You Complete Me...

I turned 40 last month and in the last almost quarter century of having a driver’s license, I have owned more than 20 Mercedes Benz vehicles and have driven probably twice as many.  I’ve driven them all… from a 1967 SL280 Roadster to a 2014 S550 Sedan…. Big or small, convertible, hatchback, sedan, wagon, SUV, coupe… you name it, I have probably driven it!  And without exception, I have always found something I loved about each Mercedes I’ve driven. Conversely, I have also found something I hated about every one of them!  That never deterred me from owning one, but it always left something to be desired… and perhaps that partially explains why I’ve owned so many cars.

Well, that something to be desired was found last week; when I drove a 2012 E550 Convertible from eCarOne.  And that something I can only refer to as “Completeness.”  This time, I could not find something that I hated about this car!  Maybe all the stars aligned that week or maybe I was in a forgiving mood, or maybe I was just driving the perfect combination of color, style, technology, and power… yeah, I think that was it… LOTS of tire shredding power that takes on a whole other dimension when coupled with top-down open air driving!

I can stop writing here and trust that I have already made my point.  To that, I will not bore you with detail and in-depth review mumbo jumbo… you can go to YouTube for that.  However, I just want to tell you why I loved this car so much and why I had a difficult time finding negatives.  First, the car is just downright beautiful.  The diamond white color is really something to be admired… sure there are many car companies that offer a “pearl” white but not till you compare MB’s diamond white with other “pearls” side by side that you appreciate the depth and dimension of this special color treatment.  And matched with the parchment interior leather and beautiful wood trim and this car was screaming class!  Ok, so it’s another pretty Mercedes… no big deal.  Well, that’s where the “completeness” description comes in. 

This was the E550, yes the Big Mama… a 5 Liter V8 that’s twin turbocharged and mated to an awesome ZF automatic transmission and limited slip differential.  What does that mean?  It means hitting the gas at 30MPH and still breaking the tires loose!  We’re not talking peeling out at the stoplight… we’re talking peeling out while already rolling at a good speed… that’s not just power… that’s power delivery at its best!  It’s one thing to have a high power V8, but it’s another thing to actually be able to deliver the power to the tires with such brute force.  That takes engineering and a great deal of thought.  Let me put it in perspective… the only other Mercedes that I’ve driven that could do that was a CLK63 Black Series… none other.

Other than fantastic power, this car had everything else you’d want; effortless power top operation, excellent sound system, ventilated and heated seats, Bluetooth, backup camera, and even enough room in the backseat for two young adults and room in the trunk for your golf bag.  What else do you want?

I loved this car and I would without question own one.  Go check it out if it hasn’t already been sold to a lucky new owner. 

Mini Me

Last year I drove a Mercedes GL450 from eCarOne for about a week.   That particular week, the GL came in very handy because it was my daughter’s birthday and it was nice to be able to load all the kiddos into one car and haul off to the circus.  I recall writing a very favorite review on the GL and till this day, it remains one of my favorite large SUVs.

Last week (almost exactly a year from driving the GL), I had the chance to drive a 2013 Mercedes GLK250 Bluetec from eCarOne.  At first, I was a bit hesitant to take the little SUV because with all honesty, I never really believed in small SUVs.  I’ve always had a “go big or go home” mentality and to me, a small SUV is almost an oxymoron; sort of like brown tuxedo shoes or a wool swim suit.  I mean what’s the point of giving up handling, acceleration, and sportiness for the sake of just having a little more trunk space and really no more added comfort or seating capacity? 

What’s the point?  Well, after driving the GLK for a week and really putting it to good use, I now get the point.  And the point is that you don’t have to sacrifice performance and comfort in order to get much more cargo capacity than say a comparably priced sports sedan (a.k.a. Mercedes C-Class, BMW 3-Series or Audi A4).  Hold on… Am I really comparing the performance of the legendary BMW sedan to that of a compact SUV?  The answer is no.  Rather, I’m saying that if you want a car that provides you an overall excellent driving experience while giving you tons of cargo space, then you can’t go wrong with the little GLK. 

