In case you haven’t picked up on it, we’re automotive nerds here at CarBuzz. And chances are, you are too. We love perusing car lots on a Saturday morning like it’s a free car show. Only we can take home the one we like most at the end of the day. On one of these outings, we found a gently used Maserati on the same lot as a brand-new Honda Civic. A Maserati Ghibli with 40,000 miles on the clock is up for grabs for the low price of $20,000. The new Civic, sitting a few rows over, starts at $24,695, and that’s before dealer fees.
As tempting as a gently-used Maserati Ghibli is, there’s a reason the model has shed nearly half its value in less time than it takes you to finish a cappuccino. Questionable reliability seems to plague all Italian cars, and it holds true for Maserati. If you want to buy a car straight out of the 1960s, look no further than today’s highlighted classified: a used Maserati Ghibli. And it’s not because of its sensual curves or smoky brown leather seats; rather, it’s all about its roadside appeal. You know, where it’s most likely to stay parked.
Maserati: The Italian Parts Bin Special
Maserati Trofeo Range – Green Quattroporte White Levante Red Ghibli Track DrivingMaserati
We first need some context to explain why all Ghiblis plummet in value the minute you finish signing the paperwork. If Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati are the high-end equivalent to our own Detroit Three, then, of our tre Italiani, Maserati has led the harshest life of them all and become a parts-bin special in both the best and worst ways. When Fiat purchased Maserati in 1993, the brand became a subsidiary of Ferrari. This led to cars with Maserati tridents on the grilles, and Ferrari engines just behind them.
In 2005, it moved away from Ferrari, but the Fiat-Chrysler merger soon after led to more parts sharing than just engines. Maseratis became littered with switchgear from Chrysler models. Something that already felt cheap in a Chrysler 300 is surely going to stand out in a $100,000 Italian sports sedan. On top of that, the old infotainment meant it was already behind on the technology front, further aging the cars into a not-so-appealing vintage right out of the box. When the Ghibli hit dealers in 2014, it wasn’t looking good for Maserati’s standing as an alternative over the go-to German sedans.
Maserati
If it’s at all possible to ignore the tacky buttons and a navigation system even Magellan would call “low-tech,” you’re still blessed with an engine handcrafted by Ferrari. The large column-mounted paddles can take the ZF 8-speed automatic hold of and, if you’ve had a rough day, you can let that 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 sing to its 6,500 RPM redline. In Trofeo models, the twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8 sings past 7,000 RPM before bouncing off the rev-limiter. Since those are a little more expensive—but well within the Civic Type R’s price range—we are focusing on the V6 models to understand what’s scaring owners into keeping their Ghiblis after the lease is up.
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The Catch? Don’t Read the Fine Print
2018 Maserati Ghibli S front 3/4Maserati
Yep, the devil’s always in the details. You get a lot of car for the money if you scoop up a Ghibli for Civic money, but the cost of taking it off the lot is far cheaper than keeping it on the road. CarEdge, a car-buying service that tracks the value and average ownership costs of cars, says a 2024 Ghibli has an average 5-year cost of ownership of $178,000. And that doesn’t include the $110,995 spent to buy it. The folks at CarEdge observe ownership costs in a few categories: depreciation, insurance, fuel costs, interest on the loan, and maintenance. In short, the Maserati earned an F for the high cost of each.
2024 Maserati Ghibli 5-Year Ownership Cost
Depreciation
$81,552
Insurance
$32,678
Fuel Cost
$29,438
Interest
$25,296
Maintenance
$9,059
If the car was purchased outright and you don’t believe depreciation is that much of a threat, then you’re looking at $71,175 spread over 5 years of ownership. Compared to the BMW 550e, which CarEdge estimates a total ownership cost of $77,758, the Maserati is in a class of its own.
2016 Maserati Ghibli front three-quarters angle in gray while parkedBring A Trailer
If we factor in the pesky depreciation, it’s a $81,552 hit to the car’s value over five years, dropping the price from its original MSRP to a tempting $20,000 for some examples. The cheapest ones bottomed out at $10,000 for 10-year-old, high-mileage examples. The previous argument for removing depreciation and interest holds water on the used market, but insurance, repair, and fuel costs will continue to add up. The more expensive Civic has an estimated $32,541 worth of ownership costs over 5 years. CarEdge gives it an A+.
