Maserati?

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Well, I think it looks pretty damn sexy. But how good is it, really? How good are Maseratis in general, when looked at in the context of other comparable car brands?

Personally I like Maserati... it's what you buy when you don't want to be all mainstream in a Ferrari or Bentley.

That said: their product line is getting, frankly, a little long in the tooth... and they were never on the front of the technology curve to begin with: most of their mechanicals and tech tends to be hand-me-downs from the rest of the FIAT group. So they're never going to gbe as sharp as a Ferrari, Aston or Bentley either... and they tend to lean toward the GT end of the market anyway.

That isn't a bad thing (with a personal bias: GTs are pretty much my favorite market segment - I will happily trade a bit of ultimate poise for the ability to chew miles)... so if you need to cross a continent in a hurry with comfort and style Maserati is perfect.

Short version: no they're not the best cars out there, but they fill a niche and particular set of emotional wants and in that context they're excellent.

Over the decades they haven't earned a terrific record for reliabilty, but Maserati owners are usually not the type to care. If the car breaks down just call the mechanic to pick it up and the helicopter to pick you up.

As with all manufacturers, the reliability has improved massively in the last few years.

There was a reason I chose the Maserati Gran Turismo as the subject for my Most Beautiful Car in the World thread.

Then they went and did a cabriolet version. *faint*

Once Ferrari took control of Maserati, things improved. They developed a common V8 and V12 engine family and Ferrari replaced all the tooling at Maserati's factory, which greatly improved build quality.


Like Alfisti, I'm all about the Grand Tourer and have chosen such cars over their more sportier peers. I am all about the new Aston Martin Vanquish.

Professor Voodoo wrote:Over the decades they haven't earned a terrific record for reliabilty...

To be fair, this could be said for anything built in Italy.

Alfisti wrote:

Professor Voodoo wrote:Over the decades they haven't earned a terrific record for reliabilty...

To be fair, this could be said for anything built in Italy.

Yeah, but they make up for it by having passion, heart and soul.

(places three quid in the Top Gear Italian Car Road Test Cliche Swear Box)