| Author | Message | ||
| peter brinzey (Ferraripete)
Junior Member Username: Ferraripete Post Number: 121 Registered: 11-2002 |
it is difficult to describe one as better than the other but they are different. they are both refined and are very long legged...they both eat up the miles. they are both very heavy feeling and do not respond to quick driver inputs but are both rock solid in the fast stuff. cosmetically, they are both striking w/ the boxer being a little raw and racy, the bora being almost conservative , but elegant. the interior of the bora is killer and all those guages and toggle switches made the boxer seem plain by comparison. comfort in the bora was better for me as i am tall at 6-4...both cockpits are roomy but the bora seemed better. i owned my bora (black w/ red leather...incredible color combo) for 3 years and drove it close to 5k miles. each mile was great and only twice did i ever run into anyone that actually new what it was...and when you did , it was like they had just sighted a celeberty!!! boras are that rare and i guess rarer still to see on the road. the bora motor unlike the boxer seems like it is never even working...when all hell seems to be breaking loose in the boxer, the bora seems to be lugging around. the sound is an interesting point of comparison also...the boxer screams (and you hear it too!!!) but the bora cabin is so well insulated that you can actually carry on a conversation at real world speeds...not the case w/ a euro spec (no cat ) boxer. i sold my bora (regret it)for fear that it could be a parts and service nightmare if i were to hold it too long but i think the reality was that the car was better the more it was driven. the motor was bullet proof and i think would have gone forever, the hydrulics were not as bad as the stories may indicate (just don't mess around w/ different types of fluid...be consistent)...what a joy to drive!!! the only area that i lost sleep over was the corrosion issue. my car was original paint(some cracking)w/ 19k miles...it was stunning, but i always worried what lay beneath. so i never took the car out in foul weather, on dirty roads, and in some cases would map out my route so as to avoid any possible way that the car would get dirty and in turn have to be washed. i never got it even a bit dirty and never washed it for fear of it turning to iron oxide! i was a bit obsesive but i guess the first step to recovery is admission. i sold the bora for a 4k mile gtb qv and hoped it would be a step up. it was not. which leads to the next point...the boxer is in most areas much stronger thatn a 308, but not to the level of a boxer. the boxer seems less fragile and beggs you to drive it hard, it is faster than a bora and will probably out handle and out brake it too. it also costs more to purchase. last comment...a well maintained or better yet, a well restored (all rust areas handled)bora must be one of the most exotic cars for the money. $40-45k buys an insanely gorgeous car that looks, goes , and sounds like an exotic should! they are rare and one day i feel certain they will stop going unrespected by car collectors. it was a great stepping stone to my boxer!!! sorry for the fleeting comments...just wrote down what memories came to mind. | ||
| Dr. J C928 (Attitude928)
Junior Member Username: Attitude928 Post Number: 96 Registered: 11-2002 |
Pete - How do the Bora & Boxer compare? | ||
| peter brinzey (Ferraripete)
Junior Member Username: Ferraripete Post Number: 119 Registered: 11-2002 |
i love the bora! i had a 75 bora and a 79 merak ss. they were both great cars and i never had any real problems w/ them. the bora was great to drive and it sounded too great!! i fell in love w/ the bora as a kid when i saw the first one at a dealership in greenwich, ct...grand prix limited. fell in love w/ it then and vowed that some day... owning it was all i had dreamt it would be! a well maintained bora is a solid investment and hugely undervalued. have a bbi now and they are two very different cars. as a note, maserati cars seemed far better turned out than ferraris of similar vintage...remember, there was a day when maserati was the producer of great gt cars!!! | ||
| Jack Habits (Ferraristuff)
Intermediate Member Username: Ferraristuff Post Number: 1031 Registered: 4-2003 |
Anybody here who ownes / owned a Bora AND a BB? Just being curious how they compare. Jack | ||
| Mark Moon (Enzomoon)
