I am very proud to announce a new program that has just been launched. Club Sportiva clientele may now pick a single monthly payment that includes both their leased luxury daily driver as well as a Club membership. Simple, convenient and easy! We've had such rave reviews about access to the exotics with many questions about why we also don't offer access to high-end daily driver vehicles along with our Club membership that we decided, let's add an additional service.

Now you can lease your regular car with Club Sportiva? Yes! Club Sportiva can provide you a luxury car for everyday use. Using our custom LeasePlus program, you get the best of both worlds. Our popular LeasePlus program allows you to lease a luxury car, as you already do, for daily transportation plus the enjoyment and excitement of a couple days per month of use with the exotic and luxury cars of the Club Sportiva collection.

You benefit from our buying power as we negotiate the best traditional lease rate through our brokerage service and pass on the savings to you while allowing you to pick an easy, single monthly membership payment plan that also gives you easy access to the entire Collection for those fun opportunities when a Ferrari or Bentley is uniquely suited.

LeasePlus is straight forward, simple with a single monthly payment. Leaving you nothing to do but enjoy full access to a luxury daily driver plus the variety of exotic cars a few days per month. Check out the dedicated page on our website as well.

Club Sportiva has consistently been the most innovative company in our industry and LeasePlus again sets the bar high for others to follow. Call to inquire when your next lease approaches.

Labels: Buying Experience, Club Sportiva, daily driver, Driving experience, exotic car share club, LeasePlus, simple and single monthly payment

A friend of mine, Nivan, is always swapping his sports car to experience another one and he is looking for a Maserati Spyder. I've lost track of the various cars he's had over the years, but every year or two it is always something different. And, he drives them, which I respect as evidenced in my February 12 blog post about shaming the garage queen and hailing the driver. So, Nivan asked me for my take on the Maserati Spyder. I felt the feedback I shared with him was worth posting. Hope you enjoy and find it useful...

Nivan, the Maserati Spyder is a great all around car with gobs of power and torque if you are looking for a car that is out of the ordinary. Club Sportiva has had two of them over the past five years, so I've had a lot of first hand experience. The first one was titanium over black 2002 with Cambiocorsa and we had it for a year. The current one is a 2003 red over tan with a 6-speed manual and Tubi exhaust. It is a dependable exotic. We put about 20,000 miles on the first car before upgrading to the 2003, which we have put 40,000 generally trouble-free miles on.

A couple things, the Cambiocorsa gearbox is not my favorite, so be sure to do a thorough test drive to be sure you enjoy it. It shifts slowly, but works fine. The Maserati manual transmission is gritty and notchy, so both transmissions have a flaw. As long as you don't mind the slow shifting, you will be fine with the Cambiocorsa. Whereas the Ferrari and Lamborghini F1 systems are super fast (and a bit jerky as a result), the Maserati is setup more as a grand touring car and as such, the transmission suits the car's personality very well. By the way, do NOT try backing up a hill with the Cambiocorsa system or you will chew up the clutch very fast. The F1 systems hate inclines, while in reverse, remember that.

The thing I would recommend strongly is adding Tubi exhaust (see my February 18 Tubi post). The stock system is quiet, subdued, plain and disappointing, even under acceleration, which again, suits the grand touring nature of the car but leaves something to be desired of a passionate Italian grand dame. With Tubi, the V8 is much more sporty and lively with a real muscle car grunt and an extra 10 horsepower. The upgraded exhaust is the car's finest feature. It is worth $4,000 or so, without hesitation and I wouldn't look for an alternate exhaust brand (unless someone shows me a worthy one).

They all have a few convertible top glitches when occasionally the top gets stuck up or down. There is a manual over ride button tucked in the car (pre-read the owner's manual) that generally resets itself once the cycle is complete so you don't have to take it to the dealer. A 5" by 7" top panel snapped off our 2003 and it cost $500 to replace and install the panel, which is a wake-up call that these are expensive cars.

There is a lot of cowl and steering column shake. On our first Spyder, I thought the vibration may have been a sign of a wreck but our second Spyder does it too and I know the car is pristine. A $35,000 Honda S2000 convertible is rock solid, but a $97,000+ Maserati shakes like crazy. Annoying, but par for the course. The radio/NAV functionality blows. It simply has a poor user interface. Generally this isn't a big deal for a weekend car, but for a daily driver, it may get bothersome.

Overall, the Maserati Spyder is a solid car and I'd recommend it if you are prepared for an Italian. While I personally prefer lighter sports cars, the Maserati Spyder is a great car with good looks at a value. Coincidentally, just last week, a Club Sportiva Member forwarded me a few photos of their trip to Monterey and looking at the photos, I was reminded that the Spyder really is a great looking Italian car that doesn't need styled like a flashy Ferrari.

