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Rewritten June 15, 2024
June 15, 2024 – A Maserati owner's blunt confession that buying an Italian luxury sedan was "the worst purchase I ever made" has reignited debate about the hidden costs of exotic-car ownership. The man, who shared his story online this week, detailed years of mechanical failures, an estimated $27,000 engine repair, and crushing depreciation. His account lines up with hard data on the brand's reliability, and experts say the lesson applies to luxury buyers everywhere.
The man, a professional in his mid-30s from the East Coast who asked to remain anonymous, said he had lusted after the Maserati logo since his college years. He financed a 2019 Maserati Ghibli – the brand's best-known sedan – putting $22,000 down and financing the rest over 72 months.
"It was beautiful. The sound, the leather, the looks from other drivers – nothing felt better than sitting in that seat," he wrote in the post, which has been shared thousands of times since it appeared this week. "I thought I'd finally made it."
Reality, he says, started biting almost immediately. The first sign came at about 8,000 miles, when the infotainment screen started freezing and randomly restarting. Over the following months, he endured a dead fuel pump, a window regulator that failed in the dead of winter, a sagging headliner, and a persistent oil leak that the dealership struggled to trace.
Then came the failure that broke him. At 47,000 miles, with no prior warning light, the car's engine seized on a busy interstate. The repair estimate from a certified shop: $27,000.
He summed up the experience in a sentence now making the rounds on auto forums: "This was the worst purchase I ever made."
The owner's litany of faults isn't surprising to industry analysts. Maserati has spent the better part of a decade near the bottom of major reliability studies in the United States.
In J.D. Power's most recent U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, released in late 2023, the brand ranked among the lowest-performing nameplates. The study tracks problems reported by owners of three-year-old vehicles, and Maserati has consistently finished in the bottom five for years, with owners frequently flagging electrical, engine, and suspension issues.
Consumer Reports' 2023 reliability survey paints a similar picture. Maserati earned a below-average predicted reliability rating, with trouble spots concentrated in the same areas the anonymous owner described: electronics, climate control, and major engine systems.
None of this is a secret to those who track the brand. It simply isn't talked about as loudly as the cars themselves.
Even a reliable car loses value. A Maserati, the owner discovered, loses value like a sinking stone.
According to depreciation data from vehicle analytics firms such as iSeeCars, several Maserati models have historically shed more than half their MSRP within the first five years. The Ghibli, in particular, regularly appears on lists of the fastest-depreciating luxury cars.
The owner said his own math was sobering. He bought the Ghibli for roughly $68,000. Less than four years later, he sold it for $18,000.
"I paid about $50,000 total over four years when you count payments, insurance, repairs, and depreciation," he calculated. "For a car I couldn't trust to get me to work."
Automotive appraisers note that Maserati's value slide is driven by low sales volume, an uneven dealer network, and a reputation for breakdowns that hits resale values hard. Luxury buyers are a nervous crowd – a single significant repair event on a car's history can knock thousands off its resale price.
If depreciation is the silent tax, repair costs are the blunt trauma.
Because Maserati sells relatively few cars in the U.S., aftermarket parts are scarce and specialized mechanics are concentrated in major cities. That combination drives service costs well above mainstream luxury levels.
Routine work carries outsized bills. Online forums are full of owners sharing receipts: brake rotor and pad replacements running $2,500 to $4,000; a clutch job on certain models approaching $8,000; wiring harness repairs quoted at five figures. Independent mechanics who specialize in Italian brands often warn first-time Maserati owners to expect maintenance bills roughly 30 percent higher than for an equivalent BMW or Mercedes-Benz, citing pricey imported parts and the need for highly trained labor.
The owner's $27,000 engine bill, while dramatic, was not unique. Similar engine failure reports on Maserati's turbocharged V6 family exist across owner forums and complaint sites.
It's only fair to note that not all Maserati owners regret their purchases. Enthusiast communities include drivers who report years of trouble-free ownership, and some say later production years have improved quality.
"I've owned my 2018 for five years and it never once left me stranded," one owner wrote in response to the viral post. Others pointed to newer models like the Grecale and the updated Levante, which benefit from a newer generation of engineering under Stellantis, the parent company formed in 2021.
Still, the overall statistical picture remains cautious. The brand's own sales mix, repair records, and owner surveys point to a product that demands patience and a healthy contingency fund.
Financial advisors who counsel luxury buyers and mechanics who repair these cars generally offer the same recommendations:
The Maserati owner's story is one person's account, but it is supported by decades of data and the shared experiences of many other owners. The trident badge is alluring, but the true cost of Italian luxury often appears after the new-car smell fades.
As the owner himself put it: "I wanted status. What I got was a loan payment, a repair queue, and a learning experience."
He calls the Maserati the worst purchase he ever made. After this week, thousands of drivers are learning exactly what he means.
