Silly Ways To Burn Through Money: 1975 Dodge Power Wagon vs 2015 Maserati Ghibli

Happy Friday! Well, we’ve reached the end of our double-the-price-cap-every-day adventure, with a $16,000 limit, an amount of money I’d never spend on a car. It seems frivolous, wasteful even, to drop that much on a car – and I absolutely love cars. However, if someone handed me sixteen grand and told me I absolutely had to spend it on a car, I’d look for something completely silly. So that’s what I’ve done here.

Yesterday at the $8,000 level, we were able to find a couple of nice classic rides in the form of a VW Karmann Ghia and a Ford Thunderbird. From the comments, I expected the VW to win; there are a lot of air-cooled VW nuts around even today, which speaks volumes about how good that design really is. And though Beetles aren’t that hard to find, a good Ghia is a rarity. But it didn’t find enough love to take the trophy away from the big white Bird.

I think I’m joining the Thunderbirds for this mission as well. I’ve tried and failed to get into air-cooled VWs before; if I ever tried again it would probably be with a dune buggy. But a big comfy American cruiser is always welcome in my driveway, even though I’ve never really been a Ford guy.

Remember the movie Brewster’s Millions? Richard Pryor plays a minor-league baseball player who has to burn through a bunch of money in 30 days in order to inherit even more – but he has to do it in secret. It’s a silly idea, and an older idea than you might realize – it was adapted from a novel published way back in 1902.

I’ve always wondered if any eccentric old millionaires ever put such stipulations into their wills, either as an inspiration for, or as a result of, the story of Brewster’s Millions. In any case, we’re going to use it as a scenario to help you choose a car today. You can have any car in the world you want – but first, you have to drive one of these two as your sole means of transportation for a year. And you can’t explain to anyone why you’re driving it. I would say “choose wisely,” but there are no wise choices here. Let’s check them out.

1975 Dodge W100 Power Wagon – $14,500

Engine/drivetrain: 440 cubic inch overhead valve V8, three-speed automatic, 4WD

Location: West Hollywood, CA

Odometer reading: 36,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives, but needs carb work

If you were a kid in the 1970s and 80s, you know there were some epic toy trucks floating around. Tonka was at the top of its game. Schaper’s Stomper 4x4s were available at any K-Mart or Toys R Us. And later, of course, RC monster trucks became all the rage. We all dreamed of being able to climb into one of these big-tired dream machines and go bombing around, like some of our TV heroes got to. Maybe that’s why pickup trucks are so popular today; in our heart of hearts we all still want to be Rick Simon. Modern trucks aren’t nearly as cool, I realize, but what if I told you there was a truck that looked like a Stomper toy come to life? Presenting the 1975 Dodge W100 Power Wagon Adventurer custom short-bed.

We all know that automotive performance was at the beginning of a ten-year downward spiral in the mid-70s, due to emissions and fuel economy rules, but most of those rules didn’t apply to light-duty trucks. So Chrysler, which had done very well for itself during the muscle car era, moved its big V8s over to the trucks, marketing them as “Adult Toys” – a term that nobody these days associates with trucks. Anyway, the point is you could order a short-wheelbase pickup with the legendary big-block 440 V8 like this. It runs and drives, the seller says, but needs some work on the carb. I think the easiest solution is the best, in this case; since you don’t have to worry about smog testing on a truck this old, just slap a brand-new Holley double-pumper on it and call it a day.

This isn’t your typical bare-bones truck inside; it’s got cushy red velour bucket seats, full carpeting, and a wild-looking custom headliner. I have no idea what those silver things mounted on the ceiling are; feel free to educate or speculate in the comments. The lucky horseshoe on the visor is a nice touch. The seller notes some wiring that needs to be “buttoned up;” I assume that’s the stuff hanging out from under the dash. It looks like stereo wiring, but it’s worth asking about.

The outside is where this truck shines – literally. It has chrome bumpers and side steps, as well as that gloriously ostentatious four-tube roll bar, with five lights on top. That’s some straight-up Tamiya Clod Buster stuff right there. It’s rust-free, and unlike some other custom trucks with giant knobby tires that make a ton of noise on the road, or low-profile wheels that ruin both the looks and the ride, the rolling stock on this one looks appropriate to its mission.

2015 Maserati Ghibli S Q4 – $13,000

Engine/drivetrain: Twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter dual overhead cam V6, eight-speed automatic, AWD

Location: North Las Vegas, NV

Odometer reading: 77,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives great – right now

I feel bad for Italian cars. They’re so pretty, and they’re so much fun, but all anyone ever comments on is their lousy reputation for reliability. It’s a reputation that’s not unfounded, of course, and sent Italian automakers scurrying from the American market with their tails between their legs after such notable debacles as the Maserati Biturbo and the Alfa Romeo 164. Beautiful cars both, but Toyota Corollas they were not. Maserati re-entered the US market in 2002, and in 2013 introduced this car, the mid-sized Ghibli sedan.

The Ghibli is powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6, designed by Ferrari. This is an S model, with 404 horsepower, and a Q4, meaning it has all-wheel-drive. Between the two is that ZF eight-speed automatic that has been turning up everywhere in the last decade or so. It has flappy paddles on the steering wheel so you can shift it yourself, but it is a regular torque-converter automatic, not a clutchless manual. This one runs and drives well, but these cars have an awful reputation and the sort of maintenance costs you would guess from a Ferrari engine. Thirteen grand to buy it is only the beginning.

It certainly is a pretty thing, though – Italy does car interiors like no one else. These chocolate-mousse-colored leather seats look incredibly comfortable, and the wood trim sets it off nicely. It’s loaded; there’s a photo of the original window sticker in the ad, and it lists both a “Premium Package” and a “Luxury Package.” I imagine this car’s power features have power features. It was more than $90,000 when it was new, after all.

It’s a gorgeous color, too. It’s not ostentatious, but it’s not gray – or worse, red. Maserati’s build quality has been called into question, and I do see some uneven panel gaps that I imagine would have driven the original owner nuts after spending so much money. My biggest problem with the Ghibli is that it’s sort of ordinary-looking; if you took the badges off, it could almost be mistaken for a Lexus.

So there you have it: two absolutely ridiculous ways to spend more money than I ever have on a car. But remember our scenario: you just have to drive one of them for a year, and keep quiet about why you’re driving it, and then you can trade it for whatever you want. So are you going to choose the big silly truck, or the often-broken Italian sports sedan?

(Image credits: sellers – except for the photo of the Tamiya Blackfoot; that one’s mine, and it’s not for sale)