Our Ghibli turned one year old in March, so I took it in for its one year service. When they gave it back to me, it absolutely sparkled so I decided to take it out the next morning for a photo shoot. Here it is very early in the day near our house.
We still love the Grigio Maratea color and Cuoio interior - it was the right choice for us. When we tell people we bought a Maserati, their first reaction is that it will be tempermental as that is the reputation Italians cars have. That was true it decades past (think Fiat), but as with all car manufacturers, Maserati has come a long way. In the 5000 miles we've driven, we haven't had any mechanical issues at all. The stereo amp did go out during the year, but it was replaced under warranty.
The car is an absolute joy to drive. It is by far the smoothest car I've ever owned, so much so it begs to be driven fast. It is not hard to look down and be going 20 MPH faster than I thought. And the sound! Oh the exhaust note is glorious.
Would I make changes to the car? Absolutely, no car is perfect. For one thing, it is harder to shift into the correct gear than it should be. Finding park, reverse, and drive should take no thought at all, but it does. It has twin turbos, so there is a tad bit of turbo lag too, something I'm not used to coming from non-turbo V8s. But other than that, I'm happy with it the way it is.
Ferrari owns something like 90% of Maserati, and they are both owned by Fiat - not exactly sure how that family tree works but they are making fine products. Fiat also owns Chrysler, which is important when you consider the engine. The V6 block is from Chrysler, with the heads and upper end designed by Ferrari and Maserati engineers. The motor is actually built in the Ferrari factory and shipped over to the Maserati factory for installation in the Ghibli. Now that's making the best of all available resources - very smart!
Maintenance is going to be expensive. The first oil change was $250. And we hear the tires and brakes will need replacement between 10K and 15K. But we knew all that going in. There are some things worth the cost.
No, that is not our license plate number - I doctored it before posting to the internet.
All in all, we are extremely pleased with our purchase and hope to own this beauty forever. If she gets tempermental later in life we may change that viewpoint, but if the coming years are like this past year, she's ours forever.
I envy you for having this gorgeous car! Regardless of the reputation that Italian cars have held for quite some time now that they are "temperamental", I believe that they are some of the most beautiful cars out there. There is something to be said for your choice in the color as well.
ReplyDelete