Hi.. Another potential owner

Alexpie

Member
Messages
172
Hi all..
Another potential owner here, read good things about this forum on my search for buying advice etc, so thought I would sign up and speak to some people who really know these cars!
I have been wanting a second car for a while now, as my daily diesel is boring the life out of me, so I have been looking around at potential buys.. originally I was looking at buying a Porsche Cayman S or AM V8 Vantage, and have viewed a few but none have really got me excited.
Searching through what was available in my price range I was surprised to find that a GranTurismo S was in my budget.. or there abouts! Always been a huge fan of these cars, but never did I think I would be in a position to own one!
I found one for sale locally, so thought why not go and take a look and I was blown away..! I don't think I stopped grinning throughout the whole test drive, and for a good while after and came away wanting one badly. I came to the conclusion the one I had viewed and test drove was not the one to be buying really (The bodywork had been modified a bit, and the work wasnt the best - didnt do the car justice.) So I set about looking around for another one.
I have found a few online that look interesting for around the right money(Looking around £35K) so I thought I would come and ask a few questions (Which I am sure you guys have probably answered a bunch of times before, so I apologise if this is the case, just looking to get as educated as I can before buying.)

- The car I viewed had no paperwork other than the owners manuals and MOT.. The owner told me all service history is electronic and I would have to phone the dealer to look at the history - Is this the case with all GT's?

- Is the 4.7 the one to be buying? I have seen a lot of 4.2's for a lot less money.. other than the performance figures is there a vast difference between the two?

- I have read a lot about the cam variators.. How common is this and what is the best way of looking out for it? I read on an article that "A lot" of the earlier cars will have had this done by dealers whilst still in warranty - is this the case?

- I am aware the maintenance on these cars is high, its to be expected of a car of this calibre, but if I was doing say 4000 miles a year of spirited weekend driving, how long should I expect the brakes and tires to last?

- As above, I am aware the maintenance is high on these cars specifically things like brake discs.. I read somewhere online the discs can be purchased direct from brembo for almost half the price as from Maserati.. Anyone know if this is true?

- Other than the specific faults e.g. the variators, I have read these are very reliable and not like their former reputation.. is this true in your experiences?

- Ideally I thought I should buy from a dealer to get a warranty etc.. is that so much of an issue that I shout steer away from a private sale?

- Any other advice you would give when looking for one of these?

Any knowledge and advice you can share would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
 
Messages
6,001
Where about are you?
The reason I ask is it is good to have a knowledgeable local indy dealer with the right equipment or a main dealer specialist nearby.
Although not essential.
Variators as you say are probably the biggest one off expense and so an engine number post 148697 is desirable.
I cannot comment on the GT directly as I own a QP but some one will be along shortly and yes proven history is everything
You can sometimes get deals on Brakes, Discs etc from Euro Parts and this forum generally alerts people to these things.
So really my only advice is look for the trim you like and do it
 

Alexpie

Member
Messages
172
Thanks for the response and the information regarding engine code, that's something else I can add to the list to look out for. I am in Worcestershire, so I believe the closest main dealer is Solihull, unaware of specialists in the area, so if anyone knows a good specialist nearby that would also be great!
 

GeoffCapes

Member
Messages
14,000
The 4.7 is definitely the one to go for. (IMHO), brake discs are expensive, not heard of cheaper Brembo ones.
Do you have a link?

I did about 5,000 miles in mine last year and haven't spent a penny on her.
Although under warranty I had a new clutch and just before the front suspension bushes had just been done. Those two jobs alone came to £5.5k

Get one with a good history and the big works done and you should be fine. What is your budget?
Did you want MC Shift or Auto?

There's loads of good indies not too far from you. Try and keep clear of Main Stealers, I mean dealers. They'll cost you a fortune in labour.
 

dickygrace

www.richardgracecars.co.uk
Messages
7,309
There’s loads to discuss, be aware of, but get a good one and you’ll be fine. The 4.7 is the one to go for and a post 2010 Car should be a late enough engine no. to not have to worry about variators. You would just need to decide whether you want an MC Shift as most on here will suggest, great for a second/weekend car, or a full auto which is what the majority buy, and no clutch costs etc. Brakes are dear, but should do 40k miles or so. Migliore in Bromsgrove have an excellent reputation for servicing and maintenance and aren’t far from you. Oh, and the history is most definitely not ‘online only’. Hope that’s of help.
 

Alexpie

Member
Messages
172
I would much rather go for the 4.7.. I was just wary, as it seems I am at entry point to the market for the 4.7 with a budget of around £35K, but it seems there are cars for sale with good mileage and full dealer history for that money, so thought I would ask the question.
I don't have a link unfortunately.. it was whilst I was searching through google, on a forum that I can't even remember.. Sounds like it may be dud information anyway.

