early 2000s Spiders

I owned a 2004. Burgundy and tan. Vintage package. Great car. Women loved the looks! The motor was even better. The car had a shorter wheelbase than the couple. Good stuff.

Every now and then, I think about buying one back. I paid $65K for mine in 2005 and sold it six months later for $65k. They now go for $30k and less. Whut a country!

I have heard that there can be a problem with the tops because Maserati is no longer making certain parts. If it screws up, you have to order the whole thing. I told this by a dealer, but who knows?

Dale

 

Me too! If possible, I would get the true manual transmission instead of CambioCorsa as I really think CambioCorsa is among the worst sequential-manuals ever. But even equipped with CambioCorsa, the car is a lot of fun! My sole concern would be reliability, although I briefly worked at Ferrari of Denver and knew of several being used as daily drivers.

 

As a current owner, I think the cars are undervalued, yes even a bargain. Not sure I would call them a flop, but agree the Spyders aren't as popular, or at least they're not as common as other Maseratis, particularly QPs, in my town. I think it might have something to do with the general appearance of the car - good lines but not particularly distinctive, e.g, the front end could be mistaken for a Jag XK or DB7 or, overall appearance, for a Miata on steroids. They don't shout "look at me". Not recognizable to teh general public like a 911. Good thing, bad thing - according to your wants.

I don't use mine as a DD - I have no commute - but I do drive the car regularly, maybe four times a week, and find it very reliable and tractable with the six speed manual with clutch pedal (!).

Great car.
Jon

 

I'm in the early stages of looking for an 02-04 spyder. Apparently the standard manuals only comprised about 10% of the US cars, so they're pretty hard to come by.

Reading up from various owners these cars appear to be pretty reliable, and they're an incredible bargain on the used market.

Chris

 

Hope this doesn't break the rules for this forum: but there is also a purely Maserati forum. Some good information on that forum as well.

There is some friendly debate over 6M versus CC. I tried an '03 CC that had all services including clutch just done by the dealer. I only tried it in town, although the dealer invited me to try it on a highway. Speaking personally, I found the CC to be clunky, but I didn't learn how to drive it in my short time with it. I think a CC might be fun on the open road with some twisties - nice to keep both hands on the wheel and possibly get faster shifts. But I didn't think the CC shifted very quickly, even in sport mode - others might disagree. Again speaking personally, I thought the 6M would be better to live with in real world driving. I decided to go with a 6M and watched for one specifically. I bought a 6M and am pleased with my choice.

Try them both if you can.
Jon

 

I have an 02 Spyder CC and love it. I purchased it in Alabama this past Dec. and drove it back to the DC burbs with no problem. It had 24,000 miles and just had major service including the clutch replaced. This past March, I drove it to the Mississippi Coast and back in some pretty awful weather. Again no problems. I've read that there is an aftermarket drive by wire module that really smooths the shifting on the CC. I plan on buying that in the spring. I paid $25,000 and so far, it's been worth every penny.

 

In my research so far, their's an exc. thread in ************ forum on buyers guide for spyders. It's suggested to keep the CC problem free to replace the F1 pump relay every year. Also, it appears that the CC's tend to go thru clutches significantly faster than traditional manual tranny. Again, this is not first hand experience, only echoing what I've learned so far.

Darn few traditional manuals out there unfortunately. Also, I do note that the wheels changed as well as the top starting 03 model year, top got a glass rear windshield and wheel design changed.

Powerpig - $25k is a great price for a just serviced car with new clutch as the clutch replacement runs anywhere from $2500 to $5k depending on who's doing it.

Chris

 

What year was the car you drove? The 2002/2003 editions were pretty bad, but Maser came out with an upgrade. Mine was a 2004, and it shifted just as well as a buddy's 2003 Modena.

Dale

 

I don't think there are certain years to avoid. Same drive train in all years as far as I know. There was a firmware upgrade a few years ago and smooths the shifting in the CC's. Here's some pics of mine.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Nice Interior...
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Nice. There is no question in my mind that Maserati does a far better job than Ferrari or anybody else for that matter when it comes to interiors.

Dale

 

very nice cars. I have owned my 02 cc spyder since December 02. There have been a few problems. The clutch fulcrum was a bad design. Maserati replaced free but i had to pay for a clutch. Dealer was a crook. claimed i did not send keys, so i had to pay 3500 for keys. also tried to charge me for more shocks than a car has. Just awful. A bolt came loose on right side of top anchor. simple fix. Recall on steering rack, replaced free, different dealer, better people but far from perfect. Car now has 24000. all works. Love cc love spyder. could not ask for more. Seven years of making me feel young. Transmission does clunk a lot. so! Its a clunker but what a great car. CC is just a great new feature. I own 26 Maserati and this car is as great as any.

 

You own 26 Maserati's? WOW!

 

You can't call Spyders a flop. Compare them with a Mercedes SL600, the car the Spyder was made to compete with. The SLs from comparable years have depreciated even more than the Spyders. Nobody call the Mercedes SL a flop even though they have depreciated 90% in seven years......You can get a 2002 or 2003 SL for less than $20k......It is all relative.

 

I've driven several, both pre- and post-upgrade. I always felt it was clunky, though that tends to be my feeling on all F1-style transmissions. Perhaps it's just a personal bias towards true manuals. That said, the DSG transmission in an Audi A3 I had for a short period was a dream.

Apples to oranges... '02 was the final year of a looooong production cycle for the Mercedes SL, while it was the beginning of a new one for the Maserati. The Maserati should probably be holding its value better than it is. It doesn't matter now, though, since it's all good news to potential used buyers!

 

I'm not sure that's a good comparison except for depreciation. I have a SL600 and it's a totally different animal.

 

depreciation is one thing, it was a sales flop.

 

Are you referring to the Spyder or the SL600?

 

The Spyder. The word on the street is that dealers were stuck with a lot of units and the Ferrari dealers were generally ticked off about having to load up on Maseratis.

I'm not saying it's a bad car - heck I wouldn't mind getting a Coupe myself. But it wasn't loved by the buyers who ended up getting a gazillion SLs and 6-series instead.

 

I actually heard much the same from a former Ferrari sales guy who had moved on to Nissan - about 7 years ago. I was told that the Ferrari dealers weren't happy about having to take on Maseratis as a second line. In the market, at least where I live, the SL's and 6 series seem to appeal to a completely different market than Ferrari or Maserati. Certainly the Spyders aren't as common today, again where I live, as either SL (many, many 500's not as many 600) or 6 series (you lose count, there are so many). Longer term, I think the Spyder will be more desirable than either but that could be wishful thinking on my part. See my earlier post as to why I think the Spyder might not have captured as much interst as it might have.
Jon

 

Well, I have always loved quirky, rarer cars and try and get something with character - I think the 390hp, leather-swathed Maser is a great value and definitely a sleeper to most on the street (except in yellow or red). I would only get a manual though.

I agree though, I think it was a little too Jaguar-looking and should have gotten more of a facelift *before* bringing the 4200 to the States as the Coupe/Spyder. Nicely proportioned but too subtle. The GranTurismo is much more dramatic and is a drop-dead gorgeous car, but still doesn't appear to be as popular as the QP even in the Maser lineup.

 

That about sums it up! But then, I have a manual. The CC just didn't do it for me and I surmise was part of the reason why the market reacted as it did (flame retardant suit on).

Jon