The Maserati Biturbo Was The Most Reliable Car I've Ever Owned

"Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru" (matt-powershiftmedia) 10/22/2017 at 14:46 • Filed to: Maserati, Maserati Biturbo

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Well that certainly grabbed your attention didn’t it? Here’s the thing though, I’m not just trying to get you with click bait, ladies and gentleman, I’m about to tell you the best story between a man and his car. Forget everything you thought you knew about the Biturbo, because I’m here to set the record straight for good.

A Little Insight

The Maserati Biturbo was introduced to the American market starting in the model year of 1984, and was truly the first mass production effort put forth by Maserati. The car at the time featured a 2.5 liter twin turbocharged V6 engine, good for 180 horsepower and was also the first production vehicle equipped with twin turbochargers. Considering these cars weighed just under 2600 pounds, acceleration was fairly impressive for the day.

Not impressive however was the initial issues these cars faced. For reasons unknown, Maserati equipped the Biturbo with a single Weber carb until the model year of 1986 (more on this later) which made for interesting reliability. I’ll say this, I owned a 1985 and it ran approximately three times. Just to adjust the carb, the entire pressure chamber had to be removed. This was the single worst design in automotive history, aside from the first generation Kia Rio.

Also making matters worse was the issue of leaky cylinder liners on the 1984 model year, which had a nearly 100 percent fail rate. The Biturbo was not off to the best start for a new model.

Please, Go On!

In 1985 the Biturbo E became available, which featured an intercooler system which truly raised power and torque a fairly good amount. Most people will agree torque was raised to the mid 250s from the high 190s. This is a Maserati after all, exact figures aren’t exactly agreed upon.

In 1986 there wasn’t a Biturbo model available aside from the Zagato Spyder, which still unfortunately had used a single Weber carb, so no real improvements were made until...

1987. This ladies and gents, is a very important year to remember. This was the first model year that Maserati decided to do the best thing they’ve ever done in life, and equipped the Biturbo with fuel injection. Intercoolers were now standard, and drivability and power were massively improved.

Early model Biturbos also had the issue of differential failures, the early Salisbury differentials were harsh and about as reliable as that drunken uncle that shows up three hours late to the family reunion. In 1987, the “Ranger” limited slip differential became standard, and they’re known to be rather robust and far smoother.

Additionally, the legendary Si model was available in 1987, featuring a leather and alcantara interior, air to water intercoolers and a sportier suspension. If you want to buy one today, this is the model to get your hands on. I truly believe these will be VERY valuable ten years from now.

My Biturbo

Ahh yes, time to get right into my Biturbo, the reason I acquired it, and how I felt about the car.

A very rare 425i

Ever since I could remember, I’ve wanted to own a fuel injected Biturbo, and I remember when they were insanely cheap too. I remember the days when I cruised Autotrader and would find a few for under $3,000. Those days have long passed us, and just finding an example that is complete is about as hard as trying to find Zima around my parts of Ohio.

I found this Biturbo on Craigslist just outside of Chicago one day, he had it listed as running and driving for $4,000 or trade for an older Jaguar. Ironically, I happened to have an XJ6 with just 60,000 miles that was in showroom condition. I immediately called the man and we agreed to meet.

Now mind you, I had only $700 invested in my Jaguar, but that’s an entire story in its’ own. We loaded the Jaguar on the trailer and showed up on a very cold wintery day. The Biturbo fired up on first crank, the heater and even the windows worked. It definitely had a rough misfire and some rust on the rockers, but we traded even up. I drove the Maserati onto the trailer and we headed home.

En Route to the house

To say I was excited is a massive understatement, it truly is. I’d previously owned a very solid 1985 that never really ran due to the carb situation, so I was praying for redemption. Upon getting the car home and inspecting it, I was honestly very surprised at how solid this thing was. The interior was practically mint condition, and the frame was mostly solid. The engine ran fairly well aside from the misfire issue.

