Sports Maserati Awards - The results are in......

[cowsurgeon]

Thanks guys - feels like coming home! They got back to me about the radiator today - as Matt says - it's the join where the pipe meets the casing at the top where it's cracked. Their radiator chap is coming to have a look at it today and see if he can mend it. Otheriwse it's a Eurospares job I think, as David Askew hasn't any used radiators on the shelf. Although I did see Dick Lovett mentioned in this thread:

New, the 3200 radiator is £555 inc vat.

I could do a price of £465 inc vat and delivery for members of this forum.

Still not anywhere near the price of a re-core though!

so if they can't solder/weld it, I think I'll be sending a PM!

Hope everyone on here's doing well? My wife reminded me that work wasn't the only reason for my absence on the forum - our wee boy Thomas is now 7 months old too!

 

[Parisien]

Yes Chris....do take Lovetts up on their offer....not entirely sure how long or good a welded mend would last.

Good to see you've a real excuse for not being on the forum!!!!!!!!



P

 

[MAF260]

Hi Chris, welcome back!
Glad to hear the car has been trouble free & that you still have her. Just goes to show that if you buy a well-maintained car with good provenance (from a fastidious, caring owner!!) then it should be relatively trouble free. I still miss her!
Huge congratulations to you and Emma - glad to see she hasn't made you get rid of the Maser for something more 'practical'...

 

[cowsurgeon]

Hi Mark,
Good to hear from you - hope you and your family are well? Have you ended up with that black GS you were on the hunt for? Your car's been fabulous - no big problems at all thankfully (touch wood). I'm sure it has everything to do with the previous owner!!

I did miss out the thermostat, windscreen wiper motor and one shock absorber from my prev. post but these were small things and inexpensive to fix. You can't drive any 10 year old car and expect it not to have anything go wrong at all I would have thought. In fact, apart from the servicing/cam belt which we all know to expect, my biggest outlay has been a new stereo...

The garage has got back to me to say a recore and flange weld will cost me £360 before tax. I rang Alan at Dick Lovett who said he'd honour his prev. offer to forum members (although he said he must have been in a very good mood that day!) and will send me a new rad. for £465 inc.VAT and delivery.

Personally I think the recore chaps were having a bit of a laugh once they'd discovered what make of car the radiator had come off, but I'm glad as it's meant I'm going to go for a new radiator instead of a patched up knackered one.

So, A MASSIVE THANKS TO ALAN AT DICK LOVETT!!!!!!!!

 

[MAF260]

No GS for me sadly. I hunted for such a long time and was met with disappointment every time I viewed a car that was even close to my requirements. In the end I gave up searching in the belief I would go back to looking sometime later when the current cars for sale had been refreshed. In the meantime I bought myself a daily - Alfa GT (black on black!) which burns the Devil's fuel. Never thought I would say it but I absolutely love it and am not looking to change for a while - I am now of the belief that I won't run another Maser as a daily having seen a car manage 500 miles on 50 litres of fuel! It also really shifts when needed and handles like a dream. I'm going to have an extension built on my house next year and then I shall be looking for a new Maserati - a 3200 AC. I can't think of anything else I'd prefer.

Your radiator reconditioners sound like a bunch of jokers - definitely some Maserati tax going on there. For the sake of £33 you get a brand new unit with a warranty - no brainer.
If you're fitting it yourself may I suggest another of your excellent 'how-to' guides.

 

[Andyk]

Hi Mark,
Good to hear from you - hope you and your family are well? Have you ended up with that black GS you were on the hunt for? Your car's been fabulous - no big problems at all thankfully (touch wood). I'm sure it has everything to do with the previous owner!!

I did miss out the thermostat, windscreen wiper motor and one shock absorber from my prev. post but these were small things and inexpensive to fix. You can't drive any 10 year old car and expect it not to have anything go wrong at all I would have thought. In fact, apart from the servicing/cam belt which we all know to expect, my biggest outlay has been a new stereo...

The garage has got back to me to say a recore and flange weld will cost me £360 before tax. I rang Alan at Dick Lovett who said he'd honour his prev. offer to forum members (although he said he must have been in a very good mood that day!) and will send me a new rad. for £465 inc.VAT and delivery.

Personally I think the recore chaps were having a bit of a laugh once they'd discovered what make of car the radiator had come off, but I'm glad as it's meant I'm going to go for a new radiator instead of a patched up knackered one.

So, A MASSIVE THANKS TO ALAN AT DICK LOVETT!!!!!!!!

Thats the 2nd big thumbs up for DL in a month...Always good to hear..............Drove past their new showroom today on the way to Didcot...Very impressive.....Look forward to it opening.

 

[dem maser]

Your getting 40mpg approx mark??!!
Might be my next car when i sell......

 

[markp4200]

Please may I be a killjoy and go back to topic.
I don't know where my head has been buried but have just read the results and heartily congratulate all the deserved winners. It never ceases to amaze me that these forums have such a wealth of devoted people posting for the benefit of everyone else. With dedication and plenty of humour too.
So I add my thanks to you all for making this a great place to be.

I haven't had the chance to read all the comments as there are too many and anyway, at my age my concention tends to ..... you know I still don't rate the Kubang, it's not doing anything for my ....uuum, anyway thanks again chaps and chapesses (is that really correct?)...heavens it's late and well past hot cocoa-time.

 

[Parisien]

Just which topic was that Mark...............?

Theres about 13 alone on this thread...........

The forum is truly only a sum of its members.........involved members, members who go the extra mile, members who keep topics going...both on thread and off!!!!

Plus the guys who've done it all and guide the rest of us relative newbies in the right direction.

Enjoy the cocoa............


P

 

[markp4200]

Parisien,
cocoa was great,
been driven to write about the Kubang now, so have indigestion.

Yup, I'm a newbie alright, but still love the occasional dabble of toes in the SM waters!

 

[conaero]

Chris the recore price is about right I am afraid.

I had the same issue with my 3200 a few years back and the price was much the same. This was from the old boy in a shed who has been reconing rads for £50 for me for decades. This is due to the price of the cores I think you can only get them from one place.

The flange can be braised and strengthened very easy but if DL are offering such a great price for a new one I would bite their hand off.

One thing though if you are planning to keep the car long term, I would still have the top and bottom flanges strengthened, it's such a cheap thing to have done.

 

[cowsurgeon]

Thanks Matt - I think Dick Lovett still have the bite marks! Will look into having the flanges strengthened too...

How long ago did you sell your 3200?

 

[MAF260]

Your getting 40mpg approx mark??!!
Might be my next car when i sell......

Can easily get more than that on a run Dem. I've seen more than 600 from a tank! Purely driving around town I get mid to high 30s which is still very good.

 

[conaero]

Thanks Matt - I think Dick Lovett still have the bite marks! Will look into having the flanges strengthened too...

How long ago did you sell your 3200?

I sold my 32 to Speedy40 just before I bought the GS in Feb 2009.

I have tried to contact Speedy40 since without success, he was an officer in Afghanistan/Iraq, I hope he is all right.