Easyplan66
New Member
- Messages
- 3,358
Welcome to the forum Andrew, lovely car and it's got my name on it. Look forward to seeing you at the next midland meet with all the other loughborough guys....be nice to get a few more GT cars
Hi all...am I mad?
- Thread starter Palmball
- Start date
Parisien
Moderator
- Messages
- 34,927
GransportFan1
Member
- Messages
- 17,857
.....thats not a triangle.....its a BLO*ODY octagon........
P
no it is a dodecahedron
your right your in!!
Easyplan66
New Member
- Messages
- 3,358
3 days to go Andrew..... bet your getting excited !!
we are......
we are......
2b1ask1
Special case
- Messages
- 20,287
......in 3 days your sanity will be restored....
P
What hope for this forum?????
Parisien
Moderator
- Messages
- 34,927
................its 2nd name is The Sanitorium.......................just like The Priory.....
P
Easyplan66
New Member
- Messages
- 3,358
Andrew, did you collect your new car yesterday?
Andyk
Member
- Messages
- 61,188
Just your car for me please....
Palmball
New Member
- Messages
- 268
Sorry for the delay chaps but yes, I got it....and made sure it was first thing on Saturday morning! Sorry but there are no proper pics yet other than the few below taken with my iPhizzle....I spent the weekend driving it too much to take photo's . I'll get some more up on here later in the week.
First impressions....I absolutely love it. I haven't picked up a car that feels so 'special' for such a long time - I've had German stuff for the last few years after previously 'growing up' on a diet of Fiat Coupe's (two 20v Turbo's) and various Alfa's (I had three, yes THREE 147 GTA's from 2003 to 2007!) and I'm actually glad to be back with a sexy Italian.
OK, it's definitely nowhere near as fast as my 911 Turbo (or my C63's, or my M6) but it's about the same performance-wise as the M3. That means quicker than most cars out there but not breathtakingly so. It's also pretty heavy and this you can feel when going round slower corners (roundabouts etc) and when braking (the weight can definitely be felt when braking which was a bit of shock after the Porsche's stoppers!).
Do I care about any of this? Well......frankly, no. The car is a GT and as such isn't really meant to be the faster or sharpest tool but it still does the performance and dynamic bit better than most.
However, it's the other stuff which makes it so special and I'll start with the sound which, right from the sound of the starter motor sounds 'expensive'. I used to love the sound of my AMG but this has so much more variation - it's stunning right across the rev range and in sport mode , in town, it makes EVERYONE (young, old, male, female, human, cats, dogs...you get it) look at it without fail - it isn't a car for the shy individual.
Then theres the handling. No, not the tight, slow stuff where the weight counts against it but the fast sweeping kind much like fast motorway slip roads - this is when the inherent stability and wright of the car really come into it's own as it gives a very satisfying and secure feeling pushing it hard through such roads.
The refinement - I'm a bit of a sucker for this and this was one of the things that made the BMW M6 one of my favourite cars for that was very refined. This Maserati is just about as good - it's quiet it has well suppressed suspension noise, a firm but nicely damped ride quality and as I said above, it just feels rock steady at speed.
I've got to touch on the build quality again as, if you ever get to know me you'll realise that I am an utter freak when it comes to in-car rattles. I have issues, I really do....I hate them and I can even find a rattle that really isn't there (my missus is the most patient person you could ever meet!). This car is one of the very few cars that I cannot, despite trying, find a single buzz, creak, rattle, vibration - I can even lean heavily on the centre armrest and it doesn't creak. I can push various bits of the dash and they don't groan under the pressure. I can't ask for more...this car is bliss. Oddly, the only other cars I've had like this are the BMW M6 and two of my Alfa's...one of the GTA's and a 156 JTD 2.4 20v....funny how two of them (now three) are Italian makes which aren't supposed to be as well made as the overrated German stuff.
But the best bit is....it's a Maserati. For the money I could have bought an F430 or a Gallado yet I just reckon the Maserati brand is more exclusive and simply, cooler! Does anyone get this too? It looks fantastic and indeed yesterday I went to some secret 'meet' at Graypaul in Nottingham (I only found out about it because my girlfriends dad is friends with the workshop manager there) and I reckon my GT's comfortably looked as good as anything else there. Waking up and looking out of the window on Sunday morning to see my Maserati was a great feeling...long may it last!