The exotic car market is awash with deals right now. Lots of cars are available and not a ton of buyers. I'd suggest calling a couple sellers if there are other Spyders out there you like. Work the pricing a little bit.

I first go to www.cars.com and search the car through the entire nation and then also within 250 miles. I sort by year and then look for similar mileage cars and look at asking prices, knocking off a few grand in my head to adjust for asking price vs. selling price. The nationwide search gives you a broad view while the local search within 250 miles may or may not tell the same story about pricing and availability.

I'd also be sure to get a third party to inspect it for both frame damage and mechanical condition. Since it is likely out of warranty, this is very important. A $250 - 500 inspection fee is money very well spent. Even if car fax is clean, you still need the full inspection. A compression test (not necessarily going so far as a leak down test) would be a good idea based on how the rest of the inspection goes. You are looking for red flags that indicate other problems.

Let me know if you have any questions. I think you will love the car if the cowl shake and Cambiocorsa transmission are okay with you...and seriously, consider the Tubi! Good luck.


Post note: My friend, Nivan, bought a 2003 Maserati Spyder with 20,500 miles in Los Angeles and drove it to Arizona. It is silver over grey hides, as you can see in the photos that he sent me. He chose a car with the Cambiocorsa paddle shift system. This Italian replaces his Porsche Boxster S, which he notes that his wife greatly prefers over the Boxster S. At this point, he's had the Maserati Spyder just long enough to know that he is enjoying it lot and is pleased with his purchase. Good selection Nivan! Let me know if you decide to try the Tubi exhaust.

We'll also be checking back with Nivan to see how long he keeps this car before he is ready for his next toy.

Labels: Buying Experience, Cambiocorsa, Club Sportiva, exotic car share club, Maserati Spyder, Tubi exhaust, www.cars.com

Not long ago I had the good fortune of buying a new Ferrari F430 for Club Sportiva. Our Members had let us know that they wanted, no, make that needed, a new Ferrari. Not that the 360 Spider or the F355 Spider weren't good enough, but that the Members wanted to try the latest from Maranello. I worked with Charlie Miles, the sales manager at Ferrari of Silicon Valley to get the right car for the Club's needs. There are a lot of options, none are inexpensive and the ones you choose impact the value of the car at resale, to some extent, how desirable is your car compared to others available. This is a guide the best of those options.

First and foremost is the decision for the color. Although the car looks good in many colors from red, yellow, black, grey and blue, there need only be one choice for the F430. Rosso Corsa. There will be no debate on color for this V8-powered car, however, with V12 Ferraris I don't feel so strongly about red.

Transmission. Ahh, the "trasmissione" is debatable. Because this is something you will use constantly while driving, getting it right is molto importante (see my F1 transmission vs. 6-speed manual February 13 post). While there is a remarkable trend towards F1 paddle shifted transmissions these days, fueled no doubt by the dealer's power of suggestion in the ordering process, I bucked the trend based on Member feedback to row their own gears. Easy, we will skip right over that check box for F1 transmission; let's see what is next on the option list.

Scuderia badges. Oh yes, lest someone not recognize the car for a Ferrari, we must have extra signage to reinforce the brand. Actually, I do like the badges, even though a few years ago one of the major car magazines called them, "Pep Boy inspired." True, you can save a lot of money by adding them yourself from an auto parts store, but it is a crime to slap a sticker or logo after the fact. They simply look great on the car. Easy, let's check that box.

Rear Challenge Grill. Hmmm, to have or not to have? This one was tricky at the time because in November of 2006 when I was ordering the car, no one had any photos as the option was just coming available. Knowing how cool (and yes, functional) it looks on the 360 and F355, I had to assume Ferrari wouldn't stray off course. So yes, let's check that box as well. It is different on the F430 as it turns out, with a lot of carbon fiber and very little breathable wire mesh. When I did get to see it, it took a little time to appreciate, especially with the diminutive silver prancing horse in the center, barely two inches tall. Nonetheless, I am glad I checked that box on the option list.

Daytona seat inserts. Yes, an option with some heritage and hand craftsmanship. Not inexpensive, but likely to wear well over time and something that Members will see every time they climb in and out. And there is an Extended leather package option with Daytona stitching that includes the otherwise carpeted area behind the seats. My former 308 had lots of carpet, which some people commented seemed dated, so extending the cool Daytona leather stitching on the package tray and engine wall is a good idea. So sure, let's check both those boxes.

Seat colore and Contrast stitching. Since I chose rosso corsa paint, I will stick with traditional tan interior. This also impacts the resale value, probably as much as does the trasmissione decision. The natural brown cuoio also looks great, but the coupe is sharper with tan hides. The contrast stitching has become rather common lately and not having it will feel like I missed the option box, so this one is a must. But there are so many colors to choose between. Well, we can keep this simple by choosing red to match the exterior. Two more boxes complete.

