I think the issue is one of perception Andy. OK it's a pita if you have throttle problems on a 3200 or CC problems on a 4200, and Heaven forbid that the the dreaded endfloat gets you on the former. However, if you look at any marque on the Honest John reviews you will see a catalogue of problems on current models let alone older ones, and that includes 'quality' manufacturers such as BMW, Mercedes, and Volvo.
Undoubtedly some of the HJ reports are overplayed, but even allowing for that just consider the number of recalls by Toyota, VW, et al for serious issues in recent years. A neighbour who coveted my 3200 required a replacement gearbox on his 6 month old Mazda, and even then he said it didn't feel right, and that was on a new car that cost him nearly £20k!
The cost of parts on Maseratis frightens folk for good reason, but in the reliability stakes are they really so bad? I think not, and the increasing numbers of high mileage cars tends to support that view.
PH