Purchase of a Grandtourismo or Ghibli and Question about values

GT vs Ghibli?
Gas mileage?
"...a foot longer and that is about it."

Huh?

I suggest you stick with Jetskis.

 

Have you looked at the pictures of the two cars?
Do you recognize that a sedan and a GT car are fundamentally different, and may appeal to people differently?

Talking about gas mileage comparisons between the two, and stating they are essentially the same thing "but only differ by a foot" means you are completely off base.

My comments therefore aren't useless since what you asked should have been self-evident as being useless questions.


Since you asked...I'll provide you with the answer to your original two questions:

1. Because someone likes the GT better.
2. Yes.

 

It's not clear to me that you're actually going to be able to buy a Ghibli for $65K by the time it has the options you'll want.

 

it basically comes down to do you want an entry level maserati sedan comparable to a
mb e class,bmw 5 series,(excluding AMG and M designations) or a grand turismo who's comps are aston martin v8 vantage,porsche 911 carerra, jaguar xkr. Two very different class of cars.
there is a gap of about 60k in starting msrp's

 

Are you sure you're not comparing Ghibli to the used QP? BTW I'd be surprised if you could get into a new Ghibli for less than $75k

 

Why would you purchase a Jaguar XKR when you can have a Lexus LS460? That's sorta what you're asking. I could make the argument why you might want the GT over the XKR or the Ghibli over the 460, but you're asking for an apples to oranges comparison. Two completely different market segments, the GT vs the Ghibli. If all you want is a Maser and don't care what configuration, frankly, I think your bang for the buck is really an '08 Quattroporte S.

EDIT: This of course only addresses the total $$ value you're looking to spend, not the fact that the initial purchase of the GT could easily be 60-80% greater than a Ghibli. I have a well optioned '13 GT Sport with a sticker of $135k. I didn't pay $135k, but compared to a well optioned Ghibli at $75k. Not just completely different types of cars.

 

I fear for the future of Maserati...this thread is why.

 

I probably just haven't been around long enough to understand the apprehension. From my perspective, there is much fear and loathing over Maserati until late last decade, which car has the least issues, which car if any will suffer less of the massive depreciation that seemed to become expected of the marque. For me, being new and watching this transition to a "real" car company is exciting. Every manufacturer needs to have a variety to survive, if they want to reach more customers than Lamborghini or Ferrari. Given their price points aren't in the exotic range, not by much anyway, they needn't fear the dilution you'd want to avoid when convincing the world your $400k supercar is really worth $400k. The GT is priced in the same range as the S class, 7 series or Panamera. I assume the Levante will be priced competitively with the Cayenne Turbo to Turbo S. It makes perfect sense to me they'd want to try to take a chunk out of the 5 series/760 market segment with the Ghibli. Maybe long time Maserati fans want to see them remain more exotic, finicky, expensive to own and therefore rare. But with the investment Fiat has made, I'm sure they're looking for ROI and long term stability for the marque. Ferrari motors, emphasis on sport, Italian styling if arguably watered down in their four door offerings, what's not to love. I'm expecting the Ghibli and Levante to be awsome drives with an amazing exhaust note. I've actually heard the Ghibli. No guessing there. It sounds beautful. As a newbie to Maser, I wouldn't weep for the future, but the past. Been wayward for a while. Lost and now found, or so it seems to me.

 

The Maserati that some us fondly or not so fondly remember is long gone anyway.
There really is nothing left to worry about. I rather doubt we'll see another MC12 racing project anytime soon. That served it's purpose.

Some effort at preserving the history has be made so that part is nice.

Some of us are preserving the old cars and currently there's a flush restoration activity of the old GT cars like we've never seen before. That's good for preservation purposes.

They need to focus on surviving and not making special cars in very low volumes.
I have no idea if it will work. They have a lot of competition with well established networks in the market they're addressing.

In the end if this fails then we'll hear all about how Fiat screwed up Maserati by trying to produce mass market vehicles that weren't really true Maserati's. Gee where have I heard that one before? This time there's no arguing about the manufacturing quality but yes, they are rather large cars. It's hard to think of an SUV as following in the line of traditional Maseratis. But the QPI is the logical predecessor for the sedans being produced now and the Khamsin/Ghibli/Indy ... for the Gran Tourismo so what's all the fuss?