Colored tachometer. Yes, should I choose it in red or yellow? Because the car is red, let's opt for yellow. It should look cool at night when lit. This one won't impact performance in any way, so I can't go wrong either way, which is a relief from a few of the other big decisions that had to be made.

Ball polished rims and Painted calipers. Ball polish rims are a relatively new finish Ferrari is offering. It is not the standard painted rim nor is it machined metal or chrome. It is a polished look that looks a bit sand cast with a little texture as a result of the ball finishing process. The style has more shine to it than a painted rim but without the mirrored look of chrome. And of course, we all know and love painted calipers. I considered yellow or red but not silver or black and chose the red calipers.

There weren't many significant options that I passed on. Carbon ceramic brakes were the one I skipped. The cost is big and so is the replacement price if it comes to that. For Club Sportiva's street driving needs, the steel rotors will do the job just fine. Carbon ceramic is ideal if you plan to do some track days and just simply demand the best technology at any price. Ferrari has announced it is going to be making all its brake systems with carbon ceramic discs, leaving steel rotors to the lesser competitors.

With all boxes satisfactorily complete, the car was then lovingly ordered and shipped. We tried to airfreight the car to expedite the delivery process but the request to Maranello got lost and therefore we had a wait a painful month while the car was floated across the Atlantic and then another few days for customs to eye ball it and then another 10 days to trailer it across the country. It was worth every minute, however painful the anticipation was for the Members of Club Sportiva. The car had about six miles from the test laps on the Fiorano. Pretty cool!

So that was my experience having the pleasure of buying a new Ferrari for Club Sportiva's Members. I plan to be doing it again before long for our next Ferrari, maybe this time it will be an F430 Spider or how about a 599!

Labels: Buying Experience, Club Sportiva, exotic car share club, Ferrari F430, six speed manual

Club Sportiva's Member feedback told us we needed another Lamborghini Gallardo for the Club. We had a yellow 2004 Gallardo e.gear coupe for a year and then traded it for a 2005 Bentley Continental GT at British Motor Cars in late 2007. Now that the Gallardo has been gone for about six months, it is time to get another one. As I've mentioned in my postings, I am a big Gallardo fan, so getting an updated model is very cool.

I am looking for a 2007 model so it has warranty, the new Calisto rims, preferably it should have about 2,000 miles on it so it will have already depreciated a little bit ($25,000+) and needs to be orange or yellow. The transmission doesn't matter according to Member feedback whether it is e.gear or a manual transmission, as both are excellent in their own ways. To complicate my search, the Club has a 2004 Lamborghini Murcielago e.gear that needs traded to facilitate the deal. My first step was to visit www.cars.com and to check about 15 Lamborghini dealers to check their inventory. Then I called 11 of those dealers to see who could take the Murcielago on trade.

Calling 11 dealers is tiring, even if they are Lamborghini dealers! About four dealers had a car in stock that attracted me and who had an interest in Club Sportiva's Murcielago. Several dealers had no desire in taking a Murcielago on trade, so that helped to narrow the field right away.

Interestingly, the very first dealer I called turned out to be one of the most serious in transacting a trade. I assumed I would be looking for a 2007 Gallardo coupe, but after talking to a few dealers, I learned that I could do the trade for a Gallardo Spyder! That was a very pleasant surprise. Of the four dealers who were initially interested, it narrowed further to two dealers within two days who were working hard for my business.

An authorized dealer in Chicago was very aggressive at pricing the Murcielago to help me acquire their Gallardo Spyder. Their Gallardo is a yellow car with black leather and yellow stitching, a 6-speed manual transmission (yes, I am supporting my February 13 post by trying to get a manual transmission to buck the F1 paddle shift trend) and the car looks absolutely stunning.

Another Gallardo Spyder turned up at a Lamborghini dealer in Georgia, where Club Sportiva purchased a 2003 Maserati Spyder with Tubi exhaust (see February 18 post for Tubi exhaust) in 2006 and almost bought an orange Gallardo coupe at the same time. So this dealer knows Club Sportiva and me, so they were very receptive to selling me a yellow Spyder with e.gear and an incredibly cool interior carbon fiber kit.

As always, the deal comes down to the wire. After the dealer in Georgia let a day pass without getting back to me, it looked like Club Sportiva's next Lamborghini was going to come from the dealer in Chicago and we proceeded with some of the paperwork via fax. Then, I got an unexpected fax with a good price from Georgia in the morning on a different yellow Spyder that just came into their inventory an hour before I was about to wire the funds to the Chicago dealer. After spending the better part of a day going back and forth with the Georgia dealer to better understand the options on this last minute Gallardo Spyder, which the dealer oddly struggled to provide, they ended up not having some details correct, so I passed on their Spyder even though they had a great price.

