£ 10-20k buying advice sought - 3200, 4200 or (sshh) 997

[Buzzfan]

Hi - some naive questions from a sportsmaserati newbie - hi all

Would any experienced members kindly offer me some advice please ? - or point me towards any similar old threads on this forum ?

I'm looking for new car to live on streets & accommodate 2 adults & a dog - I have a town knockabout for London midweek but tend to do 100-300 miles most weekends plus european trips

My budget's c £ 15k +/- a bit, my short list seems to be a 3200, 4200 or one of those pesky german **7 things - looking today on ebay & ph, the 3200's seem to range from £ 9.5k asking to £ 20k on both sites, the 4200's £ 15-25k.

997 gen 1 forum is full of warnings about IMS, bore score etc so that seems a £ 10k lottery - gen 2 cars start at £ 35k which is out of my budget.

Are there any similar potential time bombs on the 3200/4200s, or are they relatively low risk if I buy with a PPI & sound history, usual checks ?

(re other cars, I've ruled out XK/DB7, hot hatches and more mundane M series BM's etc - the non turbo 4200 looks close to my ideal, offering a good-looking GT which, it seems from reviews, can reward when switched to sport mode - I've yet to test drive)

Manual of auto ? Normally I prefer former, for more involvement

The 997 I used one weekend was so d...d good it wasn't as much fun as expected when driven XC at sensible A road speeds - do the 3200/4200 "suffer" in this respect?

Any recommended independent specialists - ideally London/A303/M4 as far as Bristol ?

Cheers

 

[Contigo]

Welcome mate.

3200 buying guide on here is worth a look to advise of all the pitfalls (and benefits) but my advice is drive them both to see which suits you better, some like the brutal torque from the twin turbo's and others prefer the more linear NA power.

 

[conaero]

Welcome, the 3200 collective will shoot me down but the 4200 is your best bet along as its been maintained.

Recent clutch and brakes a must and get the wishbones all checked for cracks.

Tyres and brakes are easy and cheap to replace now.

Your biggest issue is not scuffing up the rear seat with the dog, so a cover a must.

Have you considered a Quattroporte?

All the same fun as the coupe but easier to load and unload the dog.

 

[Contigo]

Yes QP is a good shout, now if only there was a great one know to the forum around your budget?

 

[Andyk]

With a dog the QP makes sense as the 3200 and 4200 would be a pain Getting a dog in and out of the back. The QP is just as much fun as well plus 15kish gets you a good one and maybe a younger car than the other two.

 

[outrun]

I wouldn't buy a 997 in that range unless it's already had an engine rebuild. Statistically, it's likely to need one. Looks like your research is already telling you that.

Oh, and the 996 carrera 4S is better to drive than the base 997 too. It's also going to hold value better.

I'd also suggest the 4200 over the 3200 as a daily. The 3200 requires more TLC which makes it more suitable to be a weekend toy. There are some who do drive them daily but I wouldn't personally.

QP is very nice indeed and drives fantastically well.

 

[dem maser]

Yes QP is a good shout, now if only there was a great one know to the forum around your budget?

I know one for sale......

Welcome, this is the forum to get all your queriers answered and your fears confirmed!!

Good luck with your search but as an old 3200 owner ill obviously fly the flag and say buy one as they are appreciating very fast......dog can run next to you

 

[safrane]

Welcome.

How big is the dog?

My advice, if you have £20k then spend that on the best you can...loads for 15k but the extra five will get you the best rather than a work in progress.

 

[GeoffCapes]

I recently bought a 4200 for your budget, yes, it has done more miles than average, however, it's been looked after very well, and has a wad a receipts to prove it.
A word of caution though, there is a lot of 'well looked after' 4200's which are anything but that. Some of the rubbish I saw was unbelievable.

You'll be very lucky to find a good 4200 at your budget quickly, so I hope you're not in a rush.

Once you have bought one, this site is a brilliant source of information should the odd thing crop up!

 

[Buzzfan]

8 replies in an hour - thanks all

Point taken re dog, but not a 4 door fan, she's small & currently copes well with hopping into the rear f a bmw convertible at moment, with passenger seat slid & tilted forward there's plenty of room. Also as 16 yrs I fear she wont be with me as long as the car.

any thoughts re manual v auto ? and are either cars "too" good to be fun ?

