Looking at purchasing a 4200 gt coupe - what to look out for?

[EddyH]

Hi all, new to the group and looking for some advice. I'm looking to purchase a 4200 gt coupe manual and got my eyes on one that I'm seeing on Monday. Its in lovely shape, 2004, full service history and 32,000 miles.It had oil and spark service 1000 miles ago. Also a clutch change at 15,000 miles (do you think this means it was ragged in its early life)?! It's on for 15k. What else should I be looking out for? Any help would be much appreciated! Many thanks in advance. Ed

 

[j s pollo]

Heater matrix tell tale sign slimey wet floor mats
front sub frame rotten common fault on maseratis.
another common Maserati eletronics playing up
repairs can be expensive so give it a good check

 

[3hcp]

Presume it’s the black one on AT looks lovely.
as above plus the obvious sticky button issue which is well documented and can be sorted. My manual had a new clutch around 20k miles so it’s not uncommon. I don’t think you’ll find a better smiles per pound vehicle. Most people on here would recommend an inspection or access to the last service details which hopefully will have been done at a reputable dealer or independent

 

[EddyH]

Presume it’s the black one on AT looks lovely.
as above plus the obvious sticky button issue which is well documented and can be sorted. My manual had a new clutch around 20k miles so it’s not uncommon. I don’t think you’ll find a better smiles per pound vehicle. Most people on here would recommend an inspection or access to the last service details which hopefully will have been done at a reputable dealer or independent

Thanks for your response. That's the one! Good to know about the clutch, I thought a new one at 15k miles might be a bit out of the ordinary but perhaps not. Service history from main dealer and specialists apparently. I'm going to try and find an 'inspector' but in Suffolk I think I'll be hard pushed to find one that specialises, or knows much about these.

 

[EddyH]

Heater matrix tell tale sign slimey wet floor mats
front sub frame rotten common fault on maseratis.
another common Maserati eletronics playing up
repairs can be expensive so give it a good check

Many thanks, will be sure to check all of the above out. Much appreciated!

 

[3hcp]

McGrath Maserati in Welwyn is your best bet and there’s a new main dealer in Hatfield, plus Jardine in Colchester.

 

[Andy4200]

My manual had its first clutch at around 50k miles so perhaps this one has been used in traffic quite a bit?

 

[safrane]

As a serial coupe buyer you should be looking at the following;

• Service schedule is every year and every 12k miles this is likely to be a small annual service given its age and value, but that is 'by the book'
• Clutch change at 15k is probably due to it being sold by Maserati as a used car and had to have no more that 40% wear to be sold in the network.
• Rust under rear lights
• Leaking cam covers
• Rattle on start up - poss variaitors so make sure the car is started from standard cold to ensure it is not masked.
• Door locks - these fail and are NLA check the central locking locks and unlocks both doors
• Dodgy window regulator and micro switches - door glass should drop one inch to ensure the door opens or closes without ripping the top of the door seal
• Spigot bearing 'woot' like an owl as it slips when changing gear
• Worn or knocking suspension bushes - 8 wishbones with 3/4 bushes each
• Sticky buttons -it will likely have them and theyare tiring to fix.
• Oil pipe may be corroded and is a bugger to repair, also check the main nut on the pipelining the oil pump
• NIT unit and infotainment unit boots up properly as it also controls the heating and AC
• Windscreen scuttle - history be removed to get to pollution filter so it is often damaged or the filter is missed.
• Wet carpets, either from blocked pollution filter or cracked matrix. The latter is a dash out job
• Damage to rear screen - seals are NLA
• Any damaged trim, again most is NLA

GOOD LUCK

 

[Nibby]

Thanks for your response. That's the one! Good to know about the clutch, I thought a new one at 15k miles might be a bit out of the ordinary but perhaps not. Service history from main dealer and specialists apparently. I'm going to try and find an 'inspector' but in Suffolk I think I'll be hard pushed to find one that specialises, or knows much about these.

All the best on the hunt for the right car.
Whereabouts in Suffolk are you?

 

[EddyH]

McGrath Maserati in Welwyn is your best bet and there’s a new main dealer in Hatfield, plus Jardine in Colchester.

I've heard good things about Jardine and its vaguely close so was thinking of using them. Thank you.

 

[EddyH]

All the best on the hunt for the right car.
Whereabouts in Suffolk are you?

Many thanks I'm near Woodbridge

 

[EddyH]

As a serial coupe buyer you should be looking at the following;

• Service schedule is every year and every 12k miles this is likely to be a small annual service given its age and value, but that is 'by the book'
• Clutch change at 15k is probably due to it being sold by Maserati as a used car and had to have no more that 40% wear to be sold in the network.
• Rust under rear lights
• Leaking cam covers
• Rattle on start up - poss variaitors so make sure the car is started from standard cold to ensure it is not masked.
• Door locks - these fail and are NLA check the central locking locks and unlocks both doors
• Dodgy window regulator and micro switches - door glass should drop one inch to ensure the door opens or closes without ripping the top of the door seal
• Spigot bearing 'woot' like an owl as it slips when changing gear
• Worn or knocking suspension bushes - 8 wishbones with 3/4 bushes each
• Sticky buttons -it will likely have them and theyare tiring to fix.
• Oil pipe may be corroded and is a bugger to repair, also check the main nut on the pipelining the oil pump
• NIT unit and infotainment unit boots up properly as it also controls the heating and AC
• Windscreen scuttle - history be removed to get to pollution filter so it is often damaged or the filter is missed.
• Wet carpets, either from blocked pollution filter or cracked matrix. The latter is a dash out job
• Damage to rear screen - seals are NLA
• Any damaged trim, again most is NLA

GOOD LUCK

Amazing advice, thanks so much for your time writing this. Very interesting about the clutch change. I'll do my best to tick off as many of the above when inspecting. As a bit of a novice when it comes to these cars, feedback/ advice like this and from others really helps so thank you.