From the outside, the GLK looks small when compared to the average SUV you see on the road today.  In fact, it’s not any longer or wider than a mid-sized sports sedan like an E-Class or 5-Series.  Once you get in the driver’s seat, the overall feel is still the same… you’re in an E-Class and it’s not till you look over your shoulder and see the cavernous rear cargo room that you realize this car is very deceiving!  The rear seat is again not much larger than that of an E-Class but as far as cargo space is concerned, the GLK is phenomenal.  Let me give you real world support to my favoritism…  I had the GLK during a week where I was doing some redecorating at home and accordingly I used it for trips to pick up various items.  I specifically recall one trip where I had two 12x8’ rugs (rolled), several boxes from The Container Store, several large bags of household items, and a full load of groceries.  All I had to do is fold the back seats down and everything fit with no issue… I probably had room for more!  In my opinion, that’s all you should ever try to fit inside the cabin of a vehicle… any more and you should have a truck.

In terms or practical everyday use, the GLK is a winner as expected.  What I did not expect is that the GLK is really a joy to drive.  I was expecting it to drive like… well, like an SUV.  However, this car rides and drives much more like a sports sedan.  In my opinion, it drives much like an E-Class or a C-Class… the steering is very accurate, the suspension is tight and responsive, and it accelerates very well for a car of this size.  There were many times where I had to remind myself that I’m driving an SUV, not a sports sedan.  And I’m someone who is very familiar with sporty driving!  I’ve been driving sports cars and performance sedans for years and I truly feel that the GLK deserves special notice for being a truly outstanding on-road vehicle.  I did not get a chance to test its off-road capabilities, but I think we all know that off-roading is not the purpose this car was built for.  All in all, I thing the GLK is a winner in terms of providing ample cargo room, passenger room, and overall driving enjoyment.

The only quam I have is the diesel!  I live in Texas and had a difficult time finding a gas station that sells diesel.  In terms of performance, I think this diesel powered GLK was excellent (power, torque, and economy) but unless you have plenty of stations around your area that sell diesel, I’d consider the gasoline version.  In either case, you can’t lose.

Till next time, thank you for reading.

His First Used Car... Ever!

I don’t like used cars and I don’t like used women.  Someone very close to me used to say this and although the second half of the statement is rather crass I included it so that you get the idea of how this man perceives used cars.  He has never owned a used car and his reasoning has always been that he’d rather pay more and get something new than save money and get something with problems or issues.

His reasoning has been rather sound but in the last decade or so, used car reliability and reputation has dramatically changed.  In fact, the entire used car industry has changed and as such more and more would-be new car buyers are turning to pre-owned and certified cars.

I am happy to say that I finally convinced him to buy a used car two weeks ago and as it happens his first used car came from eCarOne.  He was in the market for a new E-Class Mercedes and of course he visited Mercedes’ website and built one that ended up having a $67,000 MSRP.  As he was ready to pull the trigger, I said Wait… you can get the same year car (2012) with plenty of warranty remaining and barely any miles for at least $12,000 to $15,000 less.  Why would you buy brand new, especially since you’re building a very standard color combination (silver on black) and this very same car should not be hard to find.  After discussing the economics for a bit, he finally said, ok can you see if your friends at eCarOne can find one for me and how much would it be? 

I called them and put them to the task.  Less than a week later, they had the car at their location, detailed and ready to go.  I picked it up and brought it to him.  He drove it and after realizing that this car has only 8,000 miles, three years of remaining warranty, an MSRP of nearly $70,000 and he can have it for $52,000 it was not long before he had wired the money and owned the car.  I had eCarOne add a bumper to bumper warranty that extends another 2 years beyond the factory warranty for less than $2,000 and for a total of $54,000 he had a “new” E350 Sport Package with Pano roof and almost every available option; not to mention five years of warranty and $16,000 less than he would have paid at the dealer!

I can go into great detail about the economics of buying used vs. new and I’m sure you can read tons of articles and opinions about the same subject… it’s been beaten to death.  Without going into much detail, I can tell you that the current low interest rate environment coupled with a huge US trade deficit is making new foreign cars depreciate like rocks.  With that in mind, why would anyone pay a hefty premium just to be the first owner and walk away with a large loss!  In my humble opinion, I’d rather be the second owner than the first sucker!

