Newbie saying hi and with a few questions

[County1883]

Hi Guys

You lot on here seem to know "your stuff" when it comes to the trident so thought i would join and ask a few questions about a potential car i am looking at.

I currently drive an Alpina D3 saloon and whilst i love Alpina's (had the B6) i just want something Italian again I bit the bullet over 3 years ago and purchased my 1st ever Ferrari from Graypaul Nottingham, a F430 Spider in Rosso over crema. Unfortunately due to a house purchase it had to go and i chose something more useable and economical for my commute.

Now, i really want that "buzz" back and the noise of the V8 but without the Ferrari badge. Maserati therefore are the only marque who can do this and i am therefore off down the Granturismo route.

Questions:

1) Does the Granturismo S sound as good as the MC Shift version?
2) How useable is the MC Stradale?
3) Will high mileage affect the cars re-sale ability? I.e. Ferrari's are not touched above 50k

I am looking at this one in particular: http://www.sportsmaserati.com/showthread.php/16505-GT-S-42k

4) Would say putting an extra 15,000 miles on it make the price drop like a lead balloon?

Thanks all

Lee

 

[conaero]

Hi Lee and welcome, you have come to the right place mate.

Ok, here's my advise on your questions:

1. The GranTurismo S is the MC Shift and an Auto version too and I beleive the Auto is a smudge toned down on the earlier versions.
2. If I was purchasing at the mo it would be the Strad for me. Early ones were all 2 seater with or without roll cage. The latest ones come as a 4 seater so it depends if you looking 3 year old used or newer. At first I thought the 2 seat version with roll cage was silly but after seeing Blondies (easy!) it adds to the sense of occasion. Try both and see what you like I suppose.
3. In a word yes, but to a lesser extent. The cut off point, like the Ferrari does seem to be the 50k mark but they will still sell just for a percentage less.

If you give us some idea of auto or Semi, 2 or 4 seats, age, mileage and the all important budget I would be happy to suggest what I would consider to be an ideal car. The link you have given is for one of the lesser examples.

4. Yes if you put it into the 70k mile region selling private expect to loose £5-10k

My moto is: buy the best low mileage car you can. If I were you I would try and find another £20k and get a low mileage 2 seater Strad in a bright colour, white, red, yellow or bright blue, white or red being my preferred choice.

 

[Andyk]

Stradale is the one to have and for me the 2 seater has a real sense of occasion.....but it will cost you 65K plus. The car in the link to me looks a good buy from a well known specialist and must be worth a look...Oh, and a big warm welcome....

B6...thats a great Alpina..

Oh and agree with Matt....a nice bright colour Stradale..Whats not to like...

 

[County1883]

Thanks for the quick response guys.

Love the bright coloured Stradales and the Black or White GTS. The stradale for me is the one but at £65k+ just a little bit too near "Ferrari California money" IMHO. I understand they are "different" cars but with the balloons (50%!) Ferrari are offering coupled with the residuals on the California and low deposit for past customers, i would be there or thereabouts on the finance and lose the same after ownership!

Spec:

4 seats (ideally)
Not fussed on Auto or Semi as long as its sound amazing!
Black over Creme or Fuji White over Black
Below £50k
Not fussed on mileage

Do i also need to be from main dealer for warranty? Or is a good specialist warranty "as good"?

 

[Felonious Crud]

Hallo Lee, welcome.

I had a WarrantyWise warranty from Nuvola London (where I bought mine) and it was excellent and always paid up on MD fixes, no questions asked (of me, anyway) and always paid direct to the dealer.

If it's a cracking car with the most beautiful soundtrack ever then for £50k or so I'd be on the hunt for a GTS MC.

For what it's worth I'm pretty sure that mine with an x-pipe is more raucous than a standard Strad. The Strad offers much more besides noise, of course - most things are tweaked - but the audible aspects seem important to you (good!) so I wanted to share my view.

 

[Andyk]

This is worth a look.....stunning looking car but the blue interior may put you off....Nuvola have a few cars worth a look so may be worth you popping in to see them...

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifi...-7-v8-mc-shift-2dr-coupe--unique-spec/3639286

 

[County1883]

That exterior is stunningly beautiful. Not sure i like the part leather in a non-stradale car.

