| Author |
Message |
Ernesto (T88power)
Intermediate Member
Username: T88power
Post Number: 1150
Registered: 2-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 29, 2003 - 12:09 pm: | |
--Double Post-- |
Ernesto (T88power)
Intermediate Member
Username: T88power
Post Number: 1149
Registered: 2-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 29, 2003 - 11:26 am: | |
I just came back from Miami/Cavallino and was surprised to see many Maseratis on the street - more than I would have imagined given all the talk of how they are not selling well. They are all over the Miami streets, and look pretty good. The interior looks great! Definitely stands out in a sea of Porsche, Jaguar, and Mercedes.
Ernesto |
James Glickenhaus (Napolis)
Member
Username: Napolis
Post Number: 345
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Friday, January 17, 2003 - 8:36 am: | |
The Maserati has a low range which works guite well in stop and go. You engauge 1 downshift again. 1 flashes and you are in low 1. Also makes parking easier with low R.
Best |
Ming Cheng (Onlinesys)
Junior Member
Username: Onlinesys
Post Number: 140
Registered: 5-2002
| | Posted on Friday, January 17, 2003 - 12:59 am: | |
R.C. --- What do you think about the F1 Shift in busy stop/go traffic? It is quite jerky on the F355 and 360.
Cheers |
R.C. Price (Bentleyboy13)
New member
Username: Bentleyboy13
Post Number: 10
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, January 16, 2003 - 1:51 pm: | |
I have had the pleasure of driving a Maserati Spyder on and off now for about 5 months (I work for the dealership) and must say that the paddle shift is a blast! anyone considering a daily driver that still gets the heart thumping would be hard pressed to find more bang for the buck. |
James Glickenhaus (Napolis)
Junior Member
Username: Napolis
Post Number: 154
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Friday, November 29, 2002 - 10:18 pm: | |
If you search the web you'll find answers, photos, and information on Maserati's official site.
Best |
Matty (Liquid)
New member
Username: Liquid
Post Number: 1
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, November 28, 2002 - 9:17 pm: | |
Just wondering what the spyder weighs in at? Thanks |
James Napolis (Napolis)
Junior Member
Username: Napolis
Post Number: 134
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 - 7:42 pm: | |
I really like this car. I now have about 300 miles on it. The Cambiocorsa is really fun. The only thing I can't get used to is not stepping on the clutch to start the car. I've tried the auto mode and it's surprisingly good. My wife who can't drive a stick is going to try it this weekend. As I plan to take this car on long trips having something she can drive isn't a bad idea. When you're old and married you'll understand.
I loved my TR but my mechanic said no more when the chassis began to rust out. It cost more than I paid for it new in service to keep it going for 130,000 miles and 14 years but I enjoyed every minute. I sold it to someone through my dealer who was aware of it's condition for 23M.
Jim |
Joseph Caretti (Pino)
Junior Member
Username: Pino
Post Number: 109
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 - 2:35 pm: | |
Napolis, I've read both good and bad concerning the Cambiocorsa, what's you take? I should just satisfy my curiosity and drive one, but I'm afraid it will rate too high on the fun per dollar equation.
Regarding your earlier post, did you religiously change the tbelt on your trade in every 15K miles?
That would be 8 belt changes for the life of your ownership, at minimum 6 grand a pop.......Big $$$$ |
James Napolis (Napolis)
Junior Member
Username: Napolis
Post Number: 113
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, November 23, 2002 - 2:58 pm: | |
Picked up my coupe. The paddle shifters are cool.
I forgot how good a new car feels. |
James Napolis (Napolis)
Junior Member
Username: Napolis
Post Number: 109
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Friday, November 22, 2002 - 11:38 am: | |
I drove a Paddle Coupe and bought one. I'm picking it up tomorrow. Electric Blu with two tone tan/brown int. I'm going to use it as a daily driver. I traded in my 88TR with 130,000 miles on it. |
Joseph Caretti (Pino)
Junior Member
Username: Pino
Post Number: 91
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, October 12, 2002 - 4:57 pm: | |
The car is nice, in my opinion. I prefer the lengthened Coupe version. If I had the need for a GT car I would consider one, especially with the warranty that comes with the car. 4 years, 50,000 miles for a car designed in Maranello! I hope they don't go out of business because of numerous warranty claims! |
Mitchel DeFrancis (4re308)
Member
Username: 4re308
Post Number: 692
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, October 10, 2002 - 6:44 pm: | |
I drove one today, and I was massively impressed. I absolutely LOVED the car. I think I would prefer the Cambiocorsa over a 6spd. I also prefer the Spyder over the coupe, only because of the shorter wheelbase. I loved the sound of that engine, and MAN OH MAN does that car fly. I was really taken by how quick it really is. One thing that I must question. During full throttle cornering in sport mode, I could not help but think that one of the hard upshifts would upset the balance of the car?! ANYONE anyone? I am fully impressed by the overall build quality, and mostly impressed by the drivetrain. Jeeesus that car is fast! In closing, we can put the car on my "I'd sell my soul, or one of my nuts for one!" list! It is really a wonderful car, 10 times the car than a BMW, Mercedes, Porsche 996 or Jaguar. It makes me very proud to be a Maserati owner and nutcase. |
Ric Rainbolt (Ricrain)
New member
Username: Ricrain
Post Number: 14
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 4:59 pm: | |
I drove the new Maserati Spider today. 4.2L Ferrari motor, six speed, next-gen paddle shifter. 0-60 in 4.7, 13.1 quarter mile.
