Maserati owners - please provide your feedback

Please call me on my cell at 405-410-8149 later this evening and I will tell you anything you want to know about this car. Just make sure it's after 8:00 p.m. central as I am busy before then.

It would literally take me 4 hours to type up a review.

 

I assume its a 2003. Ask the dealer for amount of clutch wear as some of the earlier models showed signs of early wear. Otherwise, not too much else to worry about, it is an awsome car. It doesn't handle as well as a Porsche or an M3 but the interior and the exhaust note well make up for it. Once you buy it, DO lower the car and DO upgrade the exhaust.

 

I liked the car enough to buy. Spider, cambiocorsa, loaded. Then I disliked it enough after nine months that Ferrari N.A. bought it back from me.

 

I've had my 2004 coupe for over a year now (12,000 miles) with not one problem. None.

The only time I took it to service, other than regular service, was when someone stole the emblem off the grill.

I think they refined the cambrio from 2003-2004. Then again, I received a brochure today and they mention the 2005 shifts quicker than the 2004.

you can easily drive it daily, depending on what you do. If you drive to and from work its no problem.

The tubi is also a must.

 

Go for it. Did not have one single issue with my 2004 Spyder in my one year of ownership. Out of the couple dozen cars I have owned over the years it was by far the most fun and a car that really stood out and got comments on just about every single drive. Made a huge mistake getting rid of it to soon and am thinking of buying another new one before they take the Ferrari engine out of it. Got a big package delivered by Federal express the other day from Maserati with their new brochure and something about getting 10,000 off a new one due to owner loyalty. Plan on going to dealership soon to try and work out a deal to get a spring delivery.

 

Its funny because I lemon lawed my spider and I still got the fedex package with the $10k rebate offer! Notice its for the 2005 model year only... I had my car for 9 months and it was in the dealer for 72 days, they never got the car right. 6000 miles, three clutches, several cambiocorsa programs later, it never ran right, check engine lights, parts falling off (no joke), water leaks, brake problems, top not working, etc... I got so mad at the car I actually yanked it out of the dealer and drove it w/o the top working for two months.

Other than that it was a lovely car with lots of potential...

 

Go for the Gransport this time Scott.

 

Uh, same for me, but i managed to make it last for 3 years !

Frankly, what made me crazy was that the car was flawed.
Such a shame. A gorgeous engine, a great interior design, but then all these problems....
Too strong shocks, too weak anti-roll bars etc etc....

 

Just curious, has anyone that bought one of these new Maseratis. Was this Maserati your first Italian exotic? Or did you own other exotics before (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati?)

Joe

 

Was my first. Had owned Porsche, BMW M cars and many others but found the Maserati truly special compared to any of those

 

I bought a 2004 coupe new. Past cars were Jaguars (2) and before that a lexus. Lexus was too old lady and jag was nice but I wanted something else.

Was originally considering a Ferrari: the 98 or 99 355 route, then I saw the maserati and bought it instead. Hopefully I can get on some 2-3 year list with FOBH.

 

So it seems like the people that bought the new Maserati Coupe & Spyders are first time Italian exotic car owners. Some how that is what I suspected.


Joe

 

I got out of a M3. Not quite the exotic, but you can really beat up on those Germans and they'll still be loyal. Italians are another thing.
Next car will hopefully be an AM V8, but I'm waiting to see what the next e90 M3 will look like.

 

Bought the Maserati after a string of Alfas and 2 Ferraris. I have not bought a new sports car in a while. I cannot afford the new car depreciation. I let the first guy take the big hit. On my 6 speed coupe, it meant that my discount was about 30 percent for the 3200 miles the first onwer put on. After a year, I am just below 10K miles (6 miles to work), and probably could sell for close to my purchase price. I have had some minor glitches, but nothing that would cause me to throw it out of the garage.
I will be selling it before December of 2006, right before the warranty expires. Boxster, Vette, Saleen Stang convert would be the pedestrian Maserati replacements, or if the stock does a little better, a Gallardo. I am keeping the vintage Ferrari for now...

 

I was looking at the Maseratis also, but I now have my eye on the Qvale Mangusta. There's something that keeps on pulling me closer and closer to that car every time. BTW this would also be my first italian car.

 

Just be aware that you would be buying a car with the 2001 Ford Mustang Cobra engine, i.e. the non-supercharged, aluminum block DOHC V8.

For 2003-4 the FMCs got an iron-block, supercharged version of the same engine with far more hp & torque.

This doesn't detract from the Italian-unique bodywork & interior of the Mangusta, but it may impact that car's resale value.

 

My 2004 Coupe is a model of reliability. Never had a problem with it and fit and finish is still top notch. Some minor quibbles remain, such as the jerkiness of the cambiocorsa and the fact that it doesn't blip on downshifts. Mine, regretably, is not skyhook equipped, so the stance is a bit too high, for my liking, and it leans quite a bit in corners.

I never planned on getting a Maserati. I had my eye on the 645csi, which at that time was just released. I wasn't too impressed with it so the dealer, who also carries Maserati, tempted me with it. I baught it without a test drive and haven't regreted that decision yet.

It's my first Italian car and, as a Porsche enthusiast, I have to admit that the Maserati has its own special blend of charms that make me hold on to it.

 

Bought ours new -- '05 CC Coupe. Was not our first Italian car though -- owned a 308 QV, a Testarossa, and a F355 Berlinetta previously.

Switched over to the Maserati for a variety of reasons: owned by Ferrari, had similar performance output as the 355, CC tranny (so wife could drive), 4-seater (so kids could ride along), no more "belt" services, 4-year warranty, very classy coupe, etc.

Ended up trading the car shortly thereafter for a variety of reasons: build quality lacking for a car in this price range, tired of driving 2 hours to the nearest dealer for service, CC tranny failure indicator light kept coming on, wife never grew accustomed to the CC tranny (too jerky around town, especially in auto. mode), Ferrari sells Maserati which left us very uncertain with long term ownership, then these cars started depreciating rapidly from new, etc.

I really liked the car in many respects, and hated to part with it, but it just wasn't a keeper. If I had it to do all over again, I'd go with a used, manual Spyder GT version -- and may still do just that down the road -- who knows...

 

I had a 2002 CambioCorsa and also experienced the jerkiness of the shifting. After a few months, however, I had a Tubi exhaust installed (for the sound). Much to my surprise & pleasure, it also smoothed out the jerkiness, and the CambioCorsa became as seamless as a regular automatic in both manual and auto modes.

Maserati of San Francisco called Maserati North America about this, and MBA said yes, they had heard several reports of this. No definitive explanation, but they suspected it had something to do with the Tubi's lesser back-pressure.

So my suggestion is that if you have a CC with standard exhaust & are annoyed by the jerkiness, install a Tubi. It's not cheap - about $3K installed - but you will get both a marvelous exhaust note and a nice transmission.

 

Clutch "wear" readout can be reset to zero by mechanics. It actually tells you the amount of "travel" in the clutch. Ensure there have been no clutch adjustments in service history.

The clutch has been reported as lasting 65,000 km(with careful use!) so this could be an original clutch.

 

Thanks for the info! I'll take that into consideration.