Maserati Coupe: Used Car Reminder
Posted by Doug DeMuro in Used Car Reminder on | 4 comments
The Infiniti G37 is a great car. It’s attractive, it’s luxurious, it’s sporty, it’s loaded, and it’s quick. Being Japanese, it’s also bought exclusively by people who are risk averse. I don’t recommend risk aversion, because it will lead you to make poor decisions like investing when you could instead buy a wallaby.
For those who share my viewpoint, I present to you the 2001-2005 Maserati Coupe, which is basically the wallaby of cars: none of your friends have it, but they all want to play with it. And how can you blame them? It has more power (385 horses) than the G and it’s cheaper, which is the same winning combination that leads toothless, beer-bellied South Carolinians to build drag-tuned Camaros that run tens.
But unlike such Camaros – or their rotund drivers – the Maserati also boasts world-famous Italian craftsmanship, which means handsome styling and a tremendous engine note. Ah, I know what you’re thinking. What if CambioCorsa fails? Isn’t that like $12,000? My answer is simple: how the hell should I know? I’m not a Maserati mechanic. But yes, it probably is.
CambioCorsa, for those who aren’t in the know, is the Maserati’s automatic transmission, which was apparently created to bring back the feeling you got when, at 15 years old, you drove a stick shift for the first time. That means after years spent overcoming lurchy starts, jerky shifts and terrifying rolls backward on steep hills, 2003’s most cutting-edge sports cars brought it all back. Only now, when you inevitably break it, the same money can either fix it or buy the 2013 Nissan Versa you’ll get as a loaner from your local Ferrari dealer.
Of course, CambioCorsa isn’t the Maser’s only flaw. There’s also the complex Skyhook suspension, which fails so often you’d swear it was designed by Land Rover; the radio, which was probably launched to help bring Mussolini to the people (and with the same clarity); and the navigation system, which can only be used by its designer, who was probably blind.
So why would you want it? Because it’s a modern Maserati for $30k. And because sometimes, when everyone else has a golden retriever, you want a wallaby instead
MazdaSpeed6: Used Car Reminder
Posted by Doug DeMuro in Used Car Reminder on | 1 comment
There are two conversations where car enthusiasts always bring up Mitsubishi. One is a discussion of the best turbocharged, all-wheel drive sport compacts. The other relates to which car company will be the next to leave the US market. In both cases, Mitsubishi is the big winner.
But let’s say you’re into cars, you’re looking for a hot AWD sedan, and you don’t want to buy a car from a brand that had to issue a press release after the Japanese tsunami announcing that they weren’t pulling out of the United States. Oh, and let’s also say you have eyes, which eliminates the Impreza STI. What then?
In that case, I submit the first Used Car Reminder: the 2006-2007 MazdaSpeed 6.
Remember these? Probably not. No one does, because no one bought them. But imagine the good looks of the first-generation Mazda6 sedan combined with a 270-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine, all-wheel drive, and a 6-speed manual transmission. You can’t go wrong, right?
Right indeed – especially considering they currently sell for around $14k in decent shape. Plus, they weren’t usually modified. The same can’t be said of the Evo, half of which are now listed on cars.com for twice their actual value by misguided 23-year-olds who think adding neon lights and an exhaust actually increases value.
Sure, the MazdaSpeed6 has its flaws. No one will ever know you have a cool car, for example. And the clutch sucks. But every time your left leg starts to get sore, just remember: at least your car company will still be in the US this time next year.
