[chris7469]

It seems like every article I read or show I watch these "experts" have negative things to say about Maserati.

I just bought an 04 coupe cambiocorsa with 1,000 miles. I did my research, compared it to other cars in the same price range and made my decision. I have been blown away with the results so far. The car has exceeded all of my expectations.

Its engaging to drive and the interior and exterior are beautiful. Plus my wife can drive it and it has a back seat. The looks and the comments from other people are just the icing on the cake.

The car is so much fun and a great value. I have yet to see another one on the road. Everyday I see several porsches, Benzs, BMWs etc... I have yet to see another Mas on the road.

Members with a longer history please tell me what I am missing. This exoctic car is practical and drives incredible...... Why do so many people bash on it? CM

 

[demoe]

I will throw my 2 cents in....

I have a 2002 Spider CC, and also love it. Love may be too strong a word, but I think it is an exceptional car, i feel there are things that can certainly be improved upon....handling, off the line acceleration, cambio shifting, Radio reception, NAVIgation. the car is FAR from perfect.

The thing I beleive that leave Maserati open for abuse is that for a $100,000 car, it finds itself in between say a Mercedes AMG, a BMW M, ..even an Audi RS, on the lower end, and of course, Ferrari on the higher end......the cars on the lower end, in my opinion with Mercedes AMG, and Audi, don't do anything wrong, and do things very well. Also they don't cost an arm and a leg to repair as does a Maserati. There is considerable logic in spending $50-$60k on a car that does everything well vs $100k for a car which has issues.

In my opinion, Maserati, is more of an "in the know car" sort of like a Lotus...people who are into racing, and the history of racing in a more than superfical level, understand the accomplishments of the brand. Everyone in the world knows a Ferrari is fast, those same people have no idea Maserati is just as important in racing history.

With some time and effort, i have modded my AMG to handle better than my Spider currently, it is almost as fast and when I add a supercharger to it, will be just as fast as the Spider,....However, ..it does lack some "soul" which the Spider has....but I also don't lose sleep over whether it may have to go into the shop like I do the Maserati.....

Currently, I have seen only 2 other Maseratis on the road while out driving and I live in the Bay Area which is jam packed with high end cars, every other car seems to be a Benz or BMW. ...the exclusivity of Maserati is undeniable.

I guess to sum it up, I was out driving on Monday and at a light a guy in a Lexus yelled over at me, "what is in there", I told him a Ferrari designed v8....his response was "that engine sounds beautiful, it is just like beautiful music". You won't get the same reaction while driving a Benz, BMW, or Audi.

 

[STARDOC]

The exclusitivity is undeniable. The car however although has had a rich past, its near past has been somewhat muddied a.k.a biturbo and Maser. TC.
The car is definitely quirky and has its own personality but I think that the area that it could improve the most would be handeling. For $100k will it keep up with a 911 in the twisties? Probably not.
Nevertheless, it carries a stigma with it that will take a few proven generations to remove.
I personally love it and for the money couldn't think of anything else that would be considered an exotic.

 

[MikeA]

Well, in my opinion, you can't get better value for a car under $100K. I will agree that it takes time for the car to grow on you, esp. the CC transmission, but now I am spoiled. I think the only other option is a Ferrari for nearly twice (or, in the case of the 430, more than twice) the price.
I use mine as a daily driver, and have nearly 20K miles on it. I won't get nervous about maintenance costs until I run out of my 4 year/48K mile warranty (another 2 1/2 years).
I think the biggest difference, at least in my experience, is the connection to the road. I've never owned a Porsche, but I have had a 7 series BMW, a Mercedes CL, and a Jaguar XK8, and they don't compare.
Driving it is just a blast!!!
The knocks on it are the recent checkered past, the "handbuilt Italian craftsmanship" (meaning build quality and reliability can vary quite a bit - but, hey, I've been way on the good news side of this one), and the lack of experience in driving this kind of car. What's in it for a reviewer to rave about it? They get all sorts of attention and perks and conformity from raving about a Porsche or whatever. What do they get from Maserati, esp. if they aren't experienced at driving it? In my history (electronics industry) I have found that the press, like analysts and venture capitalists, tend to move in herds, without much straying away from the pack.
Anyway, my 2 cents. I just hope Maserati stays around long enough to do the next model, and they don't make it too much of a luxury car instead of more of a sports car.
Mike

 

[M!]

i guess it is not a bad thing that only the true connoisseurs will appreciate the value behind a maserati (current or classic). i think a lot of the general public tends to go in herds.

when the japanese brought in the lexus and infiniti, the entire luxury market changed. expectations are much higher (and yet we see falls in quality in brands like MB).

 

[iufan993]

Having had a normally aspirated 996, I really enjoy my Maserati much more. The 996 was a daily driver, and I had hoped the Maser to be the same, but I just can't do it for the thought of rock chips and the like. The Porsche dash was abysmal, and the interior sucked. The engine bay looked like a science project, and the engine noise was just uninspiring.

I just drive the Maser on weekends and nice days, but it is something I really look forward to. Every time I wind it out it brings the biggest smile on my face, and the Porsche NEVER did that. I never have taken it out and not had someone ask me about the car enthusiastically. I think of it as a piece of art that drives like a muscle car. Ohh and that engine ...

Maybe I'm lucky, but so far after 2500 miles (10000 on the odo) no dealer visits. I fried the 911 clutch within 15000 miles and paid for it dearly. If I have to replace this one, at least I am prepared.

 

[haha]

In my opinion, the hell with them “experts”, in most cases, they are experts because they know some big words and catch phrases. As long as you have fun driving it, who cares what they say. Having owned benz in the past, I must say they really know what they are doing (aside from the Chrysler deal) and know how to keep their customers happy. Yet, seeing the admiration in the eyes of the others on the road is a satisfaction of a life time.

