| Author |
Message |
Dave328GTB (Hardtop)
Member
Username: Hardtop
Post Number: 256
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, September 29, 2002 - 10:51 pm: | |
I have wonder if Masers are selling. Local dealer says they are, but they have a number of them on the floor and the wait is short for special orders. I'm told the price goes up Jan 1 because that's when the luxury tax expires.
I seriously doubt Ferrari will put the Maser motor in the 360 replacement. Customers expect pure Ferrari.
I think Maser has a tough row to hoe in the luxury GT market. Lots of competition. I would rather have seen a raw, small, pure sports car like Ferrari used to make.
Dave |
Willis Huang (Willis360)
Member
Username: Willis360
Post Number: 935
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, September 26, 2002 - 2:31 pm: | |
Love the interior of the Maserati Coupe. Great engine sounds. They need to do more work on the exterior. Not exotic-looking enough to distiguish itself from the competitors. Kinda hard to justify getting one with the new supercharged AMG's and Audi RS6 coming out. |
Paul (Pcelenta)
Junior Member
Username: Pcelenta
Post Number: 142
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, September 26, 2002 - 2:22 pm: | |
now, If Ferrari resurrected the Dino name and came out with sexy,nimble little, almost Ferrari, targeted specifically at the Porsche Boxter/S (price and performance wise)...sign me up! |
Bill Sawyer (Wsawyer)
Member
Username: Wsawyer
Post Number: 466
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, September 26, 2002 - 1:59 pm: | |
The Maserati would probably do well if it were priced in the $70,000-$80,000 range. With pricing in the mid-90s and low 100s it's a tough sell.
Ferrari operates well in a robust economy with multi-year waiting lists. They are not very good at marketing and selling products that don't sell themselves. Frank Parker has told us many times how panic at FNA destroyed the Dino brand name.
I heard second hand that our local dealer is encouraging people to buy a Maserati now before the price goes up and the 5 year warranty is reduced. I hope this is wrong. Typical Ferrari 'gouge them until they bleed' behavior, only this time they may be the ones doing the bleeding. Ferrari has a well deserved reputation for poor reliability and high service bills. If they want to sell the car as a daily driver they have to convince people that they won't go broke maintaining it.
I don't believe Maserati will fail, Ferrari has too much at stake.
The Maserati looks okay, but I wish they had tried a little harder. The appearance of the car doesn't match the asking price, with the exception of the instrument panel which is drop dead gorgeous and far better than that in the 360. I like the Spyder better than the coupe. To me the coupe looks frumpy. In either case the rear end looks bland.
I'd buy a Maserati, but probably not at list price.
These are interesting times for Ferrari. At the same moment that they are dominating in F1 and in the marketplace they are also at risk of being sold and they have launched a new brand that may not be performing as they hoped.
And then, what about the rumor that the Enzo may be rebodied as a Maserati so that they can compete at Le Mans? What will they call it, the Ernesto?
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JM Zarka (Crazy_horse)
New member
Username: Crazy_horse
Post Number: 26
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, September 26, 2002 - 11:36 am: | |
I have a coupe on order with F1 paddle shift. Can't wait to get it! I'll use it as a daily driver which makes much more sense than my original first choice the 456M GTA and more affordable. Test drove the car and loved it.
Maserati is going to sell 1000 cars this year in the US, mostly Spyders. My kids are also excited because it has nice roomy back seats. The only thing is the golf bag is going to be a tight fit in the trunk ! |
ross koller (Ross)
Member
Username: Ross
Post Number: 345
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, September 26, 2002 - 11:15 am: | |
don't think it goes under for a while if ever. ferrari have a lot at stake with that whole enterprise since they can crank up production without risk of much dilution. the niche is for all those people who can afford the rivals but don't want to see themselves coming and going everywhere. as it is, i see plenty of them in london so they must be making some headway.
personally i don't like the maser much. i test drove the new 4200 and found it to be a very effective and well engineered and built machine. but for the same money i can buy a 4 years old 456gtm, and wouldn't you rather have that? |
Fred (Iluv4res)
Junior Member
Username: Iluv4res
Post Number: 139
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, September 26, 2002 - 10:09 am: | |
Neat car. I would love to see one driving down the road instead of sitting on the dealer lot. However, I just can't see that many people wanting that car unless they have a 'gotta be different' bug.
Wierd niche. I would much rather have a F-car if I were looking for an exotic and much rather have a Lexus SC, MB SL or Porsche for everyday.
I hope they do make it, however, I have doubts. The past models in the U.S. were plagued with problems. Also, for an everyday driver, besides being reliable, I think people need to have a dealership within a reasonable distance to their house and/or work. Having only a small number of dealers makes servicing more of a hassle. Acceptable for a part-time, 2nd car, exotic but not for everyday. |
TomD (Tifosi)
Intermediate Member
Username: Tifosi
Post Number: 1429
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, September 26, 2002 - 8:37 am: | |
you guys better tell this to the dealers - as some are building huge new facilities for maser. wwoc is spending millions. BTW I am going to the launch party in Oct - hey its free |
Martin (Miami348ts)
Advanced Member
Username: Miami348ts
Post Number: 2892
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, September 26, 2002 - 8:34 am: | |
going under is my bet.
too pricy for what you get and will never be a true mini-Ferrari. Spyder looks odd in the rear.
