[Laurie]

I fell in love with the Maserati & have begun the search for my 1st. Love convertibles, but like the "practicality" of a 4-seater. I drove an '05 Spyder and felt the CC shifting was a bit "laggy" but I'm sure this is due to my 1st time driving with paddle shifting. Does it get smoother?

Also, I know that if I get a Spyder, it will be model year 2003 - 2004. (Glass window, shifting software, etc.) Are there enough major differences between 2002 & newer CC Coupes? Seems that 2002s are several thousand lower than 2003+.

I'm also looking at leasing and wonder what companies any of you with experience use. What kind of lease factor/terms should I expect?

Any & all thoughts would be appreciated. BTW, my daily driver is an '04 Grand Cherokee Limited, V8, 4WD. (Always thought I'd look for a car with better gas mileage (14-17mpg) than worse! But you can't beat sexy & fun!

Thanks!

 

[chris7469]

Instead of leasing consider buying...

I own an 04 Coupe hard top. Actually took 4 adults to lunch today. The backseat is functional.

I drive in sports mode and there is no shifting drag, but you do feel the shifts. Its not ultra smooth and will never be. That just comes with owning a paddle shift Maserati. However, these cars are beautiful and just a blast to drive on a daily basis!

From what I've read, the 04 spyder had "structural reinforcements" added into the body. 02 and 03, (I think) Spyders had body issuses that have been addressed and fixed. Do a search on all the car sites on 02, 03, and 04 spyder coupes. You should find out exactly what production changes were made. If its in your budget get an 04 or 05. The biggestest difference between the two years, are the front and rear scoops. Its really a matter of personal taste.

As far as leases, these cars depreciate like ROCKS and need a new clutch every 18K 24K miles... To lease one, I was quoted around $1,500 per month for a 05 with 10Kmiles a year allocated over 36 months. I felt that was too high.

I think these cars should cost about 800 - 1,000 a month to own and operate, assuming you are going to drive 800- 1,000 miles each month.

Based on what 02s are selling for, and what you will pay for an 04 or 05 "like new" spyder with less than 3,000 miles, you should think about buying the car instead. If you buy it, drive it for 36 months then sell it, you may come out ahead. The first year of depreciation is crazy. Let someone else absorb that cost. The residual value is super low. A Maserati is not a great car to lease value wise. Its a tremendous bang for your buck to purchase. 04s with less than 3,000 miles for under $65,000. New they were close to $100,000.

Just be prepared for service costs every 6,000 miles ($350- $1,000) and clutch costs ($2,500).


Other than that, you should be set. These cars are great! Good Luck!

CM

 

[haha]

convertibles does get old after a while, at least for me. however, since I don't use it as a daily driver it still works out. the lagging of the CC can be easily overcome with a new air filter and tubi
haven't personally driven an 02 or 03, can't tell you much except the body on 05 is sexier. If you can live with pre-owned vehicles I'd suggest go with the least expensive. these babies depreciate faster than 4.7 seconds.
haven't leased a car in a while and hate the fact that you get penalized for almost anything on the car that is different from the first day you got it. If you must, I believe B of A has the best terms.
lastly...you've made the right choice (or soon). welcome!!!

ps.. gas mileage is horrible on mine but you won't get the same fun and satisfaction in a Prius (though the electronic components on prius are way better @#!(#*$& the hell with it I bought the maser for the engine)

 

[Laurie]

Thanks Guys!

Why is the depreciation so bad on these? I have friends telling me I'm crazy to consider a Maser (unreliable, etc... get a German car - better resale, more reliable, etc). Thank goodness I don't listen to my friends!

And thanks again for your info/advice... it helps me tremendously.

 

[haha]

well...because people don't recognize the trident when they see one, needless to say about the history. As the result, demand for maser is always less than supply. when ferrari did the 3-2 deal further saturated the market.

german cars?! like mercedes? just got rid of one last year and if visiting the dealership for the same problem 4 times in the same month is considered reliable then ford would be the best cars made ever. porsche is light and fast unless he/she is referring to any of the GT's all the others can't be compared side-by-side to a maserati. BMW is "somewhat" reliable but it's an assembly line car, has no SOUL. If reliability is important, Lexus woul be the only choice. Yet again, robots made them.

 

[MVP]

Re: Instead of leasing consider buying...

I own an 04 Coupe hard top. Actually took 4 adults to lunch today. The backseat is functional.

I drive in sports mode and there is no shifting drag, but you do feel the shifts. Its not ultra smooth and will never be. That just comes with owning a paddle shift Maserati. However, these cars are beautiful and just a blast to drive on a daily basis!

