[dtg]

Hello all,

I have been in the market for a new (pre-owned) coupe for about two months now and I'm debating between the a 2004 Coupe CC and a 2002 Porsche 996 C4S.

I have owned three Porsches in the past, so I'm familiar with the car's maintenance schedule/cost, known issues, etc.

I have never owned a Maserati or any any "exotic" so I have no idea what I'd be in for if I pulled the trigger.

The idea of owning a Ferrari engineered machine like this really excites me but I'm very scared of the maintenance and repairs that Maserati has been known for in the past.

I have read about performance reviewes and long-term tests in magazines, but I've yet to find a good source that would just tell me from an owner's perspective about the day-to-day issues with these cars.

I plan to drive it daily (about 30 miles round trip) so I'll need to know what to expect in terms of scheduled maintenance, known problems, repair costs, etc.

I would greatly appreciate any help that you can offer. Thank you.

 

[Vincenzo]

dtg - IMHO you can't go wrong with the GS Coupe or Spyder. I'm a relatively new owner myself and have owned just about every model of BMW for years and have never been more impressed with a vehicle. My advice is to post your question on the Modern Maserati forum and you'll surely have many responses about maintenance history. My feeling, from others' postings, is that the maintenance costs for an '04 to '06 are negligible for a car of this calibre. There are many on the board that use their coupes for daily driving.

 

[dtg]

dtg - IMHO you can't go wrong with the GS Coupe or Spyder. I'm a relatively new owner myself and have owned just about every model of BMW for years and have never been more impressed with a vehicle. My advice is to post your question on the Modern Maserati forum and you'll surely have many responses about maintenance history. My feeling, from others' postings, is that the maintenance costs for an '04 to '06 are negligible for a car of this calibre. There are many on the board that use their coupes for daily driving.

Thank you so much for your feedback. I was beginning to think that no one was going to respond! I've had a couple of 996s and I didn't really think the maintenance cost was that bad (so long as I took it to an independent mechanic and not the dealer).

My concern with the Mas is that in Dallas, there are not many independent mechanics (that I know of) that work on these cars.

I know the Ferrari 355s and 360s can cost quite a bit to maintain if driven daily, but I'm not sure if the Mas is the same.

That's really what I need help with... someone who drives it daily and that can tell me what to expect in terms of a) regular wear and tear items and b) known issues that need to be address at certain mileage (i.e. belts, clutch, head-work, etc)... you know; big items!

Thanks again for your feedback.

 

[Specialist]

I'd like to know, too. Does Maserati need 3 year belt changes like a Ferrari?

 

[Ron Avery]

The are no cam belts just chains, Once a year you will have service for about $800.-$1,500. And every other year if you drive it as an every day car of around $2000. If you are going to drive it every day and are concerned about expenses I would go for a Coupe GT 6. speed manual. I have a 2003 with 23,000 miles on the original clutch. Over all I have foud the car to be mostly reliable. I drive my car around 6000 miles a year. I would buy it used from a Maserati dealer just for the used car warranty through Maserati.

 

[barbuckle]

The two "big ones" to watch out for are:

- every 5 years the rear suspension bushes will benefit from renewal and dealers insist on replacing entire lower suspension arms(!) which could cost up to $4K (or go to an indie and get just the bushes pulled!)

- in cambiocorsas the pump might fail with 20-40Kmiles (difficult to be more accurate) - which could cost another $4k at dealer

Or maybe you just go on driving with "slack" rear suspension and a cc which has been used mainly on highway cruises (few gear changes per mile).

 

[Jgrabar]

Dont forget standard costs like clutch replacement every 20,000 miles or so depending - on the GS they wear quickly and, my biggest issue with the 19 inch wheels, wheel and tire maintenance which has me at about $5k in a year. These wheels are very soft and bend very easily. Crack easily too. What has your porsche experience w/r/t that been like? i was thinking of picking up a cab. Based on the overall combo of looks, performance and comfort, the mas has no equal.

 

[DoctorJim]

To buy or not to buy....

I had problems with the A/C that went unresolved during my Maserati experience. I have seen all sorts of gremlins reported on this forum regarding electronics. My 05 coupe became my new hobby (pronounced chore) of traveling to the dealer and then getting a loaner from Enterprise for a week or two while the service dept. "fixed" my car... During the same time period I also owned an 06 911S Porsche which was driven the same number of miles as the Maserati. (Both were driven about 2000 miles over a six month period.) The only visit to the Porsche dealer was to get checked after my wife hit a pothole. (Inspection revealed no damage)
With all that said, I will make this comparison: The 911 is like the woman you know you ought to be with...she does everything well and is not a lot of trouble and expense...The Maserati is like the woman that you are helplessly drawn to even though you know it's gonna cost you a lot of money and time, but you just can't resist!! I miss my Maserati, I do not miss my Porsche....

