Looking at 4200

Luke G

New Member
Messages
24
Hi
Newbie on this forum, I'm looking at acquiring a 4200 this year, formerly a Porsche owner and fan.
Any buying advice and tips would be extremely grateful!
L
 

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,038
A big warm welcome to the the forum.....Best advice would be stick with the Porsche....

Only joking....there will be plenty of great advice on here and buy a good 4200 and you will not stop smiling. History and condition is probably more important than age and miles but then a good facelift 4200 is probably the one to have so a later model....2005ish.......What sort of budget do you have ?
 
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zagatoes30

Member
Messages
20,759
Welcome to the mad house but if you want info on modern Masers this is the place to come.

4200s are all 12 years ish old or more and therefore you are into the wear with age period, look for one with a proven maintenance schedule and that has had the big ticket items done already, clutch, suspension, wishbones, heater matrix etc. Engines are pretty bullet proof, brakes can be sourced on here reasonably cheaply. Bodywork, they all suffer from paint chips and if they are going to show signs of rot it will be under the rear lights and bottom of the wings where they meet the sills.

Final piece of advice, get an indie inspection - it will be the best £300 you ever spend.
 

hunta

Member
Messages
405
4200s are all 12 years ish old or more and therefore you are into the wear with age period, look for one with a proven maintenance schedule and that has had the big ticket items done already, clutch, suspension, wishbones, heater matrix etc. Engines are pretty bullet proof, brakes can be sourced on here reasonably cheaply. Bodywork, they all suffer from paint chips and if they are going to show signs of rot it will be under the rear lights and bottom of the wings where they meet the sills.

Final piece of advice, get an indie inspection - it will be the best £300 you ever spend.

I'd add subframe corrosion to the list of more significant items to check for specifically.

Everyone else will say it so I'll get in there first... Give Richard Grace a call! I've not bought through him personally but his reputation is excellent, and a great source of general buyers' advice.
 

Oneball

Member
Messages
11,075
Buy a loved car. A service every year isn’t an indicator of anything, you want to see that it’s been cared for, with the non service niggles, that any car of this age has, being sorted too. If they haven’t been budget accordingly.

As others have said get an independent inspection or if you’re confident do it yourself, don’t trust the seller, even if it’s a well respected dealer.
 

Luke G

New Member
Messages
24
Wow
Loving this forum and thank you for your replies and great advice...
I'm looking for a third car to stick in the garage, my wife and I both have company cars we use daily. I'm located in Kent, there are two sellers I've found, Giallo Cars of Tonbridge and ADG of Sevenoaks, can anyone recommend or had anybody heard of them?

Honestly, I think my budget is around the 15k mark I would love to stretch to more (might be able to if it's later in the year) but two kids and a wife have to approve first. The 4200 is a great compromise for a family of four, haven't test drove one yet, cannot wait to do so...

I'm pretty confident looking at cars but I'm sure you're all aware once you've fallen for a car, it's probably best for a outside perspective to check the car over.

Having looked on this forum for the last couple of weeks, the name Richard Grace pops up a lot, I think I'll be giving him a tinkle shortly.

My other question is with residual values on these cars, is there any colour or trim that are more desirable? I've been keeping an eye on the prices for a while and they are very attractive...
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,547
Personally I'd have no hesitation recommending Matthew at Giallo. Pretty sure someone will say something similar about ADG.

C
 

Spartacus

Member
Messages
3,184
Go for a 4200 Facelift Cambiocorsa 2004 onwards . You'll get a nice one for 15k but probably a private sale . I'd wait and buy one from a forum member on here . They are all well know cars .
 

Luke G

New Member
Messages
24
Go for a 4200 Facelift Cambiocorsa 2004 onwards . You'll get a nice one for 15k but probably a private sale . I'd wait and buy one from a forum member on here . They are all well know cars .
Hi, i have seen a couple of 2004's and one 2002 and they're all the same price circa 16k, cambiocorsa but different colours.
 

zagatoes30

Member
Messages
20,759
Personally I prefer the CC version but others will disagree. £15k should find you a decent version but more likely private sale.

