Another potential GT owner

DaveGT

Junior Member
Messages
18
Hi all,

Been lurking here for a while without registering, and enjoying the wealth of knowledge that everyone generously shares. This seems like a good time to register and say hello properly.

I'm looking for a GranTurismo S or Sport at the moment, I've been watching them come and go on various classified sites for a few months and have finally found one in my ideal specification with a seemingly good history and not too many owners. I've booked myself a test drive for this Saturday and I'm just hoping nobody else will fall in love with it before I get the chance!

Currently driving a supercharged GT86 that has so far cost me double what I paid for it in modifications so I'm used to my cars being a huge money pit. ;) I'll be keeping that so I'll hopefully soon have a pair of very different GTs...
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,748
Good luck with the viewing, and if you have read and searched on here I will not repeat the advice.

Welcome.
 

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,038
A big warm well to the forum. The GT86 is a car I probably had most fun around Llandow race track in. Great little car.
 

DaveGT

Junior Member
Messages
18
Get the subframe checked!!!!
This, and then some. Get it inspected by a reputable specialist, worth every penny. Good ones are great, bad ones are terrible!

Thanks, definitely going to get underneath it on Saturday to take a look, and I'll be getting it properly inspected too if it looks like a good one. I asked about service history and it seems to have had plenty spent on fixing the common/expensive stuff recently but I'll be digging through that too.

Any recommendations for someone to inspect around Reading?


A big warm well to the forum. The GT86 is a car I probably had most fun around Llandow race track in. Great little car.

It's all about the handling :D That's a lovely list of cars you've owned too.
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,748
Sports italia for the inspection along with reasonable prices for repair. Near Southampton Airport
 

DaveGT

Junior Member
Messages
18
I think I've struck gold and found the previous owner of my (prospective) car on another forum. His history with the car tallies very closely with the details I was given by the current seller, and includes subframe undersealing, which would be a nice win. He's owned it for most of its life and seems to have taken very good care of it. I've dropped him a message to try and confirm, with a couple of questions. It would also help with negotiating with the current seller as I now know how much they gave him for it!
 
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DaveGT

Junior Member
Messages
18
Sports italia for the inspection along with reasonable prices for repair. Near Southampton Airport

Thanks for the advice. Had a chat with them and they suggested that as it's from a dealer I can get PPI done immediately after purchase if the car looks good, and use the 7-day refund right if the PPI shows anything scary - they were happy to fit me in for the PPI at short notice. They also gave me a few things to look out for tomorrow. Very friendly and helpful, which seems to be a theme with this community :)

All I have to do now is make sure I keep my sensible head on tomorrow!
 

DaveGT

Junior Member
Messages
18
So here's the car I looked at:

Lovely colour and spec. But a few issues:
  • No record of the first service (8 years old now so probably not an issue, but equally not what you want to see)
  • Dealer's own inspection showed rusted rear springs
  • Last year's MOT had an advisory for rusted rear chassis rails
  • It looked every one of the 35k miles it had on the clock; plenty of paint chips/scuffs, a couple of chips went through to the metal especially on the edge of the driver's door.

I also couldn't get underneath it as they don't have on-site facilities so who knows what else might've been lurking. Put in a lower offer but they wouldn't take more than £1k off the asking price and I didn't think it warranted that.

Might have to give Mr Grace a call next week...
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,748
Looks nice in the photos, but shocked to read the bit about the MOT. Do they all rust that badly?
 

DaveGT

Junior Member
Messages
18
It's something to watch out for. If I could've got underneath and looked I might have had more confidence, but coupled with the springs and cosmetic bits it was just a few too many things that needed attention. Maybe over-cautious on my part too!
 

Ewan

Member
Messages
6,757
Looks a nice spec car, with sensible milage, at about the right price. It’s not new, nor is it at new car money, so a few scratches are to be expected and easy to fix. Rear springs - that’s no biggie. Nor is giving the rails a brush and waxoyl. As for the fact that an oil change may, or may not, have been missed 8 years ago, really, who cares?
I see no reason currently to dismiss this car out of hand, if it’s in a colourway you like.
 

DaveGT

Junior Member
Messages
18
Looks a nice spec car, with sensible milage, at about the right price. It’s not new, nor is it at new car money, so a few scratches are to be expected and easy to fix. Rear springs - that’s no biggie. Nor is giving the rails a brush and waxoyl. As for the fact that an oil change may, or may not, have been missed 8 years ago, really, who cares?
I see no reason currently to dismiss this car out of hand, if it’s in a colourway you like.

Possibly fair comments. And yes, colour and spec are basically spot on. I think I might have had more confidence if it hadn't been the first one I've looked at, and if I could've got a good look underneath. Those few issues made me think I might end up spending a chunk more fairly soon.
 

philw696

Member
Messages
25,114
I think Ewan who has bought more Maserati's than most on here excepting Richard Grace sums it up perfectly and no clutch to worry about.
 

DaveGT

Junior Member
Messages
18
I think Ewan who has bought more Maserati's than most on here excepting Richard Grace sums it up perfectly and no clutch to worry about.

Thanks for the info. Looks like I was being over cautious then - to be honest the last used car I bought was a £250 Peugeot 205, 15 years ago, so it's hard for me to gauge what to expect from a near £40k, 8 year old car. Especially being the first one I've looked at.
 

Gazcw

Member
Messages
7,699
Very nice. Looks like the front end might have ppf on it. There is a line around the Pininfarini badge.
 
Messages
1,117
So here's the car I looked at:

Lovely colour and spec. But a few issues:
  • No record of the first service (8 years old now so probably not an issue, but equally not what you want to see)
  • Dealer's own inspection showed rusted rear springs
  • Last year's MOT had an advisory for rusted rear chassis rails
  • It looked every one of the 35k miles it had on the clock; plenty of paint chips/scuffs, a couple of chips went through to the metal especially on the edge of the driver's door.
I also couldn't get underneath it as they don't have on-site facilities so who knows what else might've been lurking. Put in a lower offer but they wouldn't take more than £1k off the asking price and I didn't think it warranted that.

Might have to give Mr Grace a call next week...
That last statement is spot-on. These cars can be potentially a huge money pit that can scar a purchaser's experience of the marque. Corrosion comes up time again as do other numerous expensive fixes. Buy the very best car you can afford that has been inspected and fully sorted. Richard's cars are carefully sourced, inspected, prepared and sorted prior to putting them up for sale. If I were in the market to sell and change my GS for (say) a Gran Turismo, I would not even look at cars and ads and just tell Richard to find me a good low mileage, clean service history and fully sorted car. But that's just me. I don't know enough about these cars, don't do any DIY and just want a clean trouble-free experience enjoying the car and not getting to know the underside of the car more intimately than my specialist.

Good luck with your search.
 

DaveGT

Junior Member
Messages
18
Thank you to @Ewan and @philw696 for the reassurances. The car was basically my perfect specification, and it really was stunning sitting on the forecourt. So I decided to take the plunge and have put a deposit on it this morning. For all my concerns about the missed service, there were receipts for several thousand pounds worth of work on the car so it's definitely been looked after by the last owner.

I should probably change the thread title now! :D