WANTED 32/4200 - South East/Home Counties

alpinatom

Junior Member
Messages
62
Hi there, i'm new to your forum, having just sold my Alpina Diesel I am looking for something down the Italian v8 route!!

I have just seen a local dealer's 3200 that was advertised on gumtree and have read a lot of posts and online reviews. If anyone is looking to sell their car, would prefer one from an enthusiast than a dealer.

I would lean towards a manual unless the flappypaddle box is a lot better?

I am located in west hertfordshire junction 20 M25.

Price 8-12k

Thanks - Tom
 

highlander

Member
Messages
5,214
welcome along Tom.
you are right to consider sourcing from a known maser owner but there are some dealers out there who specialise in these cars, are sponsors on here so can be trusted - richard grace springs to mind first off but there are others. the problem for you will be getting a sorted 32/42 for your budget I fear. if you can add 3-4k more to your top end you are more likely to get a good one of either that requires less spent on it sooner if you see what I mean. next you need to sort out which one. the 32 & 42 may look similar enough from some angles but they are different beasts with different pros and cons. the 32 is twin turbo, older, some lovely stylised bits, more costly to maintain (average 2k a year for upkeep) and if you get a poorly maintained one it can be bankrupt expensive to keep. but get a good one and that twin turbo kick will have you smiling all day long! the 42 is a normally aspirated engine, less stylised (ducks and hides ;)) cheaper to maintain (average 1-1.5k a year) and can come with the cc gearbox (flappypaddle) although the later can bring it's own cons, especially clutch wear.
probably not helped any, sorry................
 

alpinatom

Junior Member
Messages
62
No, thats really helpful thank you, will have a more detailed search - I was getting confused between the turbo's too and now I understand!

thanks again - great forum



welcome along Tom.
you are right to consider sourcing from a known maser owner but there are some dealers out there who specialise in these cars, are sponsors on here so can be trusted - richard grace springs to mind first off but there are others. the problem for you will be getting a sorted 32/42 for your budget I fear. if you can add 3-4k more to your top end you are more likely to get a good one of either that requires less spent on it sooner if you see what I mean. next you need to sort out which one. the 32 & 42 may look similar enough from some angles but they are different beasts with different pros and cons. the 32 is twin turbo, older, some lovely stylised bits, more costly to maintain (average 2k a year for upkeep) and if you get a poorly maintained one it can be bankrupt expensive to keep. but get a good one and that twin turbo kick will have you smiling all day long! the 42 is a normally aspirated engine, less stylised (ducks and hides ;)) cheaper to maintain (average 1-1.5k a year) and can come with the cc gearbox (flappypaddle) although the later can bring it's own cons, especially clutch wear.
probably not helped any, sorry................
 

Trev Latter

Member
Messages
1,213
Greg has it pretty much spot on. I would add that you need to be prepared to travel for the right car and allow a bigger budget to buy one if possible. At the very least, look at the higher end of the figure you've stated. Welcome to the forum Tom, you'll find a lot of decent folk on here.
 

alpinatom

Junior Member
Messages
62
yer thanks Trev, I'm opening up my mind a bit now, and in fact as above, Richard Grace has a stunning coupe on sale at the moment, asking strong money. what other dealers do you guys use?
 

allandwf

Member
Messages
10,958
Richards car will come sorted and with warranty. If you buy cheaper and if it has been neglected costs can easily spiral. Good luck with your search, an inspection could also save you a lot. Ask about any prospective purchase as it will possibly be known to the forum.
 

MAF260

Member
Messages
7,662
Welcome, Tom. As others have said, your budget is at the very bottom of the market for any of the coupes. Having said that, it doesn't mean there isn't a car out there for you. A member bought a manual 4200 with GranSport wheels and body kit yesterday for sub £9k, so they're out there. This car is deemed high mileage at 88k, but many on here have cars that have similar mileage. Buy on condition, get an inspection and use the forum for help and advice. I'm just 2 junctions away from you on the M25 (Chorleywood) so if you'd like to see the loudest GranSport ever made and modified to give you an idea of what these cars are like let me know. It's going off for a service tomorrow morning, but should be back in a week or so.
 

boomerang

Member
Messages
412
thanks again - great forum

Very true, best maser forum you can find.

3200/4200 are very different cars.
If you get the chance, make a test drive with both models first, then decide.
Make sure you make those test drives with the best cars you can find.
Especially between two 3200's, your experience can differ a lot; milage/pre owners/ service history, can heavily influence experiences.

3200 wil give the most exotic feeling and is on its way being a collectable, less a daily driver in my opinion.
But i'm a little biased regarding the 3200. :shy1:
4200 more the daily car, a little less vonourable, still great looks....but lacks the boomies, the airvents and turbo's.
Could be a tough decision.
 

Contigo

Sponsor
Messages
18,376
3200 if you want more passion from the drive, 4200 if you want less headaches. The choice is yours but do drive both of them.
 

alpinatom

Junior Member
Messages
62
wow, thanks for all the advice, I'm probably more confused over what to get haha! I saw that 10k car on auto trader and it sold so quick! I have viewed a 3200 manual today and will look to view a 42 next. Thanks again for all the advice
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,547
Hi there, i'm new to your forum, having just sold my Alpina Diesel I am looking for something down the Italian v8 route!!

I have just seen a local dealer's 3200 that was advertised on gumtree and have read a lot of posts and online reviews. If anyone is looking to sell their car, would prefer one from an enthusiast than a dealer.

I would lean towards a manual unless the flappypaddle box is a lot better?

I am located in west hertfordshire junction 20 M25.

Price 8-12k

Thanks - Tom

Tom, as others have said you're right at the bottom, but it can be done. I paid slightly more for mine and had 3 years of virtually trouble free motoring. I'm based in Harlow and happy to cast an eye over anything that you might be interested in.

C
 

jluis

Member
Messages
1,703
At your budget you might be getting into unloved car territory and what you save upfront you end up spending later.
If you look at 3200, you definitely need to get a well sorted one with a good inspection.
Phil has a thread here on the things to look for on these cars.

The 4200 is known to be a more reliable car, although it also has it's niggles and expensive bits to fix/maintain (clutch and CC gearbox come to mind)
 

Jono

Junior Member
Messages
36
Tom-I am selling my late 3200 to make way for a QP4 Evo,which I bought from a well known contributor to the SM group.It's currently on the Classic Car site.Jluis's advice is spot on;they must be well sorted.


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alfatwo

Member
Messages
5,517
Tom-I am selling my late 3200 to make way for a QP4 Evo,which I bought from a well known contributor to the SM group.It's currently on the Classic Car site.Jluis's advice is spot on;they must be well sorted.


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In the latest Classic Car mag article ..it was around 12 up to 20k for a good late model 3200 GT..
Apparently they are ridiculously under priced compered to similar Astons and Fessers of the day..

Not for long we hope!

Dave
 

Contigo

Sponsor
Messages
18,376
We have a properly sorted 3200, one previous owner, low miles, best sounding one in the country if not World but it is not really for sale, not unless we are talking mid £20k's
 

jluis

Member
Messages
1,703
In the latest Classic Car mag article ..it was around 12 up to 20k for a good late model 3200 GT..
Apparently they are ridiculously under priced compered to similar Astons and Fessers of the day..

Not for long we hope!

Dave

An older db7 with all the ford crapware in the interior will cost more than that.
Altough you do get a nice v12 engine ...
 

Jono

Junior Member
Messages
36
Well done Tom;what did you end up buying?Yes,pics please.


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