Maybe 15 years ago, buying a used car was a hassle.  Interest rates were high, history reports were non-existent, and the whole business had a shady reputation but today you can get sub 2% interest rates for five years on used cars, you can get not one but a handful of history reports and records, and last buy not least, most dealerships are now more focused on the pre-owned cars than they are on new ones!  The buying experience has changed and if you walk into a place like eCarOne or even Park Place, Sewell or any other reputable dealer you’ll find that buying a pre-owned car is every bit as rewarding of an experience as a new one.  Try it out and see for yourself. 

AMG Gone Wild!

Pure Sickness!  That is all I can say about the 2008 CLK63 AMG Black Series that I borrowed from eCarOne last week.  It’s not a car, it’s a missile on wheels… it’s a freaking bullet shaped like a sexy, curvy, bad-ass exotic coupe!  I don’t really know where to start with this review of one of perhaps the most awesome cars I have ever driven.

A few weeks ago, I had a 2012 C63 AMG Coupe and I wrote a very favorable review on this car and it was my favorite out of all the cars I had driven… until last week.

The guys at eCarOne gave me a 2008 Mercedes CLK63 AMG Black Series, and in case you’re wondering what “Black Series” means, it’s the same concept as the RS3 version of the Porsche 911, the Competition M3, or the Scuderia Ferrari.  Basically, it’s a CLK63 on massive amounts of testosterone.  They take an already awesome CLK63, remove the rear seat, stiffen the suspension & chassis, widen the fenders, increase tire size, free up the engine and get a little more power, and relax the traction control a bit.  And of course, they give it the special badging and even more special interior (sports seats, suede, and aluminum/carbon fiber trim).  All this makes the car very unique and even more so, they don’t mass-produce this one like the rest of the lineup.  It’s made in limited numbers and I know it will be a collectible some day.

I’m guessing that judging from the above you get the idea that I liked this car…. Well, I really enjoyed it for what it is; a pure race car for the street.  However, is it an everyday car?  I can tell you for sure that it’s not a car I can drive daily and I’m stressing “I” because for my specific needs I can’t have a two seat coupe, however; let’s compare it to say a Ferrari 430, Lamborghini Gallardo, Porsche RS3, or perhaps an Aston Martin Vantage.  All these cars I would place in the same category as the Black Series CLK63… they are all exotic supercars and although Mercedes is more known for making practical cars that go very fast, this one I would have to place in a different category altogether. 

So, who is the CLK63 Black Series made for?  In my opinion it's for those out there that want supercar performance but would rather not be noticed.  The CLK Black Series is made for those who want race track performance on the street without the exotic stereotype and without the exotic price tag and ongoing cost of maintenance and repair.

Let’s take a look at the previous conjecture for a minute.  This CLK is priced at roughly $70,000 which is about half of its MSRP.  It is a monster on the street and I’ll wager that this car can take on many exotics on the track.  Now let’s see what these exotics would cost or better yet, let’s see what you can get for $70k.  You can get a 10-year-old Ferrari F355 or a similar age Lambo.  You could get a lightly used Aston Martin or Porsche 911 Twin Turbo.  Of all those cars, I would put the Porsche TT head to head with the CLK and in my book the CLK63 wins for several reasons…. It’s way more rare, way more collectible, cost less to operate, and is not driven by people who have too much money.  I’m sorry if this statement offends anyone but go to any affluent city and you’ll see men and women driving these 500+ HP Porsches who have no idea what these cars can do.  On the other hand, I challenge anyone to find me someone driving a Black Series CLK63 who doesn’t know exactly what he or she is driving.

I never thought I’d say this but if I'm looking for all out performance, I would take this Benz over a comparably priced Ferrari any day.  I would even venture to say it's a bargain!

Thank you for reading and happy driving. 

German Muscle

Yes, this post is about another German sports car, but it's not a BMW so you can keep reading.  Last week, my friends at eCarOne gave me a 2012 Mercedes C63 AMG Coupe.... that's a long title but the "Coupe" is important to know because this is new for 2012 and it's extremely rare to find one, especially a used one.  Although with only 2,500 miles on the odometer, you can hardly call this one used.  First, let me say that this has to be one of the best looking four-seat cars Mercedes has every built.  Of course, the SL, SLR, and SLS are beautiful roadsters but the C Coupe is one of the sexiest 4-seat Mercedes to ever hit the road.

