[jeffkad]

For a company that only sold a few thousand Ghiblis, there seems to be an inordinate amount of total lemon cars and many with multiple annoyances. I for one, as well as a good friend, were serious buyers, but based on the experiences on this forum, are holding off buying. It is likely we will go in another direction. I have read several other posters here feeling the same way. I am really stunned by how badly Maserati has handled the real problem cars, and they seem to either have no clue how to handle high end luxury customer service, or they really don't care.

If it's the latter, I can only guess they believe that they only need to sell a small number of cars anyway and they will sell them just by virtue of good looks and exclusivity. However, likely due to the almost universally poor/mediocre car reviews and the numerous problems listed here, Maserati wound up sitting on a boatload of 2014's that had to be manufacturer-discounted to ridiculous levels to finally move them out. Unless Maserati has huge manufacturer-level margins way beyond other manufacturers, they can't be happy with these results. If they actually DO have such huge margins, maybe they should consider putting it into quality upfront instead of discounts on the back end. By comparison, there is very little discounting of Porsches, and their reviews are stellar.

Hey Maserati, what do you really want to be?

 

[positiv]

IMO, you will be missing on a great car.
Forums do not reflect the market as a whole. If you bought a lemon, you are more likely to search for similar issues online and will find this forum pretty quickly.

I did have minor issues with the Ghibli. The worse was the subwoofer rattle which was fixed to my satisfaction.

 

[My-Rati]

I couldn't agree with positiv more. If you look for the negative you will find it. Cars are very complex systems and we should expect some minor tweaking after delivery. I have minor service needs, but that does not constitute a lemon or a bad car. Maybe we should have a forum for those who simply want to enjoy their cars, learn and socializes....

 

[ssipes]

Maybe we should have a forum for those who simply want to enjoy their cars, learn and socializes....

Im pretty sure that everyone purchased their Ghibli with that intention...



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[Mangirek]

If you don't have the passion for this brand don't even think about it. You will be a nervous wreck waiting for a problem to happen at any moment and won't enjoy this car. While it is true that some of our fellow members are having serious problems with Maseratis poor customer support the vast majority are having a blast with their Ghiblis. If you want to play it safe wait a couple more years till they resolve the early model bugs. The itch to drive this car will undoubtedly keep growing and hopefully you will be more confident and enthusiastic then. Right now this isn't for you. Good luck. Cheers mate.

 

[jeffkad]

Mangirek, i do have the passion for this brand, which is why I'm still here and still holding out hope that the car gets better. However, where I'm different is that the passion and emotion have not overridden the practical aspect of ownership. This will be my daily driver, so I really don't want to experiment. If the car appeared more solid, or at least if Maserati did the right thing, I'd be in the car already.

My point with my post is sort of a wake up call to Maserati to get their heads out of their arses and be a better manufacturer, both in car quality and customer service, because I WANT to be a buyer. I'm not afraid of problems, I'm afraid of a manufacturer that doesn't give a s**t. Although I make plenty of money, 90k is a still big number to me, so it's not like I'm throwing chump change at this.

I sincerely hope they get it right someday soon. Right now, it's tough to buy in.

 

[salayc]

By comparison, there is very little discounting of Porsches, and their reviews are stellar.

Not that Maserati has been doing a great job, but it's main competitor from Porsche is the Panamera. I saw $30k discounts, and their own CEO has admitted they suck.

Porsche CEO Admits The Panamera Is Ugly - Business Insider

 

[Joe300]

No issues at all!!

Great vehicle!!!

Could not be happier...

Get a 2015 my friend , you will be fine as the previous issues on 2014 have been fixed.


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[bjg625]

I still stand by my opinion that the dealer makes the difference. Except for the radio our car has been great after the early problems. Yes Maser should handle major cases better and that info will hurt them. I'm also on the Jag F type forum and they complain about their radio, a 770w,12speaker,2sub system for$1200! I just traded my SLK55 for a 6 month old F type S and let me tell you we would all give our I teeth to have this in our Masers. It's from Meridian and I believe it is better than the B&W in Maser. As to left over cars,Maser did over stock US. Too many dealers. But Mercedes has to give away E class, Jags have slowed down,Audi is trading down. How many of Porsche sold are 911 or Boxster? The price is affecting our view of cars. The F type is a great sports car, but I was able to get a 3000 mile one for $25,000 less than new with 1.9 financing. Too hi at $95,000!