That car is really cool. The paddle shifter works better than the 360 and shifts less harshly (but not slower) in "sport" mode. The ride quality was better than my former Lexus SC300 coupe. 70+ MPH in 2nd gear and very *quiet* doing it. Too easy to speed and not even know it!
I didn't experience any of the bad impressions that others have mentioned here. The steering was direct, but felt a little vague. Then again, I'm used to the super-heavy sterring in the 348. Brakes worked well (I did a 70-0 in full ABS). I also did two 0-80 sprints as was very impressed with the drivetrain.
I give it 4.5 out of 5.0 stars.
On a technical note, the engine redlines at 7500. It has 14-16 inch long curved intake runners. They (Ferrari) have gone back to timing chains (not belts). The block is a totally new design from the current Ferrari V-8's. The 360, 355, 348, 328, 308 all share the same heritage and basic block structure (although different dimensions). The new motor was designed by the F1 engine designer, and as such, is substantially stronger and has more room to grow (both in terms of displacement and in HP/L).
Mongo impressed. For a luxo-coupe, I didn't find any real flaws.
Will I buy one? Probably not. I love my Ferraris too much and I would rather have a 512TR for the money. :-)
Ric Rainbolt
|
Chris Furlough (Chrisf)
New member
Username: Chrisf
Post Number: 5
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, February 17, 2002 - 10:56 pm: | |
I drove one too.. I was not impressed. In my hands, the car felt MUCH BIGGER than it was. I must admit though, on the freeway, going from 60 to 100 in 4th gear was fun! :-)
Great interior as someone said earlier, but the trident on the front was flimsy at best. I can just see it on a chain around someone's neck. (If you know what I mean)..
So, the final verdict for me is: NO SALE!
|
Jay Thompson (Jayt)
New member
Username: Jayt
Post Number: 1
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 9:31 am: | |
I drove Spyder over weekend. I was very disapointed. The ride was very uncontroled and I did not have confidence that it would be easy to drive past 80%. This was in sport or normal (it was equiped with Skyhook and F1).
BUT, the worst thing was the steering wheel. It shook laterally between 3 and 9. This was very uncomfortable and just accentuated the rides feeling of not having complete control. I just hope this was a "bad" car or needed work. I am waiting to try the coupe. |
Steven Pham (Stevendp)
New member
Username: Stevendp
Post Number: 27
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2002 - 7:36 pm: | |
When will the coupe be introduce to the US market? Love the looks of the coupe over the spyder. |
Willis Huang (Willis360)
Member
Username: Willis360
Post Number: 482
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2002 - 11:18 am: | |
Checked out the Spyder at the dealer yesterday. It's a display model so I didn't get to drive it. However, I think it looked much better in person. It has a pretty good presence but perhaps the suspension need to be an inch lower to look aggressive. Man, the seats were of very soft leather and extremely comfortable. The trunk is really small. Probably just enough for a large gym bag and a couple of tennis rackets. You could forget about going to the golf club in this thing. Everying in the car was detailed with exquisite craftsmanship. Overall, a very nice car. Can't wait to try it out. |
Chris Furlough (Chrisf)
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 19, 2001 - 9:33 pm: | |
Thanks for the info Jay.. I am hopeful that what you saw was just a "show car", and that the finished versions will be better both inside, and out. |
Jay Thompson (Jayt)
| | Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2001 - 3:47 pm: | |
Chris, I too do not fit well in a 355, but was very comfortsble in the Spyder when I saw it at Frankfurt. The quality was very good, but body panel gaps were larger than Ferrari and some of the interior material was only OK. The mechanicals of the car were very impresive. These were euro pre-production versions, so materials may be different.
Overall, not a Ferrari, but a good competitor for its market. |
Chris Furlough (Chrisf)
| | Posted on Friday, December 14, 2001 - 8:33 pm: | |
Agreed! It's amazing that one-time bitter rivals could be united under a common "roof".
And from what I've seen, the Spyder will be an awesome car! I'm a big guy, and can't fit in a 355.. (Which is what I wanted to begin with), so I'm hopeful that I fit in the Spyder. (I have to wait until March to find out, as that's when the demo will be in at my local dealer).
Does anyone have any experience with NEW Maseratis? Is the build quality/maintenance factor much better than Ferrari's? |
BretM (Bretm)
| | Posted on Friday, December 14, 2001 - 11:13 am: | |
Yeah really. I'd say Maserati's soul is just as deep as Ferraris, maybe ever deeper. Think about their history. I'm glad to see the trident on a great car again, kind of ironic though that it's because of Ferrari. |
Chris Furlough (Chrisf)
| | Posted on Friday, December 14, 2001 - 9:48 am: | |
BretM, I think it would be VERY cool to have one! |
BretM (Bretm)
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2001 - 12:12 pm: | |
I think pretty much any Ferrari is a good trainer car. Lamborghinis might be a little much, but still could get used to with time. I watched a thing on TV (DW Motorsport or something like that, we get all these random European channels up at college, it's a British show I think) about the Maserati Spyder yesterday. I'm much more impressed having seen and heard it in motion now. Great exhaust note, seems to be really comfortable of a car, great engine, etc. It's definitely not a 360 Modena or a 550 Maranello, but for it's market I think it's the best thing available. I would hands down take it over a BMW Z8, Porsche Cabriolet, MB SL600, Jaguar, etc. How cool would it be to have a Maserati. |
Chris Furlough (Chrisf)
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2001 - 11:51 pm: | |
I am interested in one, and this would be my first Italian car. Is this a good "Trainer-Italian"?
Thoughts? |