Anyone have a 2011 California & can advise on running costs

[V8Smith]

Hi guys,

Ive always fancied a California and the early ones have come down to a realistic level, so wondering just how reliable they are. I currently have a Maserati Gran Cabrio and had a Granturismo so used to Italian running costs. The Masers have been very reliable so wondering what the experience of the guys who own a California is in terms of how reliable they are, if there are things that go wrong you need to look out for and typical service costs etc..?

I must admit I love the Gran Cabrio, but just after a bit more speed.....

Cheers
Mike

[V8Smith]

CitySlicker said:

You’ll spend an awful lot of dough for very marginal gains. I’ve also heard a few horror stories about early California ownership. Why not have a look at McLaren, vantage v12 et al

Thanks, surely the same issue with McLarens as I hear they are pricey with anything that needs doing as so specialist, is that not the case? Ive seen some early MP4-12Cs for sensible money, and although Id love one, the price of things going wrong put me off somewhat. Also Astons are poor in terms of reliability, have a few mates that have them and they have spent tens of thousands putting issues right, and the only one I like is the DB11, which is sill a bit too pricey.

Its a third car for me, so used occassionally so cant be too much of a money pit, obviously things can go wrong and in any of these cars it can be pricey, but prefer it to be a rare issue, rather than the norm.

Cheers
Mike

[V8Smith]

Never had an Aston just quite a few mates who have had them and ownership has been costly although they were DB9s

I am considering a V10 R8 cab as I do like them but just fancy a Ferrari as never had one, but not at all costs....

Cheers

[V8Smith]

Rock Studly said:

I have a 2011 California which I have owned for 4 years. Had 25k miles on her when I bought her and now has 42k so I am fairly well placed to comment on costs.
Generally the car has been a joy and much more reliable than a C63 and F type that have been owned over the period. There have been a few electrical gremlins involving front seat heater, parking sensors, electronic boot opening and TPMS which is common with most Ferraris- but otherwise pretty solid. These have mostly been sorted out during service - not cheap but replacing parking sensor and TPMS less than 600 quid each.

These electrical faults tend to happen when the car hasn't been used very often so my advice would be to use regularly and keep on trickle. The irony is that people pay much more for low mileage garage queens but in my opinion you are better off with a car that been used and looked after as the niggles tend to iron out over time.
Only repair of note was a leaking shock which needed replacing. This was best part of 2 grand but was covered under warranty. Actually parking sensor was covered under warranty as well.
So all in all a relatively trouble free and reasonably priced experience. Apart from service (1k) and warranty (2k through Warranty Wise) plus the odd tyre and brake pad not bad at all.
Budget 4k a year and you should be fine.

Cheers

[V8Smith]

JW82 said:

In 2013, I had a 2011 Cali for a few years and traded in a 2010 Maser GT-S Auto for it. I bought and sold both through the same main dealer group so had peace of mind with a warranty on both vehicles. So basically, my running costs were tyres and pads on the Maserati.

Like you, I wanted to scratch the Ferrari itch but I probably enjoyed owning the Granturismo just as much. Both were really good cars but the Maser was really useable and the back seats were always a plus. Only real issues I had with the Ferrari were all sorted under warranty. The brakes squealed like hell until you put proper heat through them and the boot mechanism failed once - and would not go up. Obviously it started to pour down right after the roof failed and my wife had her handbag in the boot with her phone inside. That was a fun conversation at the time... All fixed by the dealer under warranty though in a day or so. My Cali was grigio titanio but I wanted any colour other than rosso corsa for that car.

The battery is temperamental if you don't use the car regularly and all sorts of warning lights came up when you turn the ingition on. I changed the battery after a while to a better Varta one and this went away but I understand that you can avoid all this by plugging the car in to a battery conditioner - which I could not do as park the cars on the street. Also if you are asking about running costs, I used a lot less petrol on the Ferrari than in the GT-S.

Have fun looking and get a cool colour!

Thanks, Interesting info, I do agree I love the Maser, especially the noise, always an occassion. Agree on the colour for a cali, not a huge fan of the red, but seems a lot of them, saw a met blue one the other day with tan leather, looks great, i do like Grigio titanio. mmm food for thought, fuel doesnt surprise me, the Maser does love munching fuel.