Thinking of buying a GranTurismo 2007-2008

Hi everybody,

We are having a baby on the way and as I feared all along, it now seems that my cherished two seater roadster will have to be replaced by something a bit bigger. To make the transition a bit more palatable I also had a quick look at cars that I like that are beyond the typical four seater car, and it seems that a GranTurismo ticks all the boxes (right and wrong). Sporty enough to make me happy but with a bit of space to be practical for our circumstances. Of course I also happen to find its looks rather breathtaking. If we were to go ahead with the GT, we would be looking at a bottom of the market car, circa 2007-2008 in the 25k-30k pounds range. There seem to be a few cars for sale in this price range at the moment both privately and from dealers. I don't care much about electronic gizmos, I usually like my cars as analog as possible, so dated infotainment systems and lack of cameras are not an issue.

The main question is... what are the risks and what should someone look into in a candidate car before purchasing? Weak points that might need attention, wear items that might need replacing soon in high mileage cars etc. In this price range most cars are at around 40k miles which for normal cars is OK. In general I prefer for the car to have been actively used as opposed to sitting for the last ten years in a shed somewhere. I understand that servicing costs can be an issue but that is ok if we are talking about routine maintenance. I am more worried about surprise items. Any advise is much appreciated. Any preferred dealers in the south-east? What about going private? Just for the record, I don't see cars as black boxes and although I can't usually work on them myself since I can only park on the street, I have some understanding of the mechanics, electronics etc (my current roadster is heavily modified).

Thanks and I'll follow up on any replies!

Nick

Not really sure what RatBag has PM'd you but i was also on the look for one of these classics in a 2008 suit but ended up with a 2013 sport in the end. The one i was looking for is now on AT under as different dealer has MCY on the plate and is a black 2008. It had quite a few issues one being the clutch but thats been sorted, the other was the exhaust was in loud always as the valves were stuck solid.

In all best to get an inspection done, best to try get a good warranty, other than that its a superb car and has fairly good space although the boot is a little small but fits my clubs in.

Dealers - I dealt with Richard Grace Cars for mine sound block and very honest and respected on here. He sources cars also and will find you a good one im sure. He also has good warranty options. But is in Chester.

Any more questions drop them here and i'll try and answer.

Welcome BTW

Also worth reading through my original thread on here, as i started out looking at an older MC Shift, some good info.

http://www.sportsmaserati.com/showt...-Maserati-Granturiso-S-MC-Shift-few-questions

Echo the points above.

At sub £30k its going to be a 4.2 full auto so no clutch to worry about... but it's no spprts car, more a swift GT...which is what I like and I guess baby and mum may also prefer it that way too.

Not sure that a GT is the best way to go if you have a baby coming - lifting them (and their seat) in and out of the back seat of a 2-door car is not easy. Try a QP for the early stages, then move to a GT once the child is old enough to walk in/out of the back (i.e. in a couple of years time).

If you go for the GTS version of the QP its more sporty than the standard GT as well - with better suspension and brakes, seats, etc. Just a thought.

Thanks for the replies - I think the idea was to have a baby chair permanently in the back seat and therefore only having to worry about getting the baby in and out. It might require a bit of extra agility but so far sounds like a reasonable compromise we could live with. My issue I guess is that I am not a big fan of four door cars which unless we are talking about hatchbacks I also find them excessively big. The GT is not small but at least it looks well proportioned. QPs and Ghiblis feel too big. We''ll go check out one in a dealer, see what the car feels like in person and then decide. From the odd ones I occasionally see parked around here it seems manageable.

I didn't know about Nuvola - they seem to be based in White City in London. Do you know if they have their cars somewhere in the mall too? We live nearby so we'll go and have a chat. If we go ahead with a purchase this will happen probably after Christmas so there is a bit of time planning ahead and looking around.

Do you reckon that buying from a dealer offers some piece of mind (do they offer warranties that are worth anything?) or going private for an enthusiast's car might be a better choice?

For what it's worth, when our kids were little, I always found a 3 door car much easier to get them strapped in. 4 door you need to contort sideways, much easier if you are facing them, especially if they are being uncooperative! Lol

Naerman (Nuvola) has a section of the multistorey where the vars live.

Great guy... my GS was previously supplied by him.

safrane said:

Naerman (Nuvola) has a section of the multistorey where the vars live.

Great guy... my GS was previously supplied by him.

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Yes, I bought my GTS from him and he usually has an excellent selection as well as being very happy to talk over your options in an unhurried manner. Welcome along & good luck

I would second the GTs regarding children in back seat etc. I found it very easy- especially once they were forward facing.

I third that, it was many decades ago but worse thing we did was sell our 2 door coupe and buy sensible 4 door for baby access, I ended up with a bad back trying to twist and turn.

The problem is you can't take your baby out when they are an infant. You will probably want remove the carrier most times and squeeze it between the seat and door frame. It is a very tight squeeze. You may need to tilt the infant carrier and push down on the car seat. But if you aren't careful you will scratch the leather.