 

[iufan993]

Having had a normally aspirated 996, I really enjoy my Maserati much more. The 996 was a daily driver, and I had hoped the Maser to be the same, but I just can't do it for the thought of rock chips and the like. The Porsche dash was abysmal, and the interior sucked. The engine bay looked like a science project, and the engine noise was just uninspiring.

I just drive the Maser on weekends and nice days, but it is something I really look forward to. Every time I wind it out it brings the biggest smile on my face, and the Porsche NEVER did that. I never have taken it out and not had someone ask me about the car enthusiastically. I think of it as a piece of art that drives like a muscle car. Ohh and that engine ...

Maybe I'm lucky, but so far after 2500 miles (10000 on the odo) no dealer visits. I fried the 911 clutch within 15000 miles and paid for it dearly. If I have to replace this one, at least I am prepared.

 

[BrianS]

Making Excuses

I have to agree with Demoe. I live in San Francisco Bay Area, purchased a 2002 coupe with 2300 miles on it on June 1. It's been in the shop twice for a total of 13 days. Almost all of it for small annoying problems although the CC didn't disengage from 1st gear at a stop one time.

I really enjoy driving the car, probabably the most enjoyable car I have ever had. I am hoping that this is the last time it's in the shop before the 6000 mile check. Right now I am making excuses for the car and the fact that the cd changer fails intermittently, the nav system tells me to make a left when I am going 80 miles an hour on an interstate, the info center shuts off for no reason, the rear parking sensor failed, along with a bunch of other things that anyone that has driven this car for more than a month knows about.

Yet each time I get into the car I can't wait to get on the road and I pray that nothing goes wrong because it's a beautiful car and I really want it to work so I can stop making excuses to all my friends whose faces of envy have turned to smirks.

 

[thebimbo]

There a few more comments on this here:
http://www.maseratiforum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=643
as this is a double-post - probably because the thread started as Andrew moved some things around in the forum...

 

[Dr. Larry Kauffman]

I find the more I drive my Spyder the better I understand the car, and the better I drive it. I've got a pretty good handle on the CC after 400 miles. I've had several Porsches and I think you feel more connected to the road with the P car, but I enjoy my Maser much more. I have an old Corvette that I drive during the week, but come the weekend the Maser comes out. This morning at a restaurant I frequent 4 people approached me and told me how beautiful my blue roadster appeared to them. Made my day!

 

[dave_fonz_164]

I dont think people knock maserati but rather know very little about the car. Most people who see them in flesh find them gorgeous but the company still doesnt have the same established image as its european counterparts...

 

[maserati of minneapolis]

I think the fact that the general public, even most people that are into cars, at least here in the US, know very little about these cars. It doesn't help that the Minneapolis market has also been quite overlooked by many sports car manufacturers as well.

I put together our first Autoshow presence here, during March of this year, and I couldn't believe just how little people knew about the cars. The most common questions I got, other than how much and how fast, were; Is Maserati owned by Chrysler? Is Maserati owned by Ford? Is this on the 7 series platform? (about the Quattroporte) Where are these made? Didn't Maserati just get sold to Fiat? Does GM own Maserati?

I was really surprised just how little people knew of the brand.

This past weekend was our local 'Wheels of Italy' carshow, which features Italian cars and Motorcycles. This was the third year of the show, and our first with cars on display. People loved the styling, and thankfully the Chrysler\Ford questions were all but nonexistant, people still knew very little about the cars. Even many of the Ferrari owners that stopped by were surprised when they saw familiar buttons in the GranSport.

I've been spoiled and have had the chance to drive dozens of 911's, which had always been my dream car. Other than the GT2, the Masers have overtaken that spot in my heart. The Masers have more soul, and feel more alive when driven hard, than the Porsches.

That GT2 is an entirely different story though..

One thing I have noticed lately from the "experts" though; In a few reviews of the revision of the new BMW 750I, and a few other of the big body sedans, they seem to be starting to use the Quattroporte as the benchmark for what this size car should be. Pretty impressive for a car that has only been out for a year. And in my oppinion, its deserved.

- Mark

 

[dave_fonz_164]

The Qp is definately making its mark, even with its flaws lol. The new updated version should adress that in the same way the GS was approved by the motoring press.

 

[mvarat]

Our cars

Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear absolutely hated the CC Coupe he reviewed. WHile I can agree with some of his comments, I don't think he gets it.

The Coupe is not as luxurious as an Aston and not as fast as a Ferrari. It isn't quite a luxurious grand Tourer and is way too heavy to be a true sports car. But remember that it has back seats, it not much more than 1/2 the cost of an Aston DB9 and is much less than 1/2 the cost of a Ferrari. IT is a bit of a compromise car but with all of the Italian soul that really makes it fun.

HOWEVER, I simply love this car. It has soul, it has speed, and is 100% more fun than any 911 variant I have ever driven. And the CC gearbox is the greatest transmission I have ever driven. It is the same cost as a Carrera 4S and when I bought mine, I drove the 2 cars back to back (Actually I drove a 2S). The Porsche is a better track car but the Maserati is SO MUCH MORE FUN. And the Maserati is a work of art that I get to drive every day - I truly feel belssed.

We all have a vested interest in encouraging nice things to be said about our cars, but I don't for a moment regret getting my car and after 35000 miles in it (daily driver), I am only having more fun.

Yes, it has those little Italian things that make me think that they serve Chianti during lunch hour at the factory because sober people could not have thought this way. But that is all part of the charm and I consider myself an Italian car owner for life now.

Let's hope Maserati doesn't screw up the replacement for our Coupes.