Hello :)

[Lione1Richie]

Hello all,

I though I'd sign up as I am considering a 3200 as my next car. I have admired them from afar for a long time (I have yet to actualy drive one however!) but always been a little shy and scared away from seriosuly considering one by the usual horror stories that circulate on the web.

However, now I am at the point now where I feel I 'NEED' one of these in my life so have signed up to learn all I can about them before starting the search and hopefully taking the plunge!

I do have a couple of questions to ask if thats alright?

Firstly, I currently have a nice warm garage where I keep my Lotus, however I will potentially be moving to Birmingham shortly where I doubt I'll have a garage. Does the 3200 stand up well to being kept outside in all weathers?

Finally, I gather a private inspection is essential on any car I might consider, is one company better to use than another or would a simple AA / RAC type inspection suffice (I'm guessing not?).

Thanks for taking the time to read all that, I'll go now and read as much as I can and I look forward to posting again

- Lione1.

 

[Cossington]

Hi Lione1,

Welcome to the forum.
I'm sure others, who are better qualified, will be along shortly to answer 3200 questions.

Regarding the inspection, an independent (or main dealer) Maserati specialist, who knows the quirks/ foibles/ weak-spots of these cars is best placed to give the most relevant advice resulting from a PPI. There are a number around the country, so when you have a car spotted, ask on here for a recommendation who is local(ish) to the car.

One of the points which encouraged me to take the plunge was the existence of a good indy 6 or 7 miles away, (rather than having a 50 mile trek to the nearest one). There are one or two in the West Midlands, one of whom, Migliore seem to get good reviews, although I haven't used them.

Best of luck with the search and do keep us all up to date on your quest.

David

 

[dem maser]

hi there and welcome....

i own a 3200 ac and what i will say is yes definitely get an inspection done!! best money youll ever spend
the car has been outside for a little bit as the garage i had at parents house was taken up by their car, now ive moved into my own i do garage it, so yes after spending 8 months outside no probs at all
reliability probs are the same of any italian supercar that now 9-11 years old.... yes they have a few niggles and sometimes big problems but the inspection should clear that up...you have to drive both manual and auto as for me the engine on the 3200 suits the auto better also i live in londonand thought it would be better for me.....manuals to suffer a few more probs though....
there will be other people along here to help but thats about it from me
regards
dem

 

[lozcb]

Hi and welcome to the forum Lionel, there a few respected indies around the country most of whom would be willing to do an inspection for you , cost of the inspection will be around the 2-300 mark but easily recoverable if a few faults are found and holds as a good price bargaining point , depending as and where you consider looking we will be happy to advise you of a suitable indie in that area , most will travel to a degree but will charge extra if its too far, 3200 is a good starting point those twin turbo's will certainly put that smile all over


regards loz

 

[dem maser]

i wouldnt get rac check, they dont know the cars.... must have knowledge of these as the price you negotiate will be better if you have all the details....

 

[Paco]

Hello! (and welcome!)

If you use it regularly you will have no major problems specifically with it living outside - I don't have a garage and nor did the two other Maserati owners on my street. Strangely the only car that regularly got whisked off on a tow truck was the one that sat still for weeks on end or only went to the station and back!

Inspection is very wise, but remember to put it in context. Autoshield in Sheffield did mine and it was very pragmatic, but some things were missed. Emblem then gavce it the once over and I got a list of jobs so long I nearly fell over. BUT - Emblem's list was to basically get the car uber-perfect, I really didn't object to the screw caps missing on the plastic underbonnet trim! My car had over 50k on it and was 7 years old (then) so it was unlikely to be concours, and was priced accordingly!

Recent Brakes, clutch (if manual) exhaust boxes and preferably suspension bushes and shock absorbers would be a bonus - all could put a nasty dent in a 3200 owners wallet. Throttle pot is another one, and if you buy an early one look for a crankshaft main seal (rear) which blow out, and were revised in 2001 I think. £15 part, £700 job.

Buy carefully and what a feeling!! You'll be dancin' on the ceiling...

<Coat!!!>

 

[conaero]

Hi, and welcome, here is my 2 penethworth:

1. Living outside
The car mechanically should be fine, but it will suffer some ills to the bodywork during the harsher weather. They are not known for rust underneath, but they do go along the door bottoms, along the bottom of the boot lid, and front lower edge on the rear arches. Now if you leave it outside, you will accelerate this. You can take action though and wipe rust remedy round these areas a couple of times over the winter and make sure the boot lid does not sit in a puddle of water where it meets the rear bumper. Your wheel nuts will also rust and look very unsightly. They are easy to fix, do a search on her for a chroming price.

2. Inspection
The RAC/AA arnt actually that bad, but would go for a specialist or dealer inspection. It is £400 but what they find will more than pay that back as you can then use this to negotiate the price down.

...and welcome, hope you live the dream and get your Maser soon.

 

[Parisien]

Great to have you on the forum Lione1....all the advice above is top drawer....enjoy the hunt, enjoy the forum!


P

 

[Lione1Richie]

Thanks for all the welcomes. It's nice to be part of such a friendly forum.

Regarding the auto vs. manual. I am firmly in the manual camp, I just enjoy that extra layer of interaction. I do notice that the majority of the 3200's for sale are auto's however. Am I correct in thinking that there is no manual over ride (similar to the CC) in the auto version?

