I know which one I’d pick – and I bet you do too. I am nothing if not predicatable…
Thanks to musicalmcs8706 for finding this odd couple and posting it to the Cohort!
Cohort Outtake – Which One Would You Pick?
– Posted on October 27, 2012
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Curbside Classics Archives
I’d pick whatever that white monstosity is, sell it to some overseas student at the University of Oregon and buy the Volvo for $1500.00. Well, maybe $1000.00. Those headlights are probably pricey to replace.
+1
I think you should change your name to Smartoldmechanic.
Pretty much what I was thinking, except the proceeds from selling that Maserati would go into getting my ’68 Chevy C-10 Pickup and ’57 Chevy Handyman roadworthy.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm tough one for me but I’ll actually take the exotic. Cannot resist the trident…
That is one of the nicer Maseratis….
Is that what it is. Looks like a 15 year old Celica that had a Pep Boys makeover.
+1
It’s the “Prancing Moose” for me
I’m not much for Exotics aside from the 944 and 928.
THE VOLVO LOOKS LIKE THE BOX THAT THE MASERATI WAS SHIPED IN !
The Maserati any day. Bricks are almost as overrated anymore as Panthers.
That may be true but surviving RWD Volvos are a Red block swap away from being year round Hot Rods.
The Maserati would be a lot more appealing if it didn’t have the Auto Zone black wheels, Krylon red trident up front, and the matte black paint on the roof that looks like a receding hairline…
Thats probably factory, and they charged the owner another 4K for it.
Forget the Paint and wheels. The Maser is already puking fluids (Marking it’s territory for you Harley guys)! 😀
Well, you already know what I drive, but I think this one is a no-brainer. If I had that kind of money though, I’d have a Z06 in the driveway.
I’d pick the Maserati, not because I like it. Just because I like the Volvo less.
+1
Sorry, Tom!
I must admit I like the Maser’s red interior. The GranTurismo is actually quite handsome.
But if we’re talking exotics and unlimited income, give me a 911 coupe, black with red leather interior.
That entirely depends on who’s paying the bills. I’d take the Maserati in a hot second if someone else was carrying the cost of gas, tires, and the 30K engine-out service.
If those are my choices I’ll take a bus pass. I’d stick around to hear the Maser start up, though.
Maserati, no question at all.
I don’t get why it seems to be trendy to get a ugly boxy Volvo station wagon. I understand they are very durable cars, but it’s a damn station wagon Volvo! I just hate the stupid current trendy euro thing going on.
I think most of the people who buy them (myself included) do so because they’re much cheaper than a used Honda or Toyota, nearly as reliable, easier to fix, have better driving dynamics, and don’t feel like another boring appliance. Crossovers are trendy. It’s a smart cheap-car buy, not a trendy one.
I’d take the Volvo over the overpriced “thing” next to it. I have a strange thing for any flavor Volvo 240 — I’ve driven a few & really enjoyed them.
I question why anyone would pay so much money for a car that looks like a fish.
Id take the Maserati at least it has resale value when it get too pricey to feed. the swedish grandad car isnt me just yet.
Trick question, both. No one has “just” a Maserati as their sole means of transport, you need a car to drive while the Maserati is in the shop.
Is the car registered in another state (can’t tell from photo) or have they “elected” to not have a front license plate. I wish that I could d/c my front plate. It physically pained me to add them to my cars when we moved to Virginia a few years ago.
Massachusetts used to have green-on-white plates, for which only a rear plate was issued. Beginning in 1987, they began phasing in the current “Spirit of America” plates, for which both a front and rear plate are required. There was a long phase-in period, however; the RMV didn’t start issuing regular passenger Spirit of America plates (as opposed to vanity, commerical, handicapped, reserved number, etc.) until around 1993, and didn’t finally exhust its entire supply of green-on-white regular passenger plates — depending on which RMV branch you went to, what month it was (the month of issue/expiration is coded into the plate numbers), and which box they happened to pull off the shelf that day — until about four years later. The green-on-white plates remain valid to this day as long as they are still legible. In some circles, the green-on-whites are kind of a badge of honor. And as long as you have one, you don’t need to have a front plate.
Until last year, I had a green-on-white plate on my ’99 Cherokee, a plate my wife had originally received for a registration she obtained in 1991. When I took the Cherokee to get an inspection sticker last fall, however, it was rejected for two reasons, one of which was the plate. (The second reason was that the windshield washer wasn’t working, which I had been completely unaware of, or else I would have gotten it fixed in advance. It must have stopped working after the last time I had tried to use it.) I didn’t think the plate looked too bad, and the guy at the inspection station acknowledged as much, but he told me that the RMV was cracking down on green-on-white plates unless they were in really nice condition. So now the Cherokee has a front plate….
Looking at the RMV’s web site, I found some evidence that the RMV is in fact getting stricter about the condition of the green-on-white plates, and I know of one other person who recently had theirs rejected. As an incentive, if you turn in a green-on-white plate, the RMV will give you a set of Spirit of Americas for free.
On the other hand, enforcement seems to be uneven. I still see green-on-whites on the road that look much worse than mine did. And the inspection station I went to was not the one I usually use. My inspection sticker expired at the end of October, and I put off getting one until the last second. We were then hit with a freak snowstorm which caused widespread power outages, leaving me driving around trying to find any inspection station whose power was on. I can’t help but wonder whether, if I hadn’t gone to that particular station, I’d still have that green-on-white plate….
Interesting about the plates. Delaware has it’s “old plate” status symbol. Plates there are issued to the car, not the owner. As I remember, the standard plate had yellow lettering and framing on a blue background, with the usual 6 to 7 numerals. However, there is a square plate (instead of rectangular), with white lettering on a black background, apparently from early 20th century. The lower the number, the higher the “status”. You can transfer these plates from car to car. I lived there in ’81-’82, and a 2-digit plate traded for in excess of $10,000. They signified wealth, but more so a long family history in the state. Behind my apartment was an engineering firm, a ’73 Impala sedan (in 1981) had a #12 black plate. The governor’s limo was, of course, black plate #1.
“In some circles, the green-on-whites are kind of a badge of honor.”
Bah. No offense to you, MCT, but I see a green plate and expect unsteady speed, unsignaled turns, wandering from lane to lane without a signal, etc. Still, old drivers aren’t nearly as bad as on-the-phone small women in large trucks.
> …aren’t nearly as bad as on-the-phone small women in large trucks.
on-the-phone Big women aren’t so bad?
Neither. I’m more of a luxury cruiser/big-wagon guy. A new-ish Impala would be just fine.
Uhhh – is it allowed to ask about the Cherokee in the back row? I will echo the remarks of others. If others are paying the bills, then why not a Maserati? If it’s on me, then why not a Brick Volvo, particularly if it is a stick.
Actually, are we sure that they do not come as a set? Each makes the other seem desirable. “You complete me.”