All, Very new (OK completely new) to Maserati, but I've found an '02 Spyder GT with low miles, skyhook suspension, full leather for sale - seductive as hell in all black. I'm more of a touring guy than a hardcore track guy, so it seems like the right exotic for me. Is an '02 going to be an undesirable car due to being the first model year? Also, is the maintenance expense comparable to a Ferrari V-8 of the same year? Thanks! Congrats to all of you who own these. Much more distinctive than the SL and 911. Jon
Depends how good of a deal you are getting. Many changes were made after 2002, added stiffness to reduce cowl shake, Glass rear window, Different clutch and a few other smaller mods. Maintenance will be nowhere near Ferrari costs as for one thing Maserati is not belt driven. Costs will be more comparable to say Porsche. Many 2003 available that you could pick up at a great price. I went with the Spyder for same reason as you, I am not a track guy but I did want a car that offered me a combination of Sport with Luxury and The Maserati is perfect for that. Have had my 2004 for a year now and not one single problem.
Maserati maintenance the same as a Porsche....you are dreaming my friend! There is none now nor has there ever been an Italian car with maintenance cost even close to that of any German car.
Well I have owned both a Porsche Boxster S and BMW M3 SMG both which needed considerable work done in the two years of owning each, including the rebuilding of the M3 engine, If these repairs were not covered by warranty would have been quite expensive. My Maserati has been far more reliable than either of those cars and it's V8 is pretty straight forward and should not be overly expensive to maintain, other than the Ferrari tech's rates to work on them
Compared to my BMW 750 and Turbo Cayenne my 02 Maser Coupe has MANY fewer problems. Electonic BMW problems/I drive are so bad and Bangle design is so ugly I'm through with them forever. P's problems have been minor but still more than Maser. The problem is if a major system goes it's big $ so I'd get an extended warrantee which you can with the Maser. Total $ last year for my Maser was $241. BTW if you plan on driving it in the Snow get winter tires.
why do u discredit the experiences of a fellow fchatter, sure these cars arent perfect as your German barges, but the maintenance has been dramatically reduced from, anyway he metioned close to porsche, not exactly the same. anyways, i wouldnt regard german cars of today so higly, they havent been doing to well as far as dependability..... now to say the maserati will cost the same as a toyota on maintenance is another thing.............
I didn't discredit anyone. But, I have owned 8 Italian and 7 German cars over the last 25 years and the German cars have all been FAR less expensive to own and maintain. My current e39 M5 daily driver now has almost 100k miles and has had no problems whatsoever ...oil changes, tires, brakes and routine service is all that I have paid...knock on wood. Same with the other BMWs(M3,e28 M5 & 740iL), Benz(380SL) and Porsches(924S & 993) I have owned. While I love Italian cars and will buy more in the future...I'm in the market for a C4 for my wife now...I will not fool myself into believing that they are as reliable and inexpensive to own/maintain as a German car.
i will agree with you that previous italian cars werent as maintenance free as german cars when germans were producing half decent products but i think most of here are talking about contemporary italian vs contemporary german. it wouldnt be fair to compare and old fiat x19 to a 2000 m5 of yours.....
Bullfighter, i've been Researching the Maser Spyder lately. The consensus is : Purchase an '03 or later edition. I have seen Low Mileage ones sell for <60K. Scott listed the 1st year "Glitches" for you.
This seems like good advice, based on what I've read. The '02 selling dealer is asking $63K, but I would rather have an '03 for that kind of money. I've had an '02 BMW and a '98 Mercedes - maintenance was expensive, but I knew that going in. Both were worth it. If I'd wanted a Lexus, I would have (yawn/stretch) bought a Lexus. As long as I'm not getting blindsided with $5K+ repairs, I'm OK investing more $ in an exotic for the pleasure of owning/driving it. Even in San Diego you don't see a lot of Spyders. Jon
That deal sucks. You should be able to find an 03 for just a tad more. I plan on selling my 2004 Spyder GT this fall to order a 2006 Spyder for a spring Del. and was figuring in the low to mid 70's and car will only have about 4,000 miles on it. So if anyone is looking for a car around then, It is fully loaded with every option including Tubi and will still have over 2 years of warranty. Not many Spyders in sunny CA? My area is loaded with Porsches, MB and even a Few Ferrari's, but did not see one other Spyder all year.
I agree that the deal is bad. I would think $55K - 56K at the most. I just got an '02 GT Coupe for less than $50K (7700 miles).
Or a 928, or a v12 W140 Benz, or a Z8 out of warranty, or.... Once again, ambulance chaser reinforces Ignore feature
I have a 4200 CC, no major problems at 16k miles, but just had the clutch replaced - that is a MAJOR expense £2000 UKP - around $3500 I think. My total service bill was £2800 UKP i.e. >$5000. They all need the clutch replaced at some point and I belive that replacing at 16k miles was at the extreme end of clutch longevity. My Boxter S had no major expenses at 32k miles when I traded for the Maserati. You need to be aware of this potential clutch expense or it will bite you! Still love the Maser regardless. BTW this probably only applies to Cambiocorsa not Manual GT gearboxes.
FWIW, Bentley Downers Grove recently had a 02 Spyder advertised for under $50K. It sold rather quickly.