Ok, well that's good to know.. What are the big works you'd recommend I make sure are done? I was looking at the Auto rather than the MC Shift, as I read that these can get through clutches relatively quickly? And as far as I can tell its generally the same other than the MC Shift shifts a bit quicker? I like a quick spirited drive but I am no racing driver so the difference in shift time should be negligible. However I am open to opinions on this, as I have only driven the Auto.

That's good to know.. I will have a look around the web and check out these independents.. Thanks for the info..!
 

Alexpie

Member
Messages
172
There’s loads to discuss, be aware of, but get a good one and you’ll be fine. The 4.7 is the one to go for and a post 2010 Car should be a late enough engine no. to not have to worry about variators. You would just need to decide whether you want an MC Shift as most on here will suggest, great for a second/weekend car, or a full auto which is what the majority buy, and no clutch costs etc. Brakes are dear, but should do 40k miles or so. Migliore in Bromsgrove have an excellent reputation for servicing and maintenance and aren’t far from you. Oh, and the history is most definitely not ‘online only’. Hope that’s of help.

Fantastic, thank you for the response.. I did think the 'electronic only' service history was very odd for a car of that age (It was a 2011).
Oh that's good to know, Bromsgrove is not far from me at all, I will look them up.

I imagine most dealers etc would advertise on Autotrader etc.. but if there is any dealers anyone could recommend that may have cars I wont have seen on the generic buying sites?
 

dickygrace

www.richardgracecars.co.uk
Messages
7,309
I don’t use Autotrader myself very often, Pistonheads is the place to look really. Until the Forum was updated the other day, my website was linked and we sponsor the forum too, but my site is richardgracecars.co.uk
 

Contigo

Sponsor
Messages
18,376
Mine is for sale. It's a 4.7 GTS MC Shift with 56k miles. Recently serviced and recent clutch. Thread is on here.
 

Alexpie

Member
Messages
172
I don’t use Autotrader myself very often, Pistonheads is the place to look really. Until the Forum was updated the other day, my website was linked and we sponsor the forum too, but my site is richardgracecars.co.uk

Thank you, I just had a peruse of your stock.. The Red 2012 Auto you have looks perfect, albeit just over my budget. I will have to see what I can scrape together to see if I could stretch..!

Contigo.. Thank you also, I will have a look through and find the post.
 

Felonious Crud

Administrator
Staff member
Messages
21,011
Mine is for sale. It's a 4.7 GTS MC Shift with 56k miles. Recently serviced and recent clutch. Thread is on here.

Yours is lovely, Phil. I'm amazed it hasn't sold already, but I can't imagine it'll hang around long now it's on Pistonheads.
 

RoaryRati

Member
Messages
1,582
We use an Italian car specialist here in Pershore - NJS. He seems good and has been very helpful when we've had some last minute issues.
 

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,038
Mine is for sale. It's a 4.7 GTS MC Shift with 56k miles. Recently serviced and recent clutch. Thread is on here.

The above is a must see.....if you want a 4.7 it's under your budget and well sorted......
 

Contigo

Sponsor
Messages
18,376
I've just picked it up, washed it, fuelled it ready for the lucky Bride on Sunday, she is a massive petrolhead and cannot wait. Whoever buys it will be getting a really well sorted car for not a lot of money.
 

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,038
If I had the money Phil at that price it would be the only one on the list.
 

iainw

Member
Messages
3,386
Fantastic, thank you for the response.. I did think the 'electronic only' service history was very odd for a car of that age (It was a 2011).
Oh that's good to know, Bromsgrove is not far from me at all, I will look them up.

I imagine most dealers etc would advertise on Autotrader etc.. but if there is any dealers anyone could recommend that may have cars I wont have seen on the generic buying sites?

I would vouch 100% for the MC shift if you want fun, and have another DD. Other tip is - Buy from Richard Grace. Good quality cars, straight talking and fair price. They will come with a FSH and peace of mind. And that goes a long way on one of these...
Or Buy Phil's if you like the colour combo want a well sorted car, well known forum provenance and tastefully modified by a true car lover.
 

Alexpie

Member
Messages
172
So following on from my original post here, at the end of last month I finally bought a GTS MC Shift that I imagine some on here are familiar with, as I bought the car from Ewan after seeing him list the car for sale on here. Thanks again to Ewan for his hospitality and being such a gent, and not being too alarmed when seeing a 28 year old arriving to buy the car !;)

Absolutely loving it so far and have been out driving as much as I can, I don't think I've ever driven a car, let alone owned one that's such an event to drive and given me such a grin.
I look forward to getting a bit more involved on here now! I have taken it to a local breakfast meet at Shelsley Walsh last weekend, and was surprised to be the only Maser there, it seems they are fairly thin on the ground around here! (I am based in Malvern.) I've only seen a white Grancabrio locally on the odd occasion. Hopefully I will be able to make it to some events in the future to meet some of you guys.

Thanks for the advice above, it really helped when looking.
Cheers, Alex.

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