Maserati back in F1 or any other serious form of top flight racing? Probably not for quite some time, so what. It had been that way for a very long time until the MC12.

 

Worked out GREAT for Porsche. I'll buy a Levante in 2015, can almost guarantee it. Hopefully when it comes out it'll be even more aggressively sculpted. Friggin' Cayenne looks like a Lexus now, at least from the rear.

 

Ital design did the design work for the Maserati Kubang.
Maserati takes a pass on the Kubang.
VW buys Ital design.
Porsche updates the Cayenne.

Have a gander ...

https://www.google.com/search?q=2013+porsche+cayenne&newwindow=1&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=uBY7Uoq7JfPG4APAzYCgBg&ved=0CGwQsAQ&biw=1680&bih=882&dpr=1

https://www.google.com/search?q=maserati+kubang&newwindow=1&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=0BY7UpDXEObh4AP_2oCYAw&ved=0CEMQsAQ&biw=1680&bih=882&dpr=1


Hmmmm ...

 

Yikes. We'll see.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2

 

+1

 

Well remember, that's not going to be the SUV now. Porsche just used the body design since VW owned it and it was ready to go.

VW owns the Bora name as well.

 

Believe me I am not one of those that think the "only" Porsche is the 911, or one needs carbs on a colombo V12 for it to be a "real" Ferrari either.
I get that companies need to survive.
What I worry about is a company run by suits counting beans, and the passion for the product is lost. Sure, when interviewed about their brand they will all wax poetic and stare off into the distance with the flag waving in the breeze...but it is an act to sell product. I don't want executives selling Maseratis that would be just as happy building and making a profit selling vacuum cleaners.
I do lament the loss of the "great men" of the automtive world: Ferdinand Porsche, Lamborghini, Maseratis brothers, Ferrari, Lyons, etc. They built passion into their vehicles, and often many mechanical flaws, but passion nonetheless.
When I was a teenager in the early 80's and you saw a 911 at a traffic light...your heart skipped a beat. You KNEW that driver was a well-to-do sportscar enthusiast...a little quircky too perhaps since he didn't buy a 'vette, or a caddy, etc.
As a "car guy" you dreamt of those machines...those MAGICAL machines.
Now....911...social-climbing twit driving an automatic in the mall parking lot usually...usually chatting on phone while driving. Etc., etc., etc.

I fear Maserati is going to do the same thing Jaguar did...compete at the 3 Series level with the X-type. Right now they will deny it...but you said it yourself...if there is profit to be made....why not a mid $30K Maserati for social limbers who know nothing about Maserati history, or care about it either.....and then the rest of us retreat to the corners and stare wistfully at our 3500GTs, our Ghiblis (the original one I mean of course), the Mistral.....knowing we are a dying breed.

The corporatization of the world is destroying the world...mom and pop shops going as each corner gets a Walmart...a McDonalds....this is not a better world becasue of it...far from it.

I fear that.

Sorry for typos......gotta run!

 

This thread is headin' towards P&R guys ...

 

I had no idea. Damn. I really liked it.

 

I'm trying to get a handle on what we're saying here. Are you saying that Maser no longer owns the rights to the Kubang design? I've finally gotten the kids to bed and want to get to where I understand. Was hard getting into this from my cell phone earlier. I can't find anything on this.

 

Maybe we should get back to the subject....

The GT is that.... a GT. It's more sporty and less usable as an everyday kinda car for the family.

The Ghibli in my opinion is probably the nicest looking family car in it's class. It's also one of the most expensive.

But, it's designed for a small family to use it everyday.

So, the answer is, it depends on how you are going to use the car.

I really like the Ghibli as a replacement for a Lexus or Cadillac.

 

I don't know about that name but yes, that design went with ITAL Design. You don't see the similarities with the updates Cayenne? To me they're near identical.

 

I see the influence when I'm looking for it. But as much as I like the Cayenne, have owned three, the Levante concept in it's entirety was way sexier. I wanted "that" SUV.