I got to work right away cleaning up the interior and doing many coats of leather conditioner

As you can see, after some TLC, the interior was very nice in this old beast. The leather surfaces were known to wear very quickly in Biturbo models, and this one had somehow evaded this problem for the most part. After spending a few days just being very anal, I’d gotten the interior to be a solid 9/10, and even the original quartz clock was present and working!

I began to address some of the little issues the car did have. I bought a set of Magnecor plug wires, some good ole NGK copper plugs, a very expensive OEM distributor cap and rotor button. Tuning it up was fairly easy, aside from the back plugs on either side of banks. These were blocked by the “cam box breather system” and made a perfectly good excuse for me to rip out the system and plumb a catch can. These hoses are notorious for cracking and leaking oil everywhere, so I decided to do things smarter.

After the tune up, and plumbing the catch can, the car ran virtually perfect, and miraculously barely leaked oil. If you know anything about Italian cars, they came from the factory with oil leaks, so to this very day I still cannot understand how I got so lucky. Speaking of oil, it was very old, and I decided to change it. The problem here is the oil filter is in a very hard spot, either you remove the sway bar or the radiator to get it out. I elected to remove the radiator bolts and pivoted it out of the way.

When you own a Maserati, you learn some crafty things to make servicing it easier, so I had found out that the BMW 320i filter used for the M10 engines is a perfect replacement and is just small enough where you can fish it around the sway bar, this made future servicing of this car insanely easy.

I’d heard some whining coming from the rear differential, so I’d also elected to drain the diff oil and trans oil, and threw Amsoil back in its’ place. After all, this car was going to be my daily driver.

Wait, Did You Just Say Daily Driver?

Indeed I did, and indeed it was. After doing some servicing, the car had a very clean bill of health. I had installed a larger intercooler system, twin HKS blow off valves and cranked the boost to 14 psi, because why not?

I daily drove it even through winter, so washing it often was absolutely imperative

That’s me at the automatic car wash, I had driven it through the snow and decided it would be intelligent to keep the frame free from salt. In case you’re wondering, these cars are absolutely deadly to drive in the snow, yet it was what I had at the time.

There was a time where the mercury dipped into the -50s, and I still had to go to work. Ironically, my mother had a 2010 Chevrolet Impala that was garage kept. It would not start. It simply clicked and was dead in the water. The Maserati was kept outside. On this day, this is how I walked outside to find my Biturbo.

Eek.

It was so cold, the car literally was frozen to the ground. To make matters worse, I had used a Geo Metro battery as a lightweight and cheap battery solution. After using rubbing alcohol to de-ice my locks, I gained entry. I stuck the key in the ignition, turned it, and...

It started immediately. Literally, it started and ran perfectly. I could physically hear the water pump crunching ice, but it was running. After much work getting the car unstuck, I jumped off my mother’s Impala and she was able to go to work thanks to the Maserati.

Okay, So You Got Lucky ONCE

Wrong, my friend. A few weeks later, my daughter fell very ill. She was only about a year and a half old at the time, and she really needed to get to the hospital. Remind you, this was my only car. So we loaded up into the Maserati during an ice storm, and went on about our day. The car made it without any fuss, and my most precious cargo was even in extreme comfort. The heater in the Biturbo was beyond amazing, and worked very quickly too.

Rear occupant room was fairly generous!

I depended on this car on so many occasions, and it let me down zero times in two years. When I say that this was the most reliable car I’ve owned, I truly do mean that. Also, it was the cheapest for me to own. Maintenance was far from expensive, mostly because it required none.

The most expensive part of owning one of these was fuel, I averaged just 10 miles per gallon. That was even driving it like the pope was with me. These cars are just terribly inefficient and you learn to live with it. Otherwise, insurance was fairly cheap, and oil changes were just about all I had to do aside from modifications I chose to do.

All about that boost

Well, we know the Biturbo was more reliable than a Honda Civic I once owned, so shall we cover everything else?

