Spyder Hood Fit Query

[Oneball]

I've been looking at Spyders for sale and it struck me that a lot of them seem to have a gap between the bottom of the hood and the body at the b pillar just behind the side window. Does the hood normally fit badly and is it prone to leaks and wind noise?

 

[Andy Marshall]

Normally the hood fit is good and does not leak! just looked at my hood and the fit in that area is fine

 

[Oneball]

Thanks Andy, I've had a convertible car of one description or another pretty much continuously since the Nineties and although I fancy the idea of a GT I think I'd miss having the roof down. There's a silver Spyder for sale down the road I might go and have a look at.

 

[Andy Marshall]

The hood area immediately behind the side window has about a 6 inch long area of stitching, a bit like a seam along the bottom edge. That can be several millimetres above the bodywork, but if you look below the cloth you should see a rubber blade type thing that bridges the gap and seals against the body. Where they do get a tad noisy is at the very trailing edge of the glass as it butts up to the B pillar, which should fit into a rubber seal (it's like a channel) when the window goes back up after you close the door. That seal can often wear and bits do flake off. Its usually still water tight, but it can get a bit noisy at high speed. (90+)
All the rubber bits are available from Eurospares, but beware, they are more than a bit pricey!

 

[Andy Marshall]

Oh, and a spyder is a great car. I would recommend a 2003my onwards. These are recognised by having a glass rear window, no aerial on the rear wing (it's in the windscreen instead) and V8 badges on the wings.
Biggest changes that are worthwhile to have though are that the CC version has updated gearbox software, and the Spyder chassis were stiffened to resist scuttle shake.
I have a manual spyder and on the right road it's an absolute hoot! OK, it's not 911 or Boxster chuckable, but the chassis is surprisingly capable (on the right tyres!) and the engine is simply gorgeous - a snarling, screaming, free revving beast of a V8!

 

[Oneball]

Thanks for the extra info. The one down the road from me is a 2003 with glass rear window. Something about the photos makes me think it’s rough but as it’s local I might go for a nosey.

 

[Oneball]

This is the one, carpets and rear bumper seem iffy as well as a few other things including the plate!

Judging by the daffs it’s been around a while.

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Maserati-S...918200?hash=item59110966f8:g:m3UAAOSwIzBa2nJF

 

[Mike X]

I think that looks great , they will probably take the plate off anyway , they did with mine .
Bumper looks ok from what I can see , same as mine anyway apart from mine hasn’t got parking sensors .
I can’t quite work out what’s going on with the drivers side carpet , is that a trick of the light or is it missing ? carpet pieces are available on E-bay at least .
Deffo go for a test drive and let us know .

 

[Nibby]

This is the one, carpets and rear bumper seem iffy as well as a few other things including the plate!

Judging by the daffs it’s been around a while.

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Maserati-S...918200?hash=item59110966f8:g:m3UAAOSwIzBa2nJF

As you quite rightly point out regarding the daffs that came on the market when I was in the process of buying mine in feb/March. Try to see if you can get clutch wear info which can be checked with an F1 set up.

 

[Oneball]

Thanks. I’ve asked about clutch and other stuff.

I was kinda joking about the plate, reminded me of Back to the Future

 

[Oneball]

Stopped in to have a nosey. Theres holes worn in the hood in three places. Headlights have discoloured. Body work seems ok but slight dent to top of drivers door. Issues with passenger door lock and internal boot release. Drivers bolster needs recolouring. Service history seems patchy. The seller did seem honest and told me of problems I hadn’t spotted. He reckons clutch wear is at 50%

 

[Nibby]

There seems to be a few that have been on the market quite a while for a similar price so think I would look elsewhere if it was me.

 

[Navcorr]

Theres holes worn in the hood in three places.

It's common to see some minor abrasion in the hood above the doors. Is this what you mean?
This is from the hood folding away and have seen many repaired. Not seen any with actual holes though.

 

[Oneball]

It's common to see some minor abrasion in the hood above the doors. Is this what you mean?
This is from the hood folding away and have seen many repaired. Not seen any with actual holes though.

One above the drivers door and two below and outboard of the rear window they look like they’re caused by abrasion but they are actual holes, worn through the outer fabric.

 

[Oneball]

There seems to be a few that have been on the market quite a while for a similar price so think I would look elsewhere if it was me.

Decided to look elsewhere pretty much the moment I first looked at it. But thought I’d have a proper look round anyway.

 

[Mike X]

He might take a daft offer if you fancy a project ?

 

[Oneball]

I think it needs some quite big ticket items to get it up to standard.

I’ve enquired about the 2002 Spyder the Ferrari Centre have for sale. Looks super clean.

The last convertible I owned that didn’t have a glass rear window was made in the 60s. Anyone got any views on what the plastic window Spyders are like?

 

[Andy Marshall]

Plastic window spyders are still nice cars. I think the later CC software can be uploaded if the car has that kind of box. The biggest difference is the stiffness of the chassis structure. The later cars have some sort of structural foam injected into their box sections and screen surround in an effort to reduce the scuttle shake and shimmy. Having driven both early and later cars, the difference in composure on bumpy roads, or when REALLY pressing on is quite noticeable. Other than that, plus some detail stuff like different aerials, different wheels, and some alleged tweaks to the skyhook system (I have never been fully clear on what those were) there is not a huge difference.