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William H (Countachxx)
Intermediate Member
Username: Countachxx
Post Number: 1405
Registered: 2-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, September 26, 2002 - 8:29 am: | |
From what Bill Hart says I would suggest Maserati put the upcoming Quattroporte on the front burner & maybe an SUV on the market ASAP. Ferrari purchased Maser to expand its range but the new MB SL has instantly made obsolete every other convertible on the market. So if Ferrari wants to sell cars they better come up with more choices Quickly |
Modified348ts (Modman)
Member
Username: Modman
Post Number: 338
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, September 26, 2002 - 12:54 am: | |
I would rather stay with a car mostly reputable when it comes to sports cars, you have to look at resale values down the road so I would wait a few more years and see what happens with this company. |
Mitchell Le (Yelcab1)
Member
Username: Yelcab1
Post Number: 406
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - 11:39 pm: | |
The market for another Italian super-sports car just a notch below Ferrari and Lamboghini is really a tough sell. This segment is full of competition from BMW M cars, Mercedes Hammer AMG cars, Porsche 911/turbos, jag, Aston Martin, Corvettes, Vipers, and NSX. To go into this market with a brand that was known for absolute lousy engineering and reliability is a surefire way to not sell many cars. My bet is the Maserati brand will once again disappear from the US market in 5 years. |
wm hart (Whart)
Member
Username: Whart
Post Number: 518
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - 10:23 pm: | |
Without addressing the actual merits of the car, i think it was a tough sell, at least in the US. Pretty expensive, getting close to porsche turbo territory,and if someone was looking for panache, not just performance, they could buy either the new sl or any number of other sporty coupe/convertibles (eg jaguar, that lexus hardtop convertible, etc) for far less money.
Yeah, i suppose there are people that are into italian sports cars that don't or can't ante for a ferrari, and want the "next best" thing, but those people are probably few and far between.
Maserati as a marque hasn't had a real following for so long i think its like reviving a dead marque. I personally like the look of the coupe better, too. The spider looked tiny, like a miata on steroids.PS (i wasn't suggesting the new SL was "far less money" but the jag and lexus are. The only person so far that i know who has bought the Maser is a guy in my neighborhood with several garages full of ferraris, old and new, and guess, like everything else, he just had to have one.) |
William H (Countachxx)
Intermediate Member
Username: Countachxx
Post Number: 1402
Registered: 2-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - 9:11 pm: | |
the engine in the Maser is the same block that will b used in the 360 replacement, its a 4.2 V8 |
William Huber (Solipsist)
Member
Username: Solipsist
Post Number: 378
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - 7:35 pm: | |
It still hasn't grown on me yet. The dealer here (Ferrari of Houston) doesn't seem to be selling many of them, I've seen some start to show up at used car dealers here in Houston, some cars selling under sticker just to move em' out. Reminds me of the old Biturbo days, what a dog that car was! But this is this new the Maserati, you got to remember that 2002 hasn't been the best business year for some of us. Too many people selling their 360's off due to economic uncertainties.
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BretM (Bretm)
Advanced Member
Username: Bretm
Post Number: 2674
Registered: 2-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - 7:19 pm: | |
I think the Spyder is sharper looking, the coupe is kind of long IMO. They're awesome cars though, much better all around than any of their competitors. It's not exactly any easy market segment to get into though, you have to wonder why they would. I've only seen one 6spd and it was a coupe, all the others were cambio. It's got a great engine in it, better than the Porsches, BMWs, MBs, etc. I think it's a great car, to me though it is useless. I'm obviously not the target market though. The 360 is so damn comfortable how is the Maserati going to be more driveable than it? If the 360 was a bit more like the 355 regarding amenities than I could see the Maserati having a little more market. In the situation it is in now it is clearly a car that you get if you can't get a 360 for an everyday car. |
Mike Fisher (Mikef)
Junior Member
Username: Mikef
Post Number: 114
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - 6:05 pm: | |
At first I was really taken by it. I was going to replace my Porsche Boxster with one, but the longer I thought about it, I decided to keep the Porsche. Don't know why, but instead
of growing on me I grew to dislike it.
I think it is going to be a tough sell. They are billing it as an exotic that can be driven everyday. At that price one could buy a decent 348 or 328 AND a new BMW or Boxster. Just my opinion though! |
Paul (Pcelenta)
Junior Member
Username: Pcelenta
Post Number: 140
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - 5:50 pm: | |
I think the coupe is a far better looking car than the spyder and will be a good used car value...the spyder is just too damn expensive. I lover Maser's but I don't think the new stuff will ever be as popular as Ferrari..plus Ferrari is marketing it as a notch below Ferrari...so I'm guessing you will never see them build a Bora-esque Super Car that would compete with..say...an Enzo or 360. Plus when Fiat brings back Alfa in 2004 they will effectively GM-ize the line up (caddillac,buick,olds....Ferrari,Maserati,Alfa) |
William H (Countachxx)
Intermediate Member
Username: Countachxx
Post Number: 1401
Registered: 2-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - 5:40 pm: | |
Its a good chick car, Husband has a Ferrari, wifey get a Maser, sounds great.
As far as the original Maser's they were serious race cars. Enzo's arch rival at 1 point. I bet they hate whats become of their company |
Bill Sawyer (Wsawyer)
Member
Username: Wsawyer
Post Number: 463
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - 5:36 pm: | |
Now that the car has been on the market a while, how do you feel about it? Is it a success or a failure? there are many for sale on the Internet, and not all are used cars. What do you think? |