4200 on Pistonheads

hardingdalouis

Junior Member
Messages
39
I have recently bought a 4200. I do disagree about the future values of the cars. There are a few special editions which may attract collectors and maintain very high prices today?

At present the 4200's are the supercar bargain and I think prices will bounce back over a few years. The entire classic car market has been in freefall since 2016. One or two cars buck the trend. Porsche made loads more cars than Maserati. The prices for some Porsche cars are unsustainable and honestly unrealistic. When you get bad cars tarted up and sold for inflated sums the market will correct itself. Last year was a terrible year in the classic trade. This year has been better, if realistic prices were asked. My mates in the trade say that. A customer comes in having paid X for a car and spent Y and now wants XY. The car is only worth what the market will pay. Hence a lot of cars in particular Ferrari and Porsche are advertised for silly money which will never be realised. Others desperate to believe their cars are worth 2017 prices hang on in there and advertise cars at these silly prices or ask dealers to do SOR at these silly prices.

Some cars get ignored by the market. When cars become too cheap they are bought by people who cant afford them who then depress the values further when they try to offload cars or offload cars which lots of problems due to neglect or abuse. Normally they disappear. What stays up and what will always be good is the well looked after good cars.

The old rule of thumb for Italian supercars was 20% came to the UK. Now that we have richer RHD export markets like Malaysia Japan and Australia RHD cars sales are no longer confined to these shores. About 100 approx. Countachs have apparently gone abroad of the approx. 200 imported. Of the 13200 odd 4200's made that means about 2600 may have come to the UK???. the Government web site suggests half that number? Of the 214 manual RHD cars about 192 left here?

A Maserati was always a connoisseurs car. Fiat group missed the marketing chance to protect and promote the history. In the trade it was thought the marketing of the Ghibili was a disaster. Too expensive; too expensive servicing and lack of finance deals. This is from people in the high level trade. The pursuit of volume to take on BMW and Mercedes undermined brand value and was optimistic without putting other measures in place to compete. I think the depressed prices stem from that.

I think in future buyers will be kinder to these older cars. I wouldn't panic. indeed I have gone against the trend and bought one! I hope I am right.

Even if I am wrong, then I am going to enjoy the car and ownership of it and use it as I do with my other cars. Italian cars are there to drive, not to sit and be polished. I have 6 other old Italian cars. I enjoy them, like driving them and admire their beauty. I don't admire the beauty of my Audi A8!

So to recast an old British expression:

Keep calm and have a bloody good carry on!

Paul

PS I had a profile paul328 which I cant access in case anyone recognises the poor grammar!

Well you’ve made me feel better if nothing else Paul


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DaveT

Member
Messages
2,830
I enquired about the car mentioned by the OP a couple of months ago. Seemed a genuine guy and he listed me service history and a few other details.

Happy to share by PM if required.
 

rockits

Member
Messages
9,167
It isn't just the 4200 as there are lots of similar performance vehicles out there for £8k-£15k all having the same crisis.

I don't think 4200's have really dropped that much at all to what they were 4 years ago. When I started looking at 4200's 4 years ago they were £15k to get into a facelift 4200. Earlier Classico's were a little less. Not moved that much in reality.

I think a 4200 is possibly slightly undervalued compared to other similar cars. However more like the others are over valued IMHO and the 4200 is about right. The market to buy any big lumpy 15 year old V8 is going to be very small. It was small when new and even smaller when 15 years old. I don't see this as unexpected. The running costs can be high but are partially offset by zero or low depreciation.

We are seeing V10 M5's and M6's at £10k now. They can't go much lower as makes more sense to break them at lower levels.

I don't think any of these types of cars will appreciate much if at all for 10 years+. Then the differences between the worst examples to the very best will likely be very big.

It really doesn't make sense to spend £5k on a big single bill for a £10k car really. This is why many of these cars are having a hard time and rightly so really if you are being sensible and objective about it. I would of course love them to shoot up but just can't see it happening for some time.

The market is actually getting smaller all the time as more of these come into the market the potential buyer market is shrinking all the time. I think I'm doing my bit to support them though!

I have no idea btw just airing some views!
 

rockits

Member
Messages
9,167
Well the M5 and M6 are similar in new cost, age, performance and current 2nd hand value. There is quite a broad range across many body styles. Stuff like the AMG Mercs such as the E55K, CLS55K, SL55 are similar new cost, age, performance and current 2nd hand value.