Member Username: Enzomoon Post Number: 281 Registered: 4-2002 |
I've always loved the Bora. I saw my first one when I was 8yo. My best friend's father who lived across the street had one. He later sold it and bought a Merak. Not near the car with a Citroen derived engine if I recall correctly. The Bora sounded so nice and is so clean in design. I do remember that the car had many, many visits from the local maser mechanic, however. For $39k that is one nice piece of kit. | ||
| Mike Dawson (Miked)
Junior Member Username: Miked Post Number: 125 Registered: 2-2001 |
A Maserati Bora as God and Giugiaro intended.  currently for sale on Ivan Ruiz's web site. I wish that I could buy it. http://www.thecarnut.com/bora73black.html Bora Register http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Garage/6743/index.html | ||
| PSk (Psk)
Member Username: Psk Post Number: 955 Registered: 11-2002 |
Taek, Purely aesthetic reasons. Usually the first of a model is closer to what the designer intended ... thus the most purer. The downside is you also can end up with the failings  Pete | ||
| Rodney Haas (Icars)
Member Username: Icars Post Number: 442 Registered: 3-2002 |
Jordan, A 328 is a newer car, it will be more reliable than a Bora or Merak. On the other hand a late model Merak will be more dependable and in my opinion more fun to drive than an early 308. The Merak is simply a better bang for the buck. Boras are great, but a little tight in space for a 6ft or above. Depends on what you are looking for. If you want the best handling Maserati, then look @ the Khamsin. But remember Maserati's are much different beast than Ferraris. | ||
| Frank Wiedmann (Frankieferrari)
Member Username: Frankieferrari Post Number: 310 Registered: 8-2003 |
I think that both the Merak and the Bora are very beautiful cars,too. And,definitely alot of car for the money right now. I have seen a few Meraks for sale around $19,000.00. And,Bora's up in the mid-high $30,s What are the differences between the cars to warrant the almost $20,000.00 difference? Then theres the Ghibli. I like those,too. But,not as "aethetically" as the Merak and Bora. (See my post about Maserati's . Alot of guys replied with some pretty good info.) Maserati websites,books,opinions and the like. | ||
| Jordan Witherspoon (Jordan747_400)
Intermediate Member Username: Jordan747_400 Post Number: 1954 Registered: 12-2002 |
Im a huge fan of the looks of the Merak and Bora. Ive even contemplated looking into one of those instead of a 328 or similar first Ferrari. My only hesitation is that I have heard they are very unreliable...Any truth to that JRV? Which model and version would be the best bang for the buck with the least amount of problems? If any  | ||
| Taek-Ho Kwon (Stickanddice)
Intermediate Member Username: Stickanddice Post Number: 2095 Registered: 11-2002 |
>>I envy your job...<< Dom, I echo that sentiment. I visited JR's shop in my trip to Houston. Something like ten Ferraris, a Countach on the way, this Bora which I missed, an Alfa Giuletta also on the way, a race spec late model Porsche, his own Miura and Porsches, etc. Talk about a dream come true! Pete, I have never had the pleasure of comparing the two. I've seen a 4.9, which was my assumed favorite. Is it purely due to aesthetic reasons that you prefer the 4.7 or are the driving characteristics different (besides the obvious increase in power)? Was more weight added which pretty much rendered the car the same or worse in performance? Cheers | ||
| Dom Vitarella (Dom)
Member Username: Dom Post Number: 436 Registered: 11-2002 |
Love it. JRV, I envy your job... Dom | ||
| PSk (Psk)
Member Username: Psk Post Number: 943 Registered: 11-2002 |
Yep, I love them. My favourite car of the period. Would go for an early 4.7 myself without the bumper extensions ... yuck!. But then I would need a right hooker, and these do not have the USA bumpers. Much underrated car IMO. Pete | ||
| Tom Bakowsky (Tbakowsky)
Member Username: Tbakowsky Post Number: 599 Registered: 9-2002 |
Very similar to the Merak I worked on a little while ago. But this car does not seem to have mineral oil brakes judgeing by the pedals. OOOhhh I hated that car! But a very good looking car. | ||
| JRV (Jrvall)
Intermediate Member Username: Jrvall Post Number: 2432 Registered: 11-2002 |
A good client dropped off a new toy today for a tweek here and there and a going thru to insure his fun o meter is in the green!!       |