Wachuko

I also want a Maserati Gran Turismo... will have to wait until those come down in price in the used market. And yes, you need to be careful not to get into one with an F1 tranny... the ones to buy are the one with the normal automatic. Those seem to be bullet proof.

Same goes for the Quattroporte... avoid the F1 tranny... best to go with the normal auto cars (I think those started coming out in '07).

Nobody does interiors like the Italian... works of art.

pcar928fan

Ah Ha, Now we are getting somewhere! SO, it is the Turismo S's that are the problem. They have the bigger more powerful engine and the TRUE F1 tranny... the first non-S GranTurismo's used the regular auto box and THAT is what I drove and feel in love with! So I have to look at the older cheaper cars then. How convenient! Looks EVERY BIT as good, runs near as fast, and does not have a problematic trans! I like it even more! I bet that is why World Class Driving never had any problems with their car, it was the early one. Thanks for the heads up on that!

Fabio421

From Maserati's website.

Maserati Spyder Cambiocorsa
2001-2007Introduced in September 2001 alongside the Spyder GT, the Spyder Cambiocorsa was Maserati's first production car equipped with a F1-style paddle-shift gearshift, technology derived directly from Ferrari’s racing experience. The transaxle electro-activated unit came with four settings: ‘Sport’ for competition style gear changes and faster responses, ‘Auto’ for a fully automatic driving experience, ‘Ice’ which limited the engine throttle for the most treacherous driving conditions, and ‘Normal’ to optimize the smoothness of the gear change and enhanced fuel economy.

Wachuko

Anything with the F1 or Cambiocorsa tranny is the issue. I say this because now they have the Gran Turismo S with a normal auto as well... If I remember correctly, the auto tranny is the same used in the Aston Martin so it is a well proven tranny.

A good site to visit is http://www.maseratilife.com/forums/

Here is a thread there on maintenance costs for that car: http://www.maseratilife.com/forums/s...ead.php?t=7536

not as much traffic as here in rennlist but it is the best site I have found to share on the Maserati experience.

I have driven all the modern Maseratis and can't wait to be able to own one. In my case it has to be a GranTurismo, that car is just a work of art on wheels. It hits all the right spots. And a normal rear seat as a plus, since my children are getting bigger and they are no longer comfortable in the 964... 964 is not going away, I just want to change the wife's BMW 328 for the GT when finances allow...

h20skier

No No...The New Mas GTS is the best they have made by far. It's a pleasure to drive and as nimble as a Mas GT Car could ever be. If I were to recommend any Maserati to anyone with my hours in them. Mas GTS would be number 1 and I think the Maserati Cambiocorsa would be second ( these are well south of $50k now )

h20skier

"derived" is the key word in that phrase. I can't tell you I've read about the tranny's I've only driven them. The Cambiocorsa is a fun car to drive. The QP's and the Maserati GranTourismo's with the issues have a change to them. Anyone looking into these cars needs to look very deeply into their pocket book to make sure anything Maserati put out 2005-2007 ( some 8's ) fits their budget. I can tell you of the Maserati's my friends have owned 35% of them spend as much time in the shop as they do on the road. The one thing the Maserati has in common more than anything with Ferrari is the HOURLY SHOP RATE. Do your homework before you put one in the garage.

I still think though we are way off the OP's question that a Toyota Supra type car fits the 20k budget better than anything. They are pretty fast little cars and the maintenance will be nothing compared to a Lotus or Euro car.

Wachuko

+1 Do you remember if your friend's car were manual tranny or the Cambiocorsa? Manual tranny Masseratis and the new automatic seem to have a lot less issues. Like I mentioned earlier, the auto tranny is the same used in the Aston Martin DB9 (made by ZF).