With that, the deal was cinched and our yellow 2007 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder with 1,700 miles was coming from Chicago. Now, for the painful wait while the car is trailered out to San Francisco across the snow of the wintery Midwest! Our Murcielago was picked up for transport to Chicago within a couple days, but all I care about is getting the Gallardo Spyder to San Francisco in anticipation of our Fifth Anniversary Party for our Members in early March, when we will debut the Lamborghini to the Club. This will be our third Lamborghini to rotate into Club Sportiva in 16 months - a pace at which we are very proud.

The trucking company had promised us a Tuesday delivery, one week from the day they picked up the Gallardo Spyder in Chicago. As always, as the magic day approached, the transportation company started bumping the delivery out, day by day. It finally arrived on Friday morning in a massive 18 wheeler. An impromptu crowd of a dozen people showed up to watch the yellow beast be extracted from the carrier. The car draws a ton of attention, even when covered in plastic and stowed in a car carrier. This car has a magnetic personality, and that is before it gets fired up.

More to come in a later posting about the first drive! Keep an eye out for that, and other engaging car-related postings.

Labels: Buying Experience, Club Sportiva, exotic car share club, Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, Lamborghini Murcielago, ownership alternative

In late January 2008, I stopped by the Ferrari Maserati dealer in Redwood City, California, a few miles from Club Sportiva's Clubhouse to talk to the service team about our 2006 Ferrari F430 coupe that keeps losing rivets that hold the rear challenge grill in place. It was getting annoying - how hard is it to keep the challenge grill from rattling? They had no answer, by the way. Then, I stopped in to say hello to Charlie Miles, the sales manager from whom Club Sportiva purchased the F430 last year to see what he had in inventory. I wasn't in heavy search mode that day, but he showed me a couple great Ferrari and Maserati models that were both new and pre-owned.

One vehicle in particular stood out in my mind, a 2007 Maserati Quattroporte in pozzi blue (a custom ordered Ferrari color) over cuoio (saddle brown) leather with 1,900 miles. The car's color combination really seemed exceptional when compared to the standard and over wrought silver over black or black over black that lack elegance and sophistication. Cars, like Maserati, Aston Martin and Bentley, look best in unique color combinations that accentuate the unique handmade nature of the car's special heritage and thus, should be specified by the owner who hand selects the bespoke interior layout.

This particular car was essentially brand new and came with the DuoSelect transmission that could allow Members to shift their way through the gears. Since Club Sportiva sold its Bentley sedan in mid 2007, the Club was without a true four door, five seat sedan that can haul friends and family in luxury. In a recent Member survey, we were told it was time for another four door sedan. The Quattroporte was clearly on the short list.

The next day, I called Charlie back and offered to trade a fully loaded 2005 Mercedes-Benz SLK350 with only 13,000 miles that the Club had just voted to retire after a year of service. He was able to strike a very good deal for Club Sportiva and we consummated the trade. I immediately proceeded to drive the Mercedes-Benz to the Ferrari Maserati dealer to trade keys, owner's manuals and cars!

The Maserati Quattroporte Executive GT is stunning and should be, considering the original window sticker was over $131,000. The rear seats are power while the front seats have adaptive bolsters, massagers, cooling and heating built in for driver and passenger pleasure. The fit and finish could be a bit tighter, but I think a few of the issues on the glove box and rear passenger door can be resolved by the dealer on our next service visit. It is a heavy car, even with the sport mode turned on, but it is set up well for a large, long, luxury sedan. The DuoSelect transmission is the weak link on the car, of course that was changed in the second half of 2007 with a traditional automatic transmission. Because our Member have repeatedly said they enjoy shifting gears, we opted for an early 2007 model with DuoSelect giving drivers more control over the transmission.

With 400 horsepower on tap, you will need to use all of them to motivate the big sedan, but if you use the paddle shift levers and let the rpms rev to 5,000, you reap the benefits of both the power and the sporty Italian engine and exhaust. Under the 5,000 rpm range, the car is a bit sluggish, but then again, when you are hauling a party of five to dinner and the opera, no one wants tossed around in the back seat anyway...

The car is just being pressed into service for a nine month tour of duty. I firmly believe it will be a grand hit to all to have the pleasure of driving it. Take your turn behind the wood and leather steering wheel and give me your personal feedback!

Labels: Buying Experience, Cambiocorsa, Club Sportiva, DuoSelect, exotic car share club, F1 paddle shift transmission, Maserati Quattroporte Executive GT