I have been intriqued by the Mangusta since its inception. However, I'm a 5-time Ferrari / 2-Time Maserati owner (all built after 1997) and am concerned about the overall ownership experience with the Mangusta. Any others in this position that could provide some insite?

Regards,

AL

I have always liked the unique aspect of the Qvales, but I would never own any car that only offers that one narrow benefit.

I had a preconceived idea of how a Qvale would drive & feel before I ever drove one, and I didn't think it would be all that great. But when I finally did drive one, I was really surprised by how much better it actually was.

Is it on a par with a Bimmer, Benz, or Ferrari as far as fit & finish goes? Well, no, it's not. Is it a pile of crap kit car on 4 wheels? No, it's not. It's a comfortable, compotent, reasonably fast, good handling, & reliable car that gets more attention & curiousity than 97% of the other cars out here in car crazy LA.

It's fun being able to drive around in an exotic car that nobody has ever heard of or seen before, all while never having to worry about expensive maintenance or repairs . Oh yeah, & it's even more fun when the weather is nice & the top is down .

What about prices for a premium example?
Tanx!

Offer me $150k and I might not hang up on you. Offer any less and meet Mr Dialtone. I wouldn't sell my car for any amount. It handles riht for me. Its fast enough for me. Its attractive enough for me (I have the uncanny ability to stand directly next to this car with the keys in hand and people always stand there and talk to me about the car as if it belongs to somone else. Some even talk to me about how horrible it looks all the while doing a four point inspection of the car including hands on the glass). The only problem that I have is 6'4" with the seat all of the way pushed back. I might get a Maserati Quattroporte S (Not GT-S which is overkill) one day. Back to the car, I love it and although I have never owned or driven a Ferrari or Lamborghini, I have driven BMW and many others (I've taken a fancy for the M5 but not enough to buy one). Most of America knows all about Ferrari's and Lamborghini's from the Testarossa to the Gallardo. Most of the guys who brazenly sell their cars for the $30k range have simply not driven their cars to see and feel what they can do.

Well as a owner for a year and a half I can't begin to tell you how wonderful the suspension and handling is on this animal. Not the fastest on the planet but it will keep up with everybody. The looks and thumbs up from everybody is awesome. That 4.6 motor will never need anything ! Awesome with the tops down, minimal turbulence. I won't take a dime less that the sticker price. Everyone thinks it's original cost was $150K. Great styling unless your looked at designs from "GM" ! NOT I have # 114 with the Borla exhaust and just getting broke in with 7K miles on her it's finally starting to rumble. Wouldn't trade it for a Ferrari for nothing !!!! Besides repairs are expenses all cars have. This is generally taken care of by the last American. company !! FeORD !!! Good luck ! JD from FLA.

Al,

I have owned one Maserati, several Jags (including an XK-120) and assorted other sports cars. I would not trade my Mangusta for any of them. It offers an ideal combination of the practical and exotic. Draw backs? You cannot travel incognito. I have actually had drivers reverse direction and follow me until I stopped in order to pump me for information.

Ken

This is the first time I'm posting on this board but I've been following it for some time now. I am an avid DeTomaso fan and naturally I gravitated to this forum. I've been contemplating a Qvale from time to time. I came close to buying one last summer. There was a local car show in one of the higher-scale neighborhoods around me and there it was a gorgeous red Mangusta with a saddle interior. I won;t bore anyone here with the details as I'm sure you all know everything there is to know about these cars. I will say this... they are gorgeous in the flesh, funny enough the one thing that left an impression on me to this day was how incredible the paint was on this car. I know Visteon supplied the interiors and that is fine by me, the fit and finish looked pretty first rate in their execution.
Sadly I haven't driven one enough to be able to comment but I know they are very competent cars. I too hope to pick one up someday (if the right car/deal comes up). They might not be for everyone but I think they are great! I like the way they look and the fact they are unique. The DeTomaso DNA for me is a big plus.

If you are still looking for another opinion, here is one more. I am the first registered owner, and have had the car for about 5 years. I have owned Porsche's ( 914/6 and a 911 targa mid 80's) and a BMW M roadster as well as a Camaro RS/SS convertible. And I will say this is the best handling car I have had, the 914/6 was a very close second but I did throw allot of money at it to make it handle that way and it is a mid engine car. The BMW followed in third but was very unforgiving on wet roads and if you turn off the traction control, it would swap ends in the blink of an eye. The Porsche Targa was a blast to drive but it took a little getting use to with the motor hanging past the rear wheels ( don't lift the throttle in a fast turn ) As far as the Camaro a piece of junk unless your simply go in a straight line. The other down side was the maint. bills. The 914/6 had six carbs even the dealer had fun tuning these. The BMW, two tyranny's in 75k mi. I got rid of it before the extend warranty ended the tyranny's ( and miscellanies parts ) were about $10k from the dealer to replace.
Now for the Mangusta, 1 loos mirror glass, the dealer took care of it for me, and replace both rams for the roto top, about $1800. Smog the car at any shop, parts from Ford for the drive train and speeds over about 80mph wind noise from the targa and it fells like it needs a little more rear down force around 110mph. And the biggest problem is the car is nearly 10 years old and people think it is a new model, and the vet, Porsche, viper, Ferrari and Maserati crowd want to have a run with you. Most all of them have about 100 to 150 more horse power, but its nothing a blower would not fix. And of course the pointing fingers, thumbs up and the constant stream of questions......PRICELESS

Matt J

I have owned my Mangusta #202 for 5 years at least. I have run it twice on the track at Pocono and it likes to go fast. Unfortunately we have to run with the top up and the windows down, not good for aerodynamics. I have driven the car non stop from Key West to northern Maryland 23 hours with no problem and felt great driving it. The car has been trouble free, gets great mileage on the road, not so good on the track, but what would you expect. It is a head turner to say the least. I had a police car follow me to a fuel stop just to find out what it was. I thought I was getting a ticket. I own 9 cars including 2 older Maserati's, a newer jaguar XJR, and a Z3 "M" coupe BMW. The Qvale is the most exciting to drive top up or down. Down side with the car. Not the easiest car to get out off, rims are soft, (avoid pot holes) and the radio doesn't get any reception, figure on using the CD player, and luckily we have rear seats to hold bags as the trunk is minimal. I can't see me ever selling this car unless I buy another one to replace it. I wish I could buy everyone that comes up for sale to corner the market. Wish they were still in production.