 

[04cambiocoupe]

I had problems with the A/C that went unresolved during my Maserati experience. I have seen all sorts of gremlins reported on this forum regarding electronics. My 05 coupe became my new hobby (pronounced chore) of traveling to the dealer and then getting a loaner from Enterprise for a week or two while the service dept. "fixed" my car... During the same time period I also owned an 06 911S Porsche which was driven the same number of miles as the Maserati. (Both were driven about 2000 miles over a six month period.) The only visit to the Porsche dealer was to get checked after my wife hit a pothole. (Inspection revealed no damage)
With all that said, I will make this comparison: The 911 is like the woman you know you ought to be with...she does everything well and is not a lot of trouble and expense...The Maserati is like the woman that you are helplessly drawn to even though you know it's gonna cost you a lot of money and time, but you just can't resist!! I miss my Maserati, I do not miss my Porsche....

I have had the exact opposite experience. I went from a 2006 911S to a 2004 CC Coupe. My Porsche was always in the shop, about 7 times in the 11 months that I kept it. My Maserati has been flawless. Only trip to the shop has been for oil changes.

Eric

 

[Niteroi]

Before I got my GS I had the same question. Porsche or Maserati? But just by driving both I knew the answer...

Don't try to reason too much because YOU KNOW the Maserati is not going to be as reliable/low maintenance as the Porsche.

Having a Maserati is something special. I can't say the same about a Porsche (Carrera GT maybe ).

If you are already thinking about buying the Maserati, go fo it! If you go Porsche again you're not going to be happy, and will only postpone this very same decision.

I got my GS last Novemeber and have been driving it everyday, about 3,000 miles so far. My clutch started slipping a couple of months ago but it was just a matter of a software upgrade, nothing wrong with the clutch itself, and the dealer told me I still have 50% of clutch disc left. My car has now almost 16,000 miles. So chances are my clutch is going to last past the 25,000 miles mark.

The biggest difference between the GS and my last car (BMW X5) is the rear tires, they seem to last only 5,000 miles. Well, the way I've been driving her it's probably not too bad

If you go with a manual transmission instead of the CC you will definitely save a lot of money/headache with maintenance. I didn't because unfortunately the GS only comes with CC, otherwise the manual would've been my choice.

Good luck!

 

[Jgrabar]

to buy or not to buy

DrJim -
Well put. And thus the reason for perhaps not having both cars could be the same as both women? Too costly? I agree with you wholeheartedly. I have always felt that i should have a 911 - but then I test drive them and am reminded about the plastic interior and complete lack of cabin space. The GS called to me and has become my passion (also read sometimes as chore). When you are spending that kind of money for a close to daily driver, while I understand that these are true sports cars, you just want a more grown up interior.

 

[BeeYouZeeZee]

I live in Plano. I have a 05 coupe CC with 11k on the clock and drive it daily. As things come up under warranty, I get them fixed but very little to date. If you want to check my car out, let me know.

I say buy it so I can hang with another coupe. It's lonely being a Maserati owner... One to every thousand Porsche's

Buzz

 

[Ramp]

Miss my Porsche - definitely handles better than the Maserati. Love driving the Maserati - they are very different autos. You need to decide what your looking for right now. I was tired of the Porsche ride - wanted something more comfortable and more exclusive. My Porsche had very limited maintenance and it was never very expensive. When I bought the Maserati, I braced myself for the repair issues.

What I will tell you is that I think with some new springs, the Maserati may be able to come close to the Porsche's handling. The Porsche, except for the turbo, will never come close to the power delivery of the Maserati -it is much much quicker.

When the time is right, I'm going to buy an '02-'05 C4S. Porsche prices are coming down thru the floor - just way too many of them out there.

 

[ktd]

Man, just get a Maserati! You've gonna pay either way

 

[drewcwsj]

I am just starting my search for a coupe too. I'm in Austin and there don't seem to be many at the dealers in TX. I did see Maserati of Minneapolis had a couple of very interesting ones but really want to find one locally so I can get the trade in tax credit for my 545. Or maybe find a friendly local dealer to run the deal through.

Here is my dream list:
- '04 to '06 hopefully under warranty and with the Maserati pre-owned one year warranty extension
- CC preferred but GT is fine
- Cuoio leather prefered and leather headliner (just love the way it looks)
- Vintage package
- not GranSport (carbon fiber is just not my style)

Feel free to PM me if you know of one that is close.

Thanks

Drew

 

[Colossus]

Porsche and Maserati are very different propositions and DoctorJim summed up perfectly, there are some things in life you just need to experience!

Use my Coupe GT (manual transmission) as a daily driver and have been very impressed with its reliability, less issues than my previous M series Bimmers. Having said that the check engine light is on (usually turns off after a while!) and the engine fan is making some noise when switching in now, will get both looked at when I get it serviced in the next month.

 

[jakermc]

Thank you so much for your feedback. I was beginning to think that no one was going to respond! I've had a couple of 996s and I didn't really think the maintenance cost was that bad (so long as I took it to an independent mechanic and not the dealer).

My concern with the Mas is that in Dallas, there are not many independent mechanics (that I know of) that work on these cars.

I know the Ferrari 355s and 360s can cost quite a bit to maintain if driven daily, but I'm not sure if the Mas is the same.

That's really what I need help with... someone who drives it daily and that can tell me what to expect in terms of a) regular wear and tear items and b) known issues that need to be address at certain mileage (i.e. belts, clutch, head-work, etc)... you know; big items!

Thanks again for your feedback.

Dallas independent mechanic: http://www.norwoodperformance.com/

Problem solved.