Potential Newbie

cheburator

Member
Messages
139
Hi,

I have lusted after a Maserati ever since my parents gave me a Matchbox Bora back in the 1980s. For various reasons that ship sailed and anyhow I was too busy playing with Porsches when ropey, but driveable Boras were in the mid 30s. I am still playing with Porsches and BMWs, but the Maserati itch won't go away. I think the Granturismo is probably the best looking and one of the best sounding cars made in the last 25yrs. Having four useable seats is a massive bonus too. The Mrs, who likes them too, wants a degree of practicality, especially since she has allowed me to add a car, rather than swap...

I want a MC shift car. Have had long experience of the ZF6 in a previous X5 4.8iS and while a brilliant box, especially with downshift blips, which Maserati somehow added, I prefer the automated manual.

Going back to adding a car rather than swapping. This has somewhat limited my budget to earlier cars - so £30k tops. Before you scare me - I am not afraid to work on cars well beyond changing wiper blades and bulbs. Quite comfortable rebuilding Porsche and BMW engines and racing them in the CSCC. I have a pretty well equipped double garage with tools well beyond the average enthusiast and last but not least, AV Engineering is about 40mins down the M20...:whistle::whistle:

I would be really grateful to get advice on a couple of things - how bad of an issue are variators on early cars and what is the real life expectancy of a clutch?

Last but not least - how should I go about getting a test drive? I will admit - I have never driven a GTS nor have I even passengered in one. I think I believe Davide Cironi's video, but before I part with my cash, I would actually love to experience the car. Any ideas would be more than welcome.

Alex
 

Sam McGoo

Member
Messages
1,745
Hi,

I have lusted after a Maserati ever since my parents gave me a Matchbox Bora back in the 1980s. For various reasons that ship sailed and anyhow I was too busy playing with Porsches when ropey, but driveable Boras were in the mid 30s. I am still playing with Porsches and BMWs, but the Maserati itch won't go away. I think the Granturismo is probably the best looking and one of the best sounding cars made in the last 25yrs. Having four useable seats is a massive bonus too. The Mrs, who likes them too, wants a degree of practicality, especially since she has allowed me to add a car, rather than swap...

I want a MC shift car. Have had long experience of the ZF6 in a previous X5 4.8iS and while a brilliant box, especially with downshift blips, which Maserati somehow added, I prefer the automated manual.

Going back to adding a car rather than swapping. This has somewhat limited my budget to earlier cars - so £30k tops. Before you scare me - I am not afraid to work on cars well beyond changing wiper blades and bulbs. Quite comfortable rebuilding Porsche and BMW engines and racing them in the CSCC. I have a pretty well equipped double garage with tools well beyond the average enthusiast and last but not least, AV Engineering is about 40mins down the M20...:whistle::whistle:

I would be really grateful to get advice on a couple of things - how bad of an issue are variators on early cars and what is the real life expectancy of a clutch?

Last but not least - how should I go about getting a test drive? I will admit - I have never driven a GTS nor have I even passengered in one. I think I believe Davide Cironi's video, but before I part with my cash, I would actually love to experience the car. Any ideas would be more than welcome.

Alex

Welcome Alex, and good choice! As you say, not any better out there for noise, looks, prestige and 4 usable seats.

I've not been through a clutch myself yet, but the general consensus is between 30-40kmiles obviously depending on your driving and if you spend a lot of time in traffic etc..
Be sure to get a clutch reading carried out prior to purchase as it gives you a rough % reading.

The variators doesn't get spoke about too much anymore, I assume most of the early ones have either been done already or it just hasn't manifested itself on some. I don't believe it's too much of an issue anyway, just a startup rattle, that gets progressively worse, although it is quite costly to sort.
If you wanna be sure not to suffer from it, get a 2010+ car. If it has a passenger airbag that is a small slit in the dash (as opposed to a large rectangular one) it will have the later variators from the factory.

I'd recommend getting an independent pre-purchase inspection carried out by someone that knows these cars in particular.

Common things to look for-

Wear in suspension bushes
Cam cover gasket oil leaks
AC compressor bearings
Corrosion on the sub frames
Parking sensor faults
Abs sensors
Delamination on interior
And the usual tyres/brakes etc...

Your best bet for a test drive during these covid restricted times is definitely at a dealer. Just find one and go and have a look!
After restrictions, I'm sure a member would happily take you for a ride.

Enjoy the search!
 

Ewan

Member
Messages
6,756
You should be able to find a nice 2010 4.7 Gran Turismo S MC-Shift for £30k, as long as you are not overly fussy about colour/spec/mileage.
And such a car is not likely to be particularly financially different to run than an equivalent age/price Porsche, Aston, etc, so don't be worried. But of course, for the sake of £200 or so, it would be worth having a professional pre-purchase inspection.
 

cheburator

Member
Messages
139
Thank you for the kind words, everybody!

From what I am reading so far on here and in subsections of the forum, it almost reads like the issues I am likely to ecounter with my 2003 Imola Red E46 M3 coupe :whistle: Some ot the stuff is serious, but a lot of it is just normal on a 10yrs old performance car. Moreover, I have been a long term 928 GTS Manual owner, so the term potential "electrical issues" does ring a bell. Mechanical/suspension issues don't scare me in terms of labour/skill involved. It's the parts prices, but as we say where I am originally from, you cannot feed hay to a lion...