Everything about this car is inviting.  The front of the car means business, the wheels, brakes, and even the stance make a subtle statement that this car is special.  Even the sunroof retracts to the outside similar to a panoramic but in a single piece.  The back of the car is menacing with huge quad exhaust pipes and a very tasteful lip spoiler.  I love the way this car looks.

And the interior is even better!  The seats are nothing short of spectacular... not only do they look fantastic with the Alcantara inserts and heavy bolsters, but they are extremely comfortable.  They are so comfortable that you forget you're sitting down.  Let me explain.... you know you're in comfort when you are no longer aware of the seat that's surrounding you... it's like you're sitting on air.  I have an extremely sensitive back and if I'm not sitting just right, I start to get back aches.  Not this time, I loved this seat.  Additionally, all the controls are in the right place and even the center console is on the same level as the elbow pad on the driver's door so you can rest both elbows and still maintain a very even driving position with your hands at 3 and 9 or if you want to be lazy; at 4 and 8.

Then you take notice of the steering wheel... it's a work of art... perfect diameter, perfect thickness, perfect shape... yes I'm still talking about the steering wheel... stay focused!  The sound system is excellent, the NAV is easy to manipulate and the rest of the controls are intuitive.  Very rarely does a car impress me from both the outside and inside the cabin but this one did... two thumbs up for exterior and interior design.

Now let's talk about the fun stuff... we're not talking a regular sports car here.... this is a super sports car with a 6.3L V8 pumping out 450+ HP, rocketing to 60mph in less than 4 seconds, to 100mph in less than 10 seconds and blasting through the 1/4 mile in 12 seconds.  We're talking Lamborghini numbers... with two extra seats, a four year 50,000 mile warranty, a Navigation, and a fully automatic grocery getting transmission!  And if you want to be noticed, hit the throttle and listen to the beautiful harmony of the exhaust note... it is pure muscle car.  I wish I could post a sound clip but it would not do it justice... you have to listen to it yourself.  It's so addicting that I found myself punching it off the line just to hear the exhaust or putting the car in manual mode to get the revs a little higher.  But even with the revs low, there's still a beautiful rumble that made me smile every time I heard it.

The engineers at MB also read my mind and gave the user a mode selector... Comfort, Sport, and Manual. I kept it in "Sport".  The shifts become more pronounced and the gear is held to a higher rpm.  Also, you can hear the downshifts and the blip of the throttle.  Additionally, there is a more noticeable exhaust rumble when downshifting and it is oh so satisfying!

The evening I returned this car to eCarOne, the founder was telling some of our friends about my writing a blog for eCarOne and of courseI was asked by one of them which was my favorite car.  My gut reaction answer was the C63 I just drove.  I may be crossing over from BMW territory and joining the AMG bandwagon... I really and truly enjoyed this car in every way.

As for a pro and con wrap-up.  The pros are clearly stated above and in a nutshell, it's everything you want in a sports coupe and then some.  As for cons, maybe a bit more rear legroom but truly that's all I can think of.

Do yourself a favor and even if you're not shopping for a car... go see this one, sit in it and listen to it if you can.  It's a magical experience and if you're a car fan you know exactly what I'm talking about.  If you're not a car fan but happen to be reading this post, then you may become one after seeing this C63 AMG.

Thank you for reading and happy driving.

The Ultimate SUV

Four pre-teen girls, a 2-year-old boy, a very pregnant woman, a man who just got home from the office and a 2010 Mercedes GL450…. This is not the beginning of a joke and there is no punch line.  This was a brief description of last Tuesday night as I got home from work and buckled everyone into the GL450 to head for a 45 minute ride to the circus.  And I gotta say… the GL was a champ!

We decided to take our daughter and her three friends along with our young one to the circus.  We had 7 passengers with one of them riding in a car seat.  I didn’t think we could all fit in one car but the GL450 not only fit, it was quite comfortable and it got us there in style.

We currently own a small SUV that is comfortable enough for four but we are considering something bigger as the kids get older and the GL is at the top of my list.  Needless to say, this test drive from eCarOne was not only fun but also very helpful for me.  Other cars I am considering include the Toyota Highland Limited, the Acura MDX, and the new Infiniti JX35.  All those are great cars and I’m not going to compare in this post, but rather I want to talk about my impression of the GL450.

