Just a quick hello

C

Craig

New Member
Messages
5
Hi guys,
Just having a quick look around your site. I was introdued by Dan Andrews so you can blame him.

Not in a position to purchase a Maserati at the moment but thats not to say I wont be in the future. I have an Elise S1 as my weekend toy at the moment which I enjoy working on (sometimes) and for me its a keeper.

I am interested in running costs of Maserati and wondered how many of you do your own servicing on things such as fluids, brakes and general odds and sods. I have seen a few articles on the clutch and the cost of replacment and that does not sound too bad. Are there any real problems with the 3.2 or the 4.2 engine?

Regards
Craig
 
GransportFan1

GransportFan1

Member
Messages
17,857
Welcome aboard Craig, the real brains of the forum will tell you all about the 3.2 and 4.2 engines. S1 Elise, any pics?? quite a Lotus fan myself.
 
conaero

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,678
Hi Craig and a warm welcome.

Dan Andrews, I take it thats Dan form Lyndhusrt with the GTS and the Elise?

Well, to answer your question, having owned both 3200 manual and GranSport CambioCorsa (flappy paddle)

The 3200 first.
I had a lot of issues with mine and I was not alone. There are of course, people who have had little or no issues but mine ended up with a clutch collapsing, and then having to have the engine rebuilt at 35k miles due to worn endfloat on the crank. I also had a range of suspension and electrical issues. Loved the car, but if I were to buy another, I would go for the Auto, the manual was the cause of most of my issues, including the end float. Great cars, great power with little or no turbo issues believe it or not, as mad as a box of frogs and £2-3k a year to run.

GranSport
Brilliant car and regarded by most as the best car Maserati have produced in the last 25 years, and that includes the current new models. It runs the 4.2 out of a Ferrari coupled with the CC gearbox. Ultra reliable and clutches last about 20k miles although this depends upon the way you drive it. Believe it or not, the harder you drive it in Sport manual mode the longer they seem to last. If you use the Auto mode they seem to last half as long. Truly a great car and this has been reflected in the resale prices. I bought mine and ran it for 2 years and lost about a grand in depreciation. They are still holding strong now.

As for servicing on all Maseratis, sure you can do it yourself, but due to the nature of these cars, you need a fully stamped book so its not worth doing it yourself. What most seem to do is get an indie to do the service for circa £250, get the stamp and fix any other minor item yourself.

There is also a 4200 which is in essence the same as the GranSport but more watered down and cruiser focused.

I thing its widely accepted that the pick of the range is the GranSport and the 3200 AC (Assetto Corsa - limited track derivative)

I am sure other will be along with their own comments and experiences, but one thing they will all agree with is get a full independent inspection done and make sure the history and servicing is up to date.

Good Luck and please ask if you need any more advice of a more specific nature.
 
conaero

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,678
Oh, and I am sure one of the members will accompany you to a viewing or check out a car for you that is not close to you. They are a good old bunch on here.
 
Parisien

Parisien

Moderator
Messages
34,927
Hi Craig, welcome to our Maserati forum, costs are much reduced over recent years due to indie servicing plus alternative parts, only biggies are clutchs; and chains for 3200....most 3200s have all their fixes by now be sure to check throttle pots and end float repairs if applicable

4200 is largely bullet proof.

Great values supercars, but when things wear out as they age other repairs not cheap.

Only other advice to get a fully independent inspection done before you buy!!!


P
 
lozcb

lozcb

Member
Messages
12,586
Hi Craig , i'll ditto all the above , Main difference between the two is the 3.2 is the twin turbo , mega boost but you have to know when to apply it , twitchy to say the least in the slightest bit of damp , just be really careful with that right foot , coming outa those bends or off those roundabouts , other than that oodles of fun to drive ,

The 4200 and (gransport ) 4.2 normally aspirated engine , dirivitive of the Ferrari 430 , applies the power a lot more evenly , hence very controlable although very aggressive response, early cars have quite aggressive gearbox software (which i prefer) later models power delivery is feathered out a bit more due to the enhanced software (got a bit of poke tho) as Jeremy C would say

Gransport is the culmination of the previous 2 models , its a small step above the others in terms of power but the whole experience is a lot more sportier, suspension is stiffer and it has 19 inch wheels and rubber bands for tyres hence its lower and handles better, Had a few nice cars in my time and NO other car will give you as much kudos for the money , its truly astonishing

regards loz
 
C

Craig

New Member
Messages
5
Thanks guys very interesting. I have been a fan of the older Maserati for a very long time and have always been a fan. I have never driven one to be honest. A friend of mine has had a few Lambos and i have driven them and he currently has a 5000s tucked up in the garage.

I was at the NEC either last year or the year before and there was a great display of everything Maserati
 
Andyk

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,365
Hi Craig and a big warm welcome to the forum....ANother Lotus owner...Good on you....I take it you are on Seloc then mate....A few of us on here are or have been as well.....
 
Emtee

Emtee

New Member
Messages
8,446
Hi Craig and welcome to the forum.

Don't need to add to the comments already made, as they more than cover the pertinent issues for each model, so all I'd add is please do let us know how things develop, and if and when you settle on a Trident, please let us know which one and we'll all be there to assist in any way we can.

Regards,
 
Dan!

Dan!

Member
Messages
3,029
Hiya Craig,
I see the lads have delivered as promised.
For those of you that were at the evening meal before Llandow the other month, Craig was the chap that joined us for dinner that I slipped a length of pipe... to de-cat his Elise and is also a fellow SELOCer.
Craig, there's a few of us SELOCers on here now, Marcos (with as many cars as he has I'd imagine he's on most forums ;) ), Wardlem, AndyK above, maybe 1 or 2 more?
Good luck with your quest, I'm sure that when you find one you like there'll be plenty of advice or feedback from the lads here.

Cheers,
Dan
 
D

dem maser

Moderator
Messages
34,277
hello, love this part of the forum......

new members on here always a pleasure to meet...hope you find what your looking for and that we can help along the way....
 
hodroyd

hodroyd

Member
Messages
14,150
Hi Craig,

A warm welcome to "THE" MASERATI FORUM. The members are good fun, informative and ready with help and advice at any time. Hope you find your dream car and we can all drool over it with you. Enjoy.
 
Andyk

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,365
Craig, not sure if you have been on lately but how about Llandow on the 29th March...Just down the road from you...Oh and the lovely steak the night before...
 
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