Maserati - how have they done over the last 10 years?

Hello Mark:

For a start I, like many others, could tell you that there have been huge improvements on the first five points, that the future is rock solid (no Saab ending at hand, sales are very satisfying) and that an enormous amount has changed over the last ten years.

Now could please explain your purpose Mark? Are you doing a thesis/document for university or some such? This could be an interesting thread but please let us know where you are coming from and going to with this.

I hope we can help you.

best regards,

Marc

PS: One last thing: would you ask Porsche people about Ferrari? Good. So for your own benefit don't ask the Ferrari crowd about Maserati: many, a disappointingly huge percentage, carry a blinkered view with prancing donkey glasses and will pass on 5, 10 year old information to you, which is not what you need, whatever your purpose is. Many of us here, yours truly included, like Ferraris too of course and have a fair knowledge of Ferrari history old and recent but very few in the Ferrari centered community know much if anything about Maserati, past or present.

You are in the right place here, hopefully!

MS

 

I miss my Maserati. Honestly, best car I have ever owned.

-dsd

 

Mark

Marc makes good point. You might wish to post your question on ************ as well. Although it is a small forum, compared to FerrariChat, it has a knowledgeable membership that encompasses Maserati owners and enthusiasts from vintage, through the Bi-turbo years, to the more recent and current models.

Jon

 

I can only relate to mine which is now 8 years old next month.

Service; I only use dealer service but it's never been treated any differently than Ferrari service when I call for an appointment. Maybe I've been lucky but the two dealers I have used are both excellent.

Cost of repairs: Honestly, this is the second most surprising thing about it. It's not a horribly expensive car to maintain. I view it on par with Porsche.

Reliablity: This is the MOST surprising thing about it. Mine has been practically bullet proof. I have complete confidence in the car.

Parts supply: I haven't heard about any issues. I would bet there are not many aftermarket replacement parts for it given it's small sales.

Owner satisfaction: Well, I can't see selling it for anything else. The only replacement I can see that would excite me would be a California.

Future of the brand: That's tough to say. I think the Granturismo helped the brand a lot. It is the perfect view of what Maserati's are best known for ... great and stylish grand tourers. If they stay on this tack of great looking and performing machines, they will do just fine. The brand itself has recovered nicely from the Bi-Turbo days. Few today even remember it. Purchasing them through Ferrari dealers has helped trememdously.

How much has changed in 10 years: Well, in the last 8 years, not that much. But, the 2 before it were a complete revolution. I think we should thank LDM for saving this brand. It's hard to imagine what might have happened to it if someone else had gotten their hands on it.

They have had their bumps. The early Qporte gearbox was clearly not right for the car and took too long to get sorted out. Depreciation is still a problem. Brand appreciation by the general public could be better. And, I think some dealers still don't understand why they are selling two different marques that seem at times to intersect.

But, few will say that the brand is not stronger than it was 10 years ago. The newer Maserati's are still some of the best looking cars on the road, the noise they make is truly something to appreciate, and they are no longer mass produced cars going after the BMW 3-series crowd. If they have a shortcoming, its that they lack a complete line of cars having one 2 models to choose from -- and only one engine at that. An "AMG like" version of their cars would help to excite more enthusiasts to the marque.

 

If you want to learn more about Maserati I'd suggest you look into a few books. Perhaps Mark can suggest a few as good primers. That's his background. Mark has a trident birthmark on his bum ... The car you point to as a joint venture between Ferrari and Maserati has a much more complicated gestation period than you probably imagine and showed up as a production vehicle (3200) long after it was designed. It wasn't a stunner back then but it did look a lot better with the original taillights. It ended up as what most on this website call the Coupe and Spider but Ferrari involvement was minimal when the car was first manufactured and zero when it was concieved. So Ferrari took an already existing product and made huge changes to it. I'd echo the ************ suggestion for information on 2002 => 2008 cars but the activity for the earlier cars on that site is pretty minimal. There are a lot of places for information on the earlier cars. So get googling and I think you might enjoy it. :>)

Bob S.

 

I don't like the fact that dealers don't have linked information. Work done at one dealer can't be accessed by another dealer. It can't be that hard to get something like that set up. It may help resale values if service histories are more readily available. A stamp in a booklet is a bit archaic, don't you think?