I picked up the GL from eCarOne about a week ago and I was a little concerned about the size of this vehicle, but my concern disappeared when I started to drive it.  Although this is one of the largest “mid-size” SUVs on the road, it did not feel that way at all.  I’ve driven a Range Rover and an Escalade and those cars feel like large SUVs.  They are generally sluggish and too soft for my taste.  However, the big Benz felt relatively nimble, well planted and very powerful.  .

Aside for the great driving dynamics, this GL450 had a lot of luxuries you’d expect from Mercedes.  I loved the dual sunroofs, the power trunk, the power folding third row seats, and the super comfortable leather seats with memory.  Again these items are expected, but nonetheless they are nice to have.   Another welcomed surprise was the sound system.  This car was not optioned with anything spectacular but the standard sound system was way beyond standard.

As for dislikes, there were one or two.  In particular, I didn’t like the fuel consumption.  During my week-long partnership with the GL, I noted roughly 14-14.5 MPG during mixed city/highway driving.  I think this is a bit below other comparable SUVs.  Another dislike was the blind spot.  However, this car was not optioned with the blind spot detection and I’m sure this would come in handy.

All in all, I truly am impressed with the GL450.  For what eCarOne is asking for this car, I can’t see a better choice.  I am sold on this car and I may actually end up owning it very soon.

Thanks for reading and happy driving.

Finally... A Worthy BMW Competitor

I’ve been praising Bimmers for some time, and rightfully so.  In my opinion, there are no cars out there that give you as much as a BMW does for your money… the driving dynamics, the power, handling, looks, name brand, build quality, and overall sexiness.  Others have tried… the Infiniti G37 comes close, the Audi A4/S4 are excellent cars but still do not quite match up to comparable BMW models (i.e. the 3 series and M3).  Mercedes tried with the C-Class C350 but still did not hit the mark.  But wait… there is another C-Class that I believe is closer to being a BMW competitor than anyone else in the past.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a 2012 C250 Sport from eCarOne for a full week.  Wait a minute… C250?  Come on… that’s weak!  No my friends, it’s anything but weak.  The 2012 C250 does come with a 2.5L 4-cylinder, however it’s turbocharged and intercooled so it’s no slouch.  The car bone stock makes 200 HP and a hefty 220 ft-lbs of torque.  Notice I said bone stock… this is because if you know much about turbocharged cars, you’d know that there are numerous aftermarket vendors that offer software upgrades that are safe and very effective.  With a turbocharged car, you can simply re-flash the ECU (i.e. software upgrade) and gain at least 15% to 30% more power and torque without doing anything else.  The upgrade is relatively inexpensive and can be done in your garage in a matter of an hour.  For example, a company called Burger Motorsports offers an upgrade for the C250 software under $1,000 that results in a 30HP increase and a whopping 60 ft-lbs of torque increase.  With this upgrade, the C250 will blow away a BMW 328i, an Audi A4, and an Infiniti G37; and may even compete with a stock S4 or 335i.

But that’s all just fun… let’s get down to business.

What is it about the C250 that made me pay attention?  Well, first off, and as silly as it sounds, the steering wheel is quite possibly the best steering wheel I’ve ever put my hands on (well, besides that on the F430 Ferrari).  It’s thick, sporty and has a flat bottom… it makes you feel that this car means business and it certainly got my attention.

The fit and finish is superb. The car is solid and no matter what I drove over, I did not hear one peep out of the chassis.  It certainly did not feel like an “entry-level” car; more like an S-Class after three months of P90X.  The suspension, tires, engine, and transmission are really well-mated to each other because for as long as I remember, I did not feel this well connected to a car since my ’07 335i coupe that I had a few years ago.  I was looking for excuses to drive this little Benz and it was fun each and every time.

What about value?  Well, let’s see…. This 2012 C250 Sport at eCarOne is fairly well-equipped with NAV, Bluetooth, SAT Radio, etc and it had only 10,000 miles on the odometer.   Brand new, this car retails for roughly $45,000 and eCarOne has it listed at about $35,000.  Normally, you’d expect a deeper discount for a pre-owned Mercedes but it’s still a current year model so it’s priced accordingly.  Nevertheless, that price is still very attractive.  So, I can pick it up for $35,000 and add the software upgrade for $1,000 and I’m all in for $36k with roughly 230 HP and 280 ft-lbs of torque in this little economical 4-cylinder sedan.   For that money, you can pick up a used Subaru WRX or a used Mitsubishi Lancer EVO but you will not have the fit, finish, and refinement of this car… not even close.  If I was in the market for a fun sports sedan, I would definitely give this one a test drive.

