North Zummerset Newbie

Andy4200

Member
Messages
143
Hi, just joined yesterday so thought I should introduce myself. I'm Andy and although I don't yet have a Maserati yet I'm not new to Italian cars and their 'character'
I've run Alfa's as my daily car for the last 16 years. GTV TS - 156 V6 - GT JtD - Giulietta, 170 in that order I think.

I also have a 1987 Lotus Excel as my fun car, which I've gradually restored and upgraded (Just shy 200bhp engine, computer controlled ignition, retrofitted aircon etc)

Anyway I'm possibly going to be looking for a 4200 manual and have been doing my homework, hence joining the forum before getting a car.
My local specialist is Duncan Slade of Alfanet and having spoken to him he put the fear into me of how much these cars cost to run, despite the car likely to only be doing around 3k miles a year.
I would be looking at doing a lot of any work required myself to help keep costs down but from looking on this site it would appear the main things to look out for are:

Clutch (possibly more so on Cambiocorsa - can you get an idea of clutch wear on a manual as you can on the auto?)
Suspension (The price of arms is astronomical. This seems a real cost issue with these cars)
Heater matrix (Not a particular worry as the Alfa equivalent part is cheap and I would do the work)

Those certainly seem to be the main problems that crop up on the forum.
I haven't even been in one yet but I'm fairly confident I would like it!

Anyhow, that's me. I'll keep my eyes and ears open for more technical fixes etc and if anyone knows of a manual 4200 that may be coming up for sale I could be interested. Although I need to sell my Lotus first to raise funds so I'm in no rush and realistically it would be next year I would be seriously looking.
Cheers all,
Andy.
 

Hawk13

Member
Messages
1,471
Why would you pay any attention as to what an Alfa specialist has to say about Maserati? I too can make disparaging comments about Alfa!

Any car can be expensive to run / maintain and Maserati is not an exception .... but many on here will also attest to the fact that they use / have used their cars as a daily driver with no reliability issues.

As always ... buy the best you can afford and ask for advice on here/
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,747
Welcome... and I assume that it North Somerset?

Duncan does know the 4200 well and has looked after three for me, but only minor works.

You are right to be alert to the cost of parts... too many can afford the car but not the maintenance.

Only the CC can have the clutches measured, but you can visually check the manual via the slot in the bell housing.

Hope to see you about.
 

Andy4200

Member
Messages
143
Hi, Yes North Somerset, Congresbury to be precise. Are you nearby?

As you say, Duncan does know the 4200 well. I think he is just trying to warn me of the pitfalls.
I think this forum is the only way I'll be able to keep a 4200, the alternative parts list is brilliant.

Interesting that there is an inspection slot in the bellhousing, thanks for that.
 

FIFTY

Member
Messages
3,100
I have a manual 4200, i bought a tired example with the intention to do a rolling restoration while doing performance modifications along the way.

I got it in 2016 and am not far off spending the value of the purchase price on it. Admittedly I have made some mistakes along the way which cost a few £k - with the knowledge I have now i could have avoided (hindsight is a b*tch) but apparently it is part of the fun

I have documented my experiences on this thread https://www.sportsmaserati.com/index.php?threads/fiftys-manual-4200-build.28073/

If you buy a good one with all of the maintenance hurdles dealt with then it will not cost a huge amount. Specialist minor and major services are a bit more than a "normal car" but that is something that you need to accept
 

Andy4200

Member
Messages
143
Thanks for the link, I'll have a look at that.

Yes buying a 'good' one also worries me. Checking things like ball joints for wear is tricky on a prospective purchase. I guess if it has a recent MOT then that should have highlighted any wear problems.
Unless there is a recent bill for a clutch then, again, tricky to check. A full check on a ramp ,pre-purchase, is the best bet I guess.
 

philw696

Member
Messages
25,114
Welcome along.
I lived in Yatton with my first 4200 at Top Score moving to Weston super Mare in 2011 and been around the World since now in France.
I know Duncan looked after Paul Hanmores for many years the man responsible for Bristol Auto Italia.
Good Luck in your search.
 

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,038
A big warm welcome....A Maserati will never be cheap to run and this probably mostly down to parts prices......but buy the best you can and get an inspection and you will be smiling...A lemon with have you not returning to the marque though.
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,747
Hi, Yes North Somerset, Congresbury to be precise. Are you nearby?

As you say, Duncan does know the 4200 well. I think he is just trying to warn me of the pitfalls.
I think this forum is the only way I'll be able to keep a 4200, the alternative parts list is brilliant.

Interesting that there is an inspection slot in the bellhousing, thanks for that.
Was North Bristol for a number of years, but now in the Cotswolds.

Duncan used to work with AlfaNet and prep thier Maserati before they folded.
 
Messages
1,687
Big welcome Andy.
Kudos points to you already!
You're one of the few people I've seen join recently, who bother to search the forums before asking questions.
Asking questions is good. However, when the questions are about the most common faults / myths / comparisons etc and are asked and answered on average once a week, I hang back to see who'll count to ten and then respond.
When I read, "..from looking on this site.." in your introduction, I thought, hello, this guy sounds pretty switched on.
Anyhoodles. Enjoy the forum. Ask lots of questions. Voice lots of opinions and never hang back with what you believe.
Along with parts prices, I would venture that labour costs are the other big ticket item. So, if you can wield your own spanners, you ought to save a fortune ;)
 

2b1ask1

Special case
Messages
20,220
Hi and welcome; there are a lot of bar stool pundits happy to tell you Maseratis are unreliable and eye warteringly expensive to run and repair. Indeed our very own Urby and Peter (Safrane) would shuffle their feet awkwardly if they ever did a cost per mile of ownership as their cars only mileage is to and from the MOT shop. If you actually get out there and enjoy them and put real miles on them they actually are extremely reliable and in fact improve the more you spank them about! I’m 10 years in, I did 47,000 miles in the last one and already 15,000 in this one. As to date I have done all my own spannering it has cost me very little and given immense pleasure.

Duncan did me a solid favour on a 156 a few years ago and I have great respect for him.
 

Andy4200

Member
Messages
143
Duncan's a great bloke but I think working on so many different cars has drained his enthusiasm for them.
 

FIFTY

Member
Messages
3,100
Thanks for the link, I'll have a look at that.

Yes buying a 'good' one also worries me. Checking things like ball joints for wear is tricky on a prospective purchase. I guess if it has a recent MOT then that should have highlighted any wear problems.
Unless there is a recent bill for a clutch then, again, tricky to check. A full check on a ramp ,pre-purchase, is the best bet I guess.

You can inspect the clutch plates through the hole in the bell housing but it is more of a glimpse as it's a triple plate clutch

In the manual the clutch has the potential to last 100k+ miles what will give up sooner is the thrust bearing can dry and sieze... Also the spigot bearing can start making loud honking noises when you pull away which is a little embarrassing but easy to spot on a test drive

Suspension is more reliable than your initial research may suggest. The 3200/4200/GS/Spyder all have the same wishbones however they were made stronger after the 3200. They are expensive parts though and some of them are currently out of stock at the factory but as there are over 10,000 cars globally that need these wishbones I am pretty confident they will order more or EuroSpares will do a complete pattern set.

Heater matrix is an expensive job as the entire dash needs to come out to change a £50 part but it is the same on a lot of cars (alfas, land rovers). Circa 12-14 hours labour - DIYable if you have the confidence and space. You should be able to check easily if it is leaking before you buy the car

Cam cover gaskets tend to fail every 20-30k due to the heat in the engine bay, 6 hours labour. Very DIYable but fiddly.

Welcome to the forum btw