Maserati 4200/Gransport values - will they ever change?

[highlander]

staying just north of inverness i love the roads here too, used to love on a nice evening popping into the 3200 and V8ing to Ullapool just for the run with the prize of a good fish supper at the end!
that is the first thing on my to do list when i get the GT back from the garage.......
good luck with the classic hire plan though.....pick wisely though, i know the guys stock in Dingwall and although he advertises he has volvo p1800 (one of bucket list cars!) it is actually the estate version not the coupe........so sad.

 

[Nayf]

sounds like the solution! Bet you could get a nice 3200 for a song if you look for long enough.

Always fancied driving a supercharged mini, bet it’s a hoot in the highlands.

All of this talk of the fragile reverse T bar, I worry it will be me that rips mine out! When I’m doing a three point turn somewhere abroad in a mild panic for example!!!

My wife drives every car that we have but I think that this one will take more explaining than normal.

First time I drive a Gransport I didn’t even know how to start it; got confused by having to key on and then use the starter button!

Mine also has a Clifford alarm that needs to be sequenced in the right way, so it’s a three stage start process

If it's any consolation I've driven about 20 GranSports now, and I always do the same

 

[Nibby]

Another thing that strikes me is that these cars seem to be largely invisible to the wider enthusiast community and particularly on Pistonheads; the number of people that are even aware and or remember that this model exists seems to be surprisingly small.

Then there is an even smaller number of people that are willing to buy one and take a small risk.

Most Porsche owners/potential buyers, and that is a lot of people, would not even look twice at a 4200/Gransport?

I think the myth is “German Porsche reliable, Italian Maserati unreliable”
Add in the price of parts, lack of knowledgeable specialists, the pub talk that it will breakdown every week. The potential buyer for a 4200 is I’m guessing someone like myself who hasn’t got limitless supplies of money but fancies something exotic and is willing to take a chance.Unfortunately when it comes to the crunch people play safe.
On the up side at a car show a Maserati will attract more interest than a row of silver 996 911’s.

 

[conaero]

I made a prediction some years back where I said (and there was a lot of resistance) that the GT prices would not fall below that of the 4200.

It’s been enough time now to re look at it.

If we were to compare a GT 4.2 auto against a 4200 and a 4.7GT against a GranSport I would say this has stood up

A 4200 is what, £8-13k where the GT is circa £18k and a GS is £20-23k where the 4.7GT is £27k

 

[Ewan]

A perfectly good GS with circa 60k-70k miles can be had for considerably less than £20k. I sold mine last year for about £18k, and have seen several others go at under £20k. At 100k miles, you’re looking at £15k. The GS has definitely lost value over the last 2 or 3 years. And at the top end, MCV cars have dropped by around £10k. At a guess, I’d say the GS range has dropped by about 20% over that period. They were a bargain back then, and are even more of a bargain now. So, buy, use, enjoy.

 

[lozcb]

Totally and wholeheartedly agree although im actually guilty of neglectful driving time regarding my Gransport , but im 100% certain that the Bentley itch is well and truly scratched and it will be gone long long before the Masser

 

[Nayf]

Part of me likes the idea of using a GranSport as a semi-daily driver.



Of course I work from home 9 days in every 10 so that’s probably cheating a bit. Keeps the maintenance and fuel bills down though.

 

[Guy]

Some great discussion here but let's apply some perspective to depreciation. Most of us who have dabbled in PCP know that we have been drip feeding it at typically 400-800 p/mth on new or nearly new cars. I seem to recall that a few years ago a nice GS with 50k miles was probably worth about 25k and now it might be worth 20k. Notwithstanding what a bargain that is, we are probably looking at 100 or 150 per month depreciation.I will revert to someone like RG who really knows this space but depreciation, after the first 4 or 5 years on Maseratis is pretty miniscule compared to modern cars, especially EVs that are dropping 1000 or 2000 per month. And I know which sounds better.....

 

[Ebenezer]

Some great discussion here but let's apply some perspective to depreciation. Most of us who have dabbled in PCP know that we have been drip feeding it at typically 400-800 p/mth on new or nearly new cars. I seem to recall that a few years ago a nice GS with 50k miles was probably worth about 25k and now it might be worth 20k. Notwithstanding what a bargain that is, we are probably looking at 100 or 150 per month depreciation.I will revert to someone like RG who really knows this space but depreciation, after the first 4 or 5 years on Maseratis is pretty miniscule compared to modern cars, especially EVs that are dropping 1000 or 2000 per month. And I know which sounds better.....

My QP bought for 22K in 2014, now insured for an agreed value of 14K - so £75 a month (in depreciation)

The maintenance, of course, is a different story!

Eb

 

[Guy]

My QP bought for 22K in 2014, now insured for an agreed value of 14K - so £75 a month (in depreciation)

The maintenance, of course, is a different story!

Eb

Though I bet the extra maintenance is not equal to the >500/mth depreciation on a diesel BM/Audi/Merc on a PCP....

 

[urquattrogus]

Some great discussion here but let's apply some perspective to depreciation. Most of us who have dabbled in PCP know that we have been drip feeding it at typically 400-800 p/mth on new or nearly new cars. I seem to recall that a few years ago a nice GS with 50k miles was probably worth about 25k and now it might be worth 20k. Notwithstanding what a bargain that is, we are probably looking at 100 or 150 per month depreciation.I will revert to someone like RG who really knows this space but depreciation, after the first 4 or 5 years on Maseratis is pretty miniscule compared to modern cars, especially EVs that are dropping 1000 or 2000 per month. And I know which sounds better.....

