'02-'04 Spyder Reliability

Go with the GT! The Cambiocorsa was terrible in my 03 Maserati Coupe...

 

I had a '03 Spyder for about 5 months. It had issues with the electrical system because it killed the battery all the time and also wouldn't start at random times. I had the car in the shop for that a total of 3 weeks (a few days here, few there) and it was never resolved. It also had the F1 transmission and I couldn't get past the clunky shifting (especially down)... gave up and sold it. Too bad, they are nice looking and sound good, also a cheap sporty ride for the price.

 

Exactly what I thought of the whole car, JAM1. Beautiful car -- inside and out. But the shifting is just way too clunky. Watch this review by Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avJTkcqXvg4

 

Best place to ask is ************.com

 

I agree, great cars in and out for the money. Too bad about the damn transmission. There is a stick spyder 3 miles from my house. Yellow no less. Too bad I'm totally happy with my cars I have. It's tempting especially knowing only about 10% of them are manuals(sticks). Good luck in your search, a lot of car for the money!

 

I had an '05 Spyder and currently have an '06 GS Spyder. For me, the GS Spyder is soooo much better than my '05 Spyder in almost every way. I highly recommend at least looking at a GS Spyder before buying. The price difference may be small enough to absorb. Both were reliable (enough). My GS Spyder still has a warranty through July '10 or so.

Tim

P.S. I plan on getting rid of the GS Spyder way before the warranty expires. Yes, it's been reliable but, no, I would not keep it after the warranty expires...

 

I daily drove an 02 Spyder and an 06 Coupe GT.

Both cars are really solid, they have little issues from time to time but anyone who has owned an Italian car knows that little problems are bound to open, it adds character to the car IMO.

 

I'm over 30k with my 2004 coupe. No real issues. Had a clutch change at about 18k. brakes have lasted over 30k. Shifting can be very smooth depending on how you want to shift. Over time you can shift completely differently than clarkson on the video. He purposely has overblown the cambiocorsa shift issues. I always drive in sport mode, rarely in reverse, and treat the car as though it were manual transmission with regards to hills etc.

Re-occuring issues I've had are all very minor: reverse shifter handle will loosen over time and needs to be re-tightened every other year or so. Chrome on the grill has a tenancy to fade a bit and a bit of mesh rust issue after 4 years. I'm hoping to have mine changed before the warranty runs out as its about $1400 for the grill pkg. There were several campaigns that the dealer automatically did to the 02-04 cars. Those updates made the shifting & driving in reverse smoother. Seem to tame the car a bit though.

If you buy a coupe, consider a tubi. makes the car much more fun to drive. Also, Invest an extra 1k in the springs from formula dynamics. I am planning this upgrade. I rode in a car with the FD springs. The handling was substantially better than stock and ride quality was suprisingly close to stock. The car will sit about 1 inch lower to match the gransport.

I would look closely at past service history to determine if the car has issues and check the rear body panel for any sign of damage or touch ups. The entire rear half of the car is one panel with exception to the trunk lid. Small ding can cause big bill.

 

I have an 02 spider cambiocorsa that I bought new.

When I first got it, it had a lot of problems. I got one of the first in the country so I wasn't too surprised. In fact, the dealer kind of warned me in advance.

The F1 box was really jerky and the warning light for the trans would come on all the time. I had it worked on several times by the dealer in the first month of ownership. Also, about the first couple of weeks the top didn't retract. The dealer fixed it all without problems and I have never had a problem with the top since (and I use it ALL the time).


In late 03 or early 04, I brought the car in for routine service at 7K. They replaced the clutch, actuator, and upgraded the software to 03 specs under warranty. That made a huge difference in the smoothness of the trans. I can see also that the traction control was a bit more aggressive as it was less likely to brake the tires loose on hi speed accel. So, I would definately check to see if any 02/03 car has had the trans software upgrade completed. I'm sure most if not all already have.

If I remember, they upgraded the software in the radio to make it more user friendly too at the same time.

One other time the alarm would not shut up. I called the dealer and they picked it up and fixed it. The original 4 year bumper to bumper warranty was really a great deal! That was the only electrical problem I have ever had.

Since those problems, the car as been trouble free for almost 5 years. I have only 16K on it now because I spend a lot of time on the road with my job. But, I drive it whenever I can and don't worry about where I park it or what happens to it. I try to think of it like any Porsche.

It runs great, sounds great (I had the dealer put a Tubi in it two weeks after I bought it) and hasn't leaked a drop of oil or any fluid in the time I've owned it. The A/C climate control is terrific (actually, it's a Delco system). I've driven it on long trips and it never missed a beat. Heck, even the Maserati clock keeps excellent time (you couldn't even say that in the old Bi-Turbo era).

I replaced the battery after 4 years "just in case". It never gave me any problems.

The interior looks new and I've never done a thing to it. That surprised me as older Maserati's had soft leather but it tended to scuff pretty easily. Mine never has.

I had to replace the two front tires because of "cracking" around the rim. That cost me about 4 to 5 hundred I think. I did the 18 K service early at the dealer and it set me back only $1400. I thought that was cheap.

I can't speak for every Maser made but mine has run like a champ. The body, top and rear window look perfect and I really don't do anything special but an occasional run to the car wash (I send it through an hand only automated service just liken any other car).

If there is a down side, it's that the trans is horrible in Auto mode (I never use it), it's pretty poor on gas, and the radio is pretty worthless. The clutch is a bit late to pick up so the first 10 feet of moving is a bit sluggish until the clutch grabs. I have Nav and it's OK for a 2002 car but doesn't match what you get today. The screen looks pretty so I keep it on.

I have to say I really do like this car very much. It sounds great and looks great. People still stop me and ask "who makes Maserati?". It's plenty fast for me and has one of the great V-8 engines under the hood.

When I bought this car, I paid exactly 100K with everything -- taxes, license, etc included. I thought it was a bargin. I still do.

Hope this helps!