 

[culverwood]

Wait until you get one before winging about the Ghibli.

I am always suspicious of people who come onto a forum to slag off a car they do not have and mention another brand.

As salayc, the CEO of Porsche and I agree, the Panamera which is the Ghibli's equivalent, looks like a fornicating weasel.

 

[BrooklynGhibli]

Hi Jeffkad. I think I may be similar to you (based on your locations). I spend the workweek in Brooklyn and Manhattan and weekends out on Long Island. I have had my Ghibli for about six weeks now, have racked on 2,000 miles and absolutely enjoy every minute behind the wheel. I came from BMWs, Porsches, and MBs. This seems to trump them all by far. The driving experience which my Ghibli SQ4 provides is far superior than all of my previous cars (and I've had some fun ones also). I will say as a realist, after reading everything in this forum, I am about 5% hesitant at times that something bad will happen to mine, but then I just mash on the accelerator, listen to the tone of that exhaust and the pop of the transmission shifting gears, and the ear-to-ear smile on my face makes me forget all about what I've read! I wish you best of luck in your decision. Please feel free to PM me with any questions or concerns you might have and don't count out the Ghibli altogether!

Oh and here are some of my previous cars from my little "stable:"

My 2011 E93 M3:

My 2012 Mercedes Benz C63 Edition One:

My 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera:

My 2012 BMW Z4 sDrive35is:

My 2012 BMW 750i Msport (which was recently assumed by someone from Swapalease)!

And finally, my 2014 Maserati Ghibli SQ4. Loving every second with this bad boy!

 

[yxc145]

Hi Jeffkad. I think I may be similar to you (based on your locations). I spend the workweek in Brooklyn and Manhattan and weekends out on Long Island. I have had my Ghibli for about six weeks now, have racked on 2,000 miles and absolutely enjoy every minute behind the wheel. I came from BMWs, Porsches, and MBs. This seems to trump them all by far. The driving experience which my Ghibli SQ4 provides is far superior than all of my previous cars (and I've had some fun ones also). I will say as a realist, after reading everything in this forum, I am about 5% hesitant at times that something bad will happen to mine, but then I just mash on the accelerator, listen to the tone of that exhaust and the pop of the transmission shifting gears, and the ear-to-ear smile on my face makes me forget all about what I've read! I wish you best of luck in your decision. Please feel free to PM me with any questions or concerns you might have and don't count out the Ghibli altogether!

Oh and here are some of my previous cars from my little "stable:"

My 2011 E93 M3:

My 2012 Mercedes Benz C63 Edition One:

My 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera:

My 2012 BMW Z4 sDrive35is:

My 2012 BMW 750i Msport (which was recently assumed by someone from Swapalease)!

And finally, my 2014 Maserati Ghibli SQ4. Loving every second with this bad boy!

ha! I remember the C63 Black Series and the 911. I do miss my 911S though.....

 

[sizquik]

@jeffkad

I suggest an extended test drive or find a car you can borrow/rent for a weekend. Keep it in sport mode and have fun with it. If it doesn't put a smile on your face when you're mashing on the gas, it's just not the car for you. In the end, this car is about passion and design. With all of the deep discounting going on, you'd be crazy not to pick one up. That said, there was no way I was going to any first year car outright which is why I leased.

Problems aside, this is a great first effort from Maserati and it will take a little time for the bugs to be worked out.

Some of the car reviews I watched dissuaded from pulling the trigger. Then I drove the car.

Good luck.

 

[flamingwicky]

@BrooklynGhibli That 2012 Mercedes Benz C63 looked very sharp.. i think thats because of its Matte paint.. did you plasti dip it??

 

[TKDalumni]

All manufactures could/should step up...dealers are the liaisons and are your best bet in getting issues resolved. Buy your service manager a fruit cake for xmas and keep him close.
Mine told me Maserati has been associated with Ferrari for so long that they still have that F you attitude. Trust me the manufacturer support from Ferarri SUCKS! You ever hear that Ferrari only sells cars to fund their race team...

