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Sedans Maserati Quattroporte Maserati Quattroporte 2005+
166 messages, Last post on Aug 26, 2009 at 9:31 PM
You are in the Maserati Quattroporte Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: blckislandguy (Mar 08, 2006 6:51 pm) If you are going to concentrate your criticisms, as do do many of you, on the electronic gadgets, don't blame the car manufacturers, blame Bill Gates. His is the software. They build racing cars, not commuter cars. You can go to the Japs for that. Many of you probably learned to drive on a Lexus type car which does the driving for you, rather than being engaged with with the vehicle itself. The F1 tranny works for Michael Schumacher, the present Formula One Champion. I suggest you go to Monaco, see the Gran Prix there, and wonder why he can beat all the other cars in the world with a tranny you find either frustrating or difficult. Have you ever heard, perhaps from your grandfathers, what it was like to drive a stick shift which was non synchronous, where one had to double-clutch, as it was called, to shift gears? No wonder you are in trouble with this vehicle, the answer to every real driver's dream!! Performance, luxury, exotic beauty and quality all in one very reasonably priced package. I suggest you buy the overpriced Bentley GT or so called Flying Spur instead of the Maserati QP. As the Brits say about the "new" Bentleys: " A VW Phaeton in a hand made suit". "carfreak" P.S. I have always had at least one or more real Bentley or Rollers in my garage for the last 50 years. |
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Replying to: cashcar (Apr 05, 2006 10:57 pm) I'm no spring chicken myslef, but I can't imagine anyone finding the seats of my 997S "hugely uncomfortable" unless they were excessivly bottom heavy. If I get to the point where I would justify trading the performance of 911 Turbo for the comfort of the QP (or an SL or ...) my living will should allow my wife to pull the plug. 
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Replying to: habitat1 (Apr 08, 2006 7:24 am) If I were bottom heavy, as you seem to imply, I might find it more comfortable. Fact is I have not much butt at all. I weigh the same 143 lbs that I did when I first went to Columbia College in 1936. Also I have been a Porsche enthusiast for 4 decades, but as a weekend fun machine to play at being Fangio. I have owned at least 14 different Porsches over the years, including 4 different Turbo models, the first Turbo in 1979. The only truly comfortable Porsche I ever found was my 928. Now those were seats which were comfortable for me and my wife all the way from the Big Apple to Key West and back. 997's and any and all earlier 911 series have those antiquated one piece seats with a non ergonomic hard as nails quality, at least for me. Even the pitiful attempts at adaptive controls are minimal. I admit I am spoiled since I have used my experience with owning Rollers and Bentley sedans, 60's Flying Spurs, and Crewe manufactured 90's Continental R's as the standard. The new Bentley Continental GT is comfortable because it is a Phaeton in a hand made suit; but then VW makes their seats not Porsche. Porsches are great and so are their classical styling, but comfort and interiors are not their strong suits. My Maserati Quattroporte has an adaptive seat system from which Porsche could learn. Porsche produces fantastic performers, and my C4 Cabriolet can handle winter roads and summer stares, but is not comfortable for trips over 50 miles, at least for me. Performance and reliability are its strong points, but its entire interior has made little progress in the 45 years since the 911 series first saw the light of day, in my opinion. My 1985 R5 Turbo 2 had seats that put the Porsche to shame. Porsche has made and continues to make superb, reliable high performance machines but will bever win any kudos for its interior or ergonomics.
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Replying to: cashcar (Apr 09, 2006 10:10 am) I guess when it comes to comfort, it's all personal. I had an easier time driving a 900 mile rountrip in my 997 than I do in my Acura TL. I prefer a firm, Recaro style seat to one that is softer, but not supportive in key areas. Of course, the TL is hardly the comparison you were making to your other fine cars. Accept my best wishes for continued good health and driving enjoyment. 
