Maserati Ghibli GT 2.8

Masers of the 90s under Fiat/Ferrari ownership were a massive improvement over the old Biturbo models of the late 80s/90s.Reliability is very good and servicing very reasonable compared with the other supercar giants like Ferrari,Lambos,Porsche etc.I kept mine in tip top condition,regular oil changes with 100% synthetic oil,fresh coolant,at least every year or every 6000 miles and these engines go on and on.I have owned several Masers of this period and the 2.8 Biturbo engine is king,loads of torque and no need to thrash it like the 2.0 litre.Mpg was fair too,worst was around 20 mpg,best nearer 28 mpg on a long run.Loads of fun,break neck performance and smooth linear power delivery unlike the old all or nothing performance from the old Biturbo models that ruined the handling! I dumped my lovely 1989 Zagato Spyder (2.8 biturbo engine) after too many near misses and frights after only 10 months.I regretted it but hay ho,the Ghibi was a vast improvement.The Quattroporte IV,of the 1990s, is also an amazing Q car,a big shock,so fast and can handle remarkably well,quicker than the E34 BMW M5.Light weight,nimble and a true 4 seater.It was such a practical all rounder,I would have another tomorrow!

an under valued super car that fit for every day use, with 108000 miles on the clock , rust free body work and all the comfort you could want , its a woolf in sheeps clothing that dose not attract resentment from others....more intreague

When you step inside it you got a feeling that you was in for a comforting but neck braking ride that gave you a thrill every mph more you went up.Great car which I would recommend to anyone because of the kick that it gave you up the backside when you were going at full pelt. The only problem is that it was not very reliable and cost a fair bit of money to fix up. For instance a maser badge for the front only cost £70!

I miss this car so much, but like smoking it is bad for your health and will kill you.

I bought this car from Cambridge and drove it home to Bath, normally a 3 1/2 journey with no traffic, it took me much less, I can assure you. I knew from the moment I drove it my life had changed. While driving you can be sitting at 90 thinking your doing about 40, and then if you decide to put your foot down, 110, 130, 140! that was my limit. I knew when your lights are on full beam and you still can't see far enough ahead it's time to stop.

I sold this car after several near misses and when I decided that I would like to see my 19th birthday.

I miss it almost every day it's been a year now and writing this makes my heartbeat rise and when I look out my window and can't see it makes me sad.

I think I will always be addicted. Put simply, this car is a like a drug. You don't need to take them, it's not good for your health, and they will kill you or you will be hooked for life!

But I still love it.

I loved this Maserati 1997 Ghibli GT 2.8. To be more precise, I fell in love with it and to this day, a part of me misses it - but it's the part of me that loves power slides and neck breaking acceleration, slamming on the breaks and narrowly avoiding ploughing off into the hedge i.e. the stupid part.

This car was the last incarnation of the 2+2 Biturbo shaped Maserati Ghibli. Under Fiat's control from 1994, this car had a fantastic and bulletproof 2.8 twin turbo V6 producing 280Bhp and 230 Lb/ft of torque. Maserati's are all about torque and effortless acceleration, and this is no exception.

Inside, everything is covered in connolly hide, alcantara, suede etc. Wood and leather in a very old-school Italian way. Very comfortable sports seats, and easily a car you could drive for a 2 week holiday with lots of luggage space and pretty good reliability.

By "pretty good reliability" I mean, it never broke down, or had any major problems. But the rear brake lights would blow a bulb every three months or for no reason. And the horn stopped working twice, and needed replacing. And once I pressed the fog-light button and the whole thing popped into the dashboard, and I had to lever off the wood trim to retrieve it and turn the fog lights off again. And the driver's seat came loose once, too. That's it - for such a great car, with so much style, these were irritating flaws, but no reason to get rid of it.

No, I got rid of it because it tried to kill me. The turbos only really delivered above 2500 - 3000 revs. Below that, the car drove like any sensible 2.8 V6, not that fast, docile, easy. Hit 3000 revs, a few seconds later, and the rear wheels are spinning (at 60mph) and you are suddenly pushing 110 mph in seconds, then you slam on the breaks (excellent ABS) and tame it, hang on round a corner, which it would slice into like a race car, let it cool down a bit and then do the whole thing again. Fun, but hairy.

Then one day it hit a big puddle on the motorway, at about 70 mph and slid accross 2 lanes. This scared me. No warning. Then, on frosty roads outside Oxford, at about 40, I could feel it sliding a little bit every turn. People in Fords and Mazdas were overtaking me, but the Maser just wouldn't have it. In the wet, damp, frosty or cold - basically from October through to May, it had to be driven very gently, which defeats the purpose of a car that can do 0-60 in 5.5 seconds.

Finally, the service costs. Every year, the car needs hoses changing (£420 ish) a service (£650) plus in my case a new horn (£200) and front shock absorber (£170) plus a few extras and it came in at about £1500. It also needs cambelts done every 3 years / 36k which is about £2000. The insurance was higher than the new Porsche 911 I got afterwards, too. Fuel economy was excellent, though.

In Summary, it's a passionate, fiery car - like a BMW M3 on cocaine. Faster, more exclusive, and addictive power - but a frenetic, and sometimes scary experience. Combine the unpredictability with the costs, and to be honest, it's a car I'm glad I owned, but I knew it couldn't last forever. Get one for summer weekends, and a the odd trip down to the South of France, if you can afford such a luxury. If you need to drive it a lot all year, better get a BMW M3 and live with the shouts of "to##er" as you drive down the road.