 

[Nibby]

Many thanks I'm near Woodbridge

I was at Glenham Hall on Sunday.

 

[mjheathcote]

As a serial coupe buyer you should be looking at the following;

• Service schedule is every year and every 12k miles this is likely to be a small annual service given its age and value, but that is 'by the book'
• Clutch change at 15k is probably due to it being sold by Maserati as a used car and had to have no more that 40% wear to be sold in the network.
• Rust under rear lights
• Leaking cam covers
• Rattle on start up - poss variaitors so make sure the car is started from standard cold to ensure it is not masked.
• Door locks - these fail and are NLA check the central locking locks and unlocks both doors
• Dodgy window regulator and micro switches - door glass should drop one inch to ensure the door opens or closes without ripping the top of the door seal
• Spigot bearing 'woot' like an owl as it slips when changing gear
• Worn or knocking suspension bushes - 8 wishbones with 3/4 bushes each
• Sticky buttons -it will likely have them and theyare tiring to fix.
• Oil pipe may be corroded and is a bugger to repair, also check the main nut on the pipelining the oil pump
• NIT unit and infotainment unit boots up properly as it also controls the heating and AC
• Windscreen scuttle - history be removed to get to pollution filter so it is often damaged or the filter is missed.
• Wet carpets, either from blocked pollution filter or cracked matrix. The latter is a dash out job
• Damage to rear screen - seals are NLA
• Any damaged trim, again most is NLA

GOOD LUCK

That's enough to put anyone off!

 

[EddyH]

I was at Glenham Hall on Sunday.

No way.... as was I.... were you one of the 2 on show? If so Spyder or coupe? It's thanks to having had a look at the 2 there that I've decided I want one!

 

[Nibby]

No way.... as was I.... were you one of the 2 on show? If so Spyder or coupe? It's thanks to having had a look at the 2 there that I've decided I want one!

Lol, yeah that was me in the Spyder.

 

[Nibby]

Perhaps turn up unannounced and hopefully the engine will be cold. Start the car up and listen for any nasty noises, look at the oil pressure gauge and it should maxed out to the right. On the test drive whilst above 2000rpm it should stay maxed out but when the car has warmed up and you get caught in traffic, basically on tick over, the oil pressure should be just over halfway on the gauge(2.5) and return to max once your on the move again as the revs increase. Like most cars make sure the temp gauge is in the 90 area or just under when warmed up. Going on my own car which has done 78k miles the car should drive tight with no clunks or sloppiness. Out on the open road in top gear from 40/50 mph put your foot down and make sure it responds with no clutch slipping.
If you do buy the car and do a bit of diy mechanics, changing the oil isn’t too bad. The oil tank plug and sump plug are easily accessible from the front when jacked up slightly(copper washer needs replacing each time on each plug) and the oil filter is accessible by removing the r/h front wheel and wheel arch liner. Heater matrix I wouldn’t worry too much as half a bottle of K-seal will sort out any drip from this.

 

[EddyH]

Perhaps turn up unannounced and hopefully the engine will be cold. Start the car up and listen for any nasty noises, look at the oil pressure gauge and it should maxed out to the right. On the test drive whilst above 2000rpm it should stay maxed out but when the car has warmed up and you get caught in traffic, basically on tick over, the oil pressure should be just over halfway on the gauge(2.5) and return to max once your on the move again as the revs increase. Like most cars make sure the temp gauge is in the 90 area or just under when warmed up. Going on my own car which has done 78k miles the car should drive tight with no clunks or sloppiness. Out on the open road in top gear from 40/50 mph put your foot down and make sure it responds with no clutch slipping.
If you do buy the car and do a bit of diy mechanics, changing the oil isn’t too bad. The oil tank plug and sump plug are easily accessible from the front when jacked up slightly(copper washer needs replacing each time on each plug) and the oil filter is accessible by removing the r/h front wheel and wheel arch liner. Heater matrix I wouldn’t worry too much as half a bottle of K-seal will sort out any drip from this.

Great to know, a lot to remember when I view/ test drive from all the above advice but all gratefully received! Really interesting about oil change, will certainly give it a go myself. By the way, your Spyder is STUNNING. I've tried to find one on the market in the same colour but to no avail! Many thanks for the advice, hugely appreciated.

 

[Nibby]

Great to know, a lot to remember when I view/ test drive from all the above advice but all gratefully received! Really interesting about oil change, will certainly give it a go myself. By the way, your Spyder is STUNNING. I've tried to find one on the market in the same colour but to no avail! Many thanks for the advice, hugely appreciated.

Thanks Eddy.
Must be a lot to take in, I know I would forget everything when I went to look at a car.
Take your time, it’s a buyers market, it’s the end of Summer so things are in your favour.
Best of luck.

 

[3hcp]

So it’s gone from AT hopefully you bought it, if so you’ll have to put some pictures on here.