Thanks for reading.

Show me the CarFax...

I went to college at SMU, which is also known as southern millionaire's university. Although my father was by no means a millionaire, he worked hard to pay for my school and I was fortunate enough to own a new Acura Integra. For me that was more than I could imagine owning as a 19 year old… until I went to SMU and took a look around at all the Bimmers, Porsches, and Audis. It was a humbling experience and in many ways affected the way I looked at things for a long time to follow. Needless to say, I no longer wanted to drive my new Acura for much longer and as soon as I graduated I bought a Porsche…. on a $30,000 a year salary. So, it was used; very used. My first Porsche was a 1987 944 Turbo with 80,000 miles for the cool price of $7500. At that time, the market was about $15,000 for that car but of course I got a great deal. It was great till I flew to Miami, picked it up, drove it back to Dallas and found out the title was counterfeit and the car had been rebuilt. Where was CarFax at the time? Well, today we have not only CarFax but others like Autocheck and the all trusted internet. But is that a good thing? Let's see…

This week I had a chance to drive a 2010 Mercedes E350 with only 14,000 miles on the odometer. This particular car had to be one of the most beautiful E-classes I have seen; with a stunning gray over congac leather and panoramic roof and fully loaded with almost every factory option. So, what's my point? This car had a "bad" CarFax report and is listed by eCarOne at roughly 10% below its book value. So, what do you do with something like this? Do you walk away regardless of the discount? Do you have a pre purchase inspection done and take advantage of the price reduction? It's a tough decision and I hope to be able to shed some light here based on my past experience of purchasing and owning over 30 cars… that's right; 30 cars in a little less than 20 years of driving.

Surprisingly, the answer is much more simple than most make it out to be. A car's value is negatively affected by a bad history report much like a person's credit is negatively affected by a previous late payment or collection. Does this mean that car is junk or the person is a deadbeat? Absolutely not. It simply means that there is something in the past that needs further investigation. In the case of this particular Mercedes, the previous owner had an accident that required replacing one of the rear quarter panels. Given that this car had an original MSRP north of $64,000 it makes sense that any accident would have involved an insurance claim and thus would be present on the history report. So, what does this mean? Nothing… it means you would treat it like any other car… you simply have a competent mechanic perform a pre purchase inspection and go from there. To me, so long as the car is cosmetically and mechanically in line with it's age, that is all that counts. Does the car accelerate, handle, and brake like it should? Is it similar to other cars of the same make, year and model? If all is is true, then I thank the dealer for the nice discount and I take it. If not, then it's no different than any other car… I walk and look for a better example.

The problem today is that we have a bit of information overload and this just means we need to spend a bit more time analyzing this information and deciding what's important and what's irrelevant. Would I buy a car with a previous flood history? No, because a flood destroys so much more than you can see. But would I buy a car that had some sheet metal replaced? Why not?

The point of my post is to point out that a blemish on a history report means nothing until you further investigate it and fully understand the why and how of the report. And of course, it goes without saying that buying a car from a reputable dealer like eCarOne is probably more valuable than any history report. This sounds like propaganda but it is actually an economically supported statement. How? A history report on any car has a potential value up to the car's market value. For example, the value of the CarFax on this MB is potentially $50,000 today because that is the market value of this car today. On the other hand, for a reputable dealer to lose his good reputation the COST would be way more than what he could stand to gain in profit on one or two cars.  Thus, buying a car from a reputable dealer is in most cases the best protection you can get.

Good luck and happy test driving.

The Maserati Coupe… is it a $30k Ferrari?

Last week I had a chance to drive a 2008 very low mileage Ferrari F430 Spyder for a full afternoon and evening. Needless to say, I was grinning from ear to ear the entire time. I picked the car up from eCarOne and drove it home to show my 2-year-old boy who already knows most of the cars on the road. The smile on his face was priceless as he kept pointing and saying RARI RARI. I too enjoyed the car very much. There is nothing to dislike… the engine, transmission, exhaust, excellent seats, looks, you name it. It’s a truly magical experience but unfortunately I would need to be a magician to afford it. Hence, what options do I have if I loved the feel of driving a Ferrari and the attention of owning one?

