Free Falling: 2002 Maserati Coupe Cambiocorsa
A while back we discussed the current market for high end cars and the amount of depreciation currently dogging some of these models. The Porsche 996 is a good example, albeit it has somewhat of a bad reputation with the IMS bearing failure and all. Enter the Italian version of an exotic car in spiraling free fall status. Find this 2002 Maserati Coupe Cambiocorsa for sale in San Francisco, CA for $19,000 OBO via craigslist.
19K OBO for a respectable mileage arrest-me-red exotic Italian sports car with an MSRP of 95K+ when new? Hello?? My gawd…what’s going on here? Surely this car has more to offer for the price of a gently used Prius? Were talking about true Italian blood lines here. A Ferrari derived, stallion snorting, 4.2L V8 kicking out 390 BHP that can propel this thing along a a rate of speed unfit for most modern highways. Ho hum, it’s equipped with the 6-speed paddle shift instead of a fun pedal, but really, where else could you duplicate F1-like driving for under 20 large?
The Enrico Fumia designed cabin in beautifully appointed rich leather looks to make this car worth the ask alone. Lot’s of buttons and doodads in the center console, I expect the first month would be spent just figuring out how to work the radio. Bah…who needs a radio when you have a sweet Ferrari V8 to provide the sound track?
One would think if you were trying to sell a high-end sports car you could at least center the car in the photo? Oh well, the exterior looks in excellent condition…at least from the pictures supplied anyway. Nothin’ says Italian like red on a sport coupe!
The seller states an extensive service history is supplied with the car…and therein lies the likely reason this beauty has been for sale for over a month now at the listed price. These cars were built in low quantities and parts are supplied accordingly. In other words, expect yearly maintenance costs to approach 25% of the purchase price. With depreciation hitting so hard, could this model be destined down the same road as Porsche’s ultimate GT cruiser, the 928? Is there a future for these Maserati grand touring machines? 928’s are bouncing back now, how much farther can these go? Let’s hear it from the readers, tell us what you think!
See another Italian beauty being liqudated at fire-sale pricing? email us here: tips@dailyturismo.com
When not receiving complaints of “distracted by cars…again” from his wife, Glenn can be found in the kitchen whipping up exotic cuisine and nourishing nosh.
Checks manual transmission box search on craigslist
Gets a bunch of paddle shift cars with fragile transmissions and funny little knobs where the shifter should be
Love these just not with the automatic
I think I'd take the IMS Porsche over the guaranteed transmission replacement in one of these. The IMS might go, but the transmission in a Maserati will be 10 grand every several years. Though, there's like 8 996s running around my fairly small town. I'll wait 5 more grand.
Yep, that's the problem now with 996's…cheap like borscht and lot's were made. Maybe one of these with the true 6-speed manual would be a good find.
Cheap…but so much fun. Tailhappy to boot, zero chance of sudden cardiac death in the event of a minor mishap, able to be made your own and the least dear Porsche with the engine in back. This Mas would likely sit in the garage while the 996 was exercised daily. Would be a cool alternative to the P until the stained glass tranny decided it's had enough of feigning sports car credulity.
I'm as secretly hoping that prices keep dropping to the point where you could pull the engine, swap it into something fun (rather than another Ls), part out the rest of the car and about break even. Is that wrong?!
That sounds totally sane to me
Here is my plan doccumented in the archives of DT
some day
Wish you would pull the trigger. Boy would that be awesome and make people mad. What's not to like?
Wicked plan Sean, would make a great build!