It seems like every kid wants to be a social media personality. Before that, every kid wanted to be an actor, and before that, every kid wanted to be a rock star. Fame, fortune, trashed hotel rooms, exotic cars, and cushy residuals … the high life of days gone by was more than just a name in lights, it was a dream. A dream somewhat lampooned by Joe Walsh in “Life’s Been Good,” even if Walsh seemed to have his own tendencies. What does this have to do with cars? Well, the song mentions two, and now it’s time to see which one’s best.
Like many aging rock stars, some Maseratis and limousines from the ’70s have seen time take its toll. Shiny paintwork weathers, gleaming chrome tarnishes, deferred maintenance piles up, you know the drill. [Ed note: to his credit, Sammy Hagar kept this particular Ferrari in tip-top shape – Pete] However, when I found a questionable example of each up for sale locally on Facebook Marketplace, I knew what I had to do.
Admittedly, yesterday’s cars were ones you’d more likely have seen at the record company office than parked out front of an A-list rockstar’s mansion. A Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham D’Elegance and a Dodge Colt, two very different ways of living life in the ’80s.
Unsurprisingly, the torn-up seats and ran-when-parked status of the Colt meant it didn’t stand much of a chance against the monolithic Cadillac. A $4,200 Fleetwood Brougham D’Elegance is both physically and metaphorically a lot of car for the money, especially in black. Splash the cash, get yourself a black coat, white shoes, and a black hat, and you’d look like a certified time bomb. Anyway, Rancid’s the wrong decade for today. Time to truly solve the Joe Walsh conundrum the only way we know how around here.
1973 Maserati Indy – $20,000 Canadian
Engine/drivetrain: 4.9-liter V8, three-speed automatic, rear-wheel-drive.
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Odometer reading: 30,000 miles.
Operational status: Who knows?
Right, time for the first side of the equation, a Maserati. Not a boxy Biturbo or an early Quattroporte with the wretched DuoSelect gearbox either, a proper classic with styling by Vignale. In 1969, Maserati launched the Indy, named after its success in the 1939 and 1940 Indy 500. With two-plus-two packaging, a V8 up front, and sharp looks, it was a serious continent crusher for runs from Bern to Monaco.
Of the roughly 1,104 Maserati Indys made between 1968 and 1975, only about 900 came with this, the full-fat 4.9-liter V8. Pumping out 320 horsepower, it could propel this big grand tourer to a top speed of 165 mph, heady stuff for the early 1970s. Mind you, this particular Indy is equipped with the three-speed BorgWarner automatic transmission, and if that doesn’t temper your expectations, just look at the barn find state of this thing. There’s no mention of whether it runs or drives, but judging by the deflated tires and missing gear selector, it probably doesn’t do anything close to 185 at the moment.
Rust? Check. Dents? Check. A slightly complex high-pressure braking system from Citroën and an interior in need of complete restoration? Check and check. Look, there’s a reason why a nice Maserati Indy goes for between $40,000 and $90,000, while this one’s listed for $20,000 Canadian. You’re going to need to put some serious work in. Still, if you’re exceptionally skilled in the garage, this is a gorgeous ’70s Italian grand tourer you might be able to afford.
1972 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow 10-Passenger Limousine – $19,995
Engine/drivetrain: 6.75-liter V8, three-speed automatic, rear-wheel-drive.
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Odometer reading:
Operational status: It runs.
Then again, maybe you want to own a limo and ride in the back? Well, this 1972 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow is certainly classier than a stretched Hummer or Town Car. We’re talking about Rolls-Royce’s first unibody car, a machine that sold in the tens of thousands over its long 15-year production run, elongated like Laffy Taffy.
Measuring an incredible 24 feet long with a wheelbase the size of Delaware, the seller claims this Silver Shadow is truly one-of-a-kind. We’re talking dual moonroofs, gold trim, a full Sony audiovisual system, the works. Sure, the 220-horsepower 6.75-liter V8 probably won’t make for brisk progress, but this machine will certainly make a statement. What’s more, the seller claims it’s recently received new points and rebuilt carburetors. It’s always nice when a project fires right up.
So, what needs to be done to get this ship-sized Roller in fighting shape? Well, some bodywork and trim repair is needed, but the biggest obvious issue seems to be the state of that interior. Some of the leather is looking pretty haggard, but the seller is including 10 yards of faux-alligator with the sale. Not real alligator, that’s cruel. That being said, the low resolution of the photos in the ad make it hard to judge just how much bodywork is necessary.
So, which side of the “Life’s Been Good” spectrum do you stand on? Would you rather restore the rare Maserati or ride around town in a Rolls-Royce limousine?
