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questions and advice on purchasing 2005 Coupe Cambiocorsa

Discussion in 'Maserati' started by Technocrat, Sep 5, 2019.

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  1. Technocrat

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    Furqan M
    #1 Technocrat, Sep 5, 2019
    Hello all!


    I am happy to finally be apart of this wonderful forum, I have been lurking for years and love these cars. My friend has one of these cars and I loved the ride, but I haven't had the pleasure of owning one or driving it long distance to really get a feel in it. I was wondering if any of you could please answer some general questions I had regarding 2004-2005 Coupe Cambiocorsa.


    I am currently looking to buy a 2005 Black with Orange leather interior Cambiocorsa, it's got very low mileage on it, about 35k and it has only ever had 2 owners. It was always maintained in the Maserati or Ferrari dealership and the clutch has never been replaced and it has had an inspection done and the Clutch was not recommended to be replaced, so I would say it's in good condition.


    Now on to my questions!


    1. I know this car is rare, there were about 5,000 made of this year, and the previous year was like 4k I believe. Is it really a head turner though or do you get attention driving it?
    2. I've heard various annoyances regarding the transmission, even my friend said his transmission is kinda laggy or takes its sweet time to change gears in the first few gears or isn't as snappy as it could be. Is this common? Is it that noticeable? Does it make the ride unpleasurable?
    3. How to properly maintain the interior and the leather so it doesn't get damaged or sunburned or worn? My parents recommended that I put seat covers on it, but I feel like that kind of defeats the purpose, thoughts?
    4. Also from what I have experienced, synthetic leather rips whereas the leather in the Maserati is real and cracks or fades in color and will rip less often unless damaged or badly sunburned, is this true?
    5. What causes the sticky button issues I hear about? Sun damage, use? Normal wear and tear? How can you prevent this from happening?
    6. Is the car difficult to sell? I don't know why but I have seen about 5-8 of these cars for sale dropping in price significantly over the course of months, sometimes even $5k to $10k to sell it off. Is it because it's problematic? Or just because it's rare and not a lot of people want it? Or are people scared by the maintenance? Why do you think the price plummets so hard?
    7. I have a choice between this car (Maserati Coupe 2005 Cambiocorsa, low mileage) or a Mercedes (SL600 2006 model, emerald color, low mileage). The Mercedes is faster by about 100 more horsepower and has a V12 biturbo engine. Do you all have thoughts in comparisons on the drive, and also including answers with the same questions I have above? (for example, Mercedes is too common, doesn't turn any heads; is not as fun of a ride; doesn't feel luxurious enough; has more problems or higher maintenance fees, etc...)

    This will be my first luxury/car/sports car and so although I am excited, I am equally as skeptical and cautious.

    I have driven motorcycles (GSXR 1000, Suzuki SV650) and point A to point B commuting sedans (Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Santa Fe, Subaru Legacy, Toyota Tercel) my whole life.


    I finally just want this change and I hope it's an exciting one, any help, tips, and suggestions are welcome regardless of how harsh, or constructive it is.


    Thank you!
     
  2. flat_plane_eddie

    flat_plane_eddie Formula 3
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    #2 flat_plane_eddie, Sep 5, 2019
    Hi and welcome to the forum.

    35k miles is not very low mileage, it's not quite high but it's getting there. If the clutch has not been replaced it will need to in the future. They told you it doesn't need to be replaced but when they check there is a clutch readout which tells you what % is left. Regardless, I'm doubting there is a lot left so budget around 6k for that (I think that's the general cost).

    1) The car is rare, you'll get some attention but not like a Ferrari, especially in black. When I had my stick shift Coupe, a lot of women noticed and liked it. I guess it's due to the fact that it's not overly flashy but still a nice car. They also look better in real life than in pics.

    2) The Cambiocorsa transmission is a common complaint. Plenty of that has been written already on this forum and others.

    3) As far as treating the interior, I didn't have mine for longer than a year so I can't tell you long term but I would recommend cleaning and conditioning all the leather once a year. More if you live in a hot climate.

    4) It takes a lot for the leather in these cars to rip but if it does you can fix it. I don't think I've ever seen that, though.

    5) The sticky buttons can be fixed once and for all so don't worry about that too much.

    6) They are difficult to sell. Most buyers are scared of the maintenance and primarily the clutch. If you're spending 15-20k on a car and every repair is $500 to $1,000 it gets kind of annoying. Some people understand that and are OK with it but generally speaking, most people buy at the top of their budget which means spending a lot on repairs is stretching it.

