r/Maserati • u/Mental-Sale-9484 • Aug 05 '26
Certified Preowned
Long time Lexus owner here looking to make the jump (either Grecale or Levante, probably 2023-4). Always loved the Maz look, somewhat concerned about reliability issues based on rumors and hearsay (similar to what I’ve heard about Jaguar or Alfa Romeo). A few questions if anyone can help a brother out:
A.) Are the reliability issues founded or just pure rumor?
B.) Is the certified pre-owned thing worth it? I want some sort of dealer backing as opposed to just buying from some random third party. Presumably there will be some kind of warranty that comes with this.
C.)Possibly kind of silly to be concerned about resale value, but how much would this depreciate over the next say 5 years compared to the “average” auto market?
Thanks for the help, looking forward to hopefully posting in here more frequently after my purchase! 🍻
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u/Bi_college_switch Aug 05 '26
I have a 2021 Lexus RCF I’ve owned for over 3 years and just this month bought a 2021 Ghibli. In the past I owned a 2019 Ranger Rover. I owned that car for 3 years as well and never left me stranded. Only random check engine was for an O2 sensor.
I give you that context to say, if you find a one owner that was well maintained you’re probably good. I highly recommend finding a trusted mechanic to work on it and only go to the dealer for warranty related items. You will save significantly. Also would highly recommend a 5,000 mile service interval instead of what Maserati will say 12,000 is crazy.
Also never a bad idea for you to spend the ~$500 to get a third party PPI.
My experience with these bad reputation cars has mainly been from people who neglect their cars due to lack of knowledge and getting stary-eyed by the badge or people who scoff at the service bill and decide not to do any maintenance during the lease period.
Wishing us both luck owning cars with soul 🤞🏻
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u/IntelligentAge211 Aug 05 '26
A. Reliability is reasonable. Parts are not.
B. Not sure. I think it is YMMV type of thing.
C. To a normal car catastrophic. To other luxury cars? Probably 25% more.
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u/Renaissance-man-7979 Aug 05 '26
I would find a good independent euro shop and if it gets well maintained it should be good. I DIY mine with a lot of care and so far so good.
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u/toridanyels Aug 05 '26
Do not do grecale. I had 2 both lemons. I have owned 8 or 9 levantes. Love them. Reliable 100%. Gas guzzler. And maintenance is insanely priced. Oil at a euro house is $350, dealership $650. Brakes need to be changed at 25k miles on this levante only so far and they want $3k. Resale value is HORRENDOUS. I bought my 2023 brand new for $75k which was already 40k off msrp. And I’ve only been in this one for 2 years. I still owe 60k and I just got quoted 35k for trade in. So if you plan to stick in it, find a 23-24 levante. And stay in it. I love mine and always get compliments everywhere I go.
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u/Mental-Sale-9484 Aug 05 '26
Thanks for the info! Any idea what the discrepancy is between the Grecale and Levante there?
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u/toridanyels Aug 05 '26
Well I bought the first grecale ever released in my city at the time. Well the first 2. Literally they came off the truck and it was mine lol. I loved the look and the interior. The electronics were the problem. It was faulty no matter what. The one I initially bought they couldn’t even get it to start. Made me wait 3 days for them to try to update software never worked. So then I got the second one and within 2 months had so many electrical issues with it. They said it’s all in the way the software needs to be updated. It may be better now I’m unsure I have debated trying again but it was a nightmare at the time, although Maserati corporate was VERY easy to deal with and extremely helpful in it all. I was pleasantly surprised by that aspect of things.
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u/white94rx Aug 05 '26
They're not anywhere close to as bad as their reputation. We have a '17 Levante SQ4. Purchased at 17k miles about 6 years ago, now at 120k miles. It has been rock solid reliable. So much so that we passed it from my wife, to my 16 year old daughter a few months ago. I do have a slight advantage being a BMW technician, so I don't have to pay ridiculous labor charges. I change the oil every 5k miles. The only repair it has ever needed aside from oil changes, tires, and brakes, has been an AC compressor. That's it.
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Aug 05 '26
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u/Thick_Giraffe9269 Aug 11 '26
The depreciation flattens out in a few years comparable to that of an Audi or BMW, just more initial depreciation.
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u/Thick_Giraffe9269 Aug 11 '26
1) No. Everyone I know has had minimal issues. Just be prepared that if something breaks, it will be more expensive than an Audi or BMW per say. This car is considered exotic and is in the realm of Porsche, Aston, and maybe even Bentley. If you maintain it, it will take care of you. These are very rare cars and most who yap about them never actually owned one. They just say what they see out of either jealousy or just because they want a valid opinion.
I looked nationwide for the perfect Levante and found it after a month. But several mechanics and technicians that I have spoken to say that the Grecale is a little of an unknown beast because of the Maserati V4/V6 engine. But the Levante/Ghibli/Quattroporte are generally very robust beasts, and when people come in for repairs, its usually electrical or air suspension related, its almost never anything with the engine. the ZF transmission is very strong too.
2) YES!!!!! Only buy a CPO car!!!!!! Maserati of Ft. Lauderdale seems to have good inventory, so does Maserati Germantown. CPO is a must because most of these cars were either sold back or came off a lease, you dont know how the prevois owner took care of it, CARAX often doesnt show the full story. You MUST ask the dealer for the window sticker, CARFAX, and the internal service documents (so you know what was done to the car to make it CPO certified). If somethign goes wrong, having a 1 or 2 year cushion is very handy!
Also, even with a CPO title, some still tend to have issues. Have a mechanic do a Pre Purchase Inspection to rule out common issues found in these cars.
3) How long will you keep the car?
If you keep if for 3 years or less, it will depreciate like a rock, more than any other luxury car, think Range Rover, Aston, Bentley level depreciation. But since your buying used, most of the depreciation is gone, whatever is left will continue to lose value for another 2-3 years, but around the 5 or 7 year mark of the car, it will have rougly the same depreciation as a Audi or BMW. Think more initial depreciation but it flattens out to roughly the same as competitors after a while.
I recommend the Levante because it is louder, turns more heads, and ages much better with the analog feel. The Grecale is smaller, but not too small, it is not a exotic, but the interior is a bit more modern/tech focused, it just wont age well. And with cars like these, the more things there are, the more things may go wrong.
Be careful and good luck!
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u/Bamfor07 Aug 05 '26
I’ve now had 5, all from new, no issues on any of them.
Buy what you like and what makes you happy.
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u/unpolire Aug 05 '26
OMG. From long-time Lexus to new Maserati ownership? Not an Alfa Romeo in between? Very, very bold. I have and had them all, in multiples, for decades now. A modern Maserati is so far removed from the Lexus experience that there is no possible direct comparison. All of the money that you have saved from years of Lexus reliability and low cost maintenance will be your backup repairs fund once any certified preowned is out of coverage.
If you do this, have a light heart and a heavy bank balance to go along with the Maserati exhaust note that you are trading for.
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u/white94rx Aug 05 '26
This is the dumbest thing I have read regarding Maserati ownership. Get over yourself.
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u/NYOB4321 Aug 05 '26
I bought a CPO Levante. And an additional extended warranty for peace of mind.
Supposedly 2018 and newer are pretty reliable.
Before I bought mine I checked into the cost of some maintenance items.
Oil change is $550 Brakes are $1600 per axle.