| Author | Message | ||
| magoo (Magoo)
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David, You know what you say is true regarding Jag. I buy my wife a new sedan every couple years. Since Ford took it over the electronics and power train have improved but you can see the Ford cheepies coming out in the interiors. They always had real burled walnut matched panels that were custom numbered for replacement purposes. The appointments of the interior were the finest in the industry. Now if you look close that craftsmanship is being eliminated. Sad. But you know, the American public will still buy it. I am thinking about a change next time, as long as she oks it, she loves a Jag. | ||
| Nika (Racernika)
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Well - the head Honcho from Ferrari is at the Detroit autoshow for the Maserati "launch" - so I have heard Nika www.racerchicks.com | ||
| Andrew Menasce (Amenasce)
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it succeeded in europe with the 3200 GT ..the new spyder and coupe are even better so im sure it will..lots of maserati fans in the US ! anyway i hope Maser will succeed..so Ferrari will have more cash and will come with even better cars.. | ||
| David Ziegelheim (Davidnj)
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I am not currently a Ferrari owner but am interested in the Maserati Spyder. So I might add a slightly different perspective. First, I tend to view it as a low-end Ferrari. Same dealers. Really the same engine (wait about a year, I think it is called the F420 now). Ferrari worked on the suspension, builds the motors... Second, from the pictures and what I have read, the interior is a step above the immediate competition. It appears to be fully leather trimmed and quite nice. You can order a full leather interior in a Porsche, but I have never seen an automaker work so hard to make leather look like vinyl. The Jag and MB just offer neither the performance nor the interior (that is plastic in the Jag, and I don't know who took over MB interiors, but they should get rid of him/her.) BMW Z8 is too expensive and too out-there. So I am looking at a fast, well trimmed, and well built sports car. One I will drive to work maybe 100-120 days/year. Now the problems. I am not in the habit of driving a traffic-loaded 1 hr plus to the dealer. I have a BMW and Porsche dealer less than 10 minutes from my office. Well built and well engineered are not the same things. I think the engine will be fine. But virtually all the mags report steering column shake over bumps. That is a plastic rear window when the MB gets a folding top and Porsche, BMW, etc offer heated glass rear windows. Plastic is a real pain in cold weather. The hydro-electronic gearbox controls have gotten very mixed reviews, as have the shocks. And there is no stability control. These are things that work on BMWs and Porsches. The lack of demand concerns me. This car can be VERY expensive if there is weak re-sale. I wouldn�t buy an NSX for that reason. Why not consider a used Ferrari. SERVICE COSTS. The idea of a $3,500 15k service is not in my price range. The BMW includes all service for 50k miles (longer than I will have it). Porsche is reasonable (at least since they changed the warranty). The Maserati is still an unknown but the dealers are used the $$$. Will they be able to service it on a Porsche service budget? And then there are the minor electrics. Italian sourced. Now I love Italy but other than Ferrari/Maserati, these parts are otherwise not available here. Parts availability ok for a limited use weekend driver may not be ok for my daily driver. My 2 cents. David | ||
| BretM (Bretm)
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Yeah when they were talking about a 360 with a 4.2L engine it was just weird. It's so unFerrari to use larger displacement engines, they never have been a cubic inches company (granted there are some small attempts at larger engines, but still not really big engines). Ferraris about revving high and amazing technology. Cobras and Hot Rods are about ci. Even the F50 is only a 4.7L. | ||
| Richelson (Richelson)
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It didn't have the exotic look as I thought it would. I see what you mean. It doesn't look like a highline exotic. | ||
| Mark (Study)
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Maybe another car to compete against? Did anyone see the new MB that was shown for the first time last night on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (in conjunction with The Las Veagas Car show this weekend)? Is it a concept of prodution car? I heard it might be gullwing doors again? or at least radical new design was based on sexy old MB. Is there a good Auto news web site that might have the story? Maserati looks need to be more radical. It looks like Honda's S2000 at 3 times the price almost same preformance, and we already know Honda's quality record. | ||
| Richelson (Richelson)
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Do you think that there will be a huge difference in the Ferrari engine and the Maserati engine? I was thinking that the displacement maybe different but do you think that it would resemble a Ferrari engine in the way it is built, parts, quality? | ||
| Mr. 001 (Racer_001)
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I hope so. I'd like to see the pasta cars make a come back. | ||
| '75 308 GT4 (Peter)
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After reading the article in Auto Italia, it was said that the 4.2L Maser engine will NOT be used in any future Ferrari. | ||
| Tim N (Timn88)
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I think the spider will depriciate and not be resold for 1000s over msrp, seeing how there isnt really a big waiting list and there are alot of them that are going to be made. This could be good for someone who wants a 360 spider ferrari but doesnt want to pay for the ferrari badge, the extra 5hp and wants 60 more ft.lbs of torque and wants more luxury. | ||
| BobD (Bobd)