2026 Honda Civic LX 5-Year Ownership Cost
Depreciation
$7,972
Insurance
$12,075
Fuel Cost
$6,415
Interest
$4,293
Maintenance
$1,786
An Italian Sports Sedan for Econobox Money
2023 Maserati Ghibli 334 Ultima FrontMaserati
Despite the high running costs, the price of entry for these two vehicles is similar enough to warrant serious cross-examination. After all, Honda Civic money is serious money on the used market and opens the door to bigger and (subjectively) better cars. Used Ghibli prices are not an exact science, though they do follow the law that higher mileage means lower prices. The 3.0-liter turbo V6 models with just 50,000 miles can be found for as little as $14,000, with later, low-mileage examples fetching between $20,000 and $25,000. The V8-powered Trofeo models range from $40,000 to $70,000 depending on the year.
The 2026 Honda Civic LX comes with a slew of standard safety features and a fuel-sipping 150-horsepower 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine paired with a continuously variable transmission. It gets 36 combined MPG and comes in 6 different colors. The Maserati Ghibli was offered in nearly four times as many colors and 19 different interior options, as well as RWD or AWD—no doubt affecting the car’s 15-18 combined MPG for V6 models from 2014 to 2024.
The Honda comes with Apple CarPlay compatibility, while the Maserati oozes coolness–and probably a cocktail of fluids. What? We’re not blind to the issues faced by Maserati owners, just pointing out what can be had for a certain price.
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Maserati
The goodie-two-shoes Honda might be a blue-bookworm that’s too bland for those on a budget yet has expensive taste. It’s a bit like buttered noodles on a menu where the veal cacciatore costs the same. There’s nothing wrong with letting the first owner take a hit and swooping in on the second-hand market, a practice we regularly encourage, but this one requires a warning from even us.
Yes, it’s Italian. With that comes copious amounts of sex appeal, until its dirty laundry is aired. You’re wrapped in the same quality hide as the smoking chairs in Luciano Pavarotti’s Modenese villa. It’s fast, looks the part, and makes a glorious noise – just like the late tenor himself. The Ghibli doesn’t sound like anything else in its class, further separating itself from the competition the Maserati so desperately needed to beat to stay afloat. Alas, it didn’t, and the Ghibli, along with its big brother, the Quattroporte, have left the market. That car earned the title of being the most expensive car to insure in 2026, according to Insure.com, putting it at an annual cost of $7,090.
No Maserati is exempt from the cloud of doubt that lingers above each parked on a used car lot. We know this, but it’s hard to say no to Ferrari-built turbocharged goodness when it’s dangled before your nose for pennies on the dollar. Maserati is still plagued by maintenance issues, making it a hard machine to own over the long term. It becomes more difficult to keep pouring money into the Italian sedan month after month.
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The Best Place to be in a Maserati is Leaning Against it
2021 Maserati Ghibli Trofeo Side View in Red While ParkedMaserati
If Ferrari is too pretentious and Lamborghini too garish, Maserati might just be the right kind of ostentatious to make an entrance without exclaiming anything more about who’s about to fumble out of it. For Honda Civic money, you get to walk up to the valet stand after a nice meal, slide the ticket over to the attendant and say, “The red Maserati.” Your date will swoon once more, and you’re off. But you’re dreaming.
In reality, the valet attendant will return from the garage and say, “Sorry, we can’t get your car started,” and you’ll be riding to the mechanic with Ted, the tow-truck driver from AAA. For Honda Civic money, you’re buying the image of a Maserati owner that happens to come with a car. If you don’t need a reliable means of transportation and the only thing you require your car to do is provide others with roadside eye candy, there is no better car for the job. You can lean against your Maserati and exclaim you’re part of a history dating back to pre-war Grand Prix racing with cars piloted by Tazio Nuvolari, René Dreyfus, and Luigi Fagioli.
History weighs heavily on the shoulders of those who can’t bear to uphold its traditions. What Maserati is today is nowhere near what it used to be. We like to dream, just like you do, but an important distinction to make is what you get for your money. And for Maserati Ghibli money, you can buy a brand-new Honda Civic.
Sources: Maserati, CarEdge (1,2)
