[Laurie]

Am considering an '04 CC Coupe from a high-end dealer who purchased it from a Maserati dealership. Maserati had bought it back from the previous owner who complained about a "sputtering" engine. Maserati apparently replaced the ECU. (What exactly is that & what does it do?) Even though it was replaced, Maserati still bought the car back.

Asking price is $5K - $10K less than comparable vehicles. It has about 8K miles & has not had it's 6K service yet. (I was quoted $800 for the 6K service from my local Maser dealer. Is that about right?)

Thanks very much for your thoughts!

 

[haha]

ECU, Electronic Control Unit. It controls the fuel injection system, ignition timing, and the idle speed control system. The ECU also interrupts the operation of the air conditioning and etc.., and controls power to the fuel pump. Also, skyhook suspension and CC shifting.
What is the warranty like on the "refurbished", did they tell you? Could you drive it for a month and return it if the "sputtering" occurs again? If the answer is positive (needs to be on a contract) it may not be a bad deal. The fix sounds about right as bad ignition timing or fuel mapping could cause irregular combustion.

Whichever dealership service rep. quoted you $800 should be shot dead. Hopefully, it isn't the one I take my car to. It was 483.56 for me. 139.13 parts and 335.95 (@ 135 an hour).

 

[1Turbo]

Whichever dealership service rep. quoted you $800 should be shot dead. Hopefully, it isn't the one I take my car to. It was 483.56 for me. 139.13 parts and 335.95 (@ 135 an hour).

That Price is more reasonable. I believe that a ECU is only a few Hundred to replace, so there may be other Hidden Glitches with your Maser.
I'd keep looking.

 

[demoe]

An ECU surely costs more than a few hundred. The ECU is likely to cost over $3000 to replace. My ECU in my Lotus is over $3000

I happen to think if the car was inspected by Maserati, lightning rarely strikes twice in the same place. I say go for it.

 

[haha]

demoe is correct Turbo. Laurie was referring to the 6K service. $800 is just ridiculous, did they all of the sudden forget it only consists of an oil change and eye ball inspections.

 

[chris7469]

Do you love it?

I am always looking for a great deal. However, try to weigh everything out. If you are getting a548
$5-10 K discount and you get a
great warranty and you LOVE all the features of the car and the way it drives, then certainly go for it. If not, keep searching. Read all the fine print on the warranty and make sure everything is still covered and see if you can get a detailed list of everything that was changed, replaced or altered.

I just called for my 6K service in NJ. The dealer told me $350.00. Do NOT pay anywhere near $800. Actually, ask them to perform that service on that car for you before you buy.

Good luck.

CM

 

[MVP]

Whichever dealership service rep. quoted you $800 should be shot dead. Hopefully, it isn't the one I take my car to. It was 483.56 for me. 139.13 parts and 335.95 (@ 135 an hour).

That Price is more reasonable. I believe that a ECU is only a few Hundred to replace, so there may be other Hidden Glitches with your Maser.
I'd keep looking.

The ECU costs much more then that, lol, even for a Honda Civic or of the like it's more then a few hundred dollars. Let alone a Maserati.

Also what is $6-8k under what other cars are selling? Many people are blinded by the actual price of Maserati's.

I say don't go for it, a troublesome Maserati is not a fun Maserati. Spend the $6k more and get a good car. I've talked to a few customers who do nothing but complain about there Maserati's they have problems literally everytime they take it out. I spent more money on my Maserati then fair market value but I had fun. I never once had a problem with it and I was never stranded on the side of the road except for whenever I had a blowout on my tire.

Also $800 for a the 6k service? The dealer sounds like a ripoff, last place I'd buy a car from.

 

[viperden]

dont do it. Usually if a car has one problem, it will have several others. I had a 1991 Aston Martin Virage and the damn thing would find a new reason every two months to take it back.

 

[Laurie]

Thanks guys... I'm passing on this one. Especially after I called the Maserati dealership that this high-line dealership bought it from. The service manager let me know the car had had 7 RO's opened on the vehicle for sputtering & stalling. The mechanics were not able to duplicate the problem. However, he did not see anything about a new ECU.

So I called the high-line folks back & talked to a different sales person. He let me know right away that the Maserati I was inquiring about had been a buyback, so I thought that was good. I asked him if he knew why & he said it was for the stereo! Are you kidding me? So needless to say, I'm heeding ya'alls advice & passing.

Going to drive an '03 Spyder at my Maserati dealership on Friday. One of these days I hope to attach a picture of my "new" car but until then, I'm gonna have to keep asking questions of this forum! Thanks always for your help!!!