Other than that, there's a dealer close to where I live, so I'm happy with that.

Acceptable for an exotic car.

For the most part, it's ok. I have an '04 Coupe. Seems to have a lot of minor electrical issues. Clutch life on CC gearboxes is an issue. But has gotten better with new models I hear.

Acceptable for newer ones... Post 2002. Earlier ones, I'd imagine not so much. Mostly looking to Europe for parts to get shipped in to the US.

I love my Maserati.

Hopefully they continue on the path they have been. The cars keep getting better and better. They need to stay innovative. Keep it distinct from Ferrari. I see the brand name and image of Maserati increasing as long as they keep introducing more and more cutting edge cars in order to build a lineage of beautiful cars that people will look back on. Classic styling and limited production keeps the cars looking fresh. Most people think my '04 is brand new!

Quite a bit. Look at the change from the Coupe to the GranTurismo. Leaps and bounds on interior and Exterior styling. Engine is pretty solid. Transmissions and gearboxes have evolved satisfactorily.

What it comes down to is that a Maserati needs to be a Maserati to be successful. Anything that is the next whatever or a "poor man's" this or that usually falls short and fails. Continue to be an exclusive, low production volume, hand made vehicle of exceptional styling and quality and the brand will continue to thrive.

Most people (in the US anyways) know the name but couldn't picture one if they tried other than the newer GranTurismo or Quatroportte. Probably good since the older ones really weren't too impressive except to a hard core minority. The 1980s and 1990s were lost years. Thankfully, people don't remember the cars that were produced. Hopefully the Chrysler -Maserati fiasco is but a footnote in the car maker's history as a great many of them are hitting the crusher. Hopefully just a few prime examples survive, just for posterity sake.

The fact that the brand name is widely known with a strong image but the product has been fairly absent from the market, especially in the US, for about the last 30 years, has added to the mystique and allure of the brand.

 

You need to do some more study. There are plenty of impressive Maseratis from prior to 2002. Go investigate as I think you'll find it interesting.

 

Maserati owes much to Joe Walsh....I wonder if he collects royalties on new car sales?

 

You and Maserati management. Just remember that staement because when the 2002 cars start to get 10+ years old they will forget about your car in a NY minute.

 

I think there might have been a misscommunication...

I'm very impressed by PRE-BiTurbo, Fiat era Maseratis. The 3500 GT is one of my all time favorite cars.

To me, the Bi-Turbos just aren't that impressive. The only ones that have survived in the States here are beat. One was even traded in under the cash for clunkers program. The Chrysler-Maserati LeBaron really cheapened the brand name. Thankfully, most people don't believe that those were really Maseratis. I used to remember thinking "How was Chrysler able to get away with naming a model the Maserati?"

That was the era were Maserati's parent company wanted to make them more affordable to appeal to a mass market. Every time a high end car company has tried that, it has failed miserably. They wind up alienating the high end buyers. Remember that cheap Mercedes egg looking car a few years back or the Cadillac Catera, a rebadged Chevy?

A car brand name's strength has as much to do with the older models out on the street as it does the new ones in the showroom. A likely reason that Cadillac doesn't have good resale values could be that there are so many junk ones driving around on the road. The brand losses credibility and prestige that way.

On the other hand, not many hand built cars wind up as beater, daily driver junkers, no matter how old they get. Even when they do start to show some wear and tear, they do so with some class.

 

Very good post....

 

This thread has taken a very US oriented direction... In Europe at least, the launch in 1998 of the 3200 GT is probably considered as the decisive turning point for marque. I know that the 3200 GT was never sold in the US, but that doesn't mean it somehow didn't exist or that it isn't a significant model in Maserati's history.

Actually, the biturbo derived models of the 1990s, especially the various Ghiblis (II), were very significant in re-establishing some confidence in Maserati, and the Shamal V8 later found its way into the 3200 GT. These cars are not at all forgotten and trade for more than pocket change nowadays.

Gabriel

 

I would agree with this but no one in the US had seen a 3200. However, our GM in Hong Kong had a 3200 and I can tell you, it was a problematic beast at best that loved living in the repair shop.

