a Coupé CC in 2002. Still driving and loving my daily-driver car, around 114'000 km today. The MB was an excellent car but the Mas' better fit my needs because it mix a luxury and a sporty car. The MB was first of all a luxury car, with a lot of power. Handling was not very good, a manual gear-box was missing (but the auto gearbox of MB are the best auto gearboxes), the car is too much "disconnected" from the road and weight distribution was not at my taste, too much on the front; the MB was difficult to drive on wet roads or on snow. The two different modes (suspensions/gearboxes/ESP) is a real Pro for the Mas'. Maybe a Pro for the MB : the trunk is very spacious. A Con (in my opinion) against the MB is 99% people cannot tell the difference between a CLK 200K and a CLK 55 AMG ! I don't want to pay more than twice as much as my neighbor for the "same" car !
Go for the Maserati, it is a very exclusive car, a luxury Coupé that can transport 4 people, a sporty italian car you can even track. But if you want to be more discret and do not like to too much "activate" your senses, go for the MB. It is very difficult to consider the Mas' as a simple car, it is more like a drug...

 

[Shark01]

I haven't voted yet since I don't think all the available info has been relayed. Why are you considering a change? How do you feel about going from convertible to coupe? In my case, with a couple of kids the coupe is very attractive.

 

[Dolle Dolf]

Lionel,

That is a lot of miles. Kudos. How many times have you had the clutch done, if any? It seems that with the prevailing 18-20k miles lifetime you have had to have repaired it about three times.

Thx,

DD

 

[Swiss-Maserati]

The firtst clutch replacment was at 60'000 km. Today the second-one is still OK, on my feelings point-of-view... The milleage is not important, it is how you drive and how much time you change gears ! I drive 80% of the time on highways, at constant speed... And drive rarely in cities. I drive hard when there is not too much other cars on the road...

 

[STARDOC]

CLK AMG is not all that fast 0-60 in about 5.5 seconds '03, with a suspension tuned for the straights. Its TOO much of a sleeper car with no real road presence or exclusitivity. For me there is no comparison, they are different classes. Plus, the V8 growl of that Maser is unmatched.

 

[Rafi Jooma]

In response to shark's questions... I'm considering change for no reason. To be honest, the other day I was in Vegas and saw a Maserati Coupe (at the Wynn Resort) and I loved the look and it's very exclusive too so that was a plus. I'm not moving from a Convertible to a Coupe. My CLK is a Coupe so the body styles would be some-what similar. I plan on test driving the Maserati whenever I get a chance within the next few weeks or so and that'll help me decide which one I like better. I appreciate all the votes and all of your opinions. Thanks a lot!

I have one more major question... I understand that the warranties are only for two years. I plan on purchasing a 2002, if I buy one, and that would be out of warranty. How's maintanence on these cars? Do ya'll know of any companies which offer extended warranties?

 

[STARDOC]

Warranty is for 4 years. From my research, most companies don't want to touch Maseratis with extended warranties, not because they are unreliable (on the contrary they are suprisingly sound cars) but because they don't have much info/history to go by. If you can go for the '03 or later because for a few thousand more most of the gremlins have been worked out.

 

[BrianS]

It is my understanding from the dealer that Maserati is going to offer an extended warranty program within the next 12 months. I was told that it will run about $2500/yr.

 

[STARDOC]

$2500 a year??? Wow, you wonder if it would really be worth buying it.

 

[BrianS]

As the TV commerical says - I guess this really isn't your father's oldsmobile.

 

[STARDOC]

I meant the warranty not the car .

 

[BrianS]

So did I. :lol: