$75k to Spend...355 or Maserati?

Nothing like a Ferrari and 355 is an excellant car!
You could run into expensive maintanence though. Porche great everyday driver easy to maintain. But everyone has a Porch!
A low mile Masa Spyder can be had for high $50's low 60's that is what I would do in your shoes. More exclusive. Drove one and thgey rip! Good Luck


my 2 cents
mike

 

I had an '02 Maser spyder, and have logged significant seat time in 355's, but haven't owned one. The chassis flex in the Maser drove me NUTS. Having said that, it was very doable as a daily drive (plus, it was fast as anything--loved the motor). The 355 is a sibilant screamer. To me, if you are looking for a special weekend car, the 355 is the answer. If you want a daily driver, I might think about a Maser (maint. costs are way less). But if you are thinking a spyder, find some crappy Houston roads and test drive one over them to make sure that the shake/shimmy/shudder doesn't bother you (I lived in Houston for 8 years--what crappy roads).

 

I'd go 355. But that's just me.

 

10-15k miles a year I'd take the Maser or a very reliable driven F355 with a perfect service record. Similair to the one in my sig.

 

From a depreciation point of view, the 355 is probably close to done. Masers are likely to get cheaper still, especially since they are now Alfas and the support for 2002-05 models may be iffy. Can't say about the Porsche, but late models do seem to depreciate like stones. If I had 75K to spend and didn't go for the Ferrari, then I would probably go with the Porsche or an M5 or Jag, that's the competition. The 355 is a different kind of purchase. Probably more to maintain, but far more entertaining.

Dave

 

355. It's the best looking out of the modern entry-level Ferraris (348, 360, 430) and that sound...

 

hello.
My opinion would be to get a Maserati, but in USA the 3200GT isn't avaliable, and I really don't like the 4200 so much I hate that tail lights. I'm trying to get my hands on a 3200GT, but I can't find the right one.
I really love the 355, such a Beatifull car, it has way more class than a porsche. So I'll get onw.
The porsche is a great car too, but as they said before everybody has one.
It beats the ferrari, but in a few years, you could get one for a great price, you should wait.

Get that Ferrari what are you waiting for.

 

Ferrari 355.

 

I wouldnt be surprised if 95% of people here answer 355 over the Maserati.

I think Masers are great cars and all, but does anyone else think they just kind of lack passion? ( though the Gransport is very good)

Maybe it just seems that way because they are always with Ferrari and well....waht can out do an F-car in sheer terms of "soul" and "passion"? Nothing.

SO, personally, I would go with the 355, red on black berlinetta coupe....thats hot.

 

I'd say that 355's still have a way to go before they stop depreciating. They're still relatively new.

Ever considered a 328 and a bigger maintenance slush fund?

 

This is a hard one... I arrived in the USA last August from Australia, and had the cash from my 308 GT4 ready to spend. I eventually bought a 355B (1995) and couldn't be happier. The Porcshe is a better car, the Maser is quicker, but in terms of fun, character, and SOUL, the 355 has it hands down.

If you get a P or M, then you will LOVE the car you have bought, but you will always be wondering.... "What would the Ferrari be like???"

Dave

 

I have one of the '02 Maser Spyders. Yes, the cowl shake is evident, but IMHO does not effect handling, just the driver's impression of same. The '03 and newer Spyders were stiffened.

Heck, you could always wait about a year and buy TWO Spyders for that $75K. Fiat/Maserati seem hell-bent to squander away their valuable brand.

Big trouble for Fiat, wonderful event for enthusiasts. There will be some tremendous buys on the recent-model Masers as owners become worried about long-term maintenance costs and Fiat's corporate commitment. These are wonderful, exciting machines that will be had for a few bars of a song.

I love the lines and history of the 355. Of course it has its own set of particular difficulties you'll find widely discussed on F-Chat (exhaust manifolds and toast-the-marshmellows fuel system if improperly serviced), but I'd be proud to have one in the garage.

IMHO, if you're out for fun, get a Maser and buy beer with the leftover cash. You'll have a blast. If the uncertain future of the Maser's value troubles you, go with the 355, plan to spend a bit more on maintenance but enjoy lower depreciation. Same money in the end, different risks/rewards along the way.

 

If you drive both, i think you'll have your answer. From a financial standpoint, the 355 is far more depreciated than a 2004 Maserati. A Porsche Turbo is a terrific car (see other thread here about poster who "settled" for a Porsche), but if it's thrills in a recreational car that you are looking for, rather than something that you can rationalize as almost practical, I'd bet the 355 will give you more smiles per mile, even though the Porsche will likely trounce it.
THe Maserati is more GT car than purebred sportscar- it has a lovely motor, but i think you'll find the 355 to be more exciting to drive. (PS- i had a 355 brand new, just got rid of a Porsche GT2 and drove a Maserati spyder shortly after they were introduced, for about 10 days, hammering it up and down the PCH near Big Sur, so i've had wheel time in all 3). Just make sure you don't buy a "bargain" Ferrari because that will be more expensive, very quickly, than one that has a complete service history.

 

for the amount of milage you are doing, id hit up an 03-04 maser. Cheaper to maintain, warranty, more exclusive, fast and sublime. It will never be a 355, but neither will anything else. Sometimes usability and peace of mind are just as enjoyable.

