Good to hear all the comments about keeping a daily driver/run-around as well as the GT/GTS when I take things forward. Sorry about the long post below but all sets the scene.....
The current fleet consists of the C4S, Focus ST, Audi A4 Avant and Porsche 944 S2. The mix has come into existence over the last 18 months and really needs sorting out as the Audi gets consigned to the drive for the vast majority of the time and my wife nicks the Focus all too often with me running up and down the A24 to the office in the S2. The C4S being the weekend car that again in reality doesn't get used as it should. The two Porsches and most pertinently the Focus love a drink!
The Audi is going to go in the very near future so removes that part of the problem but the C4S whilst being a joy to drive isn't really suitable to use as a family car, is 10 years old next Winter (thereby outside Porsche warranty protection) and just doesn't get used enough. It also doesn't deliver the sense of occasion that I used to experience when I was a bit younger.
The plan is that the S2 will be kept as the alternative to the GT/GTS – it only has 50k miles on the clock and is in top condition. The thirsty Focus will be swapped for something less sporty but more family orientated, possibly a new Focus 1.6 Eco boost – I can't get excited about the family motor that my wife will use day to day.
Cutting the cost of running, insuring and taxing the family mile eater also provides part of the justification for diving into the Maserati, although, of course, there are still huge lashings of male logic too!
If the GT really grabs me I can see the S2 being chopped for something a bit more sensible too.
The main logic behind changing things around is on the one hand make our average mile driven a little less costly (in petrol terms) plus get into something that we will feel is truly exotic , with the effect on the eye probably being more important that out and out performance. Losing the ST will easily sort the first point even with the Maserati being thirstier than the C4S and with A GT on board I personally think, from the majority of angles, we will have bought one of the loveliest cars money can buy at or around £100k.
This brings us nicely on to budget. I'm planning on around £60k for a GT which should get me a late low mileage 2008 possibly even 2009 car from a main dealer. What I haven't decided yet is whether I should push a bit further on the budget front and look for an early S automatic. I drove a GT back in 2007 although can't remember too much about it but have never driven the ‘S'. I'm not fussed by having the extra grunt for a few grand extra but I do keep reading that the sport mode induced exhaust noise on the ‘S' is captivating. That may be my undoing!
The other main things I need to get myself comfortable with are...
Being able to get the golf clubs in the boot (mundane I know).
Whether there are any Maserati Specialists closer to me than the nearest main dealer, Meridien Modena in Lyndhurst, which is a 60 mile drive ( I can probably get over this, but it is a fair distance just to get a niggle ‘checked out' and I've always been used to having local expertise for my Porsches).
I'd also be interested on peoples' views as to whether these cars have any sort of Achilles heel. I spend far too much time considering the possibility of the C4S' engine letting go when it eventually gets outside warranty! Mind you I'll probably spend as much over a few years on Maserati wear and tear and routine servicing
.
And no, I won't even bother asking about the running costs because if I did I'd probably talk myself out of buying one!
I'd just like to add that there are some really informative posts on the Forum about ownership experience and I know we are all biased about makes that we are fond of – it's all quite refreshing.
Paul