 

[BrooklynGhibli]

@BrooklynGhibli That 2012 Mercedes Benz C63 looked very sharp.. i think thats because of its Matte paint.. did you plasti dip it??

Thank you! Actually no I didn't plasti-dip. It was one of 100 ever made called the Edition One. It was one $16,000 option which included Designo Magno Night Matte paint, 19" Matte black wheels, a red and black stitched steering wheels and a couple of other performance goodies. I loved that car so much!

 

[UKGhibli]

Thank you! Actually no I didn't plasti-dip. It was one of 100 ever made called the Edition One. It was one $16,000 option which included Designo Magno Night Matte paint, 19" Matte black wheels, a red and black stitched steering wheels and a couple of other performance goodies. I loved that car so much!

C63 without doubt the best car I have ever owned :-(

 

[flamingwicky]

I wish i can have that paint on my Ghibli .. the same Matte paint... it looks freakishly bad boy stuff..

Thank you! Actually no I didn't plasti-dip. It was one of 100 ever made called the Edition One. It was one $16,000 option which included Designo Magno Night Matte paint, 19" Matte black wheels, a red and black stitched steering wheels and a couple of other performance goodies. I loved that car so much!

 

[lucmed]

I think that jeffkad brought up very important observations. As I mentioned before, in order to achieve it's goals, Maserati can't only base on the legendary brand splendor, looks, exclusivity. In order to compete in the mid-size luxury market they need to be able to handle high clients expectations when it comes to quality and customer service.
They are many customers out there with possibly different priorioties comparing to most of us here, the enthusiasts They want to have a reliable daily driver and they expect quality for $ 60-70-80 or even 90k they are about to spend. They look for the primary car, not another beauty in the collection. They will beat the crap out of their car putting 50k miles/year. They can't be told - "look elsewhere" because then the whole Ghibli idea is not going to fly and it could be the first and last year of production. Maserati needs to step up here and not only provide a great product, but also the whole infrastructure, to meet their expectations.
Many of the concerns here at the forum are real and I don't get an impression that they come from people who would complain about anything anytime.
Look how many owners had to visit the dealerships to fix minor, but still annoying issues. I love the car and I am patient, understanding the fact that a brand new car will have bugs that will need to be fixed. It is not 35th BMW 5 series generation, where things are only getting better and better. But not everybody will be that understanding and I am not surprised that people are careful.
Talking about customer care - even one of the dealers here at the forum admitted, that he is short-staffed and the had to "prioritize" calls to the potential buyers.
Maserati NA responses - or their lack - I called twice, one time asking for front caliper diameter (to help me find appropriate wheels) - I was told by a very kind lady that somebody would call me in 2 bussiness days - no call back and it's been about 2-3 weeks. Another call to ask about tire promotion (since the dealers I called did not hear about it) - the representative was not aware of anything, also promised a follow up call that never happened.
And I know that there is a lot of owners out there that just go to the dealer, fix things and don't bother to share their experience on any forum. So the forum representation could be biased both ways.
Maserati should take the feedback from this forum seriously since it comes from real owners and what kind of feedback can be better than that?
Also, I really wonder what are the final sales numbers for 2014. There seems to be a lot of inventory out there and it worries me - I really hope Maserati is succesful and stirs the market. I also look forward to reading early quality tests from reputable auto magazines after they put some mileage on the car.

My advice to a potential buyer - go for it!, understanding that it is a brand new car, there will be bugs, yes, you will spend some time at the dealership but it is still worth it! If you are not sure about the quality of the car in a long run - get a lease and enjoy it.

 

[BigBlu]

BrooklynG, you sir have good taste!

Why did you dump the 911? That's the other car I'm cross shopping against the Ghibli.

As to other posters here, I've owned a variety of Italian cars since 2006, and to sum it up, not a single Italian manufacturer gives a crap about customer service. I don't even think they get the concept.

I'm not knocking the dealers, as many Maserati dealers, for instance, may rep other makes and try to provide consistent service.

But GM, Audi and Porsche will all run circles around Italian manufacturers in terms of service. Even Ferrari is a MAJOR pain. None of this will change anytime soon.