In the market for a Maserati

M

McMase

New Member
Messages
24
Well I've been drooling over Maserati's for some time and finally have the cash to go ahead after a property sold, so thought I'd come out the woodwork!

I think ideally I'd like a GTS MC Shift or Gransport but I've set my budget at 20-25K so I can have another daily driver, in particular to keep me on the road in winter and as the road I take to work isn't the best (Mixture of A and B roads with potholes galore and roadworks everywhere, due to the Aberdeen bypass being built), I wouldn't want to ruin a nice car by driving it daily on these roads.

So my budget pretty much limits me to 3200s, 4200s, Quattroporte's and the odd Gransport is sometimes advertised at 25k mark.

From what I've seen on the likes of autotrader, pistonheads, ebay, the 100k mile QP GTS stands out at 15.5K. I'm seriously considering this one due to the price and condition of car but at the same time I'm wondering if it's the right car for my needs and whether it's too big!

I'm keen for something fast and agile but as I drive an SQ5, I'm wondering if the QP GTS might disappoint due to it's size and being a bit slower. I also drive an Audi A6 which is pretty much the same size and weight of the QP, so I am familiar with driving a bigger heavier car.

If anyone can provide their experiences or advice, it would be appreciated, as I stay in the North East Scotland, so not so easy to go out and test drive my options. It would be easy to go for the usual Porsche's, Audi RS4/5s, or an M3 for performance but the Maserati's of this generation just hold much more appeal to me and seem a bit more special. Not to mention the sound!

Thanks all.
 
allandwf

allandwf

Member
Messages
10,994
Hi, and welcome. I'm NE Scotland so if you want to know anything 3200 wise your welcome to look over mine. I would be looking towards a Gransport for your needs, nothing wrong with the QP, but you wanted fast and agile. PK Supercars just south of Edinburgh may know of something up here that suits, they look after mine, and a few other members up here. Good luck with the search, keep us posted, most suitable cars you find will possibly be known to one or some on here. Richard Grace is also a good point of call for advice, and possible leads on cars.
 
M

McMase

New Member
Messages
24
There are a few 3200's going at good prices. I've read quite a bit that they're not as reliable as the 4200 though, is similar to your experiences or has yours been reasonable trouble free? It'd be great to come look over yours at some point. I come from Montrose originally and still have family there so it's not too far at all!
 
outrun

outrun

Member
Messages
5,017
McMase said:
There are a few 3200's going at good prices. I've read quite a bit that they're not as reliable as the 4200 though, is similar to your experiences or has yours been reasonable trouble free? It'd be great to come look over yours at some point. I come from Montrose originally and still have family there so it's not too far at all!
Click to expand...

Hah, that's a can of worms that question !!

I would say that if you plan to daily drive in Aberdeen, you'll need a set of snow boots for any of these cars. The 3200 turbos will try and catch you out in the dry, never mind when the temperature is low and the grip even lower.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference really. A QP GTS is a fine thing, so is a good 4200, so is a good 3200. You could also pick up a 2007/8 4.2 Granturismo for around £25k (or maybe £26/27k) so don't rule that out either. I'd suggest taking a bit of time to drive each model and there are plenty of Northern members like Allan that will happily take you for a run in their cars.

For our English readers, the North is beyond Perth. Not beyond Manchester.
 
M

McMase

New Member
Messages
24
Hi Outrun,

Aha don't worry! This won't be going out in the snow or ice! That's why I've set my budget lower, so I can have another car is my daily for the poor weather.

Thanks for the tips though!
 
conaero

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,631
It's a false economy to buy a cheaper 4200, buy a GS and what it rise year on year by £2k.

My GS is for sale for £33k and one of the best.
 
whereskeith

whereskeith

Member
Messages
821
outrun said:
Hah, that's a can of worms that question !!

