Classic cars Magazine

[GeoffCapes]

Car enthusiasts, often go by the mantra, "look after your car and it will look after you". And thus they do preventative maintenance etc and have less problem.
90% of people don't. And have no end of problems.

It's the same with anything in life. If you don't look after yourself you will have health problems, but no one says "the human body is flawed do they?"

 

[BuckRog64]

I've been saying for a while that values of "modern classics" can't stay firm or increase forever and it's cyclical like the housing market. I think factors like cheap money and "last of the V8 manual gearbox" have kept the market buoyant for so long.

As a petrolhead it's not just a Maserati I'd like in my garage. Like Rockets, I looked at Tuscan's but prices have peaked with supply clearly outstripping demand so wrong time to buy. Owners have yet to accept they need to drop asking prices to sell. Would like a Vantage, preferably a 4.7, but there are so many for sale that a chunk of depreciation must be coming their way soon. Buying a 4200 (or even a 3200) seems to make more sense as, whilst they have clearly appreciated a bit, good ones are perhaps unlikely to depreciate heavily.

 

[Contigo]

I share the office with Classic Cars, in fact I used to work for them. In their defence, if you read the article it’s not the journalist saying that, but the chosen expert. If the chosen expert, who sees these cars day in, day out, says ‘xxxxx’, are you supposed to disbelieve them?

And, while your individual experience might not involve floppy Italian electrics, it does and can happen a lot - I’ve seen the receipts in cars’ history files. After all, if you’re posting here you’re likely to be an enthusiast and have a level of care for your cars that goes far beyond more casual experiences of cars. For example, having owned two Selespeed 156s previously owned by ‘normals’, my experience was utterly miserable. Whereas I’ve met people who’ve bought one or two-owner examples and looked after them dillligently and not had a problem.

The same applies to Maseratis. Not every Maserati owner will have looked after their car as well as you chaps, so if you’re an outsider approaching the Maser world, the pitfalls are big. You are more likely to find cars with issues. Yes, electrical ones too.

But isn't it down to the Magazine to verify the comments? A quick search on here for relay pump issues or eleictrical niggles. Ask the customers who actually drive the cars day in day out. Read buying guides on here etc... It's not hard to do due diligence.

 

[BuckRog64]

But isn't it down to the Magazine to verify the comments? A quick search on here for relay pump issues or eleictrical niggles. Ask the customers who actually drive the cars day in day out. Read buying guides on here etc... It's not hard to do due diligence.

My wife is the editor of two b2b magazines so I have a feel for how this industry operates with the finite resources and the monthly deadlines they face.

Dipping into forums is clearly a good avenue but the researcher has to tread carefully. Using SM as an example, many threads have conflicting views and how is the researcher to determine that Contigo is an SME on all aspects of Maserati ownership and other posts are simply owners expressing an opinion. Many magazines include a section from a professional as part of their editorial and this generally provides reliable information to the reader as well as good profile for the professional. If I was the editor of the magazine in question I would rely on what a specialist told me to a greater degree than forum posts on the basis the subject matter is what the specialist deals with on a daily basis. What is key is that the editor chooses a respected specialist, asks them the right questions and challenges anything that differs from their own knowledge and research.

 

[Contigo]

Nearly every single comment I've read from these "brand experts" in magazines have been exactly the opposite of mine and many other owners experiences of the cars though.

 

[TridentTested]

I am always looking in the market as most of us here. I have bought & sold a few & I have never known a time when so many are taking so long to sell or not selling at all.

It's a combination of things, global uncertainty, the 'B' word, worries about continuity of employment, currency devaluation and the worry about inflationary pressures. It's not just used cars but new car sales are on the floor as well.

With the uncertainty flying around at the moment, if you really really need to change your car, the last car you would be considering is a twelve year old one with high maintenance costs.

 

[TridentTested]

the C6 was just an amazing car. I have driven them and for the comfort it's and the electical glitches are almost a price worth paying.

It was, and that's why I bought one. Every petrolhead needs to experience a Citroën whacky suspension at least once in their car ownership career.

Brilliant concept but the bean-counters obviously got to it before it hit production and lots of corners were cut. They're having endless problems now with rusting through coolant pipes and unions, failing suspension turrets, and electrical gremlins by the bucket full. I got fed up seeing "Return to Dealer".

For me the most disappointing thing was the performance. The Jaguar Land Rover V6 diesel is a good engine but it was down-rated because the Toyota slush-box couldn't take the full torque. It made a nice noise (for a diesel) when stretched but it was altogether underpowered for a body shape which promised so much more.

The 18" wheels and 40 profile tyres were ridiculous on British roads. Okay in France but on the UK's broken surfaces they completely negated the whole idea of wafting hydraulic-pneumatic suspension. I ran mine on 17" steel rims with winter tyres most of the time.

Still, a lovely shape and it's ageing gracefully. The first ones were sold in 2005 and the concept sketches were years before that.

 

[bigbob]

Don't know why you guys go around always wanting to be disappointed. Maseratis' are great but all three of mine (3200, 4200, GranTurismo) have/had random electrical issues. Didn't stop me buying them but it would stop some people so is worth reporting. I thought the piece was positive and, if anything, will help the used market. Certainly nothing to blow your top about.