430scud 430spider CS CGT 7gt3rs 993ttS RSA 356Ccab 550 10camaross/rs 69camaroSS miniS D90 36chevcoup 48chevpu 2500gmccrew

That is one sweet car collection!! Enjoy them in good health!! Have you shared photos of those beauties here on Rennlist? Do you drive them all or some are permanent display items? Just curious, I would be walking around the garage every morning or just sitting around the cars shooting the breeze and admiring the engineering. That is, if I am not driving around. I know, I know, there is life, family, work, places to see... but that is a very nice car list...

h20skier

I've never even seen a 6 speed Maserati other than old ones in my life. The first Gransport I drove was idk back in 04 maybe so I can't comment on 6 speeds. I don't even know if they are making 6 speeds in the GTS's now. What I would say is if you can find a decent Gransport for $30-40k it would be the best car under 40k you can buy with a Ferrrai 360 motor and skyhook suspension. The cars are rock solid and stable in the 150's

On my garage thanks for the comments. My Wife and Kids and Family are the big priority. I drive all of the cars alot with over 40,000 miles driven last year. Unfortunately my 993TT S is the last one I ever grab the keys for because of the 4200 miles on it I guess. Sad but true. I put almost 5k miles on all my Ferrari's this past year and my GT3 has over 11k miles on it with my wife autocrossing it a couple weeks ago in the rain I've not posted many pics on rennlist I have a garage thread on 6speed or Teamspeed and my cars are listed in my garage on Fchat.

pcar928fan

What is your Fchat id? I spend some time over there... Hope to have a 360 spider or at very very least a 456 some day in the not so distant future... Was hoping to do that in '09, but it didn't pan out and so far 2010 is not looking much better, but it is still early in the year so anything can happen.

Wachuko

Thank you.

Yes, they stopped manual stick shifts with the Maserati Coupe (almost the same body style as the Gransport). After that it is all Auto or Cambiocorsa in the GranTurismo and Quattroporte.

2002-2007 Coupe:



Gransport:

Joe6pack

I'll jump in. I just sold my '72 Pantera. I paid $22k for it, but it needed interior work and paint. I probably had around $30k in it when I sold it in November. It was definitely one badass car and I will own another someday. I've owned everything from Mustangs to Mercedes, and nothing compares to that car. My wife always complained that it was uncomfortable, smelly and loud to which I would reply "absolutely". Maintenance wasn't bad as long as you weren't doing a restoration. All it really needed was regular fluid changes - not much else. And, they are not as poorly built as everyone is led to believe. A couple of upgrades are all that are needed. But above all WATCH THE RUST. It will kill you. Here are a couple of Pics.

pcar928fan

Always wanted a Pantera and an E-type! Those are my old school throw backs that I really thought I might own someday... Not looking like it now though! LOL! Always liked the TR6's too...

Glenn M

James,
No autos in a TR6, my TR Stag 3.0L SOHC V8 had an auto but I converted it to a 4 spd with OD. Will probably sell the car even though I've had it for almost 20 years. I just don't drive it much anymore. I would rather get the XKE on the road.

My 70 XKE 2+2 has an auto but I have a 4 speed for it and all the bits to convert it. It's my next project after the Strosek. The 2+2 wouldn't be my first choice but the price was right. Advantage is the extra headroom and can fit more stuff into it. I've collected a set of SS headers and tripple carbs for it.

Cheers

pcar928fan

Glenn,

Yea, I know...that lack of auto in the TR6, Pantera and most of the E-types really limits me. At least in the E-types there WERE autos available, and so many folks are like you and trade them out for 4spd or even upgrade to 5spds so the autos are pretty available and affordable (as Jag parts go anyway!)

Not a fan of the 2+2, but understand the money point for sure! They are sort of the last of the "affordable" E-types... We have a SERIOUSLY AWESOME Jag (E-type mostly) restorer down south of Austin towards Dripping Springs and I have stopped by there a few times. The suggestion was the '71/'72 V12...enough Tq to pull the auto and he felt a more reliable car than the early models (if not as beautiful as the SI and S1.5 cars.. ONE OF THESE DAYS!

jayc67

I want a Triumph GT6. Not exactly "super car" but one I've always been interested in.

Don't see them come up for sale often though.....