What do you think about Maserati?

[beepbeep]

Sorry for going a bit off-topic here but I would like to recieve objective info from non-marque forum. (Asking about 911's on 911 forum will mostly get you positive feedback )

I got this weird idea about getting me one of those Maseratis. Ghibli Cup to be more precise. There are wery few around here so there is not much information.

Engine is "mildly tuned" 2-litre twin turbo DOHC V6 with 330hp on tap



It also needs new cambelt every 16000 miles which also means you need to pull out the engine and replace chains that drive other cam bank.

Exterior styling is somewhat edgy, but attractive nevertheless.



Whadayathink?

In my opinion the car is a little between two seats. It's italian but far from the exotics that come to mind when you hear the words italian and sportscar.

Also a Maserati is no altenative to Porsche. Ergonomics, quality, finish etc. is far from Porsche. Looks is a matter of taste, but you can't say that it's a timeless beauty.

[svandamme]

expensive parts? there was a Bi-Turbo in the garage next to my Targa

OEM head gasket : 800 euro
not much aftermarket either, there seems to be one guy selling head gaskets on ebay, in small numbers, and every time he puts something up, folks bid crazy numbers on em...

[69911e]

Be careful of maintenance cost. A friend has a Merak; the prices are obscene.
Headlight switch $3K
brake caliper rebuild kit (only the rubber pieces) $800
needs brakes rebuilt every 2 years
spedo cable unknown cost because not available for past 6 month
etc

[kqw]

Everyone that I know that owned one couldn't get rid of them fast enough...One fellow owned the car for 30 days before getting rid of it. But you can always marry the mechanic's daughter..that may ease or increase the pain of ownership..depends on how you look at it...

[SandyI]

Amazing how generous the seller seems, right? Ready to give you a great deal? There's a reason.

And by the way, that car isn't edgy. It's just plain ugly.

Years ago, my father owned a Ghibli Spyder. What a piece of crap.

What do I really think?

RUN, FOREST, RUN!

[wholberg]

Here is a link to a Maserati discussion forum.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=754

These might be the people to ask.

Personally, the Merak is pretty sexy, nothing else maserati is good enough to wash my Porsche's wheels. That's my opinion (knowingly biased).

[RickM]

There is a Merak SS sitting on blocks in front of a pretty nice house a few miles from me. It's been there for several years. I kind of wonder what's going through the owners heads as the poorly covered shell rots. Do they think they's going to restore and have a pricey collector car? I sure hope not.

The one Maserati I might consider is the Bora. However, it's not without many issues as well.

The six cylinder Merak just doesn't kick enough azz for me.

[HardDrive]

That car looks terrible compared to the beauty of days gone by....

[beepbeep]

Hmmm...hmmm *deep thinking*

I work at bigger car dealership and thus have access to generous wrenching equipment. Dealership owns a chain of stores and one of them is smaller Alfa Romeo shop whose wrenches I talked to todaym fishing for more info.

Talked to a independent Italian mechanic today, he says 2L engines were much more tuned than 2.8L ones and are this high-strung but quite reliable anyway. He also said that rear diff is Ferrari item and should be checked torroughly for leaks, or cubic $$$$$ will be needed to fix it.

Hmm...for some reason I find this car pretty hot. Dunno why...

[coolbeverage]

Man that car looks like ****. It looks like Buick Grand National had sex with a Cadillac El Dorado and this was their off spring. The one thing interesting or unique about these cars are the badge and that makes a owner of one a poser. No one on this list drives a Porsche to be a poser b/c all the guys who do drive Pcars to be posers have no idea this site even exists so you are really asking the wrong crowd this question.

[beepbeep]

Poser or not, it has 330hp 2L engine and goes like stink. I have a weak spot for this kind of weird performance engineering...

[coolbeverage]

I didnt say a word about the grunt of the car man I said it looks like TOTAL ****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[strother]

Hey, man. To each his own, and there is no accounting for taste. If that Maserati caught your eye, you should talk to Maserati afficionados. It is admirable that you wanted an unbiased opinion from Porsche nuts, but if you want to know the skinny on that particular car, you need to hear about it from Maserati drivers.

[SandyI]

Hey, go for it. But a car only goes like stink if it's running. Which that car won't for any extended period of time.

And that red car is a Ghibli. Looks great. Drives like a boat. When it's not broken. Which is all the time.

[RickM]

I don't think the car is bad looking. I just question reliabilty, build quality and ergonomics....the same issues as with many other Italian cars. It was designed to be the 3 series of the Maserati lineup. The same era Quattroporte would've been the 7 series.

[cgarr]

How old are you?? I went thru this same thing when I turned 40!!

Craig

[yelcab1]

I bought a Maserati when I turned 25 and my insurance decreased.
It was the biggest piece of $hit ever made. Well, ferrari owns it now, and they are trying to pass the same $hit off as high end high quality exotics.

Same $hit, different days. Don't even think about it.

[ruf-porsche]

As Charlie Sheen said in the movie No Man's Land, "Italian Trash"

[zefreds]

My best buddy back in France owns a 2.0 twin turbo...he fixed a couple issues himself, let his mechanic fix one of the turbos...
I got to drive it in Paris (street and highway)...this is truly a rocket!...boost is long and sweet...
I don't like much the look...but as he points, that adds to the sleeper look and feel...
As you'd guess he got a great deal on it...but so far, no issues with it, and he is driving it daily.