 

I think your going to get some pretty bias views here, but thats probably true with any particular car group. That said, I would buy the 355. I have owned many Porsches, one with over 600hp, and I would never knock their product, but they lack the passion of an Ferrari. The Maserati is a nice car, but for 75k there are certainly some better alternatives. If it were between an M or P go Porsche, they are on the same unpassionate level and the Porsche will be faster and more reliable. Your Corvette is probably more fun to drive than a Maserati and will certainly be more appreciated by the non-car people, most people won't even recognize a Maserati. Anyhow, there is my opinion for you, and I think most will agree with me here, once you own a Ferrari you will probably always own a Ferrari.

 

Have owned all three - 99 355 Spider, 02 Porsche Turbo and 03 Maseratti coupe. If miles and maintenance are your concern then buy the Porsche - 20k mile service interval for less than $1k. If excitement is your concern then buy the 355, nothing like it but at 15K miles a year you are going to be doing services pretty regularly so hang on to your wallet big time! If you are confused and don't know what to do buy the Maserati - its good, kind of fun, gets some looks because folks don't recognize it readily and the maintenance isn't quite as bad as the 355 but it's just not a Ferrari and its maint. cost just isn't the same as a Porsche either! Personally I would chose the Porsche as the daily driver unless money and downtime isn't an issue.

 

Then consider a Masi coupe. You wont need the beater car as the back seat can handle kids fine. No cowl shake issues. Buy an 03 in the 50's.

 

Angel on your right side says Porsche TT, the devil on your left says 355....

My vote goes for Porsche....

 

Shark01...

I've gone through the "reverse" order of what your considering to a degree.

While haven't owned a Porsche TT (yet ), I traded in the 308 QV and Testarossa for a '97 355 B (6 speed). Absolutely enjoyed the car as it's performance was very similar to the TR -- but it was a weekend fun car only, and not a daily driver. Put less than 200 miles on it over a period of three months when it suddenly experienced a major brake system failure (master cyl., etc.).

Since the wife doesn't drive stick, and our two kids always got left out of the fun, we traded in the 355 for a new '05 Maserati Cambio Coupe. This car was definitely more of a daily driver with all the performance packaged together. The wife could drive it (used the Auto mostly) and the kids could ride along also.

However, there were a few niggling "build quality" issues that surprised us...for example: passenger sunvisor vanity light never shutting off (and getting might hot), blue duct-tape patched over the corner of the blue carpet up near the underside of the dash (still don't know the story on that), and a hard clunking 3-4 shift on the cambio tranny (feathering the throttle as if you were manually shifting with a clutch helped a bit).

All this, together with the sudden uncertainty of Maserati's future and the hastle of transporting the car 2 hours away to the dealer for service, just put a dark cloud over the prospect of long term ownership (even with the 4-year warranty). Not to mention the fact that these cars are depreciating rapidly -- especially when you consider that '05 Cambio's with similar mileage as mine had are selling second-hand in the mid 70's. MSRP was over 100k new just two months ago!

So, we decided to take a hiatus and sold the Maser (and traded the wife's '01 C5 Corvette) for a new '05 C6 Corvette Coupe w/ automatic tranny and fully loaded. Of course, now the kids have to take turns for rides .

Now we're down to just one "fun car" that can be driven anytime anywhere without any worries, and serviced up the street at the local Chevy dealer. The money we're saving in insurance, payments, maintenance, etc. is now being put away and used for other things that are more beneficial to our family's lifestyle at present.

While I truly miss those cars, and think about them often, this decision was more of a "practical" one on our part. We still have a passion for the Ferrari / Maserati / Lamborghini marques, and will get into another one down the road when it fits our lifestyle. For the time being, the C6 will do just fine -- might even have to consider the new Z06 as well .

Best of luck in your decision. All three are great cars, you just have to decide which one "fits" the bill.

 

I have an xkr as a daily driver and just upgraded my 308 to a 355. Park a Mase next to a 355 and you will know which one to go with. As everyone else has said, nobody knows the diff. btwn a 120K porsche and a 25K porsche so that ones out regardless. The mase may be cheaper to fix but drop the gas pedal on the 355 and there is no comparison.....

 

I think this is pretty good advice. Each car is very different so it depends what your priorities are and how much you can spend on maintenance.

With regards to driving in traffic in the hot summer, the A/C on the 355 works extrememly well. I have noticed the engine temps rise however when sitting in bad traffic. The car was designed to be moving, not sitting in rush hour traffic, so its cooling system can be challenged sometimes. I've never had an issue with it running 'too hot', but once or twice I found myself fixated on the gauge wondering how hot I was going to get.

The clutch is also an issue if you drive in a lot of traffic (unless you get the F1 tranny). Compared to the P-car, the clutch on the 355 requires a lot more effort. Its not a lot of fun in traffic. The P-car won't wear you out as quickly.

 

The maserati isn't as attractive as the 355... The 355 is more fun, and if you dont need cargo room...take the 355. To be honest, the Porsche is better than the maserati, and the mercedes is fairly even... Take a 355, enjoy the true experience.
Although the original 3200 is the best looking trim of that series. But they drive like a manual jag would (if that would ever exist in their new cars)... not much of a driver's car.

 

I am in a similar situation, When my wife had our twin boys last August, I traded my 04 360 spider and got rid of my 03 Maserati coupe and picked up a 04 575, no regrets but when spring can I want a convertable, and went looking for one that could fit two baby seats. Only one out there was the M3 so I bought a 05. Now my wife tells me she wont let me put them in a convertable, so it's time to find a 2 seater, and since you can find 04 Maserati's for low to mid 60's that's what I'm looking for. I had no problem with mine and I am close to the dealer and I like the four year warranty. With just a few tweeks the Maserati is a hell of a machine. and 60 something for a pretty new car that sticker for over a 100 is a good deal to me.