We see often how the mighty have fallen when it comes to project-grade luxury and sports cars. What once cost more than a year’s salary to buy is now simply a pile of debris in the driveway. The lineup of Maserati Biturbo models from the 1980s is certainly one of the most frequently seen of formerly prestigious vehicles resigned to simply taking up space, but we rarely see the four-door 425i model come up for sale in any condition. This example, listed here on Facebook Marketplace, also benefits from being the later fuel-injected model and is listed as having a 5-speed manual.
The seller is asking $4,000 for this non-runner. The 425i rounded out the original Biturbo lineup, which grew to include a convertible in addition to the original coupe. The sedan looked quite good, taking the somewhat-stubby profile of the coupe and giving it the needed length to make the muscular design work. The interior benefited as well, giving rear seat passengers ample leg room and luxurious accommodations which included powered rear seats. Two details about the rear of this car: it was sold by a long-time Baltimore area European car dealer, and someone has added an odd “Cruiser” badge to the trunk lid.
When introduced, the 425 was praised for being a sporty, powerful car with generous standard equipment. However, the original engine design featured a carburetor that didn’t play nicely with turbocharging, and the amount of lag was considered unacceptable. This 425i is a later fuel-injected model which helped to address some of these original shortcomings. While every Biturbo had its faults straight from the factory, this configuration was likely one of the better ones with fuel injection, a 5-speed manual, and handsome proportions with the four-door body. It should produce around 185 b.h.p. and 223 lb.-ft. of torque.
It’s a long way from Camelot, however, and no matter how hard this original advertisement tries, there’s no masking that this 425i hasn’t seen a proper maintenance budget in decades. I always feel somewhat bad for cars like this, as its fate was left in the hands of owners who didn’t understand that Italian machinery requires a more-than-normal maintenance allocation. Sadly, I doubt there’s anyone out there who will make this rare sedan body sing again, but it sure would be nice if a Biturbo collector could recreate the original scene in this idyllic photo.
Does all that s@#* on and around the car go with it ? It’s amazing what people don’t do when they are trying to sell a car.
I’m used to and turned off by all the crap being piled on the dusty car to make it look like a “barn find”. But I do admire the fact that they went to the trouble to let the air out of one or more tires.
Maybe the intention here is NOT to sell it.
Prizewinning lousy ad. Best wishes.
“Ok, honey – it’s listed for sale.”
No such thing as a cheap Maserati. Good luck to whoever gets lured into this “deal.”
Agree 100%
Good luck going to look at it, Border Collies are usually biters.
LOL!!
Stack the Jag on top of the Maserati, crush ’em, and you have a Jagerati coffee table.
Insultingly bad ad. It screams “I will waste your time.” But at $4K (LOL), no one in their right mind is going to bite anyway.
Alternatively it screams ‘i don’t want to sell it but wife (or whoever) needs the space’.
Even the doggo looks annoyed at the presentation on this one.
“but honey, I’m trying to sell it”
As a non- runner in this condition, its a $400 parts car and not a $4K project. The 425 is absolutely not desireable and you might need to spend 10K to sort at least the main things out.
I wouldn’t touch this if it came with $4k………what trash!!!
The seller says its a steal for 4K for him if he gets anyone to pay close to that asking price.
Maybe they’d accept a shelving unit from Walmart as trade. That way, if you end up having to scrap it, you can still come out OK.
There is a car under all that, right?
Looks like a hoarder house.
It is very refreshing to see the someone very wisely place substantial weight on this “deal” to keep it from blowing away. especially wonder full it the sun roof which is open to allow instant access by water and critters….just beautiful.
Lol.😳
LS/2JZ Swap it, that’s about all its good for.
All i see is trash and trash cans.
And it has 100,000 miles on it!!
Rare alright, most people clean a car to sell it not pile a bunch of junk on it.
I am probably in the minority with this thought: I think that the 4 door has a more proportional look than the coupe, which looks like a sedan with 2 doors cut off.
Me, too, and they’re all but nonexistent. But, wow, the presentation is a ‘prizewinner’ and there’s not a word about the project’s condition.
It’s a handsome enough design, even if it’s reminiscent of many other ’80s sedans that cost a fraction of the price when new.
But yeah, the ad and presentation have more red flags than a Cold War-era Moscow May Day parade.
Is the dog ready to pee on the other dog….uhh… car? Lovely pictures! This one case where just a written ad would gather more attention that this one with pictures…………..
How much do these Quadroportes go for anyway? Some guy working at the maintainence garage of our local park district owns a current generation one.
Google says …..A fully restored 1987 Maserati 425i (part of the Maserati Biturbo family) is generally valued between $10,000 and $15,000, with exceptional or low-mileage examples rarely pushing past $17,500.
Jeez, you’d already be out at least a grand getting it towed away and getting it detailed, assuming the interior is just full of schmutz and no torn or missing parts. Truly, dropping an LS in it sounds like the best idea. Clearly he’s not into Maseratis. I wonder how he got a hold of it.
A 1987 Maserati 425i had an original manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $29,900
Current Used Value in Good Condition $4,300 to $4,900.
you’d have to be a real masochist with a wheelbarrow full of money and time to want to take this POS home. The ad pictures show you what it will look like in your garage upon ownership..
Pull it out of the garage, clear away the trash and debris and give it a bath and maybe it could be considered. Until then….
$29,900 in 1987 is about $88,000 in today’s dollars. Amazing what they cost new.
Are any parts from this car compatible with the 1989 Chrysler TC Maserati?
doubtful. Maybe some interior stuff and the like. The TC was FWD and did not use the V8.
It might more than meets the eye. If a Maserati is your thing then a road trip to Dundalk, Maryland is needed.
I owned one, it had a fabulous Italian leather interior.
In a very attractive time bomb.
“It blowed up good”
What makes a Maserati special, anyway?
It was always sort of lumped with Ferrari and Lamborghini but was less expensive and you could get more conventional body styles than the mid engine supercar offerings.
It’s racing history and engine building knowledge from the start of the previous century when Enzo was still an Alfa racing driver. Lamborgini came even later in the scene after a fight with Ferrari for weak, easily burning clutch on his cars. Being a tractor builder initially also hadn’t help his sports cars prestige but he changed that with cars like Miura etc. Maserati engineers were famously made the most powerful 3 lit. engine in a private bid with fellow Ferrari engineers.
And let’s not forget the Type 61 Birdcage Maserati with it’s light but rigid space frame and the windshield built into the bodywork to game the windshield height rules.
I looked at one new at the Dealership and the interior was literally falling apart as it sat. It was a total JOKE! It was a typical, cheap Italian/English type of car. It may have run well, but it fell off/apart as you drove it.
White Trash
PILE ‘O SHAT !!!
As Rodney Dangerfield said, NO respect!
How can you say, “I’m an unmotivated seller” without actually saying “I’m an unmotivated seller!”
It’s amazing the limits a seller will go to…in discouraging potential buyers away from their item!
Scary, but cheap
Located in Dundalk, MD
Scary yes, cheap no. See Timothy’s comment above. For a few hundred bucks more you can get a presentable driver. If I had one of those presetable drivers and I was close I’d go there with 10 crisp new Benjamins, set them out in front of him in his wife’s presence, and say take it or leave it. Always handy to have a parts car around for a car like this.
The best things about this Maserati were its looks… It should be mounted on a tall pole and become the advertising lure for a car lot! This way, you don’t have to worry about how it runs!!
Seller has reduced the price to $2000. Probably still too high