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Replying to: habitat1 (Apr 09, 2006 10:42 am) As for the Acura, I have had no experience with the vehicle, but I understand it is a reliable and durable daily driver. I presume that is how it is used, and that makes it probably the best for that purpose. Depending on one's needs and uses,"the best car" choice should change. As for the 997 Turbo, for reliability and performance in a sports car, you clearly have "the best" and I admire your choice. The hotties will sure jump into that car...there the Honda just doesn't cut it! So Happy Hunting in that Turbo!! As for the seating, once the Hottie manages to squeeze her way in, she can't readily get out.And, depending on your situation in life, that can be a good thing or a bad thing. As for the Turbo, she clearly is your present love, as she should be. She is loyal, reliable, exciting and beautiful. What more could one ask for? And besides, you can always trade her in or sell her if things don't work out. So, bottom line, you have clearly made an exquisite choice. Good Luck with her and thanks again for your kind wishes for my good health.
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Replying to: cashcar (Apr 09, 2006 2:57 pm) We use the QP for commuting at least three days a week with no problems. It has been reliable and comfortable, though the trans is not as tractable as many other cars, and having a car that will go 172 mph in bumper to bumper traffic can be frustrating. But give me a little opening in traffic, and . . . . . And there is no other big car on the road that gathers more stgares or thumbs up signs. |
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One of my (younger) business partners is seriously considering the Quattroporte and, claiming respect for my opinion (i.e. kiss up), asked for my advice. I immediately, and perhaps prematurely, questioned his judgement. I am unfortunately old enough to remember the QP of the early 80's, but not so old to have forgotten it's horrific reliability issues and ridiculous depreciation. In the meantime, a good friend has a 4+ year old Ferrari 360 that he can sell for a small profit, whereas another associate has a 3 year old Maserati Spyder that will cost him an arm and a leg to dispose of. Not to mention numerous problems along the way. I know there is a certain panache with the Maserati nameplate. And I'm far from a practical person that criticizes others indulgences. Part of me would tell my partner to go for it and let him experience whatever consequences result, good or bad. But another part of me finds it difficult to passively recommend a nameplate that left so many similarly enthusiastic buyers holding the bag 25 years ago - and is still a questionable value when it comes to depreciation. P.S. Regarding seat "comfort", how would you who rate the QP very high (vs. Mercedes) rate it against the seats in the M5 (previous or current). I am just curious.
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Replying to: spiritinthesky (Apr 13, 2006 3:23 am) |
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Replying to: spiritinthesky (Apr 13, 2006 3:23 am) Now for my second Q. Just back from receiving a new drive shaft, had to send the main computer back to NJ for reprogramming and, yes, also replaced the clutch and throw-out bearing. All under one year of ownership. The factory rep tried to tell me this wasn't so unusual and that MB and BMWs, etc, etc. When it runs, nothing like it. But this is a troubled car/manufacturer. The service dept at the dealership has been wonderful. Maserati has yet to acknowledge their problems with this car's quality. If the owners ever got together, Maserati would have a real problem. Avoid it for now, unless you want to buy mine... |
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Replying to: spiritinthesky (Apr 13, 2006 3:23 am) My QP is now 13 months old, and I have 14K miles on it. The main problems that I had were related to the battery and the clutch (both were replaced about 6 months ago). There were several smaller ones, none of them urgent, and they were all resolved when I was bringing the car to the dealership for regular service. The only one that is still not resolved is the climate control system. When it is cold outside and the climate system is set on "full auto," the speed of the fan is sometimes so high that I cannot hear the radio. The mechanics dealt with it three times without any luck. Finally I gave up and started setting the fan speed manually (When you cannot find a bug, call it "a feature"). Besides, it is warm now and it behaves fine anyway. The service is excellent. The dealer normally picks up a car from my house and brings it back couple of days later. If I need a car during this period, they would give a loaner, but in that case I would have to drive to the dealership myself. I also had a bad experience with the summer tires during the snow storm in February. I decided to buy winter tires, but cannot tell you the results because there was no snow since then, and now it is time to switch back. The seat is very comfortable: I had several 4-5 hour trips last summer, and could easily make them without a single stop. In summary, I am very happy with the car. Of course, I do not plan to keep it beyond the 3-year warranty period. But I very well may trade it in for a new one just before the warranty expires..
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