I’ve never actually tried PCP but I’d imagine that borrowing rates and the huge list prices of cars now means a big monthly jump if you want to change? Almost twice as much as some of the crazy deals that were happening?

Driving in the other direction, as supply of new cars catches up and become over supply maybe they will have to subsidise some deals to shift any metal at all?

We sell wheeled machinery and are now really getting squeezed on the borrowing cost of stocking planes; the interest cost of not selling something for a year is huge now and wipes out the profit and then some

 

[Ebenezer]

Though I bet the extra maintenance is not equal to the >500/mth depreciation on a diesel BM/Audi/Merc on a PCP....

Actually in my case I've spent around 38K in that time on maintenance and cosmetic fixes, so £350 a month. All in then around £425/month, so less, but not massively so.

The numbers would be worse if I was going to sell as I'd probably get less that 14K but as it's a keeper, Man Maths makes it cheaper!
Eb

 

[Guy]

Actually in my case I've spent around 38K in that time on maintenance and cosmetic fixes, so £350 a month. All in then around £425/month, so less, but not massively so.

The numbers would be worse if I was going to sell as I'd probably get less that 14K but as it's a keeper, Man Maths makes it cheaper!
Eb

4k pa on maintenance sounds quite a lot for every one of the nine years! Have you done a lot of miles Eb?

 

[Ebenezer]

4k pa on maintenance sounds quite a lot for every one of the nine years! Have you done a lot of miles Eb?

I've done 40K miles...

About £6K on front end respray/FD DBW/ X pipe. The rest is 5 2 year services, tyres and maintenance - new wishbones/bushes, lots of brakes, failed alternator, failed secondary air pump, weeping cam covers, failed coolant hoses, 3 failed window regulators, 4 failed bearings , 3 failed batteries, failed lambda sensors, failed parking sensors, etc etc!

I'm hoping that the maintenance will tail off for a bit to be honest!! However the received wisdom is to budget 2K - 4K a year on keeping them so I'm unfortunately on the upper end, and my car has been molly coddled by first Emblem and now SI.

The trick is not to own a car for any length of time I think from a maintenance cost point of view.

However I expect you'll lose on the bid/offer if you flip cars. It would be interesting know how much people have spent on toy cars overall over a similar period. I buy and hold so have no experience of this. @Ewan might have more of an insight being a serial offender of buying, maintaining and then passing on!

As I have said before - I've spent a lot on my car and the rest I've wasted!
Eb

 

[Ewan]

Swings and roundabouts for me, Eb.
Some cars have cost a lot in maintenance. My 400i for example has swallowed about £50k over the last 7 years, but has increased in value by maybe £35k - so not so bad overall.
The winners were the Shamal, Ghibli Cup and GS MCV - a combined profit of around £100k on those three. But I was lucky enough to buy them well and then sell at (approximately) the right time.
The QP’s (I’ve had at least 8 of them) have been as expected - cost a bit in maintenance, and depreciated a bit as well. But nothing horrific, and overall probably no different to buying something new to have lower maintenance bills but higher depreciation.
My worst Maserati decision was selling the Khamsin. I let that go for around £30k and am now contemplating getting it back at a figure around three times that.
But I tend not to study the bills for too long, so the financial reality of Maserati ownership is probably worse than I tell myself.

 

[hashluck]

On some days on some roads, these have to be the performance supercar bargain at this time (and likely of all time frankly). Out and about in the Gransport today and it just delivered on every level and had me grinning from ear to ear. Dare I say this is a more wieldy and nimble car than the Stradale, partiicularly in MC-Victory form. Was also perfectly fine in heavy hot traffic but I opted to take the long way home.

 

[conaero]

Not showing off just being truthful. The Strad has had a set of tyres, front pads and a wheel bearing in 7 years.

Did do the bushes and all the servicing foc but that’s just the benefits of my job.

Oh and sportscats and an X pipe

 

[Felonious Crud]

Actually in my case I've spent around 38K in that time on maintenance and cosmetic fixes, so £350 a month. All in then around £425/month, so less, but not massively so.

The numbers would be worse if I was going to sell as I'd probably get less that 14K but as it's a keeper, Man Maths makes it cheaper!
Eb

For perspective, that's still a lot less than it would cost to lease a, oh, I dunno, Golf R or Tesla or Kia Facktard or some other generic snooze-box. Add in the fact that due to owning a Maserati you're feeling pretty bloody chipper about life, the universe and everything and therefore saving a small fortune in therapist fees and my man-maths calculator says that you're easily a grand a month ahead on the deal. Good man!

 

[Ebenezer]

Not showing off just being truthful. The Strad has had a set of tyres, front pads and a wheel bearing in 7 years.

Did do the bushes and all the servicing foc but that’s just the benefits of my job.

Oh and sportscats and an X pipe

But you've hardly driven it!
Eb

 

[philgarner]

It might take our cars to make it to the 30 year mark before they start rising. Look at the traditionally unwanted Ferraris, I think 400s are achingly cool and they have probably doubled (at least) in the last 5 years.

I only paid £16k for my GS in 2015 and it is probably worth that now so despite me also spending thousands on it I can live with zero depreciation on the capital. It was 66k new in 2005 so that is fairly savage depreciation.

I am just back from Le Mans Classic and there were 911s as far as you could see almost. Hundreds of cars. There were about 10 4200/GS present, so much more exclusive.

The issue of limited specialists is definitely a contributing factor. If you buy a 997 there's probably a specialist in every decent sized UK city. Learning to DIY makes these cars a much better proposition but this again narrows the field of potential owners.

Parts prices and availability is the most painful thing for me. £700 wheel bearings - ridiculous.