Buying 3200GT AC advice

[allandwf]

If anyone could advise on the below I would be extremely happy, unfortunately the previous owner had changed the exhaust back boxes and I was thinking about buying the originals, in order to have the car sound as it should and have everything on order. However, I was very disappointed to learn that the pair costs 3k Euros, while some very good branded aftermarket cost perhaps the half of it.

On the one hand we have the Tubi exhaust system at 2k Euro and on the other hand we have Larini at 1,5k pounds.

My major hesitation, apart from the fact that I am altering the original sound, is that I don't want the car to become extremely loud and lose its "class", has anyone here ever had any of those two fitted or heard them on the street to comment?

Thank you

I have Larinis, makes it sound wonderful.

 

[allandwf]

 

[Potakas]

So, today I heard back from the Maserati dealership, I got the offer which I authorised and the total is 8,1k Euro, that includes the new tyres (890Euro) and everything except the back boxes and the wishbones. There are so many parts and honestly I don't know all of their names in English. There is no engine rebuild to be done and not any damages that have to be repaired, all of this cost has to do with replacement parts and labour.

The car should be ready by the end of next week or beginning of the following and I will update you. Worth mentioning that most of the prices of the parts that I checked with online retailers, was not cheaper from the official quote, if it was, it was for less than 5%.

 

[Danny]

I have had both the Tubi (on my previous 3200) and the Larini (on my current AC) and I would definitely go for Tubi if I were to choose from scratch. The Tubi sounds nice and rich and is far from too loud. The Larini sounds a tiny bit louder (and also VERY nice) but it produces a drone at around 80 km/h. Not a big deal but I never had any droning issues with the Tubi exhaust

 

[Potakas]

The first round of repairs completed today and we managed to go through the mandatory MTO certification.

 

[Potakas]

So guys,

I visited the dealership today and they have already received the parts from Italy and they've started working on the car. Expected to be ready on Thursday, fingers crossed we will not discover anything else being wrong.

Attached some photos, just check the filters...

 

[Oneball]

Your enginebay looks very smart. With the weather over here a lot of our have peeling paint and rusty pipes.

 

[Potakas]

Your enginebay looks very smart. With the weather over here a lot of our have peeling paint and rusty pipes.

In general it looks ok, much better than I was expecting initially (before buying it). There is only rust at the bottom parts (mainly screws and the bushes of the cooling fans) and the mechanics suggested that this is because of the car initially being in Germany (salt, weather etc.)

 

[urquattrogus]

Very clean looking engine bay!

The only thing you can see of any immediate note is the coolant rust also which must have sat still for a while, a bit of a flush out, new hoses, fresh coolant etc and it looks great.

Congratulations on a classy choice; that picture of the rear boomerangs makes me miss mine!

 

[Potakas]

Ok, that was unexpected, there are no wipers available at Maserati, do you know where I can buy something that will look like the original ones?

 

[Zep]

I don’t think that they are anything particularly special?

You can just change the blade in the old style sprung wipers, which would mean that they are exactly like the originals.

 

[Oneball]

Ok, that was unexpected, there are no wipers available at Maserati, do you know where I can buy something that will look like the original ones?

I’m pretty sure an off the shelf Bosch one fits. Unless LHD ones are different

 

[Danny]

I use Bosch Aerotwin flatblades for my LHD 3200, they perform MUCH better than the original design wipers. You will need 560 mm and 540 mm (or 2x 540 mm will also do).

 

[Potakas]

My Issue is that I want to keep the wind deflector on and the dealership believes that if we try to separate it and use it again, most probably it will crack/break because it has become very hard from the sun exposure. Also, I like the idea of keeping it as original as possible and although it is a small bit, it reflects immediately on the car's appearance.

Do you think that it is doable and they just overacting by being afraid that they will not be able to find for me an original item to replace it?

 

[Oneball]

You can just change the rubber bit.

 

[Potakas]

You can just change the rubber bit. View attachment 114778

That is what I did eventually and it did work out..

The car is ready from mechanical perspective. I still haven't decide about the exhaust system that I will use.. Either way I will wait a couple of months and save some money in case something unexpected occurs.

Tomorrow they will do the deep/bio interior cleaning, moistening the leathers etc. and on the afternoon I will pick it up.

Today I visited them and the chief mechanic drove my car, while I was a passenger and explained to me, its behaviour and how I should drive it in general, what I should take care etc. then he pulled over and it was my first time driving it... I am sure all of you have felt that way and boy, was I excited? This is a beast and the sound of it, amazing.... So so happy that I bought it, it is amazing.

Some more photos from today. I also asked them take away the badges that were not supposed to be on the car, like the v8 and the Pinifarina Trident from the pilar.

 

[Potakas]

Hello everyone,

Today I picked it up and the people at the dealership do really know how to make you feel special, they gifted me a 3200gt pin, an emergency kit of the 3200gt (the last they had and not available from Maserati anymore) as well with the book of the Parts Catalogue for the 3200, coupe etc.

The chief mechanic commented that these were waiting for you so many years and they are happy that they will be gifted to such a passionate owner, super nice touch.

On the low side, once I arrived at my home, I left the radio on for 3-4 minutes and the battery died, so I had to call the assistance and Mrs. didn't seem impressed at all , so tomorrow I will go and replace it. I called them and they admitted that they didn't check it because it seemed ok and they didn't have any problems with it during the two weeks they kept the car there. That's better to be honest because at least I will not have to pay premium on that.

What did disappointed me though is that the temp exceeded the 90 degrees and then the car couldn't bring it down to 90, it didn't go much higher, I suspect 95-100 max and I was driving it for more than an hour, admittedly on Athens traffic (almost all this hour and a half I was with first gear or stopped) with 33 degrees temp. Called the mechanic to discuss it and indeed (because I was there on the test runs) the cooling system was working fine.

To make things worst, I also have a check engine bulb ON now... OK I expect these things to happen and many faults to appear since the car if you remember was abandoned for years, the dealership doesn't have an approach in which they will change everything without a reasonable fault. So, I expect these things to keep coming, I just want to avoid spending all my time (and money) with them...

 

[allandwf]

Excellent that she is back on the road. The car will be OBDII compliant, so any generic engine code reader will help you, I keep one in the car lol. The socket is below the steering wheel facing you. You should be able to 4ead and hopefully clear engine codes, and that light, with it.

 

[Oneball]

Welcome to Italian car ownership, the light might not be on tomorrow.

I wouldn’t be too worried about the temp if you were just sitting in traffic for an hour.

Like Allan said I used to keep one of these in mine. €20 we’ll spent.

 

[Potakas]

Thank you, can you please tell me which brand is good? I have no clue and I will be driven from price, just something that is proven compatible / trustworthy.