I would say that if you plan to daily drive in Aberdeen, you'll need a set of snow boots for any of these cars. The 3200 turbos will try and catch you out in the dry, never mind when the temperature is low and the grip even lower.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference really. A QP GTS is a fine thing, so is a good 4200, so is a good 3200. You could also pick up a 2007/8 4.2 Granturismo for around £25k (or maybe £26/27k) so don't rule that out either. I'd suggest taking a bit of time to drive each model and there are plenty of Northern members like Allan that will happily take you for a run in their cars.

For our English readers, the North is beyond Perth. Not beyond Manchester.
Click to expand...

haha... anything past Watford is cold.......
that's why I moved out here!
 
Ewan

Ewan

Member
Messages
6,812
Can't see why you'd want a QP if you already have (and are keeping) the SQ5 and an A6. If I were you I do go for a GS. They can be bought for £25k. Just maybe not Matt's one!
 
CatmanV2

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,789
Mark's 4200 is a good un, that's 12.5 isn't it?

Also Darren's is probably available.

Plenty of change.

C
 
C

cheshiremaserati

Member
Messages
1,122
I am new to the Maserati group and took a lot of advice on this forum and spoke to people to help me narrow down my choice. My research was the 3200 is iconic but a brittle car (born out by people who saw mine and said it'll be nowt but trouble and recited tales of woe from people who it turned out owned a 3200 back in their day). Enough to put me off. To balance that, the message was to buy a good 'un that was well sorted and had loads of money ploughed into it. But feedback was they don't like to be stood outside and can still be brittle. And parts are getting increasingly difficult to source.

Then moved my thinking to a 4200 or a GS. Close debate. But in the end I settled four a beautiful Gran Sport Limited Edition (LE) with 26k miles fully inspected by one of the best Indy (Autoshield Maserati), serviced and new clutch and a totally clean bill of health purchased from Richard Grace who I'd certainly recommend a phone call to explore your thoughts and validate with his experience any comments on this or other posts. Also recommend talking to Marios at Autoshield - I found him very helpful to give me a perspective on Gran Tourism ownership, 4200 and GranSport and also 3200.

Having a Porsche 996 Turbo with manual gearbox I was swayed by the GranTurismo's lovely voluptuous curves but quickly discovered that (a) prices last September were tumbling and my budget (low/mid £30's) would buy me a high miler 4.2 car with auto box which was not what I wanted and that after a Turbo it was driving a two ton car that would just not have the urge of a Turbo (but then not even a Ferrari 360 or 430 has the oooomph of a 911 Turbo). I discovered that the one to go for if I wanted a GT would be an S car (4.7 litre) and ideally with MC paddle shift robotised manual box. I am not keen on traditional torque converter auto box high performance cars (that's why I eliminated Merck SL55 AMG and Jag XKR from my starting list). Budget for an MC was well above mine at that point.

The QP doesn't do anything for me sadly. Its probably a good car but a 4-door grand tourer doesn't float my boat. I've no research on the QP.

So it fell between a 4200 and a GS. The GS is considerably more than a 4200, but I put my extra budget money into a GS with the Limited Edition Pack because the feedback is that it can be driven daily, is very well specified being an LE car and will withstand being outside all year round (probably applies to 4200 as well) but it met my other parameter for purchase - it is unlikely to lose me money over my few years of ownership with its much smaller numbers and rising around 10-15% per annum in value. This was a purchase parameter for the Porsche Turbo - now into my fifth year of ownership and has more than doubled in value.

I personally can recommend a Gran Sport. Not sure about a £25k GS. As a novice to this brand I'd say a good budget for a well-sorted GS is low £30's that can withstand an independent inspection and not throw up any major spend areas. Its a lovely car once I got used to the Paddle Gear Shift and has none of that delay with a torque converter fluid clutch (that I have in my daily car the Mercedes E220 CDI - but its hardly a performance car!).

I'm biased as I have a Gran Sport. But I thought I'd share with you my thought journey if it helps.

