Is there a 2 door Masr Coupe with a real manual tranny?

The Maserati Coupe/Spyder GT were only built from 2002-2007 and only about 496 (33%) were shipped to the US. So your only looking for the last year of them being built... 2007. Good luck in finding those few for sale. On average it would have been about 86 shipped to the US each year.

It can be done but it'll take some time finding a good one with a good service history. It took me over a year to find my GT. Well worth it!
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They sold more CC's all over the world, not just in the USA. Look at how many manuals Maserati and Ferrari make now worldwide. The CC is a very early manual/auto paddle shifter and because of that it costs a lot to maintain. The CC was designed in England not Italy by the way.

 

I have a 2002 Spyder GT. It's been a great car and, in my opinion, the car buy of a lifetime. The transmission linkage has to be correctly set and it's not a two-finger shift, but you never beat the syncros.

 

I believe Maserati stopped using manual transmissions in 2006 so the answer to your question is no there isn't one. If you're willing to go back further then you have the 4200 series.

 

Really hard to find one and it was criticized for not being a great manual box (too rubbery).

I have never driven one though. You have to take criticism with a grain of salt.

What the car needs is a Tubi exhaust. I had one and it totally transformed the exhaust note -- and woke up my neighbors.

 

No earlier twin turbo 3200 versions were imported into America.

And, thank heavens. One of my people in HK had one and it was a nightmare. My 4200 though was really very reliable in the 12 years I had it.

 

The transmission linkage was not adjusted from the factory and was supposed to be done at the dealer. Problem was not many dealers did it right. Not a bad box after being correctly adjusted.

Your right about the Tubi. Not sure why the factory put the Mercedes Benz exhaust on the 4200's, but after you add a Tubi X pipe it sounds just like a Gran Sport.

 

Just some info. The problem with the link that controls reverse/second engagement is that it looks like a turnbuckle but it is not. You have to take the link off, a simple procedure, and adjust an end to change it's length. When properly adjusted the shift lever knob should move left about 1/2" to the stop when in second gear. Now you know the secret.

 

I had a 2004 Spyder GT from 2009-13. I specifically wanted the stick shift. Gearbox worked well once warmed up. Before being warmed up, shifts from 1 - 2 could be a little cranky . I found shifts precise but required attention - you couldn't be lackadaisical. Biggest issue were CEL's and overly-complicated power top for which parts were becoming hard to find, even through dealer. Of course the coupe wouldn't have the top issues. Spyder was a comfortable GT car; coupe should be more so.

 

Do you know what the CEL's were telling?

Parts for older cars are probably best sourced from Ricambi and Eurospares (particularly at UK prices) and not the dealers.

 

CEL's: Various issues. Mass air flow sensor was one. They can throw a CEL for a gas cap issue. I had an OBDII reader but most codes were proprietary so no way to tell conclusively without going to dealer or, sometimes, being able to identify it through a forum. The codes might now be more readily available. I could clear them with the OBDII or by a reset done with a battery shut off/on. If the code came back, it went to the dealer. I never let them just "go." The biggest CEL issue I had seemed to be related to the outside temperature sensor - not an engine or emissions related problem. The dealer struggled to identify and provide a guaranteed fix. While it didn't affect the running of the car, any CEL was an automatic fail through the district's emission testing required at the time.

Parts: I agree that Ricambi and Eurospares are good sources. But even they didn't have the motors I needed for the top-pull down mechanism. I was able to source them through another fellow who had bought up a parts inventory from FMNA. The dealer installed them.

FWIW, I had no complaints with the local dealership for servicing and eventually sold the car through them on consignment. At the time, the dealer typically only handled consignment for cars newer than about 5 years and only considered my car because it was well-maintained by them and, more importantly, was a GT stick shift - even they wouldn't touch a Maserati with a CC.

The Maserati was a comfortable GT car, much more so than my current 328GTS. But the 328, being analog, is far more reliable and most parts are readily available. I liked the Maserati but experienced some of the reasons why the Maserati 4200's haven't held their value relative to some other makes.

 

Is it possible to convert the top to be operated manually? I had a Coupe and I'm looking to get a Spyder for the open air experience but don't want to be fixing it every few months.

 

I am sure you could, but the convertible top body cover would have to be manually lifted up also along with putting the actual top down. I have never had an issue with mine, but it only has 14,000 miles on it. No CEL issues either, and I changed the battery. Only issue was the clutch pump and shifter micro switch. It just passed the state emissions test with flying colors. Maybe I am just lucky, but I think the manuals are easier to deal with. I had to reset the alarm twice when I changed the battery, but that's not a big deal. My car did sit a lot and that can cause problems for some cars, but not mine. 2002 with 14,000 miles means it sat a lot.

 

The owner's manual describes the procedure for manually opening and closing the top. It's a two person job and looks awkward, but it can be done. The top is no more, or less, complex than any automated convertible top. The occasional failure is some easily repairable elastic straps that can prevent the top from properly folding when it comes down. Also, being fabric it will age and can be torn.

Spyder GT, FYI the outside temp sensor for the engine is in the MAF body. The one on the mirror is for the display and the climate system.

 

I thought the top was unusually complicated: three motors and a hydraulic system. Maybe it wasn't overly complicated compared to other such tops. It usually worked and when it worked it was a great top. But it was unpredictable. Fortunately, I never had to use the emergency manual raise / lower process. When the top would act up, which it did too often, I could usually get it to work with multiple tries. During my ownership, I replaced the three motors but never had to deal with the hydraulics. FWIW, the car had 16K miles when I bought it and about 30K miles when I sold it after three years of use. Took nearly a year to sell. I didn't keep the service records so not certain on the mileage when sold.

I wasn't aware of the engine outside temp sensor being in the MAP. Perhaps it was purely coincidental, but a CEL came on concurrent with an issue with the mirror sensor. The dealer was able to get it shut off after several hours of labor but couldn't guarantee they had found or addressed the underlying issue. I'm sure the car would have passed a proper emissions test, but the private company contracted to d the government testing abandoned actual exhaust reading for cars equipped with OBD plug-ins and any CEL was an automatic fail. I have no mechanical or electrical skills. Had I such skills, perhaps I could have dealt with the issues and had a happier ownership experience.

Funny, after owning convertibles for over 35 years, I'm now leaning to coupes. With the right skills and eyes wide open, a 4200 coupe GT could be undervalued and a nice car to have.

 

Spyder GT, I notice you live in Vancouver so you need something that doesn't leak in the rain and has a good AC system and entertainment system for when you're stuck in traffic. A convertible in any modern city is not that much fun anymore so a coupe may be a good choice. I live in a small Alberta city and when I drive there often isn't another car on the road to the horizon.

 

+1 And I live in the downtown peninsula, so every drive out involves traffic congestion, road closures, highrise construction, etc.. But driving up the Sea to Sky or, as last week, down to Whidbey Island for a few days, is a treat. The Maserati had really good AC. The 328's AC is, as some others have described, like a mouse blowing over an ice cube. That's when I miss the Maserati. Jon

 

I had a 2004 Spyder loved the car. But the top? Wow, Chinese circus doesn't begin to describe it.