    7) I don't know much about Mercedes V12s except to stay away from them. I've only read up on them a bit and from what I know, they have some very expensive repairs which make the Maserati seem cheap.

    Not sure what your budget is but look towards a GranSport. The transmission has a better software (if I understood correctly) so it's a bit smoother and the clutch lasts longer. Also, they have a better/revised suspension. FW Dynamics makes a good product which you can plug in and it will help with the transmission regardless of which car you buy (Coupe or GS) so keep that in mind.
     
  3. Technocrat

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    #3 Technocrat, Sep 5, 2019
    Great answer, thank you, you answered most of my questions. And you are the first person to recommend not going towards the F1 Cambiocorsa (I did plan on getting the FW Dynamics Module, also I don't plan on driving it that much)
    But is it worth the extra $8k or so to purchase one with decently low miles?
    I like having the option of automatic and manual, but honestly, I don't have much knowledge about the GrandSport at all, can anyone please provide some key differences regarding the feel and experience of the ride of the GranSport vs the CambioCorsa?

    Thank you
     
  4. flat_plane_eddie

    flat_plane_eddie Formula 3
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    #4 flat_plane_eddie, Sep 5, 2019
    I've owned a few cars over the last 8-9 years and for many of them I was cheap and wanted a bargain even if it had high mileage. Well that's cheaper to buy but it also bites you when it's time to sell. So now I just stick to lower mileage cars. I honestly don't think the difference between a low mileage and high mileage Coupe is 8k. More like a high mileage one you can barely sell and a lower mileage variant should be around 16-20k which I would never pay but that's me. I'd rather pony up in the low to mid 20s and get a GranSport.
     
  5. Technocrat

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    #5 Technocrat, Sep 5, 2019
    I found one that was similar GranSport for another $8k - 10k more than the CambioCorsa I was looking at buying.

    Is it that big of a difference between the Cabiocorsa and the GranSport?
    I plan on getting the FW Dynamics Module anyways, so I am hoping to keep the clutch wear down.

    Both cars have a clutch it sounds like, but is getting the CambioCorsa a regret for anyone when buying it versus getting the GranSport?
    It sounds like the GranSport is basically an all around better car to me.
     
  6. flat_plane_eddie

    flat_plane_eddie Formula 3
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    #6 flat_plane_eddie, Sep 5, 2019
    I've seen a lot of differences in the reviews mentioned. There's a thread on here talking about the GranSport and it's pretty much all words of praise which surprised me, especially when some were saying they daily drove the car for 30k miles and the clutch never acted up. What prices are you seeing for the cars you're comparing? I personally wouldn't touch a Coupe F1 with a 100 foot pole.
     
  7. Technocrat

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    #7 Technocrat, Sep 5, 2019
    Also the perfect combination of what I am looking for is: Black exterior, orange interior, red brake calipers, low mileage

    So I am seeing the following:

    2005 CambioCorsa; Black exterior, Orange Interior; normal black brake calipers; 30k miles; $14,000
    2006 Maserati GranSport LE; Black outside; Black interior (don't like this);Red brake caliper (sexy); 28k miles; $20,000
    2006 Maserati GranSport; black exterior; Orange Interior; red brake calipers; 59k miles; $19,600
    2006 Maserati GranSport; black exterior; black leather on the border and beige/cream on the seat itself (some type of fuzzy material for dashboard); red brake calipers; 47k miles; $25,500
    2006 Maserati GranSport convertible; only 2 seats (no 4 seats); Ferrari red exterior; biege/cream interior leather; red brake calipers; 27k miles, $16,000

    Thoughts?
    Most of these are well taken care of, the 3rth guy with the black exterior and orange interior said that it's always been dealer serviced, garage kept, well maintained, etc...
     
  8. flat_plane_eddie

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    #8 flat_plane_eddie, Sep 6, 2019
    If you like the orange interior go for the GranSport that has it, especially since he said it was well maintained and probably has records to show it. I'm sure these prices are also a bit flexible.
     