I recommend a call to Richard Grace and Marios at Autoshield to get a more expert perspective. I also recommend a mail to Aldous Voice (aka "Voicey") who I know from my interest to buy a Ferrari 360 3 years ago and who also gave me invaluable help and guidance on Maserati the brand (v Ferrari) and the range oaf cars within the brand. He is a member on this forum and a personal message to him is going to give another input to help you in your decision-making.

Good luck on your journey and let us know what you settle for in the end.
 
N

Nemcova

New Member
Messages
95
Hi, my QP Sport GT has sadly recently come up for sale.

I have a bad habit of changing my cars every 2 years maximum, but this amazing car has held me for 3. My favourite car ever without exception. I think that I might regret this decision, but I like to try new stuff.

The price might seem high at first, but please take into account that as outlined in the advert, it's practically a 2008, it's had loads of cash spent on it addressing and rectifying the usual issues, plus it comes with a top-level 12 month Extracare Warranty Direct warranty worth £2500, so the car itself is actually only just over £19K. - A Ridiculously good car for the money.

I wanted the new owner to have a worry- free ownership, so I extended the warranty which isn't usually available at this level, 100% parts and labour up to £200 per hour, including removal of betterment clause/ Emissions/MOT failure/ etc.

If you compare the real (and potential) costs of Maserati ownership, then you'll see that it's better to buy with this level of warranty and that this is in fact a great buy.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201704234710282?atmobcid=soc3

- That said, I sort of hope that nobody calls!

PM me if you need more info.
 
safrane

safrane

Member
Messages
16,863
It's your money and buy what you want...we can all give opinions but they are just that.

I have had three coupes and loved them all. A 2003 Revised 4200, a 2005 face lift 4200 and now a GS. All nice cars.

I would say that I would rather have a top end 4200 than a low end GS; my face lift was just as good as my GS but far more comfortable.

Good luck searching.
 
Navcorr

Navcorr

Member
Messages
3,839
safrane said:
It's your money and buy what you want...we can all give opinions but they are just that.
Click to expand...

Well said that man. Equally well said:

Dirty Harry "Opinions are like as*holes, everybody has one".

Problems may arise though when you can't differentiate the as*hole from the opinion :D
 
highlander

highlander

Member
Messages
5,223
Really? We are back on the brittle/fragile 32 are we? Any 10 year old car (not even nearly 20 like the 32) if not cared for I guarantee will be fragile but there is not one cared for 32 on here that is not running as good as any other maser on here. Stop running these cars down! We are our own worst enemy on this. (Rant over ;))
As to the OP, you already have a big cruiser so I personallywould not go for the QP, no matter how good it is as a car for that reason. I would go best 32 or 42 I could get rather than a cheaper GS or cheap GT, will pay rewards in long run.
 
Team GCR

Team GCR

Member
Messages
1,152
outrun said:
Hah, that's a can of worms that question !!

I would say that if you plan to daily drive in Aberdeen, you'll need a set of snow boots for any of these cars. The 3200 turbos will try and catch you out in the dry, never mind when the temperature is low and the grip even lower.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference really. A QP GTS is a fine thing, so is a good 4200, so is a good 3200. You could also pick up a 2007/8 4.2 Granturismo for around £25k (or maybe £26/27k) so don't rule that out either. I'd suggest taking a bit of time to drive each model and there are plenty of Northern members like Allan that will happily take you for a run in their cars.

For our English readers, the North is beyond Perth. Not beyond Manchester.
Click to expand...

You mean there is life North of the Watford Gap? :rofl5:

Sorry but you did ask for that...........
 
alfatwo

alfatwo

Member
Messages
5,517
Expect for that new QP thingy, All Masers are getting old in the tooth now, whether it be a GTS,GS, or the classic 3200 or 4200 models..

cheshiremaserati mate .. I rather have my classic Maser 3200GT, difficult as there are, there country miles better than your sh*te two a penny unreliable Porches!

Dave
 
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