Nuvola do seem to have the best blend of range/price/support for what i am looking for. They have got my part-ex details so lets see what they can do.

Regards the x-pipe - is this standard on the GTS MC or is it aftermarket?

 

[bigbob]

Welcome.

The main impact on how much the price will drop in 15k is how long you keep it; ie how many years you average the dealer margin over. Keep it a year then you will drop a lot, three years then not much more.

 

[sjc]

If you can be patient, I'd put every feeler out that you're looking to buy, and wait for a private car where the owner has been bid in the balls ( preferably a car that still has a bit of OEM or Extended OEM warranty left).The spread on these cars from trade to retail is astronomic. For example, I bought my 4.5 year old 36K mile MC shift privately at £500 over the sellers best trade bid ( from a Maserati dealer).I put 7000 miles on it in 9 months, advertised it on here, and sold it back into the trade for 4K more than I bought it for. The dealer sold it for significantly more still, within two weeks. You do have to be ready to go, and pick something easily re-sellable, but it can be done. Only to add, they are very colour and spec sensitive in the market.
As for the dealer in the link, lovely guy, and a great reputation.

 

[bigbob]

If you can be patient, I'd put every feeler out that you're looking to buy, and wait for a private car where the owner has been bid in the balls ( preferably a car that still has a bit of OEM or Extended OEM warranty left).The spread on these cars from trade to retail is astronomic. For example, I bought my 4.5 year old 36K mile MC shift privately at £500 over the sellers best trade bid ( from a Maserati dealer).I put 7000 miles on it in 9 months, advertised it on here, and sold it back into the trade for 4K more than I bought it for. The dealer sold it for significantly more still, within two weeks. You do have to be ready to go, and pick something easily re-sellable, but it can be done. Only to add, they are very colour and spec sensitive in the market.
As for the dealer in the link, lovely guy, and a great reputation.

Yep, that's what I was delicately trying to get to about margins.

The issue comes from most main dealers being shared Ferrari/Maserati dealerships. This means that Ferrari pound note margins influence the spread and the preparation standard/costs on Maserati used cars. Independents will charge a smaller margin but it all filters down from the above so bear that in mind!

 

[Yeti]

Lee, I've had an S MC Shift and currently own a Strad. They are both fabulous cars. The S is a little more "sophisticated" in that with Skyhook you can soften the suspension. The Strad is way more focussed and can jiggle about a bit on our rubbish roads. If you want the car for the pure driving experience, the Strad is the one to go for, much better handling, faster gearbox, carbon brakes. All in all a pure drivers car. The S is great for general comfort and ride and in Sport makes all the right noises. If you want a purely aural experience, go for the Stradale becase race mode takes it into territory the S cannot aspire to. Much crisper gearchange, popping on the upshift and blipping on the down.

Given that all new Stradale are reputed to have already been sold, get in quick because the entire Granturismo series ends around June and the rarer cars will surely stabilse before starting to appreciate. As for comparing it to a Cali, forget it. The Maser is by far the better car and a genuine 4 seater too.

 

[peters]

Such a shame they are going out of production. The revamped Granturismo is easily one of the nicest cars I have driven in a very long time. It's clearly subjective but my F10 M5 does not compare. Looking forward to getting a late used GT Sport Auto MC at the end of this year. A future classic imho.

 

[hodroyd]

A warm welcome to the forum Lee, you have come to the best place for sensible answers. There are plenty of good members who can give you spot on advice on this subject..!!
Best Of Luck..!!

 

[Felonious Crud]

Nuvola do seem to have the best blend of range/price/support for what i am looking for. They have got my part-ex details so lets see what they can do.

Regards the x-pipe - is this standard on the GTS MC or is it aftermarket?

x-pipe- aftermarket from Autoshield in Manchester. Best £200 you'll ever spend.

Nuvola - Nareman is a top bloke and meticulous about his cars and his reputation. Highly recommended (along with our own Dicky Grace, of course!)

 

[Andyk]

That exterior is stunningly beautiful. Not sure i like the part leather in a non-stradale car.

Nuvola do seem to have the best blend of range/price/support for what i am looking for. They have got my part-ex details so lets see what they can do.

Regards the x-pipe - is this standard on the GTS MC or is it aftermarket?

Talk to Richard Grace as well he will be able to help I would say...

http://www.richardgracecars.co.uk/