Rented Maserati Spyder in Hawaii | FerrariChat

Rented Maserati Spyder in Hawaii

Discussion in 'Maserati' started by t88power, Feb 19, 2004.

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  1. t88power

    t88power Formula 3

    Feb 19, 2001
    2,396
    Puerto Rico
    Full Name:
    Ernesto
    Recently returned from a trip to Honolulu, Hawaii - where I rented a Maserati Spider for a few days. First of all, the rental company - Ferrari Adventures, Inc - was great. They were very professional, and if any of you are ever in the area, I certainly recommend them. The Maserati (Cambiocorse) was around $300 per day, and they also had a 360 (around $900), 355 (around $600), Viper SRT (around $300), Corvettes, Hummers, etc etc. I rented the Maserati because it was the only one I hadn't driven that I was interested in testing.

    First of all, I was pleasantly surprised at the perfomance - it was faster and handled better than what I was expecting, although it is obviously not outrageously fast. Had it up to 130mph with no probs, and was also surprised at the great driving roads there. It was very comfortable and certainly fast enough - I would definitely choose it over a convertible Jaguar or Porsche 911 (I dont know if they are in the same price range, I assume that is the competition). The top goes up and down at the touch of a button with no other latches or clips to adjust.

    The cambiocorse tranny was a lot smoother than the F1 on my 2000 360M, especially when in low gears. I would stick to the version in mine though, as it feels a lot sportier and performance oriented vs. comfort as in the Maserati.

    However, the fit and finish of the interior was horrible. The car was literally falling apart. Although I realize the car was a rental and should receive plenty of abuse, it only had 6,000 miles when I got it. The glove box was broken, the steering wheel airbag was very wrinkled, and emergency brake handle was very loose, the second storage box behind the seats would open with the wind, the driver's side door latch would stay open preventing you from closing the door, etc etc etc. A lot of "small" issues with the interior. I hope the privately owned cars hold up a lot better, and this would be a major concern were I to consider buying one.

    The most important thing I noticed was that it was not a 2+2, as in the coupe. I think for this car to be successful, they would have to stick to the 2+2 concept and leave the 2 seater performance/spiders to Ferrari, as it is a bit redundant. I'd take a used 355 over the Spyder, but if the Spyder was a 2+2 they may gain market share from people who need the back seats for kids, etc. Its not an all out performance car, after all!

    Well, thats it. I greatly enjoyed the Maserati more than I thought I would have.....

    Ernesto

    PS. Didnt get to meet Allan in Maui. I was hoping to make it over there, but in the end it got too complicated. I was hoping to take that 256mph ride in a REAL CAR!
     
  2. titanium360

    titanium360 F1 Rookie
    BANNED

    Nov 10, 2003
    3,446
    did you see Allan?
     
  3. BJS

    BJS Formula Junior

    Jan 18, 2004
    287
    Central FL and SW MI
    Full Name:
    Brad Stephenson
    Good news: My privately owned Spyder has none of the problems you described. Build quality on ours is excellent - its the first comment most of my car-guy buddies say when they sit in the car.

    I'd love to compare the differences between the Spyder's F1 and other makes. Perhaps at the Italian fest here in Ohio this year...

    Brad
     

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