Everyone wants a taste of the luxury car life on a budget. Sure, you could buy a used flagship BMW, Audi, or Mercedes and live it up. Those are all corporate-level, though. If you want that company leader clout on a budget, you’ll have to aim higher. Might I suggest one of these almost unbelievably cheap Maserati models?

Used Maserati Granturismo examples routinely sell for Camry money

Since my week spent with the Maserati Grecale Trofeo, I’ve been window-shopping for used Maserati models from old to new. As usual, these treks typically land me on Cars and Bids to see what the market is really demanding for them. To my surprise, the GranTurismo is pretty regularly available for shockingly low prices.

The GranTurismo has been a staple of the Maserati fleet for nearly two decades now. Why shouldn’t it be? It’s a fun-to-drive coupe with gorgeous styling and refined interior components, and the older models use a Ferrari-derived V8 that sounds almost disrespectfully good.

For example, the above-pictured GranTurismo sold for just $26,200. That is an unbelievable deal for a 454-horsepower exotic sports car with a Bose sound system, an incredibly comfortable interior, and serious name-associated pedigree! Motortrend reports that the starting price of this GranTurismo sport when new was $126,000. Six-figure depreciation sure makes for a killer deal!

The Maserati Coupe is available with a manual transmission, and it’s still cheap!

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a manual example, but there are six-speed Maserati Coupe models out and about. In April 2023, one such example sold on Cars and Bids for $18,500. Yes, you read that right!

Sure, its 2006 styling is a little out of date. Finding something from 2006 that isn’t outdated is a tough job in the first place. That being said, a screaming Italian V8 mated to a manual transmission for under $20,000 is even harder to find. How could you argue with that combo?

On top of that, this particular Maserati Coupe is a GT model and features a black leather interior. Sure, it’s going to need some TLC as it’s driven, and it could be quite expensive to maintain. You have to understand, though, that you’re signing up for that with any used Italian car. That’s just the nature of the beast.

Maserati Quattroporte: The Maserati for 2010 Honda Civic money

That’s quite the catchy little subhead, isn’t it? Well, it’s true. The Quattroporte has been around for a long time, but you’ll be surprised how modern these unbelievably cheap examples are. Exhibit A is the above-pictured 2009 example that sold on Cars and Bids in October 2023 for $9,100.

The 2009 Quattroporte S has a 425 horsepower V8 that’s mated to a ZF automatic transmission. Power hits the ground through only the rear wheels, and the driver has the option to shift with paddle shifters. On top of it all, the fifth-gen Quattroporte is effectively the next step up from equivalent model years BMW 7-Series and Mercedes S-Class offerings. It truly is that luxurious, and, for the money, it’s an absolute bargain.

It is worth disclosing, of course, that this particular example has been in an accident. Routinely, though, these cars can be found for sale for under $15,000.

Overall, despite the looming costs of repairs and maintenance, a used Maserati can give you a taste of the remarkable upper-level luxury lifestyle for a bargain-bin price.