Heresy thread: 996 vs. Maser Cambiocorsa

I just realized (thanks to AutoTrader) that I can get a Maserati Cambiocorsa for about the same price as my 2000 996 C2. As much as I love German cars, the Italian siren song has a strong attraction. Has anyone ever driven/owned a Maser Coupe or Cambiocorsa? Thoughts? Am I insane for wanting to swap my 996 for this hooker from Modena??

and drive with an engine on top of your front wheels?

reliability is an issue; just like any hooker. I do secretly lust after them. They are better in the later models but the price have not come down on them yet.

Doesn't that thing have a Ferrari engine and tranny?

Reliability of the Cambiocorsa is the issue. Do your homework. Beautiful cars, and hard to beat Italian interiors... but if you want to go that route I suggest going with a manual/stick. Here is a good site I found (yes, I also secretly lust after one...) http://www.maseratilife.com/forums/

That will be in your mechanic's garage as much as it is in your garage. Maybe you can get him to pay for half of the car since he will have it half of the time.

Two different cars, you need to really think about the type of driving you prefer. Sporty or cruising? In addition, although, Porsche is not at the top of my reliability list I rate the Italian manufactures at the level of Chrysler/GM with Ferrari like repair bills.

I owned an Italian sports car once... beautiful to look at, expensive to drive. I'll keep the Porsche, thank you very much.

I was contemplating a Maser Gransport (beautiful car), but chose the 6GT3 in the end. I was scared off by the maintenance fees, I read that the Duo Select transmission burns through clutches pretty quickly (replacement cost was around $4k with labor). Try www.maseratilife.com for more info. I recently added the Quattroporte (with a regular ZF automatic trans) to my "wish list".

had an Italian car once.... ONCE.

Affordable to buy, but affordable to own?

I would really worry about the reliability and the repair costs. But if you can handle those issues, they are really nice, beautiful cars. But maybe these newer cars are much better; don't know. I too lust after them... Tony

Well, I kinda like 'em too, but it's really a GT and not a sports car right? I'd be more afraid of getting bored with it than potential repair costs.... And if you want to sell it in a year or two, could you find another buyer? I don't know....

if you really want one, go for MY '05+ Anything prior were prone to the most significant probs. The '05 were as different as predicesors as 996 vs 997's They're fun, fast in a straight line and sound awesome

Personally I think the Cambiocorsa is pretty ugly. IMO they really did a great job when they updated it to the "Gransport" version. Either way, I wouldn't trade my Porsche, even for the Gransport. The Granturismo on the other hand is a different story, but for the price those are going for I'd rather get a used Gallardo or F360. Now THOSE are beautiful cars.

aside from a nice engine noise, it was a total snoozer to drive. The new grand sport however is one sexy vehicle.

I had a lot of seat time in an '02 Cambiocorsa convertible a few years back. I think that was the first year for that model. Burgundy exterior, tan interior. Gorgeous car and a real babe magnet (even for me, and that's saying a lot). It was impeccably maintained but had all sorts of issues. Here are just a few examples. After 2,000 miles, the top needed manual help to seat properly because it wouldn't stay aligned. The transmission wouldn't shift from 1st to 2nd unless I lifted off the gas (it didn't matter whether I used automatic mode or paddle shift mode). When it was low on fuel, instead of just giving a low fuel light and a little ding, the car siren would go off intermittently until I pulled into a gas station and filled it up. And it was a gas hog, 10-12 mpg (I get better than 21 mpg in the city with my X51 996). The comments about reliability in the earlier years are consistent with my experience. Driving experience was totally different than a 996 or 997 (Maserati = tourer; Carrera = track car). It drove like a speedboat, kind of floaty, but with excellent high speed stability. And the Ferrari engine had an awesome sound. My 996 is much faster and more nimble, though. Hope this helps.

Not a daily driver........

I have a good buddy who had one, skyhook and cambiocorsa. It was fine, didn't blow up. He is a plastic surgeon, a very, very popular one in Florida. He wouldn't have cared if it caught fire, probably would have put out the blaze with wads of cash. I know another guy who had one in Texas. I believe he has some sort of mechanical breakdown coverage which was actually underwritten by Lloyds (presumably of London). I also seem to remember that at one point he was driving their loaner vauxhall or whatever they stuck him with for 4 months. That having been said, I say pros: - sounds really exotic with a $9K Tubi on it - depending on where you live it might be rare - you can tell everyone about the whole ferrari engine thing when they shout "Nice! Jaguar?" Cons - sounds pretty mundane with the stock exhaust - I don't want a car with an italian active suspension to fix - I have seen what the bill for a broken ferrari F1 trans accumulator or pump looks like. Not a fan. - and the trans is jerky at anything south of 7/10ths - doesn't look too hot (convertible is a little better), which kinda defeats the purpose of paying for exotic italian maintenance and repair In brief, She's an ugly chick who still manages to be high maintenance If you buy one, manual trans + no skyhook is the best advice I could give you. And buy the convertible, trust me it is a chick magnet. I thought about buying one a couple of years ago and am very glad I talked myself out of it.