Other bits I like are little things like the one touch door handles to open it, the glow of the clock at night, the plush feeling of the interior trim (in particular the alcantara headlining....lovely!), the dynamic headlights which bend round corners, the driving position which is probably the best one I've experienced to date (I'm amazed how they've managed to get the steering wheel to come out so straight without any angle - why can't everyone else do this?) and just the sense of occasion it brings wherever it goes.
So, what don't I like? Not much....but the Bose stereo (I had early fears on this one) can't compare with the one in the Porsche which had a wonderfully deep and powerful sound...in fact, it's not as good as the Harman Kardon system in my other half's Mini JCW. The volume it goes to is fine....I just want a bit more bass, so any advice on suitable ways to upgrad it are greatly appreciated
I also don't like the fact that I couldn't fill it up without having to pay halfway through filling it up! The pump at my Shell garage cut off at £100 and it took a further £25 on top of that It did say it had a 430 mile range so I hope it does come somewhere close to that!
A couple of niggles so far is that the drivers side door mirror rattles when you shut the door (now I just can't have that!) - there's a loose spring that I can see behind the glass so it's going into Grapypaul on Friday to be fixed. Oh, the previous owner has also stolen one of the grab handles on the inside of the boot - the one on the right hand side is there but on the left all I can see is bare metal where the grab handle should be. Odd...but I'm splashing out £7.50 on a replacement!
So, if any of my Loughborough neighbours see me hooning around then give me a wave - I also wouldn't mind catching up with you sometime soon!
Sorry this was so long, I got a bit excited and just typed away (probably doesn't make sense so I'll end up editing it forever) but heres a few pics:
. I'll get some more up on here later in the week.First impressions....I absolutely love it. I haven't picked up a car that feels so 'special' for such a long time - I've had German stuff for the last few years after previously 'growing up' on a diet of Fiat Coupe's (two 20v Turbo's) and various Alfa's (I had three, yes THREE 147 GTA's from 2003 to 2007!) and I'm actually glad to be back with a sexy Italian.
OK, it's definitely nowhere near as fast as my 911 Turbo (or my C63's, or my M6) but it's about the same performance-wise as the M3. That means quicker than most cars out there but not breathtakingly so. It's also pretty heavy and this you can feel when going round slower corners (roundabouts etc) and when braking (the weight can definitely be felt when braking which was a bit of shock after the Porsche's stoppers!).
Do I care about any of this? Well......frankly, no. The car is a GT and as such isn't really meant to be the faster or sharpest tool but it still does the performance and dynamic bit better than most.
However, it's the other stuff which makes it so special and I'll start with the sound which, right from the sound of the starter motor sounds 'expensive'. I used to love the sound of my AMG but this has so much more variation - it's stunning right across the rev range and in sport mode , in town, it makes EVERYONE (young, old, male, female, human, cats, dogs...you get it) look at it without fail - it isn't a car for the shy individual.
Then theres the handling. No, not the tight, slow stuff where the weight counts against it but the fast sweeping kind much like fast motorway slip roads - this is when the inherent stability and wright of the car really come into it's own as it gives a very satisfying and secure feeling pushing it hard through such roads.
The refinement - I'm a bit of a sucker for this and this was one of the things that made the BMW M6 one of my favourite cars for that was very refined. This Maserati is just about as good - it's quiet it has well suppressed suspension noise, a firm but nicely damped ride quality and as I said above, it just feels rock steady at speed.
I've got to touch on the build quality again as, if you ever get to know me you'll realise that I am an utter freak when it comes to in-car rattles. I have issues, I really do....I hate them and I can even find a rattle that really isn't there (my missus is the most patient person you could ever meet!). This car is one of the very few cars that I cannot, despite trying, find a single buzz, creak, rattle, vibration - I can even lean heavily on the centre armrest and it doesn't creak. I can push various bits of the dash and they don't groan under the pressure. I can't ask for more...this car is bliss. Oddly, the only other cars I've had like this are the BMW M6 and two of my Alfa's...one of the GTA's and a 156 JTD 2.4 20v....funny how two of them (now three) are Italian makes which aren't supposed to be as well made as the overrated German stuff.
