To valet or not to valet...

With the SMG on my BMW I was able to leave it set to start in Auto mode not sure if you can do that with Maserati, also BMW gave you a little card that you could give valet but doubt you would find a valet that reads english. And people seem to get upset when you try to tell them how to work it, I once brought my car to a garage for a sticker and try to tell the mechanic how to use the SMG and he gave a dirty look then after he sat there for a minute he had to ask me for instruction. Was wondering how long your wait has been for car? I ordered a Spyder GT end of Nov. and am being told it shows a complete date of Feb 11, Do you know how long it is supposed to take to get here after complete date? Thanks Scott

The nice thing about the '04 cambiocorsa is that the small lever now has first and reverse built in. So you just need to tell the valet to pull up (gently) and back for reverse and push forward for first. The valet never has to touch the CC paddles. It's almost like an automatic.

scott-I ordered mine in October and I'm getting it in like 4 days, so I didn't have to wait too long (even though it feels like it!). Your wait time sounds about right. Just hope that the boat isn't late like it was with mine. It only postponed the car about a week, but still, I'd have my car by now if it weren't late. Anyway, I forgot when my complete date was, but I think it takes longer to actually get the car then it does to build it. Best of luck.

I live in the Northeast part of country so car would not be driven till the beginning of March so that is making the wait a little more tolerable. As of about two weeks ago they showed my car locked out for changes as I guess that means its in pre production with a 2/11 complete date, Hoping I will have car some time in the 1st or 2nd week of March. Where did you order from? Thanks Scott

Yeah, I wouldn't want to drive the car in bad weather either, so I guess the wait is a little easier on you. I got the car from Ferrari/Maserati of Beverly Hills. They have been really helpful there and allowed me to drive the car quite a few times when I was in the decision process. Anyway, I'm actually still pretty worried about the whole valet thing. I just don't see some of these guys being very gentle with it. And I would feel really weird asking to park it myself. Argh.

I don't blame you for being worried about valet parking, I do not want people I know driving it let alone a total stranger who probably owns some cheap old car and would love the chance to drive a brand new Maserati. Do you own another car you could use in those situations? Living where I live makes it a necessity to own a winter vehicle ( 99 Toyota 4 runner Limited) and I keep it on the road year round as I will not even park my fun cars in a parking lot let alone give it to a valet. One other question about your purchase, Did your dealer give car for less than MSRP? I was surprised that I got my car with a decent discount, Where I had to pay list for my past two cars (Porsche Boxster S and BMW M3) .

Well, the Maserati is going to be my daily driver so I won't have another car to drive. My dealer and I actually haven't discussed pricing yet, but I'm assuming she won't give it to me for under sticker, but I'll try my best to see if she can do something about it.

It seems Maserati has to prove themselves here in the USA, and get their cars on our roads at any cost. Not sure if it is a regional thing but I got 10% off the car and all options. Not sure they would give same discount in your area but you should push for something.

Scott, thanks for sharing your pricing experience. That kind of information is invaluable.

In Switzerland too, it seems you can have a good price reduction if you are a good negociator.