SoCalSC4

I still can't get excited about the 911. While I respect the engineering that went into it and the car performs well, it was never one of those "aspiration cars" I fantasized about as a kid.

For $90K, I guess I'd rather have something that looks a bit more unique... in fairness, we see 911s all the time here in the OC. It's practially like driving a Camry; you blend into traffic with this car, especially in silver, black or white.

For a few bucks more, I'd be in a new Vantage V8 or a preowned Ferrari 360.
Parked next to a Maserati Quattroporte, of course!

On this "new" 911, they screwed-up the taillights, but the front bumper looks better.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Don't want a daily driver then. A 911 can be driven every day, and while its maintenance isn't cheap, it's PEANUTS compared to maintenance costs on a Ferrari.

Another paragon of reliability. (not)

Richie

LOL, the new Masaratis use Ferrari mechanicals. Not as bad as they where in the 80's by a long shot.

Kevin@MVP

Hmm, I notice some Maserati reliability bashing so let me chime in on some personal experience. I also operate MVP's Maserati division so as I deal with Lexus owner's on a daily basis I also deal with Maserati owners, and I'm a proud owner of a 2006 Maserati Coupe GT and have owned a 2002 Maserati Spyder Cambiocorsa. I see alot of rumors on the internet about Maseratis reliability and I believe it spawned from the unreliable cars they have had in the past that has tarnished their reputation.

However, the Maserati 4200 is a very reliable car, I use mine as a daily driver and you can bash it all you want but I drive mine about 2,000 miles per month. I pay about $500 for service every 6,000 miles and that's counting my time as labor at $75/hour. The car is rock solid, I have 4 customers that have had lemons and all 4 of them are back in Maserati's and happier then ever. I drive my car from Texas to Oklahoma every weekend and if I get stranded which has yet to happen Maserati Roadside assistance will pick me up and give me a new Gransport while they fix mine, can't complain about that.

Problems the Maserati has? Well the cambiocorsa model gets pre-mature wear on the pump but Maserati will cover this under warranty, once your out of warranty figure you change it every 25-30k miles and it's a $1,000 part. The clutch on the cambiocorsa will also wear out fairly fast if you don't drive it properly, then again this isn't a reliability issue, it's a user error issue.

We've also got a Ferrari 360 shop car and we had a 996 turbo at one point. The 360 is much more expensive to maintain due to the timing belt however the 996 was much more unreliable and actually cost more in the end, maybe other people's experience will differ but I think daily driving an F430 is a great idea because of timing chains. The 360 due to belts will cost more but if you don't mind the timing belt change it's really not a bad daily driver. But I still think it's a little ignorant to say that the Porsche cost peanuts compared to the Ferrari because Porsches aren't exactly that cheap to own either, parts are as bad as Ferrari.

Do either of the two people who bashed on the Maserati care to share their PERSONAL experience and not some rumor they heard from their uncle's dogwalker's sister? I don't claim to be the biggest Maserati expert in the world but I can say that what is coming out of my mouth is based on experience and not rumors. I may sound bitter in this post so I apologize for that but it seems I dispell this rumor on a daily basis.








Cheers,

Kevin

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

First off, welcome Kevin and thanks for your post.

You're right, I have neither driven, nor owned a Maserati, and yes, my opinions are based on what I've read, heard, and it's no doubt incorrect. Sorry for any hard feelings. It's probably like the reputation British electrical systems have. The days of old Lucas systems are long past but the reputation continues! I have a book titled "Quality is free," a good read because we can see the COST of quality problems here, that can go on and on and on long after the original problems have been solved.

About the maintenance costs of Porsches, Ferraris and the like, I somehow doubt I'll ever have those problems to deal with although I have friends with those cars who can buy and sell me all day long so more power to 'em!

Kevin@MVP

No problem, wasn't looking for an apology really I just like to be as informative as possible about the reliability of Ferrari/Maserati because most of the modern cars are very practical (with the exception of the F355).

On a side note, you'd be suprised how cheap some of the cars are. You can pick up a Maserati that's pre-owned for $38-45k, that's less than many of you have into the Lexus. Of course the Maserati is not a car for everybody and the transmission does take some getting used to but if you ever have an Italian desire it is the most practical Italian car to own and when you consider the overall package you get for that price it's hard to pass up!

Regards,

Kevin