One of the fun things about writing for Barn Finds is having the opportunity to learn more about cars you’re not that familiar with, through both research and reader input, the latter of which is always welcomed and appreciated. For me, a case in point is the Quattroporte, as I’ve never had the pleasure of owning any Maserati automobile. From what I can tell, reliability seems to have mixed reviews, with some owners reporting that they’re usually trouble-free. Others cite frequent repairs and say that these cars are expensive to own and operate. Whatever your experience, this 2005 Maserati Quattroporte here on eBay in Orange, California, might be worth considering, although it will require some repairs before being roadworthy. There’s no reserve, and bidding has only reached $2,300, so there’s a chance this one may remain affordable, at least initially.
While the future owner will have a few things to deal with, a real positive is that this Maserati appears structurally sound. It’s not mentioned if this one’s always resided in The Golden State, but it does wear California plates, and I’m not seeing any evidence of rust or corrosion anywhere on the body. There are a few cosmetic imperfections, but they all seem relatively minor. The hood looks like it may need to be aligned, but this Quattroporte still presents decently outside as it is, and would probably not require a lot of effort to prep for some fresh paint, should the next owner decide to move in that direction.
The only background we get here is that this car was donated, so there’s little to go on regarding its history. The mileage is stated as 26,081, and thankfully, the left zero on the odometer indicates this is probably actual. Under the hood sits a powerful Ferrari-sourced 4.2-liter V8 that produces a whopping 395 horsepower, but unfortunately, the seller indicates that it is misfiring. The Check Engine light is also lit, so plan on having some repair work done right off the bat, unless you’ve got the skills to DIY.
Inside, the luxurious interior appears to remain in nice shape overall, and it looks very inviting. One of the negatives I read online is that these cars have been said to sometimes develop electrical issues, and while I don’t know any details, it’s good to see that all of the LED components on the dashboard appear to be functioning. I’m curious if any of our readers have ever owned a Maserati Quattroporte, and if so, what was your experience with it? All things considered, what’s a fair price to pay for this one?
Already has a misfiring engine. Wonder if it’s the ZF or F1 transmission. Cheap at initial purchase but expensive in the long run. Yeah I’d run for the hills as far away from this as possible
Looks like this has the DuoSelect automated manual, and the ZF conventional automatic wasn’t offered until 2007 anyway.
I’ve read the main issue with Maserati’s automated manuals in this era was that they didn’t anticipate Americans’ tendency to let automatic cars “creep” at low speeds (parking lots, traffic jams, etc.) while riding the brake pedal lightly to moderate speed, which led to excessive wear on the automated clutch and premature clutch burnout.
The way to minimize that in driving these at low speed is to avoid riding the brakes as much as possible; just let the car advance at idle unbraked, come to a complete stop when you can’t advance, repeat as needed. Probably good advice with any other automated manual as well.
Misfire within a low milage Ferrai engine most likely a bad coil, spark plug wire. Probably a single cylinder Misfire. Just switch the wires around to test. It’s most likely electrical. These cars have horrible re-sales dropouts. Somebody donated or not paid 50k in 2005.
This might be a great deal if it stays under $5k, and you can work on it yourself. The seller has a few other listings with no reserve.
They’ve sold over 1,400 cars over the last 90 days, that’s their typical volume. They auction off donated cars, they want them gone. Their cars have been featured on this site for years, their descriptions are vague, but they don’t have to go over every car carefully, it’s up to the seller to come look at it in person if they really want it. I bought a few cars from a charity in Oakland years ago, they didn’t really know anything about the cars, they would have a price, but were often negotiable. We got some really good deals on some 1960’s and early-1970’s cars, until there were new employees and basically told us, don’t come back, our friends have get what they want.
Steve R
Stay away
LS swap in waiting. HAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Nice car at a,nice price. And it’s nice that it is not in my garage.
On top of the final bid, this seller also charges a “bidder’s fee” of 9% to 10% depending on the final bid.
Most auctions that aren’t eBay do, estate auction, Mecum all typically charge around 10% to the buyer, plus some percentage from the seller, that’s how they make their money.
Steve R
This looks like the perfect “hooptoe” for Tyler Hoover to buy very cheaply and then proceed to pay Car Wizard 10K or more to get it running right.
I’ve always been afraid of these, but there are not many cars around that can produce a better-sounding exhaust note going up a hill. Mesmerizing.
front bumper and hood don’t seem to line up correctly. I was wondering if there was a frontal impact sometime in the past from it’s pervious owner .
I agree , I would like to see Taylor Hoover purchase this car and see what the “car wizard” would charge. Quite clean with low mileage .
There must be an echo in this thread.
Sold on 11/4/2025 for a high bid of $7,050, there were 64 bids and 32 bidders.
Steve R