Thoughts on Maserati

[TurboDan]

One of these caught my eye yesterday as I was sitting at a red light, so I decided to look up some prices. Not bad at all, actually, and most of the used inventory nationwide has pretty low mileage.

Here's an example: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Maserati-Spyder-Cambiocorsa-Skyhook-Xenon-Blaupunkt-19k-Miles-100k-Stkr-/350543929594?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item519e0be0fa

Are these maintenance disasters like Ferraris, though? Meaning would they have to be "serviced" to some outrageous price point every few thousand miles to prevent them from falling apart?

[cawimmer430]

One of my clients has a whole fleet of classic Italian cars including two Maserati Quattroporte IVs (V6 and V8) and a Maserati Ghibli II 2.8 V6 as well as an Italian-market-spec Maserati Merak 2.0 V6 "Engine Capacity Tax Special".

According to him they've been very reliable cars. They're not used as daily drivers, but they've always started and never let him down. Naturally, spare parts are expensive, partly because these are MASERATIS (History & Heritage) and because they're probably not the most "friendly-engineered" cars meaning that for an oil change you need to remove the entire engine (I'm exaggerating here).

He's got them holed up in his huge underground garage and their batteries are hooked up to a charging system to keep them charged at all times.


I'll actually be shooting the Ghibli II in April. It looks exactly like this (same color) but has much classier rims.  




His daily driver was an Alfa Romeo 156 GTA with almost 200,000 km on it. He bought it brand new and according to him that car has never let him down. It's for sale now since he has a Chrysler 300 Touring CRD as a daily driver.






But the coolest Maserati ever is the Biturbo. God damn that thing is sexy.  

[Payman]

Pretty sweet. I'd consider one in the 25-30k range.

[Laconian]

I've read in many places that the Maseratis made during the Citroen era were terrible.

I would be willing to plunk down some cash for a Maserati and endure the inevitable $$$ servicing. It's the only way I could experience a modern Ferrari V8 without having to put down beaucoup bucks, or waiting two decades for the prices to come down (and the engines to deteriorate)

[sportyaccordy]

No offense to Wimmer but there is a reason Maseratis from the 80s are pretty much unloved here

I feel like a Jag XK would be a better buy. Only thing the Ratis have over them is the name.

[Laconian]

No offense to Wimmer but there is a reason Maseratis from the 80s are pretty much unloved here

I feel like a Jag XK would be a better buy. Only thing the Ratis have over them is the name.

Ahem, flat-plane Ferrari V8?

[2o6]

Those old Biturbos are whack.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Ahem, flat-plane Ferrari V8?

Si, gracias

[sportyaccordy]

Ahem, flat-plane Ferrari V8?

Valid point, I thought this had the old twin turbo. Still, the maintenance.

[hotrodalex]

beaucoup

Whoa, that's how that is spelled? (I've never seen it written down/typed before, just spoken)

[Laconian]

Valid point, I thought this had the old twin turbo. Still, the maintenance.

He had a Saab, now he has an LR2. He's willing to roll the dice...

[Laconian]

Whoa, that's how that is spelled? (I've never seen it written down/typed before, just spoken)

Mais oui!

[2o6]

Whoa, that's how that is spelled? (I've never seen it written down/typed before, just spoken)

Yeah, me too!

He had a Saab, now he has an LR2. He's willing to roll the dice...

Owned a VW, too! He just loves walk on the wild side.

[Payman]

I'm glad so many people are hung up on omg maintenance. Keeps the prices down.

[sportyaccordy]

I'm glad so many people are hung up on omg maintenance. Keeps the prices down.

Go ahead and find out why the price of entry is so cheap

[cawimmer430]

I've read in many places that the Maseratis made during the Citroen era were terrible.

That would also include the Bora and Merak.

My client has a Merak 2.0 V6. He's not touched it for a year or two but prior to acquiring all his other classics, he drove the Merak on a daily basis as it was one of his first classic cars. Told me the car has never had any problems. The only maintenance he did was change the oil and spark plugs himself and keep the battery charged at all times. The only complaint he had about that car was that the "Engine Capacity Tax Special" engine was way to underpowered. In his words: "The car looks faster than it is."

I think many of these cars have a poor reputation because owners didn't know how to properly take care of them. Sure, they weren't built to the highest quality standards, but they weren't that poorly made either.

I might also shoot the Merak in April/May. Can't wait. 




Here's another Maserati from the Citroen era: the Quattroporte II. Who says FWD doesn't belong in luxury cars? 



^Only 9 were made, I believe...^

[68_427]

Great cars but yes, when something goes (which it will) it's stupid expensive.  Like sporty said there's a reason  they are pretty cheap.  However i'm sure that when it's working there isn't many things better.

[LonghornTX]

I would stay away from those and the coupes. They drive pretty mediocre and they are maintenance/repair pigs. Only in the past few years has Maserati made cars that I would seriously entertain purchasing one day.

These were kind of the joke around the dealership when one would roll up (b/c the deal would usually not work out b/c of how little we could offer in trade), and I have heard many horror stories about the costs from clients who owned them. The only good thing about them is they sound pretty sweet with an exhaust (at least from the outside).

[Madman]

He had a Saab, now he has an LR2. He's willing to roll the dice...

Owned a VW, too! He just loves walk on the wild side.

Wild?  Ha!  I've owned Volkswagen, Fiat, Renault, Merkur, Peugeot and Opellac.  I've got bigger balls than any of you punks! 

[TurboDan]

I guess it's genetic. My dad was partial to 1980s Audis back in the day. 

[Colin]

Back to the original question, sadly, yes, Maserati of the BiTurbo era are veritable money pits. They were not particularly well designed or assembled when new, but now that they are all 13 - 30 years old, and have had owner abuse to contend with as well, the cost of fixing one almost always exceeds the value of the car, so many of them have been scrapped. Later model cars, called Ghibli were better sorted, and the rare models like the Shamal and Karif are super desirable.

The 3200/4200 cars are now available for relatively little money, but there is still a warning that maintenance and repair costs will be Maserati type prices, not Ford and Toyota rates. You should not need to incur them as often as the earlier models, though.  I do like these cars - the 3200 looks even better than the later car, with those boomerang shaped rear lights, though I am told the 4200 is much better to drive.

[omicron]

I have many thoughts about Maserati, and most of them are very naughty. Very naughty indeed.

[Laconian]

I love the boomerang tail lights on the 3200 GT! Never offered in the States, sadly. Maserati returned to the US after they switched to the V8 and the blander rear ends.

[AutobahnSHO]

Saw a newer one in person on the DC beltway. Coming up in the rearview, thought "wt FRAK is that??"

Then I paced it a little while to get a good look. Beautiful car (4-door).

[SVT666]

Saw a newer one in person on the DC beltway. Coming up in the rearview, thought "wt FRAK is that??"

Then I paced it a little while to get a good look. Beautiful car (4-door).

Four Door is the actual name of the car too.  Quattroporte.