Performance

Again, the car had some modifications, including a 3" exhaust from the downpipes back. In lieu of this and a low curb weight, the Biturbo was very quick. It would actually wag the tail once boost came on in third gear, which made for interesting back road bombing.

3" exhaust

Getting the exhaust done

Sound, oh the sound! This was single handedly the best sounding car I’d ever owned. With the intakes on, the exhaust on, it was just visceral. The sound of the V6, the twin turbos, the whine of the gearbox, I just cannot say enough good things about the Biturbo experience. Unless you’ve owned one, it’s hard to appreciate what these have to offer.

Performance is a 8/10

Handling

The Biturbo has a reputation for seeing off road use, mainly because these cars are dangerous if you cannot drive a car with snap oversteer. The little 195/60/14 tires just are not up to the task of handling over 275 lb feet of torque. What happens is, you’re mid corner, roll onto the throttle to power through it, and when the turbos come on, you find yourself doing some hand over hand counter steering.

Once you get used to that, body roll is pretty well managed, and the steering is extremely precise, offering levels of feedback you’re simply not going to get in any new vehicles. Steering response is very fast, and this was my single favorite dynamic of driving this car.

Braking was literally too good, and was known to be an issue. Biturbo models have no driving aids whatsoever, so having the rear end pass up the front is easy to do. Brembo multi piston calipers with large rotors do the braking up front, and in a lightweight car you have to modulate the pedal. This car had VERY capable brakes.

Handling is a 6/10 because these are very prone to snap oversteer

Comfort And Luxury

This is where the Biturbo kicks lots of ass, because comfort is what this car does best. Those supple looking seats suck you in, and you find yourself feeling like your sitting in a throne. The Nardi Torino wheel feels very premium in your hands, as it should.

The clutch was definitely heavy to use, but also very easy to use, so no big deal there. The transmission was insanely smooth and easy to operate. Steering was heavy, but not cumbersome by any means.

On the luxury side of things, there’s quite a bit to talk about. Every surface of this car is covered in leather or alcantara, and I mean everything. The headliner, A pillars, B pillars, dash, seats, shift boot, it’s all covered in leather. So that’s obviously a big deal.

Those gauges are what I miss most

The gauges were seriously awesome, you’ll never see another car with blue gauges. The Biturbo just had so much character in my eyes. Oh, every gauge in this car worked. In fact, there wasn’t a single thing that did not work. Also, the car never leaked a single fluid after doing the catch can.

The rear seat passengers had their own center HVAC stack, which was pretty unusual for an 80s car. Cruise control worked, all of that as I mentioned. Scoring this car by the standards of the day, it gets an easy 10/10.

EDIT- Someone asked for a quirks and features section, so here it is:

The Biturbo has many quirks and features, I wish I had pictures to highlight it, but I wasn’t writing about cars back then, so I’ll describe it all. First off, each door handle is embossed with the Maserati crown, which I found to be a very cool and interesting touch

Second, the fueling situation. Each C pillar features the Maserati crown, except that the driver’s side c pillar opens when you push the button that looks like a fuel pump in the center stack. Unique and definitely an elegant way to get fuel.

Third is one of the most hilarious quirks, the button in the middle that just says “TEST” like you’re about to give the Maserati a quiz. Simply, it just illuminates the idiot lights for a few seconds and they die off one by one, I assume Maserati did this knowing that their dash lights would fail some day. However, all of mine worked.

Speaking of idiot lights, there’s a picture in this article of the gauge cluster, and you’ll see a light that can light up that simply says “STOP” and I have no idea what that means. What I do know is this, if that light ever comes on, you’re probably about to have a very bad day.

Since we’re talking about the gauge cluster, you’ll notice the oil pressure is in BAR rather than PSI, I always found this to be strange, yet I really liked this quirk. Take notice of the picture of the speedometer, it shows the car moving 10-15 miles per hour, all while the car is stationary. Folks, Italian quirks are the best.

