Good morning. I've just registered with this great site as I am looking to purchase a 2008/9 Maserati Granturismo 4.2. I have seen a few but would like to know what questions I should be asking the seller....valves are a big issue I have heard?!?! I'm looking to spend between £21k and £25k. It will be a weekend only car / 5k miles per year. Thanks chaps!
Hello form Winchester, Hants!
- Thread starter Wintonian
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conaero
Forum Owner
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Well hello, I am a Winchester boy, schooled in Montgomery of Alemein or Kings as its now known.
Now live in Chichester but visit parents in Fair Oak/Eastleigh area most weeks.
With anything Maserati and being a newbie you should get it looked over. These cars are cheap to get into but expensive to run. You have Mike Roberts/Maserati Shed in Fareham and also Meridien main dealer down in Southampton/Lyndhurst.
The GT is a very reliable car but the one thing you need to look out for are the variators. This manifests itself as a prolonged rattle on cold start up. I would 100% go for a car that has documentation that its been done or your looking at a £3k bill straight away. Post 2010 cars (verified by the chassis number) had this issue rectified at the factory.
The cars are driven hard so check all the usual brakes, tyres and they are a little weak on bushes.
Its Italian, so check the electrics, the main infotainment hard drives can fail so make sure it starts up and you can load the maps.
Trim, can peal in places, look for pealing leather/PVC on the dash and the glove box.
Service history...very important.
If you fancy a meet up to have a look over my Strad or need me to come look at a car with you just shout. If you message me Ill give you my phone number.
Now live in Chichester but visit parents in Fair Oak/Eastleigh area most weeks.
With anything Maserati and being a newbie you should get it looked over. These cars are cheap to get into but expensive to run. You have Mike Roberts/Maserati Shed in Fareham and also Meridien main dealer down in Southampton/Lyndhurst.
The GT is a very reliable car but the one thing you need to look out for are the variators. This manifests itself as a prolonged rattle on cold start up. I would 100% go for a car that has documentation that its been done or your looking at a £3k bill straight away. Post 2010 cars (verified by the chassis number) had this issue rectified at the factory.
The cars are driven hard so check all the usual brakes, tyres and they are a little weak on bushes.
Its Italian, so check the electrics, the main infotainment hard drives can fail so make sure it starts up and you can load the maps.
Trim, can peal in places, look for pealing leather/PVC on the dash and the glove box.
Service history...very important.
If you fancy a meet up to have a look over my Strad or need me to come look at a car with you just shout. If you message me Ill give you my phone number.
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Wow, what a small world! Thanks for your quick and informative reply Conaero. My parents live in Selsey, so not a million miles from you!
Yes, I had heard about the variations whilst researching the pros and cons of ownership. I spoke to the guys at the Maserati Shed this week but they said they only work on older Mazzers, i.e. GTs and Bi-turbos. I will have a chat with the guys at Meridien in Lyndhurst too. I may take you up on your offer to look over your Strad and a general chit chat. My timeframe for buying is over the next few months....certainly before the Autumn.
Yes, I had heard about the variations whilst researching the pros and cons of ownership. I spoke to the guys at the Maserati Shed this week but they said they only work on older Mazzers, i.e. GTs and Bi-turbos. I will have a chat with the guys at Meridien in Lyndhurst too. I may take you up on your offer to look over your Strad and a general chit chat. My timeframe for buying is over the next few months....certainly before the Autumn.
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Welcome, Wintonian. Yours is a popular part of the world for SM members and affiliated fools.
Definitely take Matt up on his offer. He has an instinctive sense for these cars.
Definitely take Matt up on his offer. He has an instinctive sense for these cars.
safrane
Member
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Welcome.
Loads of early 4.2s about at that price range, but as suggested get a PPI. We had one newbi this month who bought a lemmon private and now needs to find c £3k to fix it.
Have a chat with Richard Grace. He is a decent chap and not into hard sell. It is unlikely he will have a 4.2 available but will let you know the score.
Be aware that the two year service intervals does not help the second hand purchasing as that is a long time for a car of this complexity to be used and not checked over.
Loads of early 4.2s about at that price range, but as suggested get a PPI. We had one newbi this month who bought a lemmon private and now needs to find c £3k to fix it.
Have a chat with Richard Grace. He is a decent chap and not into hard sell. It is unlikely he will have a 4.2 available but will let you know the score.
Be aware that the two year service intervals does not help the second hand purchasing as that is a long time for a car of this complexity to be used and not checked over.
https://www.pistonheads.com/classif...ranturismo-v8--------------------2008/8778536
This nice looking 4.2 GT has just appeared on the market - private seller. Anyone know the owner and/or history. It has a FMSH by all accounts....
This nice looking 4.2 GT has just appeared on the market - private seller. Anyone know the owner and/or history. It has a FMSH by all accounts....
zagatoes30
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Welcome you have found the right place for info and help on these cars, no bullsh1t just sound advice based on a mass of previous experience
Rwc13
Member
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Lovely looking car in a fantastic colourway. I’d get that inspected to confirm as good as it looks
Phil H
Member
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Hi, and another welcome to the forum.
Emblem Sportscars of Poole (forum sponsor) are easily commutable from Winchester, they know GT's, and are highly recommended.
FTech of Exeter offer a collection/delivery service (I think at cost) and they may be at Sherborne Castle for the classics bash in July:
https://classic-supercars.co.uk/
The car in Wales looks nice. It looks like Bordeaux Pontevecchio which is a great colour, but you may want to view the MOT history for a couple of previous issues.
Good luck with the search.
PH
Emblem Sportscars of Poole (forum sponsor) are easily commutable from Winchester, they know GT's, and are highly recommended.
FTech of Exeter offer a collection/delivery service (I think at cost) and they may be at Sherborne Castle for the classics bash in July:
https://classic-supercars.co.uk/
The car in Wales looks nice. It looks like Bordeaux Pontevecchio which is a great colour, but you may want to view the MOT history for a couple of previous issues.
Good luck with the search.
PH
midlifecrisis
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Welcome Wintonian, you've come to the right place for great advice and commentary. If you need an honest second opinion, I'm sure you get it here. Good Luck with your search, keep your head and you'll find the right one for you.
So I have just spoken over the phone to the seller about his car and he is a very old man (80 years old he tells me). It was a difficult conversation as I had to repeat my questions over and over! He's owned it for 3 years (2nd owner) and want to sell it as he is too old to drive now. His kids have told him! I asked him about the cam variators and he said he had no idea - only that it has been regularly serviced at Dick Lovett Ferrari in Swindon. I asked for the engine number and he said he will email me later today. He really struggled to take down my email too....don't know what to think....bargain as it may never have gone above 3000rpm under his ownership or a bad one!?!?!
It's a 4.2. I was a little confused by what he meant by the 'switchable exhaust'....?
Andyk
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Welcome......must say that is a lovely looking GT. Nicest I've seen at this price range. Must be worth a look. At first I thought it had oval exhaust but look closer and I think it's the twin round pipes. he obviously changed the exhaust.
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What a gorgeous car in a rare colour. Don’t be put off if the variators haven’t been done, just budget for it. Not all cars need them doing, and even if they rattle it’s just a horrible noise for a few seconds, not a death sentence. I personally couldn’t live with the noise, and £3k’s a big chunk of change, but the right car at the right price shouldn’t be missed. Besides, the variators may never need doing - my old 2009 GTS was still rattle-free when I sold it at 54k.