From what I've read, the 04 spyder had "structural reinforcements" added into the body. 02 and 03, (I think) Spyders had body issuses that have been addressed and fixed. Do a search on all the car sites on 02, 03, and 04 spyder coupes. You should find out exactly what production changes were made. If its in your budget get an 04 or 05. The biggestest difference between the two years, are the front and rear scoops. Its really a matter of personal taste.

As far as leases, these cars depreciate like ROCKS and need a new clutch every 18K 24K miles... To lease one, I was quoted around $1,500 per month for a 05 with 10Kmiles a year allocated over 36 months. I felt that was too high.

I think these cars should cost about 800 - 1,000 a month to own and operate, assuming you are going to drive 800- 1,000 miles each month.

Based on what 02s are selling for, and what you will pay for an 04 or 05 "like new" spyder with less than 3,000 miles, you should think about buying the car instead. If you buy it, drive it for 36 months then sell it, you may come out ahead. The first year of depreciation is crazy. Let someone else absorb that cost. The residual value is super low. A Maserati is not a great car to lease value wise. Its a tremendous bang for your buck to purchase. 04s with less than 3,000 miles for under $65,000. New they were close to $100,000.

Just be prepared for service costs every 6,000 miles ($350- $1,000) and clutch costs ($2,500).


Other than that, you should be set. These cars are great! Good Luck!

CM

Very wise words here, only a few minor errors if you don't mind me correcting you

Service is not every 6,000 miles. It's the 1st 6,000 miles, and then 18,000 miles, and then 36,000 miles.

The clutches are hard to guess, mine had 14.5k on it and still ranlike a champ. But I also talk to people who have less mileage then me and are on their 2nd or 3rd clutch. So allways be ready for the clutch to go out just in case.

Cost of ownership is low unless you get a car that's troublesome which is allways bad. But just in case keep some money on the side for minor problems the warranty will not cover. I drove mine 6,200 miles and paid nothing but two new tires.

 

[chris7469]

German cars and service costs...

Laurie:

I leased a BMW and two Benzs before I bought my Maserati. All were great cars, looked and drove nice. I also tested a few porsches and enjoyed them as well. The ferraris I could afford were just plain race cars and not something I could drive everyday.

The Maserati provides "something extra" whether its a feeling or the satisfaction you get from driving a beautiful rare auto. Its hard to put into words but if you appreciate automobiles this car will call out to you.. Yes, I know I have lost my mind at 31....

On my way to work I see several CLs, SLs, 6 series and many porsches. Driving all over NJ and Philly, I have seen 2 maybe 3 Maseratis.

A convertible is a great choice for a Calli ride. If you can find one, get one with a Tubi exhaust. Good luck.

 

[squid]

Re: Thanks Guys!

Why is the depreciation so bad on these? I have friends telling me I'm crazy to consider a Maser (unreliable, etc... get a German car - better resale, more reliable, etc). Thank goodness I don't listen to my friends!

And thanks again for your info/advice... it helps me tremendously.

Poor depreciation just means you buy used

Heh, I have a Grand Cherokee Ltd too. My friend has a Jeep Liberty and a Spyder CC. What is it about Jeeps and Masers? Heh.

If you aren't a fan of the paddle shifting go for a manual. People forget that you can get a regular stick shift in these things. It's not the greatest trans but it ain't the worst either.

Here in SoCal we're blessed with three different dealers to chose from, so if one messes up we can just go to the other one. It's the perfect place to have a car like this!

 

[mal]

Hi, I am new to this forum. I used to own a 3200GTM which I sold two years ago.

I had bought it new and I sold it because I panicked about the depreciation. It cost me 30k GBP in Three years which was just over 50% of its new value.

I also bought an Audi RS6 which is a low depreciating car (Certainly in the UK) This is coming up to 3 years old and it is now worth 36K GBP which is 40% of its original value.

The difference then between High and low depreciation is 6K or 2K per year, which to me is really imaterial in comparison to the total cost.

To me if you want to buy a new car then depreciation does n't really make a lot of difference it will cost you whatever you buy.

If depreciation is an important factor for you then buy a one year old car, whic has already taken its biggest hit.

 

[haha]

Here in SoCal we're blessed with three different dealers to chose from, so if one messes up we can just go to the other one. It's the perfect place to have a car like this!

when the one messed up happens to be only 4 miles from you, your only alternative would be taking it down to OC. but it's cool! maserati has a great road side assistance program, they'll flatbed your toy to the dealership of your choice.

squid-

don't forget we're also blessed with 365 days of sunshine (minus this week)...

so a spyder is always a good choice :wink:

 

[squid]

Here in SoCal we're blessed with three different dealers to chose from, so if one messes up we can just go to the other one. It's the perfect place to have a car like this!

when the one messed up happens to be only 4 miles from you, your only alternative would be taking it down to OC.

Nah--go to the Auto Gallery in Woodland Hills. 17 miles from me.