Need Advice..........

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vanjon

New Member
Messages
5
Hello
Am just retired in south west France, looking acquire a fun car to look after and enjoy on the relatively empty roads hereabout. On the face of it the Maserati 3200 seems to fit my requirements, however not having any experience of the marque I would appreciate some pointers from those who know. I looking for a second car for occasion road use plus possibly the occasional track day..........so more TLC than hard work
Any/all advice much appreciated
Regards
Mike Crompton
 
Parisien

Parisien

Moderator
Messages
34,927
Mike...stop....you're making us all miserable over here!!!


;)

Firstly a well sorted 3200 with all the fixes is a great car.....a well looked after 4200 is even better.....:)

Thanks for for joining......enjoy your stay and post lots!


P
 
Parisien

Parisien

Moderator
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34,927
Remind me of the road tax/registration fees you'd have to pay though, to keep a Maserati or either model??!!

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V

vanjon

New Member
Messages
5
Well good point and well made, however I think thats something for the future, my wife and I have just moved to France and at present retain our UK house (just outside Dover) as our primary residence, our house in the Dordogne having been a holiday home. So re-registration is something for the future, today I'm paying UK taxes, HMRC and DVLA.

If i'm after a 3200 (I don't want to spend much more than around £12k on what will be an interest/hobby), what should I look out for?
 
Parisien

Parisien

Moderator
Messages
34,927
12k will get you a fine specimen, well maintained, cared for and give you endless delight.

I will let the 3200 guys go over the finer points and fixes.......what has been your performance car experiences before Maserati?

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V

vanjon

New Member
Messages
5
Okay, understand your question..............I'm not a boy racer nor Stirling Moss! Today our general transport is a two year old Range Rover, I have a frightening Japanese 750cc motorbike (much quicker than I am) and an exhilarating Honda quad bike! My the last thirty years driving experience has been around a selection of BMW and Merc company cars.........not sluggards but also not exactly sexy super cars! Ive owned four sports cars, namely a Lotus Elan, MGB, MR2 and a Honda Prelude
Now I have the feeling that I'm about to be thrown out of this elite club almost before I've arrived!!
 
Parisien

Parisien

Moderator
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34,927
Nnnnnnnnoooooooooooo...we welcome all..........ages, sexes, wealth/or lack of, experience, with or without knowledge or previous history...................all you need is to love the marque.....:)


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Andyk

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,360
A big welcome to the forum Vanjon..........Are you looking for RHD or LHD..........A good place to start is Dicky Grace from on here....He has good understanding of the cars and has many happy customers on here.....Well respected...It's worth phoning hom just for a cat if nothing else...

http://www.richardgracecars.co.uk/
 
davy83

davy83

Member
Messages
2,829
Hi Mike. I also bought my 3200GTA as a second car for fun! its not a hard core track car as the suspension is probably too soft for that, but huge fun just the same. I believe the automatics are slightly easier to drive and don't have the same end float issues that the manual cars have. After 2001 they have ODBII ports so you can read and reset error codes which can make life a lot easier and save visiting specialist garages. they do suffer a little from rust so check rear arches and door bottoms. make sure every thing electrical works as they are very prone to electrical issues. if it does not start and idle smoothly then this can be a problem, especially if the revs rise and fall when in N. Check it has been regularly attended to, if they are ignored the problems tend to pile up minor service annually and timing belt every 3 years. I think the brakes vary a bit between cars but although a little heavy should be smooth and effective. Error lights are not good and need to be fixed. The ball joints only last 30k miles or so, so check for floaty or uncertain steering and find out when the ball joints were last replaced, its not hard work but expensive. Check for leaking shocks too, they can be refurbished but do fail.
 
Paul3200

Paul3200

New Member
Messages
295
Hi Mike

Congratulations on buying the best 3200 - mine ! Glad you came to this forum. The guys and girls will see you through and help you with all you need to know about ownership. As advised they do need TLC but will give you some excitement and street cred. Goodbye SM members and thanks for your help over the past 18 months. Hope one day I can return with a QP Don't let the 4200 boys get to you. We all know they prefer 3200's :)

Regards
Paul
 
philw696

philw696

Member
Messages
25,641
Well Done Mike and you are going to be able to use her on some great roads we are all jealous.
Us 4200 boys are a nice lot realy its just brotherly love.
Enjoy!
Phil.
 
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