Granted not quite directly similar to a 4200 but still similar in lots of ways.
 

hardingdalouis

Junior Member
Messages
39
Well the M5 and M6 are similar in new cost, age, performance and current 2nd hand value. There is quite a broad range across many body styles. Stuff like the AMG Mercs such as the E55K, CLS55K, SL55 are similar new cost, age, performance and current 2nd hand value.

Granted not quite directly similar to a 4200 but still similar in lots of ways.

All depends on your requirements; I needed a proper 2 + 2 and there is nothing as special, for the price, as a 4200 IMO.

SL55 is a great machine but basically 2 seats and don’t love the image, and the back seats in an XKR are pretty much pointless.


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B_Tank88

New Member
Messages
25
Well the M5 and M6 are similar in new cost, age, performance and current 2nd hand value. There is quite a broad range across many body styles. Stuff like the AMG Mercs such as the E55K, CLS55K, SL55 are similar new cost, age, performance and current 2nd hand value.

Granted not quite directly similar to a 4200 but still similar in lots of ways.

The 4200 is better value than the BMW V10s (M6 at least), most have much higher mileage when comparing same price points. They have much bigger potential bills too. Could argue they are normally a year or two newer.

I really can't get over how good value 4200s are at the moment it's insane. The BMW V10s are also good value but 4200 are an absolute steal right now. I have my eye on both cars as my next one and I keep going back and forth.

I'm thinking more and more of putting my M3 for sale and getting into a 4200, and I really don't want to put my M3 on the market because I'm still enjoying that too! Someone give me 12k please so I can get a third car!
 

rockits

Member
Messages
9,167
All depends on your requirements; I needed a proper 2 + 2 and there is nothing as special, for the price, as a 4200 IMO.

SL55 is a great machine but basically 2 seats and don’t love the image, and the back seats in an XKR are pretty much pointless.


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Agreed....there is little to nothing else out there that offers what a 4200 does as an all round all-in-one vehicle. Sports coupe, interesting to own/drive, 4 seats, decent boot, not massive, not expensive....nothing not to like.

I guess I'm a smidge different as don't need 4 seats or so much practicality.
 

Nibby

Member
Messages
2,027
A lot of cars go through similar bottoming out before going back up, once the herd is thinned down and there's less on the market and we're living in less uncertain times
Might be a while but at some point my guess is you'll hear someone say about a 4200 "You could of bought one of those for 10 grand a few years ago"
 

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,038
I'm not so sure hat prices will go up...10 years ago maybe but the market is not like it was a number of years back. As Dean said the market is so small for V8's that the prices reflect this and with more pressures to get into Eco cars as time goes on I think the days of seeing these type of cars as an investment or making money has gone. There will always be buyers for great examples I'm sure but that could account for say 1 sale out if 10 cars. Buy enjoy but keep......And as Dean has said its not just Maserati...the amount of other margues that you see the same cars month in month out in the classifieds in just shocking. just a sign of the times I'm think.
 

GeoffCapes

Member
Messages
14,000
I’ve never bought the same car twice but at these prices I’m seriously thinking about it. Once we have the house sorted......
 

B_Tank88

New Member
Messages
25
Why is the Spider a more expensive than the Coupe?

Usually it's the other way around? At least for BMW M cars it seems to be. I'd love to consider a Spider but they are well out of budget for me especially when comparing with Coupe's.
 

GeoffCapes

Member
Messages
14,000
Why is the Spider a more expensive than the Coupe?

Usually it's the other way around? At least for BMW M cars it seems to be. I'd love to consider a Spider but they are well out of budget for me especially when comparing with Coupe's.

Because they cost loads more new, and there aren't many of them around.
 

zagatoes30

Member
Messages
20,758
I'm with Rockits the 4200 market hasn't moved that much over the last few years good ones are still in the £12-15k bracket. Spyders may have seen a little rise but there are so few it is hard to trend.

However stabilty doesn't mean tey will rise in the short to medium term. Maserati like Alfa seem to be brands that are slow to react to market improvements and this, IMO, is down to the number of people wanting to buy them, the are a connoisseurs choice. Limited buyers keeps the price flat and those buyers are fussy they want the best available so good cars hold money bad ones become unsaleable and drag the perceived value down. They will rise but slowly as the bad ones disappear and only the good ones are left but don't hold your breath