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Maserati is forecasting to sell 1000 cars in the US in 2002 (35-40% of production). I think this is a very realistic number as the first year will attract a lot of novelty buyers.... "first on the blockers". Then the reality factor sets in with issues including reliability, service via the 27 dealer Ferrari network, etc. If this is positive, Maserati may succeed. If plagued with reliability and service issues, word will spread quickly causing its quick demise. They're shooting for 10,000 cars worldwide by 2006. To put this number into perspective, Porsche sells about 10,000 cars in the US alone every 6 months. You already know the annual F production numbers. | ||
| SteveF (Stevef)
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The maserati brochure lists the engine specs at 390hp and 333lbft and 4.9s 0-60 for the spyder with magazines posting lower times than that. The coupe weighs a couple hundred pounds less so I imagine it'll be a little quicker. The redline is 7500rpm. I suspect when the engine makes it's way into the refreshed 360 they'll get it to 450hp by tuning and raising the rpm limit. And as bret noted the engines are built alongside the ferrari engines. It's just that the exterior styling is so boring compared to a ferrari... | ||
| BretM (Bretm)
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Maserati is made by Ferrari (ironic as it is). They bought Maserati about 3 years ago and came out with the 3200GT in Europe. The new Spyder has got a 4.2L NA V8, FR, got the rear transaxle set up like a Ferrari, but doesn't have a gated shifter. Goes 0-60 in 5.0 about. Makes about 375Hp and 325lbft torque off the top of my head. They just invested $75 million in a new factory in Maranello that can produced up to 14000 engines a year (4000 Ferrari and 10000 Maserati). | ||
| Richelson (Richelson)
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Is Maserati linked with Ferrari? What are the specs of the new car? | ||
| BretM (Bretm)
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Richelson that's true about older Maseratis, very true. Newer ones would be different I guess since they have to produce for ten years or whatever after the car is made. I'm fairly confident that Maserati will succeed. Ferrari's pretty slick, they wouldn't go into something like this and not make it work. Just give them a little time. | ||
| Richelson (Richelson)
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Aren't parts very very high on Maserati's? I have heard that they can be harder to find and more expensive than a Ferrari. Is this correct? I would think that this would hinder sales. | ||
| Phil S. (Team328gtb)
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My 2 cents on Maserati: Good: Price point. Ability to customize interior (other than Porsche, nobody has that at that price range). Engine. Sound of engine, I've read a lot that it sounds like a Ferrari. I hear the Michigan dealership has 20 orders already. Bad: Styling. Guigaro styling or not, to me it looks old already. Thats not a good sign considering they just restyled it for the American market. Whats with the old style door handles??? I can't wait to see it in person at the Detroit Auto show, by looking at pictures alone, I'm not too impressed. | ||
| Ken (Allyn)
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I doubt the Maserati will suceed even though I hope I'm wrong, as I respect the history of the marque. I don't see how Ferrari has the money to develop a car that will have the quality needed for a sporty yet reliable daily driver. People won't accept a non exotic with the problems and service costs of an exotic. I would have made the Maserati look much more wild and kept the price in the BMW range, so owners would care less as it falls apart. The boring body will be it's downfall. | ||
| wm hart (Whart)
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The response is difficult to predict. i don't know how many would-be ferrari buyers will opt for the maserati; the price differential alone establishes that the markets are not the same; perhaps some, contemplating the purchase of a used ferrari in the 85k range, will be crossed-over, but i doubt it. more likely, the market will be those who are not exclusively loyal to porsche, jag turbo buyers and others who are in the market for an expensive sports car, but are not prepared to spend over 170k for a new car. there should be an attraction to the italian attributes (good handling;interesting gearboxes; lithe proportions; exotic looks), but then, the old bugaboo of italian reliability really does become important. obviously, the dealer network and support are going to be important; i remember trying to get my 124 sport serviced by the authorized "oldsmobile" dealer. I also don't know what kind of loyalty the marque has in the U.S. its been a long time since the ghibli/bora days and without a "buzz" among afficianados, it won't matter how good the service and brand commitment are. likewise, i don't see lexus coupe, or mercedes sl buyers in this market; maybe, however, the cambiocosa (sp) can be sold on its automatic virtues, even though ferrari has had to fight the opposite battle in marketing its paddle shifter (eg "no, its not an automatic"). i am told that the car drives really well but, as we know, that is hardly a factor in the U.S. car market... | ||
| SteveF (Stevef)
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I agree that reliability and quality are key to the brand's long term success. However I think it's short term success and whether it launches with a bang or a thud is going to depend on the intangibles because at that price range specs alone are unlikely to sell a car. I think an important factor will be how much of the ferrari magic will the driver experience. A healthy portion can trump alot of flaws but if there is no magic then the car will have a tough road. Also I think how the brand is perceived and marketed will play a big role. Will the fact that it's a maserati cripple sales because it doesn't have a prancing horse on the hood (assuming that it otherwise drives and sounds like a ferrari) ? I guess we'll know in a month or two when the demos arrive. | ||