  9. Technocrat

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    #9 Technocrat, Sep 6, 2019
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2019
    I think I understand now where most of the issues come from doing a lot of research and reading many forum posts.
    I don't plan on making this a daily driver for my either, even though it can be. I bought a 2013 Hyundai Elantra new and it is now 2019 and it has 35k miles. So that should tell you something, I really don't drive much, and I have a SUV for road trips. So it will be something for fun, something to show off, and something that can scream classy and fun to have a blast with!
    My dad used to have a Corvette C6 Grand Prix Edition, it was nice and got a ton of attention because of the paint job, it had the Grand Prix flag across the hood on a full yellow body. But it was new, and it was still under warranty. Also it was my dad's not mine, but we barely did any maintenance for that car. In-fact that far wasn't driven very often at all, the biggest issue with that car was that it kept dying, we had to keep jumping it, or trickle charging it, or keep replacing a dead battery. Even a week without driving it and it was dying on us.

    The biggest reasons I am hesitant is because of 1 known and 1 unknown:
    1) No warranty on the Maserati
    2) Never owned a Luxury vehicle so I don't know what the maintenance would be like.

    You bought a new Maserati '05 Spyder with lowish mileage what do you think your projected costs would be over the next 5 years? Just a $ estimate, because I've never had to pay a ton for any cars I've owned, for all I know it might not be as much as I think (maybe I'm just overthinking it), or I'm dead wrong.

    But I can guarantee that I have other vehicles and drive less than 90% of the population, my job is about 1 mile from my house.

    So maybe that clears up the air a little more about my background, I am also debt free (except for my house). I got a brand new 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Ultimate (7 seats SUV) for around 48k and paid that off in about a year or so.

    So hopefully the people on this forum can figure out the budget I'm working with, but 20k for this car isn't the big deal to me, it's the outrageous numbers that will end up being 4X the cost of the car in 5 years or something is what I'm scared about. I have definitely heard worse about BMW.

    I do have a mechanic though who works on luxury vehicles, he will undoubtedly be cheaper than the dealership, hopefully he's able to get the parts. I heard you can't get any parts except for the dealer, so that confused me a bit.

    My intention is not the same as a normal racer or someone who wants to abuse the vehice. I see myself buying a 2005/2006 GranSport, driving in automatic almost all of the time, and babying the heck out of it except for the occasional revs or accelerating for fun up freeway ramps, etc...

    I live in Utah, so snow and rain and things like that here, I can't abuse the car that much anyways during certain seasons, but it will be babied for sure.


    So hopefully that was able to shed some more light on where I'm coming from

    Edit:

    Here's what the owner said about the one I am interested in buying

    It's got 60k miles on it:



    These are rare cars, only about 2500 made! Adult owned, never raced and always top-notch services on a regular basis! Always kept indoors. This a beautiful example of a wonderful car that is excellent for long trips or spirited driving. The interior is in excellent condition. It even has the leather headliner option and has 0 sagging anywhere. It has been a pleasure to own but due to other obligations I have decided to sell her. The car is registered in Minnesota but is currently located in Scranton, PA (here for business temporarily). The car is available for in person viewing.Recent work:clutch assembly (all original Ferrari parts) less then 3k miles!Custom items:Custom exhaust - SS down pipes and modified OEM rear boxes (these engines come very restricted from the factory and this modification added significantly to the powerband, some have seen up to 450hp from similar mods)Custom machined Avant Garde wheels 19x8.5 front and 19x11 rear with new tires (235-35 & 295-30)

    2006 Maserati GranSport; red brake calipers; 60k miles; $20k, black exterior, orange interior leather

    Thoughts?
     
  10. flat_plane_eddie

    flat_plane_eddie Formula 3
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    #10 flat_plane_eddie, Sep 6, 2019
    Well the first thing you need to understand is that it will cost you money. Some might cost less, some might cost more but a luxury and especially Italian car will definitely cost. Budget $5k a year and you most likely won't use that but it's always better to overestimate how much you'll spend and then spend less. The clutch is the most expensive thing on these cars with the exception of some major engine damage.

    The fact that you paid your $48k SUV off in a year or so tells me you're making enough money to afford it BUT don't go into this thinking you won't spend money. Your independent mechanic will be able to help you and you can get parts online, don't have to go to the dealer. The only thing you'll have to do at the dealer if your mechanic doesn't have the tool is program/adjust the clutch PIS setting. You can research Utah (I'm guessing SLC?) for a Ferrari mechanic though and then call them to see if they have the special software/tool required for this. If not, expect a dealer visit.

    If you do end up buying any sort of automated single clutch vehicle, don't baby it and don't drive it in automatic. That will cause the clutch to wear out faster since the computer is slipping it to make it smooth. When you drive it (the FD chip does this automatically), put it in sport mode and when you need to move, be firm with the pedal so the clutch grabs and doesn't slip. You can read more tips on how to drive an automated single clutch transmission from the countless threads here and on the Maserati forum.

