looking for a 3200

[karatemaserati]

firstly, hello guys im new

iv had my heart set on a 3200 for a while now and now iv settled in my new job its finally the time to pull the trigger. i have a budget of 11k give or take a little bit. what kind of 3200 would i be looking at for that price?? eg milage, age.

 

[JDM]

Hi there, and welcome!! I haven't been on here too long, but got a lot of useful info and found everyone very helpful and knowledgeable.

As a buyer, you can be fussy about what you go for, pick the right colour, condition etc... go see a few and don't necessarily commit to the first one. try a manual and an auto, i found them very different in the way they drive and deliver the power. But both will give you a huge grin when the turbos wind up.

Mileage doesn't seem to be too much of an issue for these cars, but as most will say, get it inspected professionally regardless of how competent you feel about it inspecting it yourself. they're complicated machines.

Most have been cared for and been loved very well, you can often judge a lot on the previous owner, but that might not be relevant if buying from a trader. They only made the 3200 for a few years, try and get the latest one you can as they made a few tweaks during production.

If you got any specific questions fire away, there's plenty of good info on here already so rummage through and most your queries will be answered before you get the chance to ask

 

[conaero]

Hi there and welcome.

This topic gets asked alot so there is a dedicated thread for this topic, have a good read through paying particular attention to the independent inspection, the clutch and the endfloat issues:

http://www.sportsmaserati.co.uk/showthread.php/7881-buying-a-3200-what-should-i-look-for

The 3200 is a complex machine and does suffer from alot if common faults.

They are relatively inexpensive to purchase but very expensive to maintain.

The car you describe appears to fall into the usual trap of the current owner cutting corners on something as basic as the cambelt that should be done every 3 years regardless of mileage.

You have to wonder where else the corners have been cut and as to any perspective buyer you should get a full independant inspection done.

Apart from all the usuall tyres, brakes, exhaust etc you have to pay attention to the following:

Clutch: check for signs of slipping in 2nd and 3rd under full acceleration. Also the bearings have a habit of breaking so if the pedal is excessively heavy this can point to an imminent failure.

Endfloat: probably the most concerning item. Due to the nature of the pull clutch and poor quality or wrongly fitted enfloat bearing, this can wear causing the crank to slop forwards and backwards when the clutch is depressed. This needs to be measured at a dealer by using a run out gauge. Indicators of this problem being present is low oil pressure when hot and a falling needle when the clutch is depressed. This can only be remedied by either engine strip down and rebuild or a new engine.

Oil pressure gauge: as above or also the senders fail regularly.

Drive by wire throttle. The achilles heal of the 3200. The throttle body fails causing check engine light and going into limp mode. Also the throttle pedal pots fail to. This can be remedied by upgrading to the modified contactless system.

Active suspension: The 3200 has shocks with a small motor mounted ontop that firms and slackens each shock as its loaded. The motors break or the shocks seize causing an ERROR light. These can be upgraded/repaired using alloy parts instead of the rubbish nylon parts.

Rust: they suffer in the rear arches from stoned chipping away the paint. Also check the door bottoms, leading edge of the bonnet, boot lower edge and below the rear lights.

Service: this must be complete. It's so important to replace the oil as the turbos shred it. Most owners change their oil twice a year.

Interior: check for wear to the seat bolsters, dash top coming unstuck, and the steering wheel lifting.

I am sure I missed a few items but those are the major ones. So post the advert of the car in question and we can advise you further or we may have knowledge of said car.

 

[Andyk]

A big welcome to the forum...Hope you find what you are looking for...

 

[karatemaserati]

hi thanks for the welcome and the advice

as a rough ball park figure tho what year and millage should i expect for my 11k budget??

 

[beau]

theres a 52 plate on piston heads, 70k or so £9700, might be worth a look

 

[conaero]

hi thanks for the welcome and the advice

as a rough ball park figure tho what year and millage should i expect for my 11k budget??

You should be able to get a 2001, go for this year as it was revised heavily and are generally much better.

 

[NickP]

You can have mine.... next spring..

 

[hodroyd]

Hi Karate,
Sounds like an aftershave..??
For around £11K you should get a 2001/02 3200GT or GTA (auto). The service history has to be intact and carried out at either dealers, or independent specialists, Joe Bloggs Garage is not what you are looking for.
Bodywork: Check each lip around the wheelarch's, they tend to chip and rust.
Oil Press: Make sure it has good pressure, 2.5 bar on idle, 5 bar hot and under effort.
As there are a number of things to look out for, your far safer getting an indepedent inspection done by a Maserati Specialist, it will cost you between £150 & £300, but could save you a fortune.
Drive the car if you can and push it hard, this will normally show up any shortfalls.

Best of luck in your search.
Cheers
R

 

[beau]

my oil pressure never goes below 5 bar

 

[hodroyd]

Beau,
5 Bar even on warm tickover..?? If that's the case I would have the oil pressure gauge checked, unless someone else has different ideas I think that is suspect.
Cheers
R

 

[adam01]

Beau,
5 Bar even on warm tickover..?? If that's the case I would have the oil pressure gauge checked, unless someone else has different ideas I think that is suspect.
Cheers
R

yep just noticed that on mine, previously would drop to 2.5 on idle.

Not sure yet if gauge or sender unit

 

[bill]

My gauge is always around 5. There is nothing wrong with the gauge as if the revs drop below idle pressure drops too. Done 62k and never had anything other than selinia and original filter in it. Things to look for:

Check Engine Light. Mostly due to throttlebody. Be aware that there are people who have the bulb removed! This should come on when you first turn the ignition on and turn off after a while. This is true of all warning light, some only with the engine running. The best way to check is to find an indipentent garage or dealer with the FACTORY diagnostics. They should be able to report on any issues as errors are stored. A good inspection should pick up most other issues. They might not spot:
Water in the boot or
Fractured chassis where the front subframe is bolted to the frame, by the turbos. Mostly due to pot holes!

I absolutely love my 3200. I drive it almost every day and never fails to put a smile on my face. They do need looking after though and as long as you go into it with the best car you can afford. It will give you miles of pleasure!

Let us know how you get on

Cheers

 

[NickP]

Mine too, from the moment I start it till I turn it off its at around 5.

 

[conaero]

It should be:

5 bar cold idle and speed
5 bar hot speed
2.5bar or greater at hot idle

The senders do fail, but so also does the wiring to the sender, it goes crispy over the year of exposure to the heat, worth checking.

 

[NickP]

Maybe its because I don't spend much time idling.... I'll double check fairly sure mine is always at 5, except when its not running.

 

[beau]

mine sits at 5 bar all the time unless i almost stall it and the revs drop to 600ish and oil pressure drops to 3ish then as the revs go up again the oil pressure goes straight back to 5

 

[NickP]

Would an auto and a manual have different oil pressure behaviour? I guess not since the engine is the same on both....

 

[hodroyd]

No the engine should show the same pressure characteristics. If you get some fluctuations, it may just be sender unit contacts, worth a check..??
Cheers
R

 

[conaero]

If the car idles at 5bar, then at speed it would be 12bar plus and blow the engine apart.

Nick, not sure about the auto/manual thing, but I have heard a lot of cases of 5 bar at hot idle, sounds like the sender is stuffed.