The Jaguar scores a flawless victory – every single vote went for it. Could it be the V-8? How about two more, because Maserati GranTurismo Sport values have made that Italian Coupe surprisingly attainable.
But powerful Euro V-8s mean we can’t leave the Bavarians on the sideline.
The 2014 Maserati GranTurismo Sport vs the 2015 BMW M5
To be honest, I don’t really know what Maserati is anymore. I sure did ten years ago though – a cheap Ferrari! “Detuned” engines that still sounded and felt like divine intervention, some suspension tech, and even the looks – more Ferrari-lite than bargain knockoff. This car and the California were pretty much the same, despite Ferrari swearing that wasn’t the case.
What happened? They made the Maserati GranTurismo for a very long time, 2007 to 2019, and over 40,000 were produced worldwide. For us, that means cheap…ish! Cheap if you find the right example, and I believe I just did. I’ll preface it by saying it ain’t perfect.
Let’s keep it era appropriate and pit the Maserati against a 2015 BMW M5. It too was powered by a very nice V-8, and they made a lot of them. They were even similar in size, despite this being a large four-door sedan. Let’s see the contenders.
The 2014 Maserati GranTurismo
I’m bringing you a problem child this week, but hear me out.
- 70,000 miles
- Bid to $10,000 so far
- A ridiculous spoiler and carbon fiber hood
- Nero Black over uh, Nero Black
- A gigantic subwoofer lives in the trunk, along with a new head unit, amp and sound system.
- Aftermarket keyless entry and remote start. Why is this car modded like a Civic from 2005?
- Tinted taillights. Gross.
- Clean CarFax
- Six-speed automatic
- 4.7-liter naturally aspirated V-8, rated at 454 horsepower and 384 lb-ft of torque
What else? Well, there’s this:
- Scratches and chips around the exterior
- Dings in the driver’s door
- Curb rash and worn-out finish on wheels
- Creases and wear on leather upholstery
- Scratches on interior touchpoints
- Missing engine cover trim piece and outer grille trim
The seller is aware that all those mods and damage hurt value, but it’s nothing you can’t uninstall or fix yourself. Especially if this car Maserati can be had for cheap. How cheap? How about $19,000? How about $15k? To be fair, not all of them are this cheap, and the GranTurismo wasn’t born with this motor – initial examples had a smaller version. I think most of the depreciation is out of these cars, making it a pretty sound financial decision aside from repairs.
Let’s see what the Germans say about this.
2015 BMW M5
The F10 is a favorite of mine, and this one is pretty good.
- 44,700 miles
- Alpine White over Black leather
- Bid to $15,000 so far
- Clean CarFax
- Seven-speed DCT
- 4.4-liter V-8, rated at 560 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque
- Stock, aside from tint
- Minor wear, chips and curb rash
My only small concern is that this car recently had its differential seals and oil pan gasket replaced, along with a window switch. BMWs of this era are known for bad seals, so you hope the problem is solved, but if these went bad, what else could? I’d do a PPI to check for weeping.
Otherwise, what a daily this would make. No competition package, but that’s okay. These go for $40k max, and probably a bit less. If you equal the mileage to the Maserati, they are in the mid $20s. Not bad for perhaps the best-looking M5 ever.
So which V-8 will is be?
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