Recommended to ask here from FB group

[CatmanV2]

How about I take your car on holiday for 6 weeks and give you £N?

I've done something similar with a chap that wanted to propose.

C

 

[CatmanV2]

More oh f..k oh f.. k oh f..k aaaaaaaaargh. Sj@t that was close

Cop shocks, cop engine, cop brakes....

C

 

[MarkMas]

I've done something similar with a chap that wanted to propose.

C

Did you accept and marry him?

 

[Guy]

QP is great for long runs agreed but for potentially tight and twisties depending on the route of course, I would not want to do it in one.

Having had two GTs and two QPVs, I really don't think there is much difference in the handling on tight roads. They are basically the same chassis with different wheelbase. For the budget, a nice '07 Sport GT with th fixed suspension could work?

If you are brave, go for it but it is a high risk plan with any car. Not as exciting but much lower risk and surprisingly fun in the twistys is an R129 SL320 (lighter in the nose than the 500) and I have had lots of great 8/10ths cross country blasts in mine.

 

[CatmanV2]

Did you accept and marry him?

Sadly he had a thing about land rovers and a fiancee (by the time he came back)

Bloody good bottle of scotch, though

C

 

[Pete01]

Boot space might be an issue on a long trip - especially in a Gran Cabrio or almost any convertible.

Also maybe you should be thinking LHD if you will mostly be on the continent.

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I think one key thing to think about is not buying the car, but selling it afterwards, assuming you will be under some time pressure and getting back to Oz (unless you get hooked and keep it). Only the very best condition cars, when correctly priced will sell quickly. Unless you just go with We Buy Any Car or someone like that, which has worked for some of us.

Maybe you can find someone who is thinking of selling, who would 'rent' their car to you meanwhile. A few people come up on here saying, "I'm not really using it, but prices are too low to sell, and I don't want to get rid, but it's using up garage space...etc." So maybe "How about I take your car on holiday for 6 weeks and give you £N?" is an attractive deal for someone. (Anyone want to lend me a RR P38A????)

Thanks. No pressure to have it sold before we leave. In fact we have another trip pencilled in to the Italian alps for friends birthday ind ec 2024, was going to fly into Milan, but if the car is a beauty then i may keep it for that trip. Just means the family will have to take it out for a weekly drive…I’m sure they could cope with that!!

 

[Pete01]

Having had two GTs and two QPVs, I really don't think there is much difference in the handling on tight roads. They are basically the same chassis with different wheelbase. For the budget, a nice '07 Sport GT with th fixed suspension could work?

If you are brave, go for it but it is a high risk plan with any car. Not as exciting but much lower risk and surprisingly fun in the twistys is an R129 SL320 (lighter in the nose than the 500) and I have had lots of great 8/10ths cross country blasts in mine.

Thanks Guy, been looking at a few R231 350SL. Lots of overpriced examples that sit on forecourts for months missed a couple of well priced cars, but maybe a GT will itch the scratch more effectively!

 

[DLax69]

Thanks. No pressure to have it sold before we leave. In fact we have another trip pencilled in to the Italian alps for friends birthday ind ec 2024, was going to fly into Milan, but if the car is a beauty then i may keep it for that trip. Just means the family will have to take it out for a weekly drive…I’m sure they could cope with that!!

...so...you are amortizing your investment over two trips then! Means your budget for a Maser is actually 34K!

Signed,

The Enabler

 

[Pete01]

...so...you are amortizing your investment over two trips then! Means your budget for a Maser is actually 34K!

Signed,

The Enabler

Haha, don’t be trying those Jedi mind tricks on me!!! I can resist everything….. except temptation

 

[Tallman]

You won’t beat a Maserati for the excitement and the wow factor, if you can afford it, do it!

 

[RoaryRati]

More the eyes closed moments when a truck comes the other way. Clenching to make the car narrower.

Even in my smaller 4200 spyder I do that - and despite being well sorted by SportsItalia @Pete01 he still threw a tantrum in Spain demanding a return to the UK on a truck - it's just luck (despite all he's still scheduled for a 3.5 week grand Alpine tour with loads of twisties come June)

 

[Scaf]

As a matter of interest have you investigated how car insurance would work, a mate of mine could not manage to get insurance on a car he bought in the US and wanted to drive Route66 in, because he was not resident in the US, and could not insure it from the UK because the car was registered in the US and not in the UK - he have up in the end and rented.

 

[Zep]

First things first, have a look at some of the trip threads:

Thread 'Viva Tea Party or Bust - September 2022'
https://www.sportsmaserati.com/index.php?threads/viva-tea-party-or-bust-september-2022.34317/

Thread 'Sports Maserati - Tuscan Tea Party'
https://www.sportsmaserati.com/index.php?threads/sports-maserati-tuscan-tea-party.29171/

Post in thread 'MOB - My Story'
https://www.sportsmaserati.com/index.php?threads/mob-my-story.27311/post-653316

We lost 3 cars to breakdowns on last years trip, so buy carefully and prepare well.

 

[JimBlob]

I’d defo go for a Mercedes’ SL - brilliant drop top, reliable & gt suspension

 

[Kiwibrit]

Maybe you can find someone who is thinking of selling, who would 'rent' their car to you meanwhile. A few people come up on here saying, "I'm not really using it, but prices are too low to sell, and I don't want to get rid, but it's using up garage space...etc." So maybe "How about I take your car on holiday for 6 weeks and give you £N?" is an attractive deal for someone. (Anyone want to lend me a RR P38A????)

Maybe I should do that with my 4200 - it’s back in the garage now

 

[Pete01]

As a matter of interest have you investigated how car insurance would work, a mate of mine could not manage to get insurance on a car he bought in the US and wanted to drive Route66 in, because he was not resident in the US, and could not insure it from the UK because the car was registered in the US and not in the UK - he have up in the end and rented.

Thanks Scaf. Yep, had considered. Register it in family members name and address then be named driver for period that I’m there. Same way I’ve been driving their cars when I’m back from time to time. Cheers

 

[Pete01]

First things first, have a look at some of the trip threads:

Thread 'Viva Tea Party or Bust - September 2022'
https://www.sportsmaserati.com/index.php?threads/viva-tea-party-or-bust-september-2022.34317/

Thread 'Sports Maserati - Tuscan Tea Party'
https://www.sportsmaserati.com/index.php?threads/sports-maserati-tuscan-tea-party.29171/

Post in thread 'MOB - My Story'
https://www.sportsmaserati.com/index.php?threads/mob-my-story.27311/post-653316

We lost 3 cars to breakdowns on last years trip, so buy carefully and prepare well.

Thanks Zep. Taken note, particularly around the hoses. The viva tea party isn’t a million miles away from our preliminary itinerary! Looks stunning along the way!

 

[Guy]

NB. In life, it is the things you don't do that you may regret, rarely do we regret what we actually do.

 

[DLax69]

NB. In life, it is the things you don't do that you may regret, rarely do we regret what we actually do.

Hear, hear!

 

[Pete01]

NB. In life, it is the things you don't do that you may regret, rarely do we regret what we actually do.

100%….. although there are a couple of marriages that maybe I can drop into that category