But the best bit is....it's a Maserati. For the money I could have bought an F430 or a Gallado yet I just reckon the Maserati brand is more exclusive and simply, cooler! Does anyone get this too? It looks fantastic and indeed yesterday I went to some secret 'meet' at Graypaul in Nottingham (I only found out about it because my girlfriends dad is friends with the workshop manager there) and I reckon my GT's comfortably looked as good as anything else there. Waking up and looking out of the window on Sunday morning to see my Maserati was a great feeling...long may it last!
Other bits I like are little things like the one touch door handles to open it, the glow of the clock at night, the plush feeling of the interior trim (in particular the alcantara headlining....lovely!), the dynamic headlights which bend round corners, the driving position which is probably the best one I've experienced to date (I'm amazed how they've managed to get the steering wheel to come out so straight without any angle - why can't everyone else do this?) and just the sense of occasion it brings wherever it goes.
So, what don't I like? Not much....but the Bose stereo (I had early fears on this one) can't compare with the one in the Porsche which had a wonderfully deep and powerful sound...in fact, it's not as good as the Harman Kardon system in my other half's Mini JCW. The volume it goes to is fine....I just want a bit more bass, so any advice on suitable ways to upgrad it are greatly appreciated
I also don't like the fact that I couldn't fill it up without having to pay halfway through filling it up! The pump at my Shell garage cut off at £100 and it took a further £25 on top of that
It did say it had a 430 mile range so I hope it does come somewhere close to that!A couple of niggles so far is that the drivers side door mirror rattles when you shut the door (now I just can't have that!) - there's a loose spring that I can see behind the glass so it's going into Grapypaul on Friday to be fixed. Oh, the previous owner has also stolen one of the grab handles on the inside of the boot - the one on the right hand side is there but on the left all I can see is bare metal where the grab handle should be. Odd...but I'm splashing out £7.50 on a replacement!
So, if any of my Loughborough neighbours see me hooning around then give me a wave - I also wouldn't mind catching up with you sometime soon!
Sorry this was so long, I got a bit excited and just typed away (probably doesn't make sense so I'll end up editing it forever) but heres a few pics:
Attachments
GransportFan1
Member
- Messages
- 17,857
Great write up really enjoyed reading that. The secret meet at Graypaul saw the pics for that, looked an awesome day.
Andyk
Member
- Messages
- 61,188
Yes, yes, yes,.....You have hit the nail on the head and are truely a Maseratist ..... This is what it's all about. No other marque has the passion and pull of a Maserati...Brilliant so glad you are happy with you purchase and get it ideial...
Pibbow
Member
- Messages
- 1,312
Congrats mate
As you say there is somthing about the Maserati name/brand that make people (not even petrol heads) say oooh I like that, not you flash git!.
I would say the only word I can use to describe it is "Style"
I have a couple of older cars, Ghibli GT & 3200 AC and both turn heads and get people asking me about them when ever I take them for a drive.
Enjoy!
As you say there is somthing about the Maserati name/brand that make people (not even petrol heads) say oooh I like that, not you flash git!.
I would say the only word I can use to describe it is "Style"
I have a couple of older cars, Ghibli GT & 3200 AC and both turn heads and get people asking me about them when ever I take them for a drive.
Enjoy!
Pibbow
Member
- Messages
- 1,312
Oh one more thing, my wife could not give a fig about cars particularly gas guzzling monsters like these (She’s a tree hugger) but give here the key the 3200 and all she talks about when she come home is how smooth it is to drive and how sexy it looks!
That says it all really, shame she does not say that about me anymore!!!!!!!!
That says it all really, shame she does not say that about me anymore!!!!!!!!
Last edited:
Easyplan66
New Member
- Messages
- 3,358
Andrew that is one lovely car you have got yourself, look out for the next Midland meet we would all love to see her in the flesh.