Top graphic images: Facebook Marketplace sellers
No.
https://bringatrailer.com/search/?s=Maserati+Indy+
Yeah that’s about 19.5k too much for that Maserati.
Gut the RR, and turn it into a stealth camper. Well as long as there’s a high school prom nearby it would blend in.
I would not take either one of these for free. I don’t think anyone could PAY me enough to take on either one, while I love Maseratis of this vintage, you can’t restore this one for what a good one costs. And for the Roller, it would have to come with lifetime free tetanus shots and VD clinic visits. Gross.
Like I said: the better poll would be “would you allow someone to deposit either of these in your driveway if they came with $20K in the glovebox?”
LOL – I’d probably still say no. That Rolls wouldn’t even FIT in my driveway, it would be hanging out into the street.
How long do they have to stay in my driveway?
Till you figure out where to send them next.
So, which side of the “Life’s Been Good” spectrum do you stand on? Would you rather restore the rare Maserati or ride around town in a Rolls-Royce limousine?
The latter. Very much the latter. But at 1/10th the price.
I’m gonna go with the Maserati because it looks like it could be fun if it ran, while the Roller needs a bag of cocaine to make it fun.
Two people asking 20K to haul away their garbage piles. No and no.
You’re not playing nice today Thomas,these are both totally shit. I will never buy an old limo though,so I guess it’s just the crappy Maserati left. Maybe it’s not completely fucked and I can make better and get the money back. It should be half the price though.
Yes these 2 will both probably break when you try to winch them onto the trailer but but but can we give credit to 2 vehicles from the same general time period? The “would you choose this 1928 Model A or this 1992 Sentra?” showdowns bug me. (MT Sentra all the way.) It’s like choosing btwn a dump truck and a Cessna.
NOPE!
Just fecking NOPE on the whole shitshow.
The owners of these things have to have found this article by now, right? Curious if this helps or hurts their sales prospects.
I picked the Rolls – because it would make a fantastic huge pickup!
I think, until Mercedes sells her bus, every one of these polls should have that as the third option.
Because I think I might prefer the bus to either of these. $20k in maintenance would get it in better shape than they’re in right now.
Mercedes’ bus is in better condition than either of these heaps as it sits TODAY. She did drive the thing home from Texas not THAT long ago.
I mean…that’s true but given some of that thing’s maintenance intervals are counted in HOURS, it’s also not true.
LOTS of hours (I used to drive buses). Just because it hasn’t been maintained doesn’t mean you can’t drive it home. Go on YouTube and watch some of BusGreaseMonkey’s bus rescues. Neither of these heaps is going to move under it’s own power anytime soon, but I bet you could get that bus going good enough in a day. Pass a DOT inspection and be certified to carry passengers, no, but good enough to drive it somewhere.
The biggest worry on her bus is probably the likely aged-out tires. Those are no joke on a bus, especially on the steer axle. Otherwise, they just want to run, and I assume her’s is too old to have much in the way of electronics, and certainly too old to have DEF, etc.
Live variation:
♫ I got a limo, ride in the trunk
I lock the doors in case I get drunk ♫
Anyway, neither, not even with someone else’s money.
The seller of the Maserati sounds more full-of-shit than the seller of the Rolls Royce.
Maserati seller says that the ‘body is solid’
Doesn’t look solid to me with that rust and those dents.
Maserati seller claims only 20 have the 4.9L engine. Wikipedia tells me that 300 units have the 4.9L.
The Rolls looks like it needs a little less work than the Maserati… which looks like it needs EVERYTHING.
So my vote goes to the Rolls.
I love those old Maseratis, so it kills me to say that I have to pick the Rolls. I have zero use for something like that and have no interest in driving it at all, but at least the interior could be redone and the thing could be sold for not too much of a loss. Seems like the Indy would cost $40K to get it up to the point that you could sell it for $20K.
Erm, yikes. What? No.
Saw the photo of the choices before clicking on the article and skipped immediately to the poll to vote for the limo. Now that’s a Rolls Royce worth owning!
Even if you were “exceptionally skilled in the garage”, you’d be well out in front of your skis in no time on that Maserati. I can’t imagine the mountain of unobtanium that you’d have to climb in order to get that thing on the road. The Rolls isn’t much better…hell, what kind of lift would you have to have to even get that thing in the air? The game is always the same…pick one, so I’m going with the cocaine Rolls, while rummaging around for the crack pipe (last comment is for the OGs)
Well, that’s assuming you’re trying to restore the Maserati. There’s not enough left of it to justify that. It’s still got a cool shape, though.
Time to engineer a body swap.
The crack pipe is definitely in the back seat of that Rolls.
I’d feel bad even giving $5k for that Maserati, but I would almost bet that Rolls is listed in the Epstein files. Maserati it is.
that’s why it’s $20K. It’s got Heritage.