Another strange quirk? The shift boot laces onto the center assembly, literally it has laces and you tie it. Very unique.

My favorite quirk was the quartz clock, these are often stolen or missing, they pull a nice piece of change on eBay believe it or not.

Oh, the horn. Surely you’ve seen Doug Demuro test horns in Ferrari models before, and the Maserati horn is the exact same as any old Ferrari.

The most hilarious and final quirk, is one that nobody will ever know about unless they read this article. My car had the original owners manual and everything, and one day I lowered the driver’s side sun visor. There was a decal that was still in mint condition, it had a phone number for roadside assistance which was included for three years if memory serves me right. If I had the vehicle in front of me, I’d shoot a hilarious video about this.

Features are plentiful. The glove compartment was rather large, and lined in white alcantara. The trunk was also rather large, I easily fit $150 of groceries into it with room to spare.

The front seats were obviously power operated, and both worked like a charm. Oddly, my car wasn’t equipped with heated seats. However, it did have the optional Nardi wheel as seen in the pictures. That actually brings another quirk. Similar to the Jaguar that I traded (it had the same Nardi wheel) the horn button isn’t on the wheel, but rather on a stalk next to the turn signals. To use it, you pressed the end of the stalk, which after a while becomes quite second nature believe it or not.

The door sills were a beautiful brushed aluminum, and of course featured the Maserati crown, because why wouldn’t they?

I believe that wraps up the features and quirks section, I truly do wish I had some pictures of the things I’m taking about, but sadly I do not.

Styling

Styling is subjective, but I find the Biturbo to be a beautiful car. The angular wedge styling, the quirky touches like the Maserati crown throughout, I just always loved the way it looked. Personally, I thought the “425i” sedan made better use of the lines than the coupe did.

I got approached any time I drove this car, everyone would stare and wonder just what the hell it was. It was pretty cool to see people notice a car so obscure, and everyone was in love with the interior.

I’ll give styling a 7/10 because I know not everyone shares my sentiments on this car.

Reliability And Daily Use

As I’ve stated, I daily drove this car for almost two years and roughly 15,000 trouble free miles. I enjoyed every last mile I put on this car, and it costed me nothing to operate it. 10/10 no explanation needed.

Conclusions

For those keeping track, the Biturbo scored an amazing 41/50 in my tests, the highest yet. Although there’s an enormous amount of hate surrounding this model, it will always be my single favorite car I have ever personally owned. I had sold it regrettably years back, and I miss this car every day of my life.

No other car, even my DSM, has offered that weird total package that the Maserati did. To be able to get luxury, style, comfort, performance and everything in between for a low cost is fairly impossible to find. The exhilaration of opening all four windows and just letting it project its’ Italian voice, the feel of driving an old Maserati, it just is something everyone needs to experience to appreciate it.

If you’re thinking of buying one, be sure to stick to model years 1987 and newer for the fuel injection, and stick to the manual transmission. I have zero regrets about owning mine, and have considered grabbing another. The prices have rocketed quite a bit since back then, but even at $15,000 for a perfect example, it’s worth every last penny. Do yourself a favor, and pick one up. Don’t be afraid to drive it. The more you drive it, the more reliable it becomes.

Nathan’s old CRX gawking at the old Maser

Matthew is an idiot that owns a DSM, and as you can see from this article, has a very dangerous taste in daily drivers. Be sure to follow me on here and read my content. Also, I swear to you I’m serious, buy a Biturbo. Do it, do it NOW.

Amoore100 > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 10/22/2017 at 14:54

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F*ck you, now I definitely need one and I can assure you that whatever barn find Biturbo you can get these days is not going to be the Camry-special that you had. On a different note, this is kind of a funny commentary on the reliability and serviceability of carbs vs fuel injection which I just made a presentation about in my Intro to Engineering class pointing out that EFI is one of the great innovations of the last fifty years, and here we have a case in point!

