Maserati musings

Monstrosity? No, add a fourth porthole and it could be a Buick Roadmaster!

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These kinds of cars are really a different sort of retail product, that has almost nothing to do with transportation. If you want to be moved from one place to another with a minimum of fuss and in comfort you could do very well to contract with a limo service, and probably spend less overall. And, depending on what your way of making money is, you can also earn more, because you can continue to focus on your work while being driven around.

People buy these cars because they can, or think they can, and because they also enjoy the feeling that other people also think they have that much money. Once I knew a young lawyer who bought a beautiful Jaguar sedan that didn’t run at all and had it towed to the parking area outside his office, just so his future clients would think he was rich and would expect to pay high fees.

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At the other end of the spectrum, I once knew a guy who didn’t like neighbors to park in front of his house, so he bought a non-running Renault Dauphine, and he parked it at the curb in front of his home. Of course, now nobody–including the Renault’s owner–would be able to use that parking space for their operative vehicles, but… at least he didn’t have to look at his neighbors’ cars in front of his house! :wink:
Instead, he had the… pleasure… of gazing at his rapidly-rusting French wreck.

Yes, he was a very strange guy…

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@VDCdriver. As a faculty member at a state university, I took the opposite approach of the lawyer you mentioned. I drove the same car to work for 33 years. After 20 years, it looked pretty ratty–rather like Lt. Columbo’s Peugeot convertible. I wanted to look poor as we negotiated for salary increases.
I learned this from the president of the small college I attended. The college provided a car for his use. He chose the bottom of the line Chevrolet Biscayne–manual transmission, 6 cylinder engine, no power steering or brakes. I rode in the car and made some derogatory comment. The president laughed and told me that he chose the car. He reminded me that he raised money for the college and needed to show that the institution didn’t spend money extravagantly.

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The new Maserati’s are strange to me. Ever since Fiat group got involved they just dont seem to have that exotic Italian flare that they once had. Fiat is trying to market them as unique and exclusive but to me they seem kind of average looking. I do agree the leather they use is amazing but then they go and put switches and knobs in there that are straight up Chrysler parts bin stuff. I mean if I’m going to spend a 130K on a Italian sports sedan I dont want a turn signal stalk from a Jeep Wrangler in there. Kind of ruins the “fine Italian sports car” thing for me.
If I had that kind of money I think I’d stick with the German’s. Maybe a E63 AMG or a M5.

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But 3 portholes makes it a Buick Special, right? At least that’s what I remember.

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The Renault Clio is bulbous, or the Citroen SM

IMG_0081

That Citroen is one of those cars that should be ugly, but instead is beautiful.

There are a couple in my area that I see at car meets every summer. Really neat and interesting cars.

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3 was Special or some years of Super, 4 was Roadmaster, Century, and some years of Super.

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Maserati Quattroporte is literally Maserati Four-door

why didn’t they use that name in English?..

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Already taken:

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Fordor and Quattroporte

You’re making my point about how dumb they treat consumers

I don’t know about you, but I’d buy a Cadillac sedan de ville over a cadillac Fordor any day.

And if my car company’s name was FORD, I’d probably spell it FORDor too.

Of course, I’m also a dork so I’d end up incorporating some Lord of the Rings reference in all the marketing materials. One does not simply drive into Fordor. :wink:

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At one time, Ford’s two-door models were referred to as Tudors.
Luckily, Henry VIII couldn’t sue for copyright infringement.

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Actually, it was wentwest who related the tale of the lawyer with the non-operative Jag.
I chimed-in with the tale of the strange guy who preferred to see a rusting, non-operative Renault Dauphine in front of his house, rather than any of his neighbors’ cars.
:open_mouth:

@VDCdriver. My mistake. I have been thinking about the person who put a junk Renault Dauphine in the parking place in front of his house to keep the neighbors from using his parking place. Of course, that left him no place to park his own car
I am often tempted to do the opposite. When I get a prime parking place nearest the door of our local shopping mall, I want to leave the car and take the bus home so I will always have a great parking place.

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Forgive me, I’m trying to avoid going and doing my 2019 calendar, so I must talk.

I figure I’m missing something by not using a car like that once in a while but what’s that TQM thing again? Designing the quality that “meets or exceeds” customer requirements, not actual total total quality. So the car is designed for maybe a 5% market. Still soft seats and smooth ride would be nice but if they marry the body and interior to a Japanese drive train, it will likely be soft seats and bone jarring ride, but dependable and $30 oil changes.

@Triedaq reminded me that in high school I was friends with a kid who’s dad was the Vo-Tec director. Actually started and built it and the blood of the place. At any rate after visiting after school, he gave me a ride home. From his spacious home in his new 61 Chevy Impala top of the line, to my humble dwelling with our 61 Chevy Biscayne wagon with 6 cyl, manual trans, steering and brakes. He was kind of arrogant so I think he felt that a Chevy was as low as he would go and really deserved a Buick or Olds. Maybe he had one in the garage.