Consumers associate the word Maserati with high-quality, luxury vehicles that have modern tech and safety features and the most spectacular design, but even giants like the Italian superpremium brand do make mistakes, and not all cars designed and built in their facilities are synonymous with superior quality. The Maserati Biturbo, for example, was a beautiful vehicle that was supposed to impress buyers with its V6 twin-turbocharged engine. But instead of becoming a titan that would define the automotive industry in the 1980s, the Biturbo was a disappointment.

The Biturbo was destined to be “every man’s Maserati,” so original prices were lower than the ones of other Maserati vehicles. This originally made for great sales, however, buyers later found out that the Biturbo had defects and major issues. Accordingly, the news broke that Biturbo had reliability issues and poor build quality. In the end, the poor reputation killed the model and sales dropped to record lows; so here’s why Gearheads should avoid this vehicle.

Related: 8 Reasons Why The Maserati Biturbo Was Cool (2 Reasons Why We'd Never Buy One)

The Maserati Biturbo Looked Like A Less Glamorous Budget-Friendly Quattroporte

Parked Maserati Biturbo
Maserati

When you buy a Maserati vehicle, you expect it to be the most spectacular looking car on the road. Even if some models have a poor reputation because of reliability issues, most Maserati cars have impressive design elements and an expensive look. However, the Biturbo looked like a less glamorous, budget-friendly Quattroporte. This doesn’t mean the Quattroporte is an ugly car. On the contrary, it is a stunning vehicle, but the Biturbo only has a less spectacular and less distinctive appearance.

The Biturbo Had Too Many Mechanical Problems

Maserati Biturbo
via: Mecum

Beauty might be in the beholder’s eye and some buyers might consider the Biturbo a spectacular vehicle, but when it comes to mechanical issues, there is no debate, and the Biturbo falls short. In fact, HotCars contributor R J Waldron says “in a rundown of the worst cars ever to be sold, the Maserati Biturbo placed within the top thirty.”

One of the most common problems reported by owners was with the turbochargers, which were responsible for smoke coming out of the vehicle. But that was hardly the only problem with the Biturbo. Owners reported problems even with the fuse box, interior panels that were cracking and there were also corrosion issues. Overall, buyers concurred that the build quality was terrible and not at all representative of what luxury should be.

In 1987, NHTSA issued a recall for the 1984 and 1985 models because of excessive exhaust stem heat. This problem could cause a fire inside the car; thus, it created a very dangerous situation. Roughly 3,724 Biturbo units were impacted by this problem.

The Biturbo Had High Maintenance Costs And Only Few Workshops Were Accepting These Cars For Repairs

Maserati Biturbo
Via Maserati

Not only were Maserati Biturbo plagued with problems, but they were also expensive to maintain and repair.

“Hugely expensive to maintain, the Biturbo is one of the least reliable cars ever made, and it is guaranteed to leave you stranded on the roadside without a moment's notice,” says R J Waldron. “Even for those who are brave enough to tackle the maintenance themselves, the Biturbo will exhaust a bank account. Parts are astronomically priced, it guzzles gas, the wiring will fail more than once, and it will attract the tin worm.”

Get Jerry shares a similar view. The online publication notes that the “Biturbo was a fun car to own, but very expensive to maintain.” And it wasn’t just the high costs that kept consumers away, but also other problems. For example, only a limited number of workshops accepted Maserati Biturbos for repairs worldwide, according to Drivertical. Meanwhile, Topgear Autoguide highlighted that Biturbo owners had issues with securing the missing parts and components.

“The supply of spare parts for the Maserati Biturbo is not all-round rosy; there are bottlenecks in sheet metal parts, windshields, rear brake discs, turbos and shock absorbers,” says Topgear Autoguide.

Related: Here's What The 1980s Maserati Biturbo Is Worth Today

This Is Why Maserati Shouldn’t Have Compromised Quality

Maserati Biturbo Rear
Via Maserati

While Maserati’s market strategy made sense to a certain extent, as it prioritized sales volume and mass production over quality, it didn’t work for a luxury automaker. Quality compromises meant Maserati didn’t deliver a product that was in line with consumers’ expectations and wants. Furthermore, the service was not up to the Maserati standards either, so the Italian automaker disappointed consumers again. To make matters worse, the interior cabin was less-than-stellar, being quite unimpressive and boring. Basically, the Maserati cut corners everywhere, expecting customers to ignore all the issues. However, this strategy damaged the business's reputation in the United States and persuaded potential customers that the Biturbo is an overall terrible car. Unfortunately, the poor reputation stayed with the Maserati brand for years.