Aston Martin Vantage V8 (Convertible) vs. Maserati GT (Convertible) as Daily Driver
 

Good evening everyone!
I am looking at possibly upgrading my Porsche Boxster 03 as was wondering which of the following cars: Aston Martin V8 Vantage or Maserati GT (Convertible) would make a better Daily Driver.

I commute about 65 miles round trip a day in LA traffic and would need the car to be pretty reliable and not break down often. I drive around 10-12k miles a year. I would be willing to set aside between $3-5k a year for repairs and maintenance.

I would love to hear everyone's experiences with one or both of these cars and also it would be great if you could answer this questions:
1) Which car would you consider to be "cooler" and why?
2) Which car is less expensive to maintain?
3) Which car breaks down less?
4) Is my budget for repairs/maintenance reasonable?
5) What is the most expensive repair you've had on these cars?
6) How much, on average, do you spend per year to maintain these cars?

Both of these cars are BEAUTIFUL IMO so I would love to hear your thoughts...

This is my second post on 6SPEED to please bear with me as well :)

Vantage will not breakdown, roadster you may have some issues. Whichever you find to your liking and price point get a PPI from an accredited place to know exactly what you are buying. There is lots of info and support here if you purchase.

James

This is a very nice problem to have!
Both are beautiful. (lean toward Maserati)
Both sound wonderful (lean toward Maserati)
Both are the best of the Brand for sport (lean toward Aston Martin)
Both will empty your wallet if you need a major repair.
Of course, if you want a manual, there is only one choice...

thanks for the info. Have you had any major repairs in these cars and if so what were they and how much do they cost?

awesome thanks mate for the reply! Glad to hear the vantage is reliable. What’s the craziest repair and cost the vantage has had for u?

I own a 2012 QP5 GTS with 61,000 miles. I think the GT is closely related to the QP. I've owned it for the last 2+ years and have put on 13,000 miles. I've done only standard maintenance under my ownership. The car did have $14,000 repair work done in the year prior to my acquisition - variators failed, some steering rack issues, as I recall. It was all covered under the CPO coverage the prior owner had. I love the car and intend to keep it. I purchased snows and drive it during the Chicago winter. Most cars perform better if driven regularly; I know that applies to Ferrari, Maserati and I suspect AM, too. I've never owned an AM, but did seriously consider a 2015 Vantage GT manual last year. Hope this data point helps.

Hi Mate!
Thanks for the info. That's great to hear you've only done standard maintenance on the car since owning it. $14,000 is INSANE though for the previous owner. I wonder if they got a ton of maintenance done at once that should have been done earlier, because from what I hear $14k in one year seems WAY above average maintenance for a Maserati (please correct me if I'm wrong). Do you bring the cat to an indy shop for repairs? I would be interested to hear how much you've spend per year on your standard maintenance.
Thanks!

Vantage no question it can’t age ..... if your confused just look at it from a different angle there is no better more provocative car ever


ok I’m biased

Can’t comment on the Maser other than it’s a good looking car and 2+2 seating if that matters. I bought my 2014 4.7 manual roadster while living in LA (if Encino counts) but did not commute. Lots of canyon/ coastal fun but no drudge of a daily commute. 35 miles is a lot depending on your flexibility and what is unavoidable. I avoided going downtown for the most part and even avoided lunches on the west side coming over from the Valley. Manual is awesome but daily bumper to bumper would be hell. As for maintenance, once out of warranty, my biggest expense was timing cover leak at $3.5K. Annual costs have averaged ~$1K but big ticket items like new clutch and tail light replacement due to water intrusion are always a potential hit. FYI I’m the original owner and just passing 30K miles. I’m not aware of an independent mechanic in the LA area but at least you have two decent Aston dealers (I was happy with Galpin service while my car was under original warranty). Finally, I absolutely love the analog feel of my Vantage and appreciate this enthusiast community for helping make the ownership experience as special as the car itself.

I tend to thrash my Vantage, so I've seen some costly repairs.
Launches will eventually trash the Graziano transaxle. I dump 500HP into sticky 285/40/19 tires, so I know.
I was able to pull a replacement from a wrecked 2013 for $5,000.00, but a new one is $22,000.00.
I believe a new engine is $42,000.00.
So be gentle if you can (I can't, especially at Laguna Seca).
Mods are expensive too.
I put in Pauter racing rods and GT3 bearings on a nitride hardened crankshaft for a cool $13,000.00.
I suspect the same thing in a Mustang is about $7,000.00.
But VelocityAP has headers, cats, intake and tune to get you up to 470HP for under $8,000.00.
So the Vantage can be anything you want. Not sure the Maserati GT has the same support base.

Hi mate!
Thanks so much for the information; this helps a lot!
You are totally right about the V8V being hell in traffic. I spend most of my day in traffic so it wouldn't be the best DD for me. I even called AM Beverly Hills and they said it would be awful to drive the V8V in traffic even with the auto transmission. They said if you get the auto and drive it in auto mode, you have to replace the clutch every 5-7k miles which means I would spend $10k a year just on clutch replacements.
I think the Maserati GT would be a better DD for me based on this info...

Wow; that's insane mate!
If I drive the Maserati GT around 10k miles a year and do not abuse it at all, do you think my 3-4k per year budget for car repairs/maintenance would be reasonable?
Thanks!

Is that a typo or are you really using 285/40/19 in the rear? What rims/offsets? Do you have pictures?

Standard sport pack rear is 285/35/19

I owned a Vantage and have driven a GranSport Maserati (one of the best condition ones in US) many times. GranSport is no Aston Martin; plain and simple. The Maserati interior is well sewn, but cheap material. Doesn't have the smell or tactile sensation of the Aston. There's no outer arm rest on the Maserati and you'll have to deal with stick buttons and the like. The start up of the Maserati is not as great as Aston. Maserati has nice turn in and steering feel, the brakes aren't as cool as they look seemed lacking in stopping power. Great back seat is a big plus. The Cambiocorsa trans is fine if you want to drive in manual and fast. Makes the same burble sound off the throttle and between gears like a Ferrari. Maserati costs a heck lot less used, is a beautiful car, but it can't do anything better than the Vantage in terms of performance. Aston is certainly "cooler" FWIW.

I've thought about a Maser GT Spyder or GS Spyder alot, so I get the dilemma. I would pick the Aston every time if "cost of entry" isn't the prime reason to lean towards the Maserati.

I would bet the cost of the car that there is no way a sport shift clutch would go in 5-7k miles. Regardless of mode or driving. If that was the case you would see them going for $15k or abandoned on the side of the road.