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > Amoore100 10/22/2017 at 14:56

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Hey thanks a bunch for the feedback. EFI totally changed how this car behaved for sure.

As for picking one up, do it and have no regrets. The big thing with electricals is the fuse box. Just inspect the fuse box and you’ll be fine.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 10/22/2017 at 15:11

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TL; DR (yet)- sorry, the F1 race is on and it’s grabbing my limited attention span right now. I’ve bookmarked this post and I will read it because, as a product of the ‘80s, I still have a soft spot for the Biturbo and would love to own one some day.  

So, how many hours did you say you owned it? :P

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 10/22/2017 at 15:18

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LOL no issue whatsoever, thanks for taking time to even bookmark it. This was something I’ve wanted to write about for quite some time.

John-Palazzo > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 10/22/2017 at 15:42

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What about it’s quirks and features?

sdwarf36 > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 10/22/2017 at 15:51

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I hope this gets Front Paged.

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > sdwarf36 10/22/2017 at 15:55

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Man I wish.

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > John-Palazzo 10/22/2017 at 15:55

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I’ll add that section now!

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > John-Palazzo 10/22/2017 at 16:11

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Just added it, enjoy :)

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 10/22/2017 at 16:29

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TL;DR, doing farm work and sim racing, but I just wanted to chime in and say that my 1992 Alfa Romeo 194-S was in the top four most reliable cars I’ve ever owned. I Put nearly 300K miles on it in the 6 years I owned it (because I just freakin’ loved driving it) and it never left me stranded or failed to start or even had major repair issues. It was a solid, reliable, fun, characterful, comfortable, easy to own and enjoy car, and I miss it dearly. I fully acknowledge that the Italians have some serious quality control issues, but when they get their cars right, they are SO right.

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 10/22/2017 at 16:38

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I’ve always wanted to own an Alfa Romeo, specifically a Milano Verde/75. It’s on my bucket list. While they do have QC issues, you hit the nail on the head. The way these cars drive and behave is just so captivating. Nothing else is quite like an Italian car.

Steve in Manhattan > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 10/22/2017 at 16:58

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Holy crap - what’s the least reliable car you’ve owned?

Believe it or not, cars I’ve owned included CRX Si, 3 Toyotas (one the pickup), a 300D - most reliable? My ‘97 SHO.

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > Steve in Manhattan 10/22/2017 at 17:21

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Good taste, I’ve come so close to buying an SHO many times. Truly love those.

Least reliable was an 04 Chevrolet Trailblazer. Electrical nightmare. That or all the issues I had with my Veloster lol.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 10/22/2017 at 17:37

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Thanks for the fun read! But there are other cars with blue gauges. Volvo S60R and V70R from the mid-00's!

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/22/2017 at 17:45

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Well they are rare haha, but excellent point. Thanks for the feedback too :)

Steve in Manhattan > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 10/22/2017 at 17:52

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Buddy of mine put 300K on a similar Trailblazer with fewer problems, and he beat the shit out of it.

On that Taurus - apparently there are engine problems related to the Yamaha heads on the V8 (maybe that’s not the precise reason) - I never had engine problems in 100K driving, but you should check before buying. Nice car for long trips.

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > Steve in Manhattan 10/22/2017 at 17:56

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My TB left me stranded on four occasions, and went through multiple ignition switches. Man I hated that thing.

Alfalfa > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 10/22/2017 at 22:54

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Well you certainly haven’t changed my mind.

Because I’ve wanted one for years regardless.

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > Alfalfa 10/22/2017 at 23:10

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I made myself want another by writing this, literally I’m scrolling Craigslist right now lol. Get one, the values keep going up. They’re rare enough already, that’s before cash for clunkers and idiots thinned them out.

dannyzabolotny > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 10/23/2017 at 01:14

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!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Clearly you haven’t driven too many Alpinas...

They’ve all had blue gauge clusters for like 30+ years now.

