hello, found a 2002 maserati coupe' on the net at a ferrari/maserati dealer outside chicago, illinois. www.LFSC.com the price is attractive and so is the interior, but the exterior is what they describe as "mistral green" i've only seen the pix's on their web sight and have e-mailed them for more information. are there any maserati owners who own or have at least seen this color? it's appears to be an off shade greenish/grey metallic. the dealer is very reputible and the price may reflect this off-color. thanks in advance joe
Hi Joe, My 2 cents... I would not call Verde Mistral an off-color. I specifically picked that color when buying my Maserati. With that said, the Ivory interior color on the car you are looking at is unusual and may be the reason for the discount. The Ivory leather is probably going to require more upkeep to keep from going grey. Pictures of my car - Mistral with Tobacco Leather Interior... http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59772&highlight=mistral This car placed 2nd in people's choice at local concours show last year, ahead of the dozens of Porsches and Ferraris present. Ask them why they are discounting the car. They will most likely be honest about it. Good luck and please post pictures when you get the car!! - Jon
hi jon, thanks for the link. your pictures make the mistral green look elegant. i think the pix at www.LFSC.com are too small to give a accurate description. that being said, i am very interested in this maserati. but a few things concern me. this is a 2002 "first year" model. plus it is a "first year" for the cambio corsa paddle shift. almost every automotive journalist who test drove a 2002 maserati F1 has said bad things about the cambio. i have heard it got better in 04'. so i guess i have to ask, would a first year maserati cambio with 12,000 miles and factory warranty ending soon be something i should look at, or avoid for a newer model? your thoughts would be appreciated joe
My car is a 2002 Coupe Cambiocorsa with about 13,500 miles. My 2 lira... I would take magazine comments on the Cambiocorsa gearbox with a grain of salt. It is a totally different driving experience from a traditional manual or a traditional automatic. It takes time - months for me - to get familiar with it - e.g., when and how much to lift to smooth a shift, when to keep your foot flat on the floor for a lightning bolt shift, etc. Many magazines do not drive such cars frequently or long enough to learn its quirks. I think that the Cambiocorsa gearbox is fantastic - at speed the shifts are lightning quick, enough to chirp the tires in the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts. On several occasions, my Maserati has out-accelerated more powerful cars (e.g. a 911 Turbo) just because it shifts faster than most people can manage, and never misses shifts. In the 2 years that I have had mine, the car has not been in for a repair even once. It has won in concours, done a few track days (as fast as a F355 around Lime Rock), and lots of getaway weekend trips. I would not worry about it being a 2002. The 2002 is the only year that has launch control, and has more aggressive engine and gearbox software, and ignition timing. They basically detuned the car for 2003 onwards, and re-tuned it back with the Gransport. The car was released in 2001 in Europe so 2002 is really the 2nd year. I would choose a 2002 over any other year, Coupe, with the exception of a Gransport. With the Spyders, 2003 onwards is best as Maserati improved the Spyder chassis with extra bracing. The major upgrade worth having is the dual plate clutch introduced in 2003 (or 2004?) and retrofitted under warranty for 2002 models. I have the upgrade on mine, and you should be able to do the same free of charge under warranty. FWIW, I would have no hesitation in buying a 2002 car today. Remember, the warranty needs to just be long enough for you to fully verify that all is good with the car. Also, Maserati will likely announce an extended warranty in early 2006 at a cost of approx. $3,500 per year. Just confirm that service records are comprehensive. And don't listen to anyone who has never owned one. Good luck! - Jon P.S.: also see www.maseratiforum.net for more owner comments
I have an '04 coupe and if you actually talk to most Maser. owners, they prefer the '02 C.C. over the '04 transmission because although it is much more prone to clutch wear (single tank clutch v.s. double tang in '04), you'll find that the '02 will shift quicker and as stated above with launch control. The 04' is actually a tick slower than the '02 as a result. There were some minor revisions in software and some minor suspension tweeks in '04 but overall a very reliable car. You'll find most Maser. owners are as satisfied if not more satisfied than say AMG owers. Good luck. Here's a picture of mine, lowered and with some exhaust mods pushing over 400hp. http://www.maseratiforum.net/forum/download.php?id=352