I think i'd really really miss waggling that middle stick around but am coming to the realisation that in doing so limits potential cars I may be able to buy. I also enjoy track days (indeed a large part of my job involves setting up vehicle handling for software - well, video games) and was wondering how the 3200 would stand up to the 'occasional' track day, I guess it would be expensive (brakes, pads etc) but do they generally hold thier own?

Feel free to call me a heretic as I am aware the primary purpose of the car is a GT

Again, thanks for all the welcomes, they are much appreciated.

-Lione1.

 

[conaero]

I am a Manual man, then I bought a 3200 Manual and wish I had bought the Auto. The auto works really well with the Twin Turbo V8.

The manual is heavy and agricultural in its feel. The clutches are also sort of on or off, so stalling is really easy to do, especially in the first weeks of ownership. Also the clutch bearing have a tendency to snap, leaving you stranded, and on top of all that, can wear your endfloat on your crank out, resulting in low oil pressure and engine rebuild time....it happened to me!

Make your life easy, and go try the auto. Then all you have to do is upgrade the Throttle Body to contactless system and you will be all set for some trouble free motoring.

 

[Emtee]

Hi Lione1, I love the fact that your first post begins 'Hello'. I couldn't help but sing it

My 4200 lives outside and is generally fine. The wiper arms can rust a little, as can the screws in the scuttle panel, but nothing that a wipe over with oil won't keep under control. Other than that, if you plan to drive it regularly (recommended) then you shouldn't have any problems with battery drain, condensation, etc. The 3200s have a bit of a reputation for certain foibles, but given their age now, if you can find a well maintained example, chances are any foibles have been dealt with. When you do find one you're interested in, do post the details, there will be plenty of advice and tips.

And finally welcome to the forum. I'll look forward to hearing how things progress.

Cheers, Miles.

 

[Andyk]

Hi Lionel, I went from a mrk2 Exige to a 3200...Totally different car from the Lotus but loved it.......I had a manual and I understand what Matt is saying about the Auto....The manual is hard work where as the car seems better suited to the Auto unless you go for an Assetto Corsa version whihc is the one to have....Saying that like you I prefer man to auto and I will still have one over the auto is I was to have another.

What Lotus do you have..

 

[Lione1Richie]

Hey Andy,

I currently have a Type 72 S2. It's a brilliant little thing and has been a real joy to own, I primarily used it on track but more and more it just sits in the garage only coming out at weekends so it seems a bit of a waste. I often flick between keeping it and selling it. I think I have decided to sell it, then I'll go out for a drive and resolve to keep it!

The auto vs. manual issue is one I'll have to reslove I guess driving both is the only way to know for sure, only issue is that I am currently in Scotland and I think there is about 1 for sale so getting test drives without travelling immense distances is a bit of a pain.

Anyway, thanks for all the input and advice to date, it is most helpful!

Here's a small pic of the Lotus for you Andy:

 

[lozcb]

Hey Andy,

I currently have a Type 72 S2. It's a brilliant little thing and has been a real joy to own, I primarily used it on track but more and more it just sits in the garage only coming out at weekends so it seems a bit of a waste. I often flick between keeping it and selling it. I think I have decided to sell it, then I'll go out for a drive and resolve to keep it!

The auto vs. manual issue is one I'll have to reslove I guess driving both is the only way to know for sure, only issue is that I am currently in Scotland and I think there is about 1 for sale so getting test drives without travelling immense distances is a bit of a pain.

Anyway, thanks for all the input and advice to date, it is most helpful!

Here's a small pic of the Lotus for you Andy:

Hey Lionel its your lucky day , one of our members ( Pibbow) is in Scotland , and has only just decided to sell his 3200 , its a minter has FSH supplied by Meridian , worth dropping him a line he may well be local to you

regards loz

 

[GransportFan1]

Now that is a nice Lotus, Type 72 as well, very smart, you will find that me and Andy are pretty big Lotus fans.

 

[lozcb]

Now that is a nice Lotus, Type 72 as well, very smart, you will find that me and Andy are pretty big Lotus fans.

Dont forget our granturismo Dan aswell Adam , begs the question where his loyalty lies tho having the lotus in the garage and the Turismo in a Tent, my guess is the turismo is too big for the garage heheh

regards loz

 

[Dan!]

Nice Lotus, I have an S1 Elise as well as the GT-S I think they compliment each other perfectly. So keep it if you can!
I find driving the Maser more of an event, rather than as rewarding vehicle to thrash around country lanes or even on a track.
Very different beasts but both the top of their respective class in my opinion.

 

[Dan!]

Dont forget our granturismo Dan aswell Adam , begs the question where his loyalty lies tho having the lotus in the garage and the Turismo in a Tent, my guess is the turismo is too big for the garage heheh

regards loz

Read my mind!


I didn't realise it was so late already - see time of post??

 

[lozcb]

Read my mind!


I didn't realise it was so late already - see time of post??

Wish it was , and i would be on my way home with the new brake upgrade fitted and the knowledge that ive won or lost a GTS



regards loz

 

[conaero]

We are having issues with the server clock. We fixed the side bar, now the other posts are out, ho hum, the joys of computers.