Maserati Coupe VS Porsche 911..tell me what you think

First of all welcome to Ferrarichat, I hope you enjoy your stay.

I have never owned a Porsche but my Maserati was completely trouble free, the only problem I had was random flickering dash lights but the dealer said they would fix it if I took it in, I just thought 200 miles to the nearest dealer was a waste of time for some dash lights that would flicker maybe once a week.

After 15,000 miles of aggressive driving my Cambiocorsa clutch still had 30% left on it. Most people have them changed anywhere from every 10-20k miles. If you plan on driving your car we sell carbon carbon clutches for the Maserati which last a very long time (5 years+) and once they go out, it costs about $200-300 to rebuild them. Either way if you decide to stick with the OEM figure every 10-20k miles.

The maintenances are mainly just fluid changes and checking for any problems. Not like Ferrari's where you need an engine out timing belt change every 3-5 years.

No Maserati does not offer an extended warranty program although there are talks of them offering one in the very near future.

A very reputable source that works with Maserati tells me that it's next year. The new Coupe/Spyders will be V6 with a potential for an optional V8. The Gransports will still say in production for people that want the V8 Maserati.

You have nothing to worry about, these cars are very solid, I hear alot of rumors about them from people who have never owned them claiming they are unreliable and while I do have a few customers that have had problems. Maserati was always there to pay for it or have it taken care of in a fair manner. If you lean towards a GT car instead of a Cambiocorsa you will incur even less problems as the majority of occasional problems are often related to the Cambiocorsa transmission.



Let me know if you have anymore questions I've owned a 2002 Spyder CC and am in the market for an 02-03 GT Coupe right now. These cars are wonderful.

 

I had a 996 and a 2002 Coupe GT. I used the 911 as a daily driver and I don't drive the Maserati daily, but I could. The driving experience is extremely different. The 911 was like a well-oiled machine that was more versatile. The Maser is like an old Boss Mustang with great steering and a great body. It is a much more tactile, audible experience. It feels like a heavier car with much more torque, and less comfortable in corners at speed. Overall, I love it and unlike most Porsche owners, I will probably never own another Porsche. My Maser has been more reliable than the Porsche, but I live far from any dealership, so I will not drive it daily.

 

Does your coupe have the manual gear box? How does it compare to the 996?
I am interested in one or the other. I have a chance to drive the 996, but not the Maserati. Your comparison of the two is appreciated.

 

UGH!! Really?!?! A V6 Maserati..I do not approve.

 

Arrowax, you have a PM..

 

For what its worth, I made the following observation while living in Santa Barbara, CA...

1) There were plenty of 911s around town, all driven by guys

2) There were more than a few Maseratis around town, all driven by women.

 

Maserati>Porsche, I'll never go back to a Porsche. Just rev. the engine above 4000rpm and you'll know why.
twk63, it seems that the women in Santa Barbara are on to something the men don't know about.

 

Aren't they usually? ;-)

I would've thought the complete opposite btw. Maybe it was the Desperate Housewives motivation for those women?

 

Therefore: If you want to be noticed by guys, drive a Porsche.

and

If you want to be noticed by Women, drive a Maserati.

 

This is a difficult question and one that I am currently wrestling with as well. I have a 2006 997 S that I ordered to specs last year with all the good options. Without question, it is a great car, but despite its nimble quickness and practicallity, not one to stir my soul. The only vehicles that are more common down here in south Florida are Ford/Chevy/Dodge pick em up trucks and Buicks. The car has been trouble free, as have all my previous Porsches, and is clearly light years superior to its predecessor. The C4-S, especially the 996 version, is even less stimulating. I had one of these as well and traded up to a GT-2 in short order. I am now giving very serious consideration to moving to a GranSport Spyder. I can tell you that short of one of Stuttgarts' more exotic offerings, there is no Porsche that offers the character and excitement of any "equivalent" Italian automobile.
Having had very little personal experience with current Maseratis, an apparent advantage seems to be that it is a much easier car to maintain than its Maranello cousins, especially if the Carbon clutches can provide the longevity presented above. Another worthwhile consideration is the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, but the wait is forever.
I don't know that I have been of much help, but perhaps this will advance the discussion...There clearly are worse delemas, so take your time and enjoy the process.

Regards,

DAB

 

If your truly concerned about reliability your best bet is to go for a manual 6sp Coupe.

 

For what it's worth I have 89 Maserati customers, 3 are females.

And the majority of women I know seem to HATE the CC and 6spd the Maserati offers. Luckily for them Porsche offers automatics in most of their cars.

No problem, if you have any further questions regarding the car please do not hesitate to ask.

$1,246.41 RETAIL, Call me for discounts on clutches.

 

I too have notioced almost every Maserati I see on the roads around Atlanta are being driven by women...I wonder why?

 

If you guys have nothing to contribute please go troll elsewhere.

 

I wasn't trying to be provocative or argumentative, I was stating an observation.

 

I have owned a 996 C4S, (did nothing for me the psm took all the fun out of driving) 04 Maser coupe, (loved the sound and power but found paddle shift lacking) now I have a 05 997S love the way it drives but I wished it had the sound of a Maserati with Tubi's. I had no problems with the Maserati.

 

I dunno about u guys down south, but all the Maseratis i have seen driven here are by men and Pcars are driven by both.

 

So if people are seeing these cars being driven by women what does that say about their reliability? Seems like the implication is that its very good.

 

04's can already be found from $50-70k depending on the mileage. How much further do you really think an Italian car with a Ferrari V8 engine and a warranty going to depreciate? Not to mention with rumors of the next one being a 6cyl that could even potentially help the resale value of your Maserati. Maserati seems to be developing a trend of producing a few nice cars, then producing a few awful cars. Take a look at the beautiful 60's and 70's Maserati's and then look at the 80's cars. I think we'll see the same trend happening.

Just food for thought, I really don't see 4200's being available for less than $40k anytime soon. That seems to be the point they've stopped at.

 

The clutch/transmission is much smoother in the 996 (I had a C2 Cab). The Maser clutch is heavy, and you must let the car warm up for about 5-10 minutes before 1st-2nd becomes an easy shift. My car has a heavy clutch, and would be bad in bumper to bumper commutes. (I did drive a CC car for a weekend, and chose the 6 speed because I like to shift. I had an Audi Tiptronic and thought it was the worst decision I ever made, so a Porsche automatic was never considered.)

Porsche electronics worked better, when they worked, but I always had it in the shop to fix them (power windows, top problems, check engine lights, seatbelt light to name a few). Maser electronics are slow, but so far no problems.

Interior of car: Maserati >>> Porsche all the way. I even like the guage layout better.

Engine is no comparison -- just listen to them, and over 4000 RPM the Maser is crazy. The new 997 Turbo is probably a different story...

 

I suggest you address this same question to one of the Porsche sites and see what their opinions are.

Posing this question on a Maserati site is, of course, going to lead to a pro-Maserati response. If you want to reach an objective decision, you should also ask Porsches owners.

...and, of course, you should also drive both cars. Everyone has their preference and no one can tell you what is best for you but you.