I would imagine "Launch" software does a decent job of basic diagnostics and fault code reading/delete/adaptations... So next would be to whittle down the several that I have saved in Autotrader and try and drive one. There was an OK looking one in terms of mileage/owners/msh 4.7S MC 2010 on BCA recently, but it struggled to make £22.5k... I think I will follow the advise on here - pay up for a dealer car and AV inspection....
 

cheburator

Member
Messages
139
You should be able to find a nice 2010 4.7 Gran Turismo S MC-Shift for £30k, as long as you are not overly fussy about colour/spec/mileage.
And such a car is not likely to be particularly financially different to run than an equivalent age/price Porsche, Aston, etc, so don't be worried. But of course, for the sake of £200 or so, it would be worth having a professional pre-purchase inspection.

Correct me if I am wrong, but in the Porsche/BMW world, 40k is considered low mileage for a 2010 car. I wouldnt' have an issue with a Maserati with that mileage. Or am I missing something, given that the brand is totally new to me?

The car is being bought to be driven, not as an investment. They are criminally cheap, so yes, maybe it can appreciate substantially, but on the whole I would be happy to get "free motoring" after all costs are accounted for. For the vision and sound alone...
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,746
C50k + miles in a Maserati is considered high, even in my 2006 car!

Daft, but that's the market.
 

philw696

Member
Messages
25,113
Alex,
I personally wouldn't worry to much about the mileage especially if it's been used and looked after.
I have had two Maserati and both had high mileage.
The second one at about 90,000 I bought with a failed oil/water pump unit and the car is still going strong today now in New Zealand.
That car i repaired myself at home.
I have had many Bmw's over the years too doing lots of miles.
Maintenance is key on any car.
As others have said a good inspection is a must.
Good Luck,
Phil.
 

Zep

Moderator
Messages
9,110
Our friend in the Maserati factory told me about a QP that had visited from Eastern Europe with 400,000 Kms on it. Not even had the heads off apparently.
 
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Wattie

Member
Messages
8,640
Great choice of car and your mechanical kills will minimise the running risk.
Hope you find a suitable one soon.......gotta be one for sale nearby you can have a drive in.
 

rs48635

Member
Messages
3,181
go and kiss a few frogs - the car seen for real will show if it has been cared for. Photos make even my car look decent and nobody in their right mind would buy it!
Friend locally bought MC shift for low 20's and sold it after a year to get Alfa 4c :cool: I would have bought if but having a QP + GT would be too samey.
 

alfatwo

Member
Messages
5,517
go and kiss a few frogs - the car seen for real will show if it has been cared for. Photos make even my car look decent and nobody in their right mind would buy it!
Friend locally bought MC shift for low 20's and sold it after a year to get Alfa 4c :cool: I would have bought if but having a QP + GT would be too samey.
I'd still have an nice late QP all day long compered to a Alfa 4C..as there rubbish to drive even with the front suspension mods
Hence why there's so many for sale with so little miles!

Dave
 

MangustaPortals

Junior Member
Messages
27
Good luck! Service history is key - go and get a feel for the car - you will soon tell if it has been looked after - especially after a PPI.
 

cheburator

Member
Messages
139
The hunt is still on. Two forum members have messaged me - thank you. I haven't forgotten you, but was waiting for the planets to align. Now that has happened, I really want to get moving. At present, I am sorely tempted by these two...

In the red corner - The Lincolnshire Stradale... Almost double the budget and "high miles", but it's a Stradale and a four seater, which would actually would fit its purpose perfectly.

In the blue corner - A London early MC Shift... Half the mileage, bang on initial budget. I am also a sucker for tan interiors.
- https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-de...&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=email_a_friend

The Stradale - I like the idea of it being a bit of thug in a Brioni, but you lot managed to sow the seed of doubt with regards to its "high mileage" and knock on effect if I ever come to move it on. Ceramics also scare me. The MC Shift - early car, so possible variator issues, and may still be on its original clutch, and also - part service history... Hmmm... Is the Stradale so much better to command almost 2x the price at 2x the mileage? I know they were very rare, but essentially it's the same car underneath - unlike like my GT3 and a boggo 911, where the only common things are the bodyshell... Part of me ( a big one) really wants the Race mode, the noise, the CF bonnet, and yet another says - buy the one owner, low mileage car and pocket some of the difference for 95% of the experience...

Any advise?
 

tokyomb

Member
Messages
263
As a Stradale owner I would struggle to advise in an unbiased manner - Race mode really does add to the experience!

I bought a "higher mileage" (30k in three years) Strad three years ago and have added another 10k since. Still on original clutch. No intention of moving it on any time soon, so haven't really worried about the 50k miles hurdle - which appears to be a UK peculiarity.
 

zagatoes30

Member
Messages
20,758
If double mileage is circa 50k and assuming your not going to hammer miles on it overtime it shouldn't be a major issue. As time goes by Stradales will depreciate slower due to the rarity and as long as you keep up the maintenance future sale will be more on condition than miles.

Advice from my Dad, so many years ago, was regret what you did never what you didn't. If you can afford it take the Stradale enjoy the fact that you have reached for the sky not stayed with your feet on the ground looking up at those that choose the other route.