Newbie looking at buying a GT

[sofasurfer]

Hi there, I'm Andy from Southampton and I have been looking at buying a GT for some time now. I have my eye on this one

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif..._to_5_years_old&page=3&channel=cars&logcode=p

and am travelling up to Birmingham to look at it tomorrow. There's something about the colour combination that I really like. They are offering it with a 3 month warranty with an option to extend it to a year (at a cost) if required. Is this worth it or can my local Maserati dealership in Lyndhurst offer a warranty? I have that on my current car and for peace of mind, to me it seems worth it. Are there any issues I should be aware of with purchasing a GT? I have read that servicing is about £1K every 12,000 miles. Is this correct? Are there any other expensive extras I should be aware of? I know that tyres and brakes will be pricey but then they are on my current car.

I have a couple of other questions as well. The audio system doesn't come with DAB but can it be added on or is it an aftermarket device like the Pure radio? Also, as the dealer isn't a franchise I would be organising a third party inspection. I have googled a few companies that offer this service but is there a particular one that people would recommend? Spending that much money on a car would mean it has to be pretty perfect for me.

Anyway...slightly excited about a potential purchase and all being well will be owning a GT pretty soon.

Many thanks

Andy

 

[Felonious Crud]

Hallo Andy. You are clearly a wise man, and that car is without doubt in the best colour for a GTS.

Things to look out for:

- Interior trim can be a bit flaky
- Get a clutch reading, or budget £2.5k for a new one. Expect it to last 30-50k miles
- Service costs are reasonably at about £1k every 12k miles, assuming no advisories. A good indie will likely do a better job for half the price in any case
- Brakes are expensive. Not so much the pads but the disks. There are limited aftermarket options (I think one - Formula Dynamics) and even they are te same price but claim better quality
- These cars are huge and not remotely suited to things like car parks, especially tight multi-story ones
- Front parking sensors are essential (in my view)
- Comfort front seats are a nice option but my passenger seat is possessed and seems to make fairly random decisions on where it should be positioned before and after sliding fore and aft
- An indie inspection is well worth it. There's a list of respected garages on here somewhere, and I would suggest one of them rather than the AA or similar
- Not sure about DAB. It doesn't have it and I don't know about after-market options.

I think those are the main points. Let us know how you get on.

 

[StuartW]

Welcome along Andy and that car does look very nice. I see that it is an auto which negates the costly clutch issue and based on the miles it has done, I would think the brakes should be good for a little while yet. It should also still be within the 3 manufacture warranty so anything costly that may come to light should be covered by that. They do go through tyres fairly rapidly though, especially the factory supplied Zeros.
The audio system is not the best and DAB was not available as an option but the Bose upgrade does make a difference so look out for that if possible.

Good luck with your search & keep us posted

 

[Felonious Crud]

I see that it is an auto which negates the costly clutch issue and based on the miles it has done, I would think the brakes should be good for a little while yet. It should also still be within the 3 manufacture warranty so anything costly that may come to light should be covered by that.

Two most excellent points! Andy, disregard my comments re the clutch, and As Stuart says, a manufacturer's warranty is a welcome comfort.

 

[sofasurfer]

Thanks for the advice...will post an update after I have seen the GT.

 

[Felonious Crud]

Looking forward to that. It really is a cracking colour. I'd thought about getting my wheels done black but wasn't sure it would look good. It does.

 

[Fangio63]

Looks lovely ... and quite a nice spec..and in lovely nick.... don't bother upgrading radio - you'll never use it... as it's not the latest 2013MY I think the price is "full"... at that they ought to be throwing in a warranty...

Nice bit of kit though... post your thoughts when you've seen it ..

 

[sofasurfer]

Looks lovely ... and quite a nice spec..and in lovely nick.... don't bother upgrading radio - you'll never use it... as it's not the latest 2013MY I think the price is "full"... at that they ought to be throwing in a warranty...

Nice bit of kit though... post your thoughts when you've seen it ..

Good point about the warranty...I'm seeing the sales manager tomorrow so would want them to throw in a 12 month warranty and budge a bit on price.

 

[hoyin]

Why only a 3 month warranty. Is that when the 3 year warranty expires? It is a 2013 plate isn't it?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Felonious Crud]

Surely a 2013 car should still be under manufacturer's warranty?

 

[sofasurfer]

Should still have some time left on the manufacturer's warranty..it was first registered early 2013. It's definitely a question to ask them tomorrow. I think all their cars come with a 3 month warranty from themselves and hopefully just a bit of confusion from the sales person.

 

[Felonious Crud]

One thing you should look out for, Andy, is falling in love with it and refusing to leave until you've bought it. The most hardened negotiator can be rendered useless when presented with a Maserati.

 

[sofasurfer]

One thing you should look out for, Andy, is falling in love with it and refusing to leave until you've bought it. The most hardened negotiator can be rendered useless when presented with a Maserati.

That really is what I am worried about. I just sit and stare at the Autotrader listing so don't know how I will react once I see it.

 

[Felonious Crud]

You could try negotiating but it might go something like this:

You: I'll give your £3k less than you're asking
Dealer: No
You: OK. I'll take it.

I took a mate with me when I bought mine and expected him to help, but he was also charmed by the siren song of the exhaust and completely beyond useless. Still, I was delighted and still am.

 

[Lozzingers]

It looks like an absolute beaut! I believe you can get a full Maserati extended warranty for an extra 2 years? Maybe worth giving Maserati a call and then negotiating that as usually cars will come with a full years warranty from reputable dealers? 3 months is the legal minimum as far as I am aware? You can still buy the car with your heart as soon as the engine starts (lets face it we've all done that!) at his price if you are happy with it but perhaps start the warranty negotiation prior to purchase?
Enjoy your 'first date' tomorrow

 

[Andyk]

A big warm welcome Andy...That looks a lovely car....Aren't they Mclaren dealers as well......Hope it goes well for you and you will be the proud owner of a Maserati soon..

 

[Andyk]

A big warm welcome Andy...That looks a lovely car....Aren't they Mclaren dealers as well......Hope it goes well for you and you will be the proud owner of a Maserati soon..

 

[D Walker]

Seems to be a parrot round here!

 

[D Walker]

That really is what I am worried about. I just sit and stare at the Autotrader listing so don't know how I will react once I see it.

You my friend are in trouble. I had more or less bought mine before I saw it. In my head anyway.
Good luck - really nice car!!

 

[spkennyuk]

i've done a little digging for you.

The car was registered on the 3rd January 2013 so it should still be covered by the Maserati warranty until 2nd January 2016 I believe it was 3 years on the GT cars. You can extend the warranty with Maserati but you have to do it for 1 or 2 years in the months before the current warranty expires. You cant wait until it expires and then extend it.

Dealer states it comes with a 12 month MOT. So i assume they will MOT it in january 2016 for you when its due its first MOT.

The car has been off the road since April this year. No great shakes but it means its been in stock either at this dealer or another for nearly 4 months. That should give you room to negotiate on the price.

Lovely looking car. Hope you like it in the metal when you see it tomorrow.