 

[allandwf]

I agree, 4200 if a two door, if it's living on the street. The wee dog should be fine in the boot

 

[highlander]

welcome along to the forum!
as one of "the collective" I will disagree with Matt here and suggest a well maintained 32 or 42 would both serve you well as a weekend toy......the important bit here is "well maintained" though steer clear of cheap versions of either, they will be cheap for a reason! as said before, test drive both and see which floats your boat - power all in one go or steady increase. account for yearly costs in a good one to be 1.5-2k for a 42 and 2-2.5k for a 32. the 32 comes with either a manual or an auto box, the 42 is mostly flappy paddles with a few manuals kicking around. others have commented on the QP as an alternative and given you have a dog and I would say that is something to consider too. they are impressive big machines with more than enough acceleration to keep you happy. which ever way you go, spend £300 or so on an indy inspection......could save you thousands in the deal.
good luck and enjoy, searching is half the fun!

 

[MrCoop]

Yo...not driven the manual but was advised by Richard Grace (you should contact him, he'll guide you to the right motor) that the manual suffered from a very stiff clutch and generally not as nice to drive as the cambiocorsa (flappy paddle). There are purists out there that swear by the manual, that it gives a truer sports car experience. Plus, the manuals are rarer and you won't have to worry as much about the clutch wearing out like it does with the cambiocorsa.

I've got the flappy paddles in my GS and it's a hoot. Once you get used to making the changes (it's quite easy after a while), the changes are lightening quick and saves the clutch too. The cambiocorsa also comes with an auto option, which I've still not used. It's hardly difficult to flick the paddles up or down! It's especially great fun giving it the beans on a twisty country road, and the gearbox responds really well and quickly.

 

[dem maser]

being a London driver id always pick an auto......

 

[jayblue]

The 997 I used one weekend was so d...d good it wasn't as much fun as expected when driven XC at sensible A road speeds - do the 3200/4200 "suffer" in this respect?

One of my favourite things about my GS is that it feel special to drive at any speed. It makes me smile when driving around slowly and makes me laugh out loud when driving it quickly. It is a very capable car when pushing on but unlike so many other fast cars I have driven or owned it doesn't need to be driven hard to make the journey enjoyable.

 

[conaero]

If you are going 4200, that are all Semi auto F1 system called CambioCorsa, with the exception of a few manuals.

No experience of the manuals but the F1 box is the best part of the 4200, so get one of those, just make sure its had a clutch in the last 15k miles.

3200, go for an auto, the manuals have a terrible clutch which in turn leads to crank damage, you really dont want to go there.

 

[Wack61]

It's ok buying a car that needs a bit of work as long as you're aware of what you're getting in to

Any 4200 is over 10 years old so paying top money for one won't be a guarantee of a trouble free life and if there's nothing left in the war chest it could be a bad move.

 

[conaero]

welcome along to the forum!
as one of "the collective" I will disagree with Matt here and suggest a well maintained 32 or 42 would both serve you well as a weekend toy......the important bit here is "well maintained" though steer clear of cheap versions of either, they will be cheap for a reason! as said before, test drive both and see which floats your boat - power all in one go or steady increase. account for yearly costs in a good one to be 1.5-2k for a 42 and 2-2.5k for a 32. the 32 comes with either a manual or an auto box, the 42 is mostly flappy paddles with a few manuals kicking around. others have commented on the QP as an alternative and given you have a dog and I would say that is something to consider too. they are impressive big machines with more than enough acceleration to keep you happy. which ever way you go, spend £300 or so on an indy inspection......could save you thousands in the deal.
good luck and enjoy, searching is half the fun!

How very dare you! but of course you are correct, just finding such car is very difficult and something for the experienced Maserati owner needs to do.

 

[wink]

The 3200 is certainly not too good to be fun . It's FUN writ large. Great weekend car, always entertaining to drive, and mine has converted me to an auto box, which I never thought I'd like so much. Only downside re. European trips is the thirst!

 

[Ian3200]

Buying my 3200 was the best thing I've ever done... had it over 2 years, servicing £300/year, had a couple of jobs done, cambelt, pedal potentiometer, couple of sensors, nothing I'd call major, 56k miles when I bought it, 68k now, best fun, always a thrill to drive... third MOT advisory free this year (except for worn tyres lol)... Maserati Shed very reasonable and very knowledgeable if he's not too busy with other Maseratis... he's popular! Should say, mine is not a minter by any stretch, but it gets noticed, and is worth every penny, especially given I reckon I could sell it now for more than I bought it for!