    Last but not least, it's not a race car, it's a grand touring car. Just a personal pet peeve of mine when people say that. Even most Ferraris are not race cars as they're way softer and made to be somewhat comfortable. What I wanted to say is that I wouldn't buy one of these with 60k miles. I've already mentioned some of my reasoning in a previous post but after having owned low mileage and high mileage examples, I'm sticking to lower mileage. And at 20k, it's overpriced. The car is worth 15k, maybe 17k if the clutch was done recently.
     
  11. flat_plane_eddie

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    #11 flat_plane_eddie, Sep 6, 2019
    I just reread your post and saw the car has 3k miles on the clutch. OK that's good. SS down pipes I'm assuming means straight pipes with no cats? If so that will be a bit louder. I'm also not a fan of aftermarket rims on these but that's a personal choice. I think the OEM rims look quite good. My opinion still remains that 20k is too much.
     
  12. Technocrat

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    #12 Technocrat, Sep 6, 2019
    Thank you!
    So far you have definitely proved that people on the forums are so very helpful.
    I will try to contact him and knock down the price. Like many people have said on the forums reading around, it's better to get a low mileage GranSport after all so you can take care of it.

    The one I really want has 60k mileage

    But there's one that's the same price at 28k mileage. So less than half, but I hate the black interior, I love the orange/beige interior, it just looks so classy!

    If I did get this black one for the sake of mileage, how much would it cost to change the interior seats? Or do you think it's best for me to just wait a few months and see if something comes along that has the biege/orange interior leather and low mileage?

    I feel like getting these cars in low mileage is a very rare thing now because as years go on, they're being sold and sold and stuff. I don't want to miss the opportunity, but at the same time, I don't want to get something like this if I am not going to be 100% happy with it. You know what I mean?

    I'll try to get him down to at least $15-17k
     
  13. flat_plane_eddie

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    #13 flat_plane_eddie, Sep 6, 2019
    You're welcome. By orange interior do you mean tan? If so, that's a fairly common color. I'm not sure how common black/tan is but it's not extremely rare either. I wouldn't consider the one with 60k honestly, would rather just wait for a lower mileage example.
     
  14. Technocrat

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    #14 Technocrat, Sep 8, 2019
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2019
    Here's the example Flat_Plane_Eddit

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    I would love to buy this car if the mileage was lower. It's unfortunate.

    Edit:
    Also side note, how much would it cost to repurpose the engine if it fails or leaks oils and gets backed up?

    My brother owns a 3000 GT, and we were discussing how when his car's engine started having issues, it's impossible to get a new engine for his car, so he took it to his mechanic and paid like $5k to get the engine "repurposed" or something where he took the engine apart and cleaned it up and stuff and put it back together and it's like running as good as new.


    I'm not as technical as I want to be with cars, but it was definitely something I was curious about.
     
  15. TBigs

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    #15 TBigs, Sep 8, 2019
    These engines are bullet proof. There are other things to worry about long before the engine.

    Weak points of concern are cats, heater core, and F1 pump, especially on the earlier cars. There are fixes for all of these, some are even cheap fixes. One issue I had with my GS was a bearing in the torque tube needed replacement. The normal thing to do is replace the torque tube, but this part is no longer available. The solution was to replace the bearing, so it wasn't the end of the world.

    Just get a good well-kept car, keep up on the maintenance, and be proactive about issues as they come up, and you will be very happy. In 7 years or so, my GS never let me down. Best car I have ever owned. And it was even the only car I owned for a significant part of that time.

    PS - those usable back seats were very handy!
     
  16. flat_plane_eddie

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    #16 flat_plane_eddie, Sep 8, 2019
    Wait out for a lower mileage example. That car looks alright but you'll find a better one. Just make sure maintenance has been kept up on it. You can't get new engines for them (I think) but used engines are pretty cheap for them. That's just worst case scenario in case something horrible happens. However, they're quite robust and the block was used on 430s and 458s, as well.

    As a random side note, these cars are the reason why I started looking at Ferraris. I saw one at a car show with the hood open and they have, in my opinion, the best engine presentation of pretty much any modern car. I just sat and stared at the engine for 15 minutes probably. They're stunning in person.
     
  17. Technocrat

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    #17 Technocrat, Sep 10, 2019 at 3:57 PM
    Sounds great. I will wait it out and try to see when one comes along with my exact interior and exterior.

    Thanks again for all the help!
     
    flat_plane_eddie likes this.

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