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > dannyzabolotny 10/23/2017 at 02:25

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Touche, didn’t see that one coming. Damn you lol

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 11/06/2017 at 11:16

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You may have answered the question “what car from my birth year do I want own”. If ‘87 was a good year for these, that’s as good a reason as any!

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 11/06/2017 at 11:20

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As David E Davis said about the Milano, “some ladies just look better at closing time,” it is one of those cars that until you drive a sorted one you just don’t get it.

But once you do...you lust for them, quirks and all.

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/07/2017 at 13:09

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I definitely lust heavily for one, they have an unbelievable amount of character.

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 11/07/2017 at 13:10

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1987 was indeed a good year for these. Buy an example that is as complete as possible and you’ll enjoy every second of it.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 11/07/2017 at 13:41

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I owned one of these, Alfetta GTV. 4-cyl version version of the GTV-6. It was rusty but came with blue Konis and an Ansa exhaust. I tell people a good Alfa Romeo feels like driving a chainsaw.

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/07/2017 at 15:00

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I love the Alfetta, transmission is rear mounted on those, correct?

SubGothius > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 11/11/2017 at 04:16

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Yep, rear transaxle with integrated inboard disc brakes in a deDion suspension setup with Watts linkage.

Rufant > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 11/25/2017 at 17:33

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Good stuff. I enjoyed one over Christmas in the UK many years ago. Fond memories of the ‘dog leg’ gearbox and that sliderific chassis/engine combo.

Totally agree with you about the styling and the interior, amazing that they were so cheap for so long really.

Really enjoyable post. Cheers.

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > Rufant 11/26/2017 at 00:33

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Hey thanks! I try to write stuff that’s informative and entertaining!

2015MASERATI > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 01/17/2018 at 06:33

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Loved reading your article about your beautiful 425i....I’ve had the same experiences with multiple biturbo variants. They are truly great cars and way ahead of their time. People sometimes fail to realize these cars were basically racing cars made available to the public by maserati...meaning they need some extra attention at times...but it also means they were actually very well engineered as well. For those who degrade the biturbos...all I can say is, that’s fine....more for the rest of us who actually know what these lil gems are really like. Saludos

Matt from Florida > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 03/05/2018 at 21:23

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That was a GREAT article. I had a ‘86 Spyder and a 1989 228. I learned what NOT TO DO with the Spyder such that owning the 228 was a joy.

#1) Don’t play with raising the boost. Also add octane booster. This is the best one as it cushions the valve-seats. You can actually “feel” the engine running quieter. https://www.amazon.com/Bardahl-3010-Insted-Lead-Gold/dp/B011EQLIXG

#2) Keep the valves adjusted. Between #1 & #2 you’ll burn & crack the valves. Get the valves adjusted and change the timing belts every 20K.

#3) When the key becomes hard to turn in the ignition, it’s a warning... you won’t get many more. Order a new lock-cylinder PRONTO or you’ll be stranded in a Baby Superstore parking lot.

#4) Synthetic oil. I changed mine every 3K. It looked dirty by then. You do what you want. I also changed the coolant often.

#5) People rag on the auto-boxes and in the same article refer them as Borg-Warner! In my experiences they were bullet-proof and if you crawl under the car there is a plaque on the housing that says “ZF - Zuffenhausen” (NOT Borg-Warner). The 3spd you’ll find on ‘87 and prior is a dog, although an old reliable dog. The 4spd on 1989s and newer make for a faster car than a manual because you just keep your foot in it and never lose boost pressure shifting.

#6) The Weber 2bbl... I got it adjusted right one time in the six years I owned the car. Don’t ever touch it after that!!!! Hell, just buy a FI one, OK?

#7) Check and see if you can still buy parts cheaply from MIE. When I bought my first Maser MIE had just bought the entire stock of spares from Maserati USA or North America or whatever they were called. You could then buy them for 1/3 or 1/4 of what Maserati had been charging. If you are not good at turning a wrench don’t consider buying one. An Italian exotic must be treated the same as a high-maintenance woman.