Giallo and ADG both are respected specialists and have detail knowledge of these cars, there will be many on here who use one or the other.
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,748
Other items to look for.
Leaking cam cover gaskets c £300 per side
Worn centre console switched, hens teeth to find new
Laboured F1 pumps c £600 using an Alfa part
Gearbox atuators missing gears
dodgy history - service every year regardless of miles
Clonky suspension, pattern parts are available but still cost c £600 per bone and ther are eight.
Worn flam bolts hard and costly to fit
Ill fitting bumpers esp the front
Worn bolsters on drivers side

They are a great can but need looking after.
 

Luke G

New Member
Messages
24
Personally I prefer the CC version but others will disagree. £15k should find you a decent version but more likely private sale.

Giallo and ADG both are respected specialists and have detail knowledge of these cars, there will be many on here who use one or the other.
That's reassuring to hear
 

FIFTY

Member
Messages
3,100
Other items to look for.
Leaking cam cover gaskets c £300 per side
Worn centre console switched, hens teeth to find new
Laboured F1 pumps c £600 using an Alfa part
Gearbox atuators missing gears
dodgy history - service every year regardless of miles
Clonky suspension, pattern parts are available but still cost c £600 per bone and ther are eight.
Worn flam bolts hard and costly to fit
Ill fitting bumpers esp the front
Worn bolsters on drivers side

They are a great can but need looking after.

Switchgear and all soft plastics can be refurbed by Larry in the US for 650ish iirc. I replaced the switchpanel beneath the window/traction/sports buttons and it came with all new switchgear... So not hens teeth just bloody expensive £600 just for that panel so the buttons on the radio need doing

The other thing to add is check the exhaust... If it is euro spec then cat failure is a possible thing to check for. If it Has an aftermarket/custom exhaust make sure it is a good quality one. US spec exhaust is found mostly on facelift cars positive side is that it has better longevity negative side cats in manifolds = less performance and they are a ***** to swap out for the euro spec versions
 
Messages
1,117
As a dual GranSport and Porsche 996 X50 Manual box owner, I highly recommend you talk to Richard Grace.

I bought my low mileage Gransport LE from him in Oct 2016. Forget a manual 4200.
Go for a CambioCorsa. The paddle shifter is a real joy - I thought of manual 4200 at first but I've taken to CC like a duck to water. It is a true manual car - with a single clutch and transaxle. It is NOT a torque converter slush-box auto.

The budget I'd not comment on. Richard will be the better contributor on that topic. He can source you a good example so dont worry he is in Chester and you are in Kent.

I have no comment on ADG or Giallo as I have never dealt with them or spoken to them. If you consider a private purchase car, a £300 PPI is an absolute must if your first Maserati ownership is not going to financially ruin you.

Like with Porsche buy a good one from the very outset. It is false economy to buy having knowledge it needs £3k work. Get one thats been prepped and sorted at the outset.

Don't worry about colours - you could be waiting a long time rejecting a well sorted car on colour grounds. These are not like Porsches which are common and almost two-a-penny compared to Italian stuff.

Look at 911uk membership - about 40k members. Then look at this forum's membership (around 6.5k) and you'll see that you ain't gonna see 20 or 30 4200's for sale on PHs or Autotrader. So be considerate of this - focus on a good sorted car, preferably a CambioCorsa. You'll not be disappointed with a CC car. Manual owners will of course point you in that direction.
 
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Messages
152
Welcome.
I like you were looking at buying for some time, and as luck would have right place right time I bought a Gransport for Facelift Coupe money september last year, and loving it.
Thankfully mine has an impeccable history (every penny from new, and includes the original order and invoice) all the expensive stuff has been done and although has 103k miles under her belt still looks like and drives like a 30-40k mile car.
Buy one and enjoy (even the 15mpg!)
 

Vampyrebat

Member
Messages
3,117
Hi Luke and welcome to the forum!
Pretty much all has been said here already. I am not going tell you which way to go here as we are all different!
I personally wanted a manual because it makes me more part of the driving experience, but, the manual gear box is a much rarer beast (approx 13% were manuals) and it's the last manual Maserati did. This is sure to make them more collectable when it comes to selling, but it is what you prefer at the end of the day! I also prefer the looks of the face-lift as well as it being a more advanced car than the classic, but again many on here prefer the more subtle and less aggressive looks of the older 4200.
Colours are important as you will be living with it so hold out for the right specs that you want. There are still enough out there to make a decent choice. Definitely get a ppi, I didn't but I was very lucky as it turned out to be a gooden!
Best of luck with your search.