Why does the Maserati brand get so much respect?

I have read about the problems on the M5 message board that some new owners are having with their e60 M5s...and it does concern me because my current e39 M5 has been trouble free for ~109k miles...it makes me wonder should I just keep mine a little longer...maybe 200k miles...But, after calling several owners it appears the ones having the problems seem to be the 2005 MY cars sold in Europe and very early 2006 MY cars(made in late 2005) sold worldwide including the USA.The later the car is made the more trouble free they appear to be. I have in fact called sevaral oners in the Atlanta area who claim their cars have had no problem whatsoever. So, since my car will be a June 2006 build I believe it will have most if not all the early problems worked out...I guess I will see one way or another?

 

It is not just the early built cars. The old saying is that you don't want cars built on a Monday, Friday or just before or after a holiday. Roll the dice.

 

Also, since there are so many more M5 owners posting on the M5 Messageboard than OP owners posting on this board, the number of M5 problems may just appear more due to the greater number of posts ? The average M5 owner is also more likely to complain on a public forum than a QP owner IMHO...

 

You got your BMW and your still busting chops, reliability is relative. In my experience italian cars have been alot more dependable than German, in your case maybe its the opposite, now you have your German car and enjoy it.

 

I think he's still waiting for delivery. While he's waiting I should go talk to my neighbor who's the project manager of that car here in the USA. Like he'd tell me anything bad. I'm sure most of them will be great cars as will the QPV's.
That poor bastard stuck in Holland over and over again. Complex modern cars are really nasty when they go all naughty.

Suddenly, that new $26k Hyundai they've been advertising lately is looking pretty good to me.

Bob S.

 

Exactly, horror stories are heard on both sides. My friends Mazda just seized its engine with 60000km, it happens to everyone

 

so what are you saying about the average M5 owner being more *****y??

 

it's funny seeing your new post on M5 forum
http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=69553

can't you make up your OWN mind???

 

Interesting thread over on that site. BMW biased of course just as it's Maserati biased over here. Reminds me of the news media in this country (USA). Which propaganda outlet would you like to watch today Mr. Jones?
Good points made on both sites. The part about $5,000/year maintenance is clearly BS at least until it's out of warranty. However, I can't think of a single current BMW that hasn't been f*cked up by Bangle. When I saw the M5 parked in front of my house and looked at it very closely I thought how unremarkable looking. It just does not excite. I see many other German and Japanese cars that are more appealing. I do wish I could drive one though.

Bob S.

 

No, I have an e60 M5 or order... delievery is not expected until June 2006. I love Italian cars too...I have owned 6 Ferraris, 2 Fiats and an Alfa...but, I would never claim that Italian cars are more reliable than German cars...at least not as compared to the BMWs, MBs and Porsches I have owned...

 

It's called 'due diligence', which I always do when buying something new...especially something that cost a hundred grand or more !

 

Never been on track in either, but would say the new 5 is quicker/faster than the QP - particularly in the last 2k of the powerband (though less bottom end than an E39 M5). It is also a bit more nimble. Still, for the way I'd most often use the car, paddle shift v paddle shift, I'd go QP all day long based on subjective preference for interior, exterior and sound. Again subjectively, I'd take a new 5 with a stick shift over either, and would wait till Sept/Oct for the opportunity. A QP w/a 12 and a gated manual might be fun, too, if they'd throw one of those together. Oh, and either car will break. Or not. I've a friend w/a QP, one of the first, used as a daily and has only replaced tires (car isn't babied). I know of an E39 M5 that went through four Vanos and one tranny over the course of three years, and another that went three years trouble-free w/the same owner. Roll your dice ... er ... keep asking around.

 

LOL. due diligence. LOL.

how much does an average lawyer make in the US in a year?
a hundred grand should really be nothing.
you bill what? $200-$500 an hour?

you debated with yourself for 14 months.
get off the boards and work just 10 minutes more a day and you can already afford buy both a QP and M5.

 

"What do you drive?"
"A BMW".

"What do you drive?"
"A Maserati".

Case closed

 

If you put it that way, the M5 leaps ahead by a large margin...haha...I'm still thinking and will not likely make my final decision until I get the call from my BMW dealer saying the car is ready to pick up...

 

Here is my post of the M5 board as to my dilemma between the M5 and QP...http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=69553

 

Maybe in your mind, but not in that of most people. Here's a question for you, how many current BMW owners do you think have ever owned a Maserati vs how many current Maserati owners have ever owned a BMW>

BTW just to set the record straight. In its price catagory the Maserati Quattroporte out sells both BMW & Mercedes Benz.

Joe

 

read a few threads up (#83)...
stop quoting something we already know.

count the people you know that owns an M5 compare to the people who owns a Maserati. large margin because it is a popular car?

 

I'm not too sure about that with the currect QP verses the new e60 M5? ...at least not on a per year basis...FYI, BMW claims they only make ~2000 M5s per year...how many QPs does Maserati make a year?...I doo not know the answer to that question... Of course I know more people with M5s as BMW has been making M5s for over a decade...but, then again Maserati has been making QPs for decades too(although they only came back to the USA with the latest model), except most of them have not survived for those decades and are now in the junk yard...

 

They made 1,550 last year IIRC

 

there was a poll on the m5board asking if their m5's have been problematic, about 35% said yes, now mister parferke, with all your wisdom and diligence, wouldnt you stay away from a car with such a high percentage?

 

Here's an excerpt from Business week of an interview with James Selwa


JS: Yes, North America represents over 40 percent of the worldwide volume for Maserati. In 2005, we sold 2,100 cars, about 1,550 Quattroporte's, the balance in Coupe, Spyder and GranSport models. Our sales target for 2006 is roughly the same as 2005.

MB: The Quattroporte has been on sale for a year now, how is it doing?

JS: It is remarkable how far it has come in a very short time. In fact for 2005 it's gone from being a brand new entry to finishing 2005 leading its segment with a 33% share of the market for sedans with a base MSRP between US$100,000 and US$200,000. The individual models included in the grouping were the BMW 760, Mercedes S600, S55 and S65 and the Bentley Flying Spur.

 

I'm confident that they will continue to sell all they make...the QP is a beautiful car that sounds wonderful...one of the best sounding cars made IMHO. I just wish the back seat was a little bigger and I could get over my reliability and depreciation concerns.

 

For those that prefer Korbel over Veuve Cliquot, Clarks over Testoni, Stafford over Gieves and Hawkes, and TGI Fridays over La Cote Basque perhaps....

Come on old chap, it's not too late, leave that German appliance in the store with the Bauknecht and the Miele and get yourself a piece of art. Will it infuriate at times? Possibly, perhaps even likely. Will it excite and invigorate? A retorical question. You know that you really want the Maserati. You are in an Italian car forum after all...

 

All these cars depreciate. Merc, Jag, BMW, Audi. My Park Avenue went from $30k to $2k in 10 years (when I bought it heh heh). If it bothers you wait two years and get a low milage used one, and let someone else pay the depreciation. Rear seats are for children, in-laws and gym bags. Who cares how big they are. You want that Maser. You know you do