If you don’t mind let me add my overall car-buying advice. Because I am fiscally aware of horrible investments I don’t buy new cars. I have a time-tested method for acquiring nice cars with absurdly low mileage on them at or near the bottom of their depreciation-curve. Fact #1) People who buy rare expensive cars don’t buy them as daily drivers, but to show off. Fact #2) These cars come out only on sunny days & special occasions but otherwise live pampered, protected lives in an owner’s garage. Fact #3) Even though they almost never get used they still massively depreciate every year. Fact #4) The owner eventually sees the next “great car” they simply must have to be happy. The 3-car garage on their house is full. Their detached 4-car garage is also full. One of the cars they were formerly in love with is now unwanted and must leave to make way for their new play-toy. All of these things, these needs of men who don’t mind watching their automotive investments lose the majority of their value right in front of their eyes, play right into my hands. Here’s a “for instance.” Earlier this year I acquired a 2007 Aston Martin Vantage roadster bought, as I said, on the “poor man’s” purchase program: wait 8 to 12 years for the car to depreciate! It may be 11 years old but it has fewer than 4,000 miles on it and is immaculate. There’s a subtle gentlemanly manor about it which makes me feel like putting on a suit instead of a backwards-facing baseball-cap when I go to drive it , like I’m meeting with a beautiful woman in an evening dress instead of in her bikini. My reasons for buying it have nothing to do with it being the fastest or most technically developed vehicle under Heaven. It’s not. I bought it because it is beautiful and unique, a smooth, mature sports car tailor-made to the desires of a refined 55 year old. It’s a polished British gentleman compared to the raw & raucous Triumph TR8s I owned as a crass young man. It accelerates like a stabbed rat, handles like a fly that can’t be swatted, and sounds like an angry angel. On the street it seems to be loved by all who come across it, perhaps because it doesn’t shout and challenge you like a Ferrari, but instead comes across as a respectful pillar of the community who would never engage in anything uncouth like a street race. Rowing through the 6spd manual is a direct extension of my driving soul, immediately reminding me of the joys of life and making me forget everything that bothered me before pressing the START button. It’s expensive therapy I can later recoup my investment from, and far more fun than being analyzed on a couch. It invokes that rare human feeling when one cares too much, that we call love. Parking the car in the garage, you’ll touch its flank in a parting silent gesture meaning thank you darling. When you drive it on the weekend with the roof down everybody wants to be your friend. It makes other people entirely positive & friendly. It’s not ostentatious or obnoxious. You don’t look like some rich guy showing off. The pleasure of ownership, the satisfaction, has so many more aspects to it than just the driving. A mere glance at it is a private guilty pleasure, emotionally fulfilling. The whole journey becomes an event. Other people see you and wave, making you feel famous. I suppose it’s like taking an extraordinarily well-groomed dog for a walk. Everybody assumes you must be a really nice guy, and that’s OK with me! 

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > Matt from Florida 03/07/2018 at 18:04

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This.... this post right here was properly amazing. Very well written and very well thought about. Gotta say, I agree with all of that! Congratulations on the Aston, some day I’d love to own one. I imagine that’s beyond surreal.

Ade > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 07/04/2019 at 19:19

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Hi, just read the article and totally agree!! As a previous owner of a 425 (uggghhh) and a 430 I’m about to get back into I loved your take on the car. Im interested in the mods you did, the intercooler one in particular. I’d love to get any information you’d be willing to share either here or offline.

In the 425 I added HKS Cone Filters, external oil cooler, and had the turbos compressor wheels modified. Used Redline everywhere and had no major issues. Sold that one to get the 430. Hope tohear from you, and thanks again for sharing

Wwalker > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 07/21/2020 at 14:40

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What is the catch can trick/modification you are talking about?

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 08/20/2020 at 18:51

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Wow, awesome article! Makes me hope my want to import a FIAT 126p isn’t going to be one I regret :P