Well, there is Porsche, Jag, Mercedes, Audi… many respectable names out there but with all due respect, none of them give you the pure experience of driving an Italian sports car. However, there is one that I did not mention… Maserati. Huh, they still make those? Isn’t that a Fiat? The answers are yes, and no, respectively.

While Maserati was very prominent in the 60s and 70s, it went away by the late 80s and was all but dead until it was revived in the late 90s by Ferrari. In 2002, Maseratis were reintroduced in the United States once again. So why am I talking about Maserati? Well, all Maseratis today sold in the US are powered by either a 4.2L or a 4.7L Ferrari derived engine and most are mated to a Ferrari derived F1 transmission. It just so happens that eCarOne had a 2003 Maserati Coupe Cambiocorsa with an F1 transmission, so this was the perfect opportunity for me to drive it and see how it felt vs. the Ferrari F430 I drove earlier.
Now, this is where I need to disclose that I am not going to compare a $30,000 Maserati touring coupe to a $175,000 Ferrari supercar, but I will say that if you are interested in the passion of driving an Italian machine and a six figure price tag is a little out of your comfort zone, then I urge you to drive a Maserati and see for yourself. I think eCarOne usually carries 3 or 4 so it shouldn’t be difficult to drive one.
I picked the Coupe up from eCarOne on Friday around noon and dropped off my 7-series. If there was a moment of disappointment, it would be the first minute I got in and turned on the audio system, but who wants to listen to music when you have that V8 & exhaust.
I got on the highway right away and opened it up. The car pulled very strongly and although the shifts were not lightning fast (like the F430), they were still quick and sharp... no complaints. The ride was softer than my 7-series with H&R springs but was very compliant and controlled. It took a little time to get used to the feel but once I did, I was completely comfortable with the car and felt right at home with it. I found that turning off the radio and listening to the beautiful exhaust was much more satisfying so for the last 48 hours my soundtrack has been the V8 revving from 4k to 7k!

Once I got off the highway and cruised into town, I immediately started noticing people giving me looks at traffic lights… and I live in a city where Porsche Panameras and AMG Mercedes are more common than Accords and Camrys. I think I was getting more looks because people were curious of what this car was…. I did not get these looks of curiosity in the F430. The only other time I got stop and stare looks was in a GT-R that I picked up from eCarOne a few months ago. I guess the Maser being yellow probably had something to do with it. I got back to my office, parked it, and a few minutes later one of my salespeople walks by my office and says nice car!

Even though it was not mine, getting all these compliments felt good. Took it home later and the look on my boy's face was priceless... and he's two years old! Took him for a ride and he did not want to get out... he just kept saying Rati Rati. And by the way, his toddler seat was securely anchored with the LATCH system which was a nice surprise. Took it to my local coffee shop early Saturday morning, and upon parking it, immediately a couple of guys start asking me questions... is it new? No, it's used I say. What year is it, '09 '10? No, it's an '03... wow, they say. Again, not my car but it's nice to hear compliments. Later it felt that the tires were a little low. Took it to a local car wash / service center and got the air pressure adjusted. Then the car wash guys asks would you like a hand wash? Hey, I get my Bimmer washed there almost weekly and he never asked to hand wash the Bimmer! Go figure.

Are there things that worry me? Sure. Maintenance is a little higher than usual but not out of the ordinary. Repairs can be very costly but buying it from a reputable dealer and staying on top of maintenance should address this issue. Other than the audio system not being exactly what I would have (and that’s an easy fix), I truly enjoyed this car. If I had the money, I would get the Ferrari… but even then I wouldn’t have the comfortable back seat with a LATCH system for my kiddo. For the money, this is truly one of the best bargains out there. At $30k, I can get an ’03 nicely optioned Coupe. At $45k I can get an ’05 or ’06 Gransport, which is the Coupe that is more tuned (sort of like the M3 of the 3-series). I couldn’t even touch a low mileage Porsche 911 for under $50k so the Maserati is even more of a bargain once you start comparing it. And I can’t honestly make the following statement for most cars…. And that is…
The more I drove this car, the more I wanted to drive it. I'm sold.

Good luck and happy test driving.