budgy

The only way that comment would be any lower was if you were actually poor.

And Maserati's are old man cars.

fusionchickenleg

As with most things in life, it's all about balance IMHO.

For me a "numbers" car could make the car fun because of its numbers, i.e. when the freeway opens up you drop a few gears and soil yourself with a car that traps well over 120mph in the 1/4 mile, or in a sweeper you're pulling over 1G, etc. I "get" cars like the BRZ and Miata, and I love driving them, maybe moreso than my C6 Vette in very twisty canyons because there's something magical about using that momentum to maintain corner speeds, but on a daily basis when you're going straight 99% of the time having a car with power is nice, and provides more fun more of the time. From there you can break down how a car delivers its power, i.e. via turbochargers, which typically mute the engine noise / throttle response, vs. high strung N/A engines such as the darling BMW S54 engine, etc.

Now what I would do to have an s2000 as a second car. Le sigh.

S2020

not sure what you mean by old man car regarding maserati. I see one of two possibilities

1
mostly old guys can buy them due to price. Well, this is true for expensive cars (lambo, ferrari, aston martin, high end german cars (porsche GT3, audi R8, AMGs black)). Most buyers are old due to the fact that most people don't earn or save enough money till their 40's or 50's to buy these cars that are costly to acquire and maintain. If you don't like maserati b/c of their price that's your problem. The rest of us dream about one day being lucky enough to have one of these old man cars in the garage.

2
their ride characteristics are preferred by old men. Oldsmobile, buick, and lincoln with their floaty soft suspension. Couldn't be more wrong about maserati.

Mr.E.G.

Agree with the first point and disagree with you on the second. As far as sports cars go Maseratis are heavy, soft, and never particularly fast (excluding the Enzo-based Maserati, of course). They're more luxurious than sporty, ergo they are more appealing to older guys who want a sporty status symbol than something like, say, an Evora or a Cayman S or a Viper. While all of those cars are different from one another, they're all made for a driver who is more concerned with performance than a quiet cabin and vibrating seats (naturally, the degree to which a driver is "hardcore" varies among those cars).

So, sure, Maseratis are not as boring or sedate as a Buick, as you suggested, but in the world of sports cars (I use the term loosely) clearly they are made for someone who wants some performance but they're unwilling to sacrifice comfort. Compared to cars who put performance first (not just numbers, mind you), yes, Maseratis are old man cars.

Maybe I should have said old man sports cars?

I just can't help but be skeptical of a Maserati rep saying that they can't be bothered to worry about numbers. Right, because you'd freaking lose that battle, always.

CosmosMpower

So far DSG/PDK/DCT boxes seem to be pretty reliable. I haven't heard of many failures or issues and they have been out 7+ years now. But you don't have to convince me, all of my current cars are 6MT.

mosesbotbol

Maserati has looks that not many marques have and a legacy that spans 100 years. Maserati is a sensory purchase, not a performance or utility buy.

Jaguar beats them at their own game, but the Maserati buyer prides made in Italy and all that comes with owning an Italian car. What else can you buy in the US that is actually a "regular car", made in Italy and not like 200K?

deepbluejh

Agree with the sentiment that numbers sell cars. "Fun to drive" is extremely hard to quantify and does not translate well to spec sheets or acceleration run results.

SkiLLeDS2000

I enjoy driving my S more than the Viper. I'm also very limited on what the Viper can do on the road, which makes the car pretty boring crusing around.

I'm deathly afraid of tracking the Viper. I'm doing the SRT Viper experience in Vegas(free of charge) and want to have seat time with a SRT instructor to ease my fears and let me know the limits of the amazing car that I own.

But, if you put a gun to my head and asked me which car so I love more, the answer will always be the S, regardless of any car we ever buy. It's my true love and no other car will be able to capture that... Unless it's a F40.

Mr.E.G.

Agreed.

d1rtyc4r

What a sad little two-dimensional world you live in. You post every great once in a while and it's only to tell me how poor I am, which is about as insightful and accurate as a "yo momma" joke. It's like you're incapable of anything other than justifying the car you drive based on how rich you'll be perceived as for driving it. I make a good enough living that my wife could stop practicing law because we didn't need her income. If that meets your definition of poor, cool story, bro.
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Hm, according to my Breguet I don't have enough time to respond to your post.