| Jay Thompson (Jayt)
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Lots of information on Spyder and new Coupe can be found at www.maserati.it (site is in english or italian). I have seen spyder and it does look good. It will be tight for two golf bags, maybe travel bas will fit. Mechanical bits are very good looking and are first rate. Fit and finsh close to Ferrari (and the cars I saw were pre-production). Dealer service and backup from importer are key to success. IMO it will not be to hard to beat BMW - my 8 month old X-5 has been in shop 11 times and the drivers door still does not open becuase they ordered (twice) the wrong parts. | ||
| martin J weiner,M.D. (Mw360)
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I agree with Tenney.This is a dicey enterprise for Ferrari especially at the 85-90k price range.The first step will be to overcome the lousy rep that Maserati has for reliability and service. The product looks good in the car mags and there always will be people who want to be first on the block with a new toy but that will not translate into success unless the stigma of unreliability is overcome. | ||
| 1989 328 GTS (Vilamoura2002)
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In my modest oppinion. I would not buy it! | ||
| 1989 328 GTS (Vilamoura2002)
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Here goes some photos    And here lots of photos during the presentations http://www.maseratispyder.de/HOER_Link.asp?HOER_ID=11053&ORGA_ID=2321 http://www.maseratispyder.de/HOER_Link.asp?HOER_ID=11076&ORGA_ID=2321 | ||
| Greg Rodgers (Joechristmas)
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Does anyone have a photo of this car? | ||
| Tom Antal (Intenso)
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My daily driver is a SL 500, and I am not overly impressed with it. The Spyder looks attractive on paper, but you never know how it looks until you see it in person. When my lease is up I am going to consider this car, but not until it is in the dealership, I can test drive it and see if it will fit two sets of golf clubs. | ||
| Tim N (Timn88)
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I think they have a chance, especially the spider. Even though it is 10-15k more expensive than a 911 cab and a xk8, they should still do well. Im not sure but i dont think they have al the luxury items of the jag either. The 4 year 50k mile warranty should help sales too. | ||
| Martin (Miami348ts)
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I think they will only have a chance if their quality is better than Mercedes and BMW. Their reliability is better than those and their customer service is better. That is not hard to do as Mercedes is getting so bad that they have almost reached the old Maserati standard, BMW following close behind and most other japanese manufacturers starting to slack off as well. Its all in the quality. The long run will give them the market share back. | ||
| '75 308 GT4 (Peter)
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That's the hurdle that Maserati has to overcome if its going to survive here again - reliability. I can't believe the prejudice the general public still has towards Italian cars today. Italian cars made today are generations beyond the ones that died away in the early eighties. Since this is a clean sheet, I hope any bugs are ironed out before it gets to the public. If Maserati is successful, it'll help bring in Alfa (through GM) and I hope the others. We need more Italian cars here in North America, I'm bored with the domestic and asian offerings here (even though they're good cars). I'm easy to convince, but its the 30 million people who drive around in Honda, Ford, Toyota, BMW, etc... that'll make or break it. | ||
| Tenney (Tenney)
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Because the car is a different brand and sold at a different price point than Ferrari, a couple of key points might help insure some level of success here. This assumes that the product, itself, is a good one - as initial reports seem to indicate. First, reliability is key. If the cars seem fairly well screwed together, resale won't suffer in a similar manner to past Maserati efforts. Second, dealers should be prepared to offer a similar level of customer service and vehicle support as dealerships of other cars in this price range (MB, BMW, Jag, Lexus, to name a few.). Ferrari is a pretty unique brand in that it has been able to succeed in spite of various product and service issues that might, perhaps, cripple pretty much any other manufacturer. My guess is that Maserati won't be afforded similar luxuries in this market. | ||
| Mark (Study)
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Depends on what kind of car we have? Do you have to pay F-car labor rates? Will you be put in line with Ferrari's to wait for the car to be serviced? BMW is re-working their Z3 next year. 2002 Engine is already great with 313HP tremendous torque across entire range, all for under $50k. Who knows what it will look like? But could be a problem for Maserati if it has the same look, but BMW production numbers, reliability, at half the price? | ||
| William H (Countachxx)
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With Ferrari as their new owners I am sure they will do well. Ferrari is a master at marketing, they bought Maserati so they could extend their model line without having to build Ferrari sedans, SUVs etc | ||
| SteveF (Stevef)
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At the local ferrari dealer there's not much of a list and it's pretty easy to get a maserati shortly after they're available. It seems to me that unless the demand grows such that there's a sufficient wait to ensure reasonable resale it could have trouble here. I'm still hopeful that interest will grow once the demo cars arrive and potential customers have a chance to see, touch, drive them. How do you think maserati will do in the US ? |