Yes, it was the turning point but the reputation in the US for the Bi-turbo was so bad, there was no way this car could have been successfully marketed in the US given it also had a twin turbo motor. I would also agree that the 225 and 430 were much better cars than the Bi-turbo but it was too late for the brand to survive on it's own. Dealerships shunned them new or used. You could not even use your Bi-turbo for a trade in for a new car in many circumstances. Under these conditions, new car sales are just impossible.

It was not until Maserati came under Ferrari's brand and dealerships that any Maserati car could have a chance in the US market. LdM decided that without a re-engineering of the 3200 with a completely new drivetrain and adding a Spider version did the car have any chance. He was right.

Just look at Alfa Romeo after the Milano and 164 and you'll understand what screwing up a brand can do long term to car sales in the US market. Alfa has yet to recover 15 years later. Maserati shunned it's past in less than 5.

Honestly, given the reputation for the Maserati cars of the 80's, its remarkable that the brand has done as well as it has since then. Just look at how many other once well loved brands have fallen away in the past 10 years, including Saab just last week. We should all be thankful that the brand "Maserati" is still with us. It could have been much different.

 

Why don't we start with a list of which Maserati's you've owned?

BTW, the Fiat era Maserati's would include the Ghibli II, QPIV and 3200GT. These cars were far from perfect but were much better received in europe than the limited Biturbo series was here. Even Biturbo series cars can be made to run well and reliably but that rarely happened here. I agree that for a re-launch in the USA they needed a major upgrade and I think Ferrari mostly achieved that. I just find the Coupe/Spider a bit bland looking and a boring car compared to the earlier models. I haven't tried a GranSport so I'll reserve judgement on that one. And no one thinks much of Chrysler debacle. With the Lamborghini and Maserati deals I think Iacocca was just trying to invade Italy.

 

This is the first Maserati I've owned, but definately not my last, thank you.

My opinion is only that 1980s and 90s Maseratis did not live up to their lineage and hurt the brand's reputation. Their design was too mainstream. On the plus side, I admit, they did keep the brand name from extinction. They may have been decent cars, but Maserati is not about decent, it's about passion. It's about standing out. It's about having the confidence to be different. The 3200 and subsiquent 4200 series were a lot better. But the GranTurismo is unmistakable. There is no mistaking a GranTurismo for a Honda/Acura/Nissan/whatever.

When you set such high standards for so long, simply being slightly above average is not good enough.

Regardless, I don't think anyone can dispute the fact that Maserati is back on the right track. Each model that has been introduced over the last 10 years has been better than the previous.

 

purchased in dec. of 02. love everything about my car. The worst experience was dealing with a crooked dealer. JUST AWFUL. First was a bad clutch design, compounded by a really bad dealer. That was is the only real issue. 25000 miles later i love my car. BTW it is one of 26 Maserati that i own. I know mom told me i have a problem as well.

 

Andrew, I think it's great that you love your current Maserati and I would agree that from a technical real world useable car standpoint Maserati is now making the best cars they ever have. Period! Let's hope the niche they've picked allows them to survive. Some would like to see other sorts of models from Maserati but I don't think that's very realistic. The new 4 seat convertible is an awfully nice looking car but not one I'd want and that's fine.

I don't think it's necessary to describe previous models (none of which you've owned and probably not driven) in the way you have. Once you have I'll listen but otherwise you're parroting what's a fairly familiar line of reasoning heard with much more frequency in the US.

I think that's what Gabriel was alluding to. Some of us get tired of that. Maybe we get a bit defensive?

I know of many collectors who've owned 60's => 70's Ferrari's, Lamborghini's and Maserati's that also have or currently enjoy their Detomaso & Fiat era Maserati's.

Perhaps once you've owned a few of the cars you're so decidely describing it's possible your opinions of some of them might change?

But the important thing is to keep enjoying your Maserati and hope that they are able to continue the good work on the new cars!

Bob S.

 

the Merak SS stands out for driver satification, for me. sure my Bora is a sound and driver experience major difference and the Indys are cruiser highway cars. The BiT are fun. BUT the Meraks are so driver feed back.