This Manual-Swapped Maserati Gran Turismo Might Be Worth The Risk Of Financial Ruin

There are a few cars whose massive depreciation tempt me, but can never fully convince me, due to the fear of plunging my family into financial ruin. The first-gen Maserati Gran Turismo is one such car. I mean just look at it. It's hard for most people to keep their jaws properly affixed when staring at its near-perfect design or listening to its Ferrari-sourced V8, and yet you can pick one up for less than a new base-spec Honda Civic. Of course, it could also cost you as much as a new Civic in repairs annually. However, there is one that could be too tempting to pass on, regardless of any future wallet danger — this 2009 Maserati Gran Turismo S with a manual transmission swap up for sale on Cars and Bids.

Maserati never sold a manual Gran Turismo, sticking only with either a six-speed ZF auto, or the six-speed, single-clutch Graziano automated manual from the Ferrari F430. And while neither transmission were ever bad, neither were ever fun enough to match the engine's glorious high-revving nature. Which is a shame, because the Ferrari California came out at the same time and it had a great dual-clutch that Maserati should've borrowed, but that's a rant for a different day. What would have been better than any of those is a six-speed manual and this specific Gran Turismo has one. 

This 2009 Gran Turismo S is said to be an ultra-low-mileage car, with just 13,936 miles on the odometer, but those must have been some hard-earned miles because it has more scrapes and bruises than you might expect from such mileage. The interior also has very melty interior plastics, which isn't uncommon for a car of this age but it seems like it was left in the sun all these years. Still, it's a cool spec, and I'm a sucker for silver cars with red and black interiors. But it's that metallic gated six-speed shifter that draws your eyes most. 

Even though the suede base on which the shifter sits seems a bit out of place, a gated manual just looks so right in a Gran Turismo's cabin. You can hear its clicky shifts just looking at the pictures. And hearing them after revving out that sensational sounding engine is worth whatever repair costs befall you each year. 

How reliable will the transmission swap be? The swap was done by European Auto Group (EAG) out of Texas, who makes manual swap conversion kits for several high-priced exotics, like the Ferrari 360 and Lamborghini Gallardo. There's some debate in this listing's comments section about how trustworthy EAG is, but the seller reportedly has bought several of EAG-swapped cars and hasn't had any issues. It does come with a two-year transmission warranty, at least. 

There are a few red flags about this listing, like the unusually beat-up body for the mileage and the claims of EAG's shadiness. However, it wouldn't be a Cars and Bids listing without an accompanying Doug Demuro review and he drives it on camera, proving that it seems to work well enough. Does the appeal of a gated manual override the risk of financial disaster? Don't ask me, I'm currently Googling which non-vital organs are worth the most.