What did you cross-shop with the Stinger? (440i, A5, G70)

[MerlintheMad]

What's funny is that as the entire market pivots to electric vehicles in the coming years, grilles are going to become passé almost immediately since the electric vehicles don't need any air intake in the front for cooling, and by design wouldn't want much there to keep the drag coefficient down. So the very few who like the look and are driving the older gas powered cars are going to want them, but largely they're going to be a novelty like we look at cars from the 1950s and '60s with huge wings/fenders.

Tesla Model 3 looks like it has a sock over its face. Stupid, pointless, featureless shape where a grille is supposed to be.

But not all EVs lack functional venting in front.

 

[stoopid]

But not all EVs lack functional venting in front.

The ones most of us will drive will look like the Model 3, it's the engineering template of the future for the mainstream consumer car market. It's not pointless, less air resistance = greater efficiency = makes electric cars viable.

 

[Badal38257]

Looked at Maserati Ghibli very hard, but decided against it due to potential maintenance. This is my daily driver and I cant afford to have it in the shop alot.

 

[WRXtoStingerGT]

Looked at Maserati Ghibli very hard, but decided against it due to potential maintenance. This is my daily driver and I cant afford to have it in the shop alot.

My buddy back in mid/late 2017 was seriously considering a Maserati Ghibli...

He had been leasing a 2015 MB E350-4Matic Sedan and the lease was ending sometime March 2018. He loved the MB and it was his second one (was previously leasing a 2012 E350-4Matic Sedan). Both cars were bulletproof, reliable, luxurious, comfortable, refined, and enough kick that you didn't feel too slow behind the wheel. The customer service was fantastic and all maintenance was included in his lease agreement. He brought me twice to the local MB dealership for service so we could get some really nice lunch included with his oil changes lol. Plus there were times when we could just stop by and grab a free coffee and snack on our way to work... yes we took advantage of their generosity... they were very nice and enjoyed his business plus wanted to convert me into the MB world... it was where my father picked up his used 2010 E350-4Matic Sedan when I brought him over to check it out when he needed a new ride. It was our family's first MB... we sold it five years later but we loved that car...

Anyway...

My friend found a base model Maserati Ghibli (brand new, less than 8 miles on the odometer) a little over an hour from his home for sale listed for under $45k if you could believe it! It was a 2017 Ghibli and it had been at the dealership's lot for over a year just sitting there. Long story short I went with him to check the car out. We loved the customer service and experience. We loved how the car looked even though it was a base model. It was quicker (perhaps only slightly) than his current E350. He was even able to negotiate the car down to $44,500.00 OTD if he were to finance (calculated before interest) on top of other included maintenance goodies... It was pretty awesome that a car with an MSRP of $70k would be his for $45k with no strings attached...

Well to cut to the chase after a little into his second year of ownership (about 28 months in and less than 30k miles) he had to get a lawyer to obtain a lemon-law refund from Maserati. The engine had a stalling problem (happened once at highway speeds which is very scary) and the transmission would go into limp mode at random times. Also, on two separate occasions, the car would not go into reverse. He had to go to the dealership 9 times in less than 12 months and 12k miles of ownership on his brand new car. Yes... the dealership was extremely professional and polite. Yes... they offered him sandwiches and incredible coffee... Yes... each time they gave him a loaner and he had his Ghibli back in his garage in less than a week... but what a headache...

It was a beautiful car and it drove very well... but boy did he dodge a bullet... From what he explained to me, although none of the same issues occurred enough individually to justify a refund, because he had 9 catastrophic failures and/or confirmed warranty claims in less than a full year of ownership the case was able to be won in his favor.

I am not saying stay away from Maserati. I know a former coworker of mine who picked up a used GranTurismo and it was reliable for the 3 years he held onto it... but I personally would never dump money into any Italian car... unless maybe a Ferrari but even then idk...