Hi All. My name is Matt and I am new to the forum. I have a few questions relating to the GT (or GC), but first a little introduction.
I currently have a 2014 BMW M5; I have this car until early 2017, at which point i will have had it for 3 years and the lease is up. I have been considering which car to replace it with for some time, and have compiled a long list of possibilities including an M6, RS7/6, AMG C63s, 991, Evora 400, DB9, GranTurismo and others.
I decided I wanted a car that was a bit more special to be in than the M5; more of an event.... this pushed the Evora 400, DB9, GT and possibly 991 up the list. I also needed a 2+2 as we were planning on starting a family soon which is why I ruled out 2 seaters (although we do have another family sized car).
I recently drove the Evora 400 and was sold on it. It looks great, sounds amazing, handles excellently and provides a supercar-like experience in terms of looks, sound, seating position, view out of rear view and side mirrors etc. The plan was..... I could get a rear facing child seat for a baby in the front and squeeze the wife into the back for relatively short journeys until the baby was old enough to face forwards and go in the back. Sorted.... or so I thought.
We had our 12 week scan on Friday.... and we are having twins! Well obviously the most important consideration here is the implication on the choice of car
So, my Evora 400 plan has gone out the window and the GranTurismo becomes the most "sensible" choice. I love the GT (although haven't driven it yet) and I am very grateful that a car this special and with the capability to fit two baby seat in the back exists.
So I am trying to do some more research about the GT. I have a budget of around £50k (reduced from the £65k for the Evora 400 to allow for the doubling of baby costs and the higher running costs of the Masa). I will be using it as a daily driver and doing around 10k-12k miles per year. From what I have read, I am leaning towards the full Auto 4.7 rather than the MC shift, mainly to avoid the clutch replacement, however as i said, i haven't driven them yet.
So..... the questions....
- Is there a substantial difference in sound between the auto and MC shift? I know the MC has the valves open all the time in sport and the auto opens at 3k rpm, but how different are they when actually driving?
- I am getting a little confused between MC sport and MC shift and Auto; the gearboxes, when they were introduced and how to tell them apart. At first it seemed that auto had 4 exhaust tips and MC shift had 2.... but i have seen some listed as auto with 2 tips.
- How does the fuel economy on the auto vs MC shift compare? Harry Metcalfe suggested in his video that the MC shift is considerably worse.
- Are there any good independent Maserati specialists (service centres or dealers) in/near Berkshire?
- Anyone up to speed on baby seats in the GT? More specifically which isofix bases will fit in the GT for the Maxi Cosi Pebble Plus car seat?
I am sure other questions will arise, but this will do for now!
Thanks in advance.
I currently have a 2014 BMW M5; I have this car until early 2017, at which point i will have had it for 3 years and the lease is up. I have been considering which car to replace it with for some time, and have compiled a long list of possibilities including an M6, RS7/6, AMG C63s, 991, Evora 400, DB9, GranTurismo and others.
I decided I wanted a car that was a bit more special to be in than the M5; more of an event.... this pushed the Evora 400, DB9, GT and possibly 991 up the list. I also needed a 2+2 as we were planning on starting a family soon which is why I ruled out 2 seaters (although we do have another family sized car).
I recently drove the Evora 400 and was sold on it. It looks great, sounds amazing, handles excellently and provides a supercar-like experience in terms of looks, sound, seating position, view out of rear view and side mirrors etc. The plan was..... I could get a rear facing child seat for a baby in the front and squeeze the wife into the back for relatively short journeys until the baby was old enough to face forwards and go in the back. Sorted.... or so I thought.
We had our 12 week scan on Friday.... and we are having twins! Well obviously the most important consideration here is the implication on the choice of car
So, my Evora 400 plan has gone out the window and the GranTurismo becomes the most "sensible" choice. I love the GT (although haven't driven it yet) and I am very grateful that a car this special and with the capability to fit two baby seat in the back exists.
So I am trying to do some more research about the GT. I have a budget of around £50k (reduced from the £65k for the Evora 400 to allow for the doubling of baby costs and the higher running costs of the Masa). I will be using it as a daily driver and doing around 10k-12k miles per year. From what I have read, I am leaning towards the full Auto 4.7 rather than the MC shift, mainly to avoid the clutch replacement, however as i said, i haven't driven them yet.
So..... the questions....
- Is there a substantial difference in sound between the auto and MC shift? I know the MC has the valves open all the time in sport and the auto opens at 3k rpm, but how different are they when actually driving?
- I am getting a little confused between MC sport and MC shift and Auto; the gearboxes, when they were introduced and how to tell them apart. At first it seemed that auto had 4 exhaust tips and MC shift had 2.... but i have seen some listed as auto with 2 tips.
- How does the fuel economy on the auto vs MC shift compare? Harry Metcalfe suggested in his video that the MC shift is considerably worse.
- Are there any good independent Maserati specialists (service centres or dealers) in/near Berkshire?
- Anyone up to speed on baby seats in the GT? More specifically which isofix bases will fit in the GT for the Maxi Cosi Pebble Plus car seat?
I am sure other questions will arise, but this will do for now!
Thanks in advance.