To do this you will be leaning into the car and lifting it out at arms length. And if your baby is heavy you will pull a muscle in your back quite quickly.

As they get older past 9 months and they have good neck muscles you can start lifting them out of the car seat within the car. But then you will need to rotate the carrier first so it faces forward before you can lift them out.

Once they become a toddler and can sit in a front facing car seat then things will be easier. However the trend now is to have them in a rear facing seat for as long as possible. So that causes problems as the seats as big and require a significant incline and I am not sure there is enough room behind seats to accommodate it.

My new seat should be arriving in a week so I will be able to confirm it. Then I think the only way to get them out would be from the adjacent seat and lift them over the central tunnel.

So just be aware of all this. Plus make sure this is not your only car as your partner I don't think would be happy with this daily hassle especially when they are in a rush. You will end up with scratches and dents in your car.


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If you are in my vicinity I am happy to show you how it is and you can see if you can live with it.


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I have a convertible with two car seats, one front-facing behind me and one rear-facing on the other side.

frequently I take my daughter (now 15 months) out the rear window (since it opens on the cabrio) or open top, but with the coupe it's still easy.

driver's seat tilted forward, step into the back, buckle them in or lift them out while leaning over. very easy and tons of room to do it. also easy to detach the whole seat that way too.

Modern child seats twist on their base, so with a 4 door, there is no need for you to do any bending down, twisting, leaning around door pillars, trying to squeeze behind bent forward front seats, or any of the other awkwardness associated with getting babies out of the back of 2 door coupes.

Anyone who thinks it's easier to get a baby out of the back of a GranTourismo than a QP simply hasn't experienced it or chosen the appropriate child seats(s).

top down = instant baby access

[edit to add] but that doesn't help the OP. I don't think anyone's say the GT is easier than a 4-door (well I am, but only with the top down) just that it's not terrible.

Whichever Maserati I had I would always have another car for other duties like parking at the cinema of an evening. Why take the chance when you can buy a nice enough estate car for not much?

bigbob said:

Whichever Maserati I had I would always have another car for other duties like parking at the cinema of an evening. Why take the chance when you can buy a nice enough estate car for not much?

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I still take the Mas to the cinema - or the Defender upon occasion too. But the Lambo...err... no, won't be leaving that outside the Odeon any time soon! And so far, no problems. The only door ding was done by some eeejjjiittt with their Toyota Yaris outside the Palace of Versailles. They may have found their metal number plate folded up on their windscreen upon their return, but I couldn't possibly comment.

BigR said:

I still take the Mas to the cinema - or the Defender upon occasion too. But the Lambo...err... no, won't be leaving that outside the Odeon any time soon! And so far, no problems. The only door ding was done by some eeejjjiittt with their Toyota Yaris outside the Palace of Versailles. They may have found their metal number plate folded up on their windscreen upon their return, but I couldn't possibly comment.

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Hi Nick
You'll find lots of threads here about buying (and everything else) and as you've seen already, there's no shortage of sound advice from owners.
I can't add anything except my own recent (April) buying experience.
I set a tight budget for my purchase and was looking for a 2008 Granturismo. My budget was similar to yours and in addition, I planned to set aside a few thousand for unexpected bills in the first year.
Long story short, I ended up with a deal on a private sale that you wouldn't believe. My experience isn't unique.
A very similar car in London with just over 100k was advertised on eBay in April at £27,000 and sold for £21,000 ish. From the photos, it looked pristine. The buyer tried to flip it shortly after for £28-30,000 ish.
I did some due diligence on my car before I started negotiating. Talking to the main dealer who'd serviced it from new and getting it examined by an expert.
In the end there were no nasty surprises and I've ended up with a generally very well maintained car that doesn't look like it's done 80k.
My outlay for this year will be £1,500 to get the entire front end repainted. (I did get caught out here a bit, by missing some dings and scratches etc) plus about £400 for a major service this week, using a highly experienced local indy. I'll need two rear tyres before the MoT in October and (almost forgot) I had to buy a new battery shortly after purchase at £130 ish.
I intend to do a minor service (fluids and filters) annually, irrespective of mileage, plus the 24 month major service with the intention of catching any issues early.
So, in my experience, it's possible to buy a sub 100k 2008 model, well within your budget, plus setting aside a contingency fund for 'surprises'.
As to the driving experience. I don't see me feeling the need to change up to a 4.7 any time soon, or maybe ever. The Ferrari engine loves to rev and the first time I gave it the beans on a local A road coming out of a 30 mph zone, it was hitting 100 mph before I noticed. When some here said they hardly ever listened to their stereo, I took that with a little pinch of salt. Four months in however and I almost never listen to the radio, preferring the music the car makes
There are so many other positives associated with ownership, it would take too long to list.
Which route to ownership you choose and how much you spend initially is your choice obviously.
I'd carefully consider the various options and don't rush. There's no shortage of well maintained cars.
Welcome and have fun!