Maserati 3200 GT buying guide.

Contigo

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Introduced in 1998 under Ferrari ownership of the Trident brand, the 3200 GT comes with a twin-turbo 3.2-litre V8 engine putting out 370bhp. It was enough for 174mph flat out and 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds for the six-speed manual version that cost from £60,575. Launched alongside the manual was a four-speed automatic version called, appropriately, the Automatica with a four-speed self-shifter for 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds and 168mph top-end. The 3200GT can lap Ferrari's Fiorano test track quicker than a 550 Maranello. Both the manual and auomatic boxes are reliable and there is no cause for concern. Bear in mind that clutches for manual cars are no longer made by Sachs but there are pattern parts available from Eurospares.

The 2001 model year car saw a number of detailed changes aiming at making it easier to drive. This 3200 GT boasted a massively improved steering system, with a re-geared rack to combat the nervousness of the earlier cars with just the right amount of heft and feel. The engine management system was also radically overhauled.

The Assetto Corsa model was limited to a production run of 250, with 75 destined for the UK. It enjoyed lower, firmer suspension with intelligent electronic damping, plus various other tweaks to make it the best 3200 GT from a keen driver's perspective. The V8 engine remained unchanged for the Assetto Corsa, which means identical performance figures for the manuals that came to the UK, plus the automatic gearbox-equipped models sold elsewhere in the world. Production of the 3200 GT, with its distinctive 'boomerang' rear lights, ended in 2002, Maserati has sold a total of 4,795 GTs of all types worldwide.

There was talk of the cars performance figures being very much "played down" at the time simply because Ferrari didn't want to upset any of their owners. Here's the graph from my first manual 3200 when it was put on the dyno.

Very impressive bhp and the torque is spot on at around 360 lb/ft. There was also talk that the 3200 cam timing was way out from factory and once the cam timing is sorted (shims!) then the car can produce an even better looking graph, I've heard of cars with 420hp in standard tune once the cam timing is correct.

Dyno.jpg

Common Issues.

The 3200 was the first trident to use a modern Drive By Wire throttle system manufactured by Magnetti Marelli and at times it is like a hair trigger. A down side of this new fangled tech is that the Throttle Bodies use a carbon track as part of the mechanism to open and close the butterfly in relation to the input voltage of the potentiometer at the accelerator end of the throttle circuit, the aforementioned carbon tracks wear which in turn causes nothing but headaches in the form of Check Engine lights and limp modes. To replace the throttle body with an OEM Maserati part you are looking at £1800 plus VAT. The good news is that there are people out there who rebuild throttle bodies with a new improved Contact-less variant which does away with the Carbon Track and uses Magnets to determine the throttle butterfly opening and closing. These can be had for £399 from the Maserati shed (see forum sponsors for more details). Give the car a long test drive and try to hit redline in a few of the gears, all the time checking for any warning messages on the instrument binnacle.

There are 1001 other things which can throw a Check Engine Light (CEL) including Brake Pedal switch, 02 (Lambda) sensors, Speed sensor, knock sensor, Crank sensor etc so the main thing to check for when buying is that the lights all come on when in the MAR position and then go off once the self check has finished. Any LED's not lit should be cause for concern as someone in the past may have removed a bulb in order to mask an issue.

The only major reported faults with the engine itself, rather than the ancillaries, is the pull clutch causes slop in the end float bearing. This allows the crankshaft to move back and forth and damage the engine. It's a problem that seems to affect earlier cars with manual gearboxes more than other 3200 GT versions, but there are instances of this happening to cars with automatic 'boxes too. Check all invoices to see if there has been a bottom end rebuild and that the thrust washers have been replaced at some point in the past or better still have "end float" measured at a specialist if you have any concerns. Make sure the car has been run on Selenia Racing 10w60 (some dealers use Shell Helix) as this is the oil which Maserati specced for the engine. The cars have quite a thirst (not unusual for Turboblowers) for oil so factor about 1 litre per 1000 miles. You can buy Selenia over the counter at most Alfa/Fiat Dealers in 2 litre and 5 litre cans and it is well worth having stock in the garage. Factor 7 litres for an oil change.

Starter motors based on their location in the Vee of the engine become worn due to heat sink or leaks from coolant pipes. Look for slow starting when the car is fully warmed up or the ambient temperature is chilly. A new starter motor is around £150 from Maserati or you can use a Valeo part which can be modified to fit for significantly less.

While poking underneath the GT, also check the condition of the exhaust back boxes as they tend to rust through in a couple of years, so any car with a stainless steel exhaust from a reputable supplier such as Tubi, Larini or Bill McGrath is worth having.

In terms of body they are very good, a few areas to check are around the rear arches, the underside lip of the bonnet where water can sit causing rust , corrosion around the bottom of the rear lights where the boomerangs meet the metal on the boot and where the rear bumper rubs against the body.


There has been an ongoing saga with wishbones affecting the whole range of the coupé (3200, 4200 and GranSport). Double wishbones are used front and rear with Bilstein shock absorbers, coil springs and an anti-roll bar. We have seen a multitude of wishbones cracking along a forge line with one car actually failing thankfully at a low speed. Owners have reported these issues to VOSA/DVSA and we are awaiting a final report. The costs of each arm is around £800 so to replace all 8 of them would be an eye watering amount. At the moment the affected arms are the front lowers although there have been a few reports of the upper rear arms showing the same fracture.

The front lower ball joints are also a weak spot here and need replacing around the 20,000-mile mark. It's an easy problem to solve, but it's a costly one as the ball joints are integral with the lower aluminium wishbone, so it's £800 per side to sort and should be done in pairs.

Once again it is well worth getting an inspection done of all these items listed at a specialist like Emblem who will give you the green light on whether to buy the car or not or run for the hills. In my opinion it is £200-300 well spent as these cars can be hiding big bills indeed! Buying a cheap one at say £8k could result in you spending the same amount again to get it up to scratch.

Don't worry about Brakes as the wonderful forum member MAF has arranged a group buy for a full set of discs for not much more that £200. We always recommend EBC Red or Yellow stuff for pads especially if the cars are ever going to be driven on track.

Also check for

ASR to flash on the test drive. If you drive the car at speed into a corner or accelerate hard you should see the ASR light flicker and this at least confirms that the Bosch ABS/ASR module is working correctly.

Check steering wheel leather for any signs of lifting.

Check all LED lights in the boomerangs as they can blow and are not cheap to replace.

Check electrical/switchgear items such as the aircon, boot solenoid and petrol cap release.

Uneven tyre wear on the inner part as this indicates that the alignment needs doing. The only way to do this is with the old fashioned "shimming" method and it takes some time to set-up. Factor £250 for a proper alignment with a specialist who uses a Hunter machine.

Check for any play in the steering and also check using the VIN number and a call to Maserati UK that the steering rack recall has been done.

Check all the trim internally including all bulbs and decent radio reception from the Becker head unit.

Make sure the car comes with all the keys, two black and one red Master key. It used to be a nightmare if you lost the red key but you can have another one supplied from Italy but a lot of buyers will run if there is no red key so double check. Meridien Modena have been know to keep some of these keys in their safes/archives so call them up to check if the car you are viewing has been said to never have come supplied with a red key.

Cambelts need to be done every 3 years/30k miles and the Camchain will need doing at 67,500 miles as recommended by Maserati. A lot of cars out there will not have been done and many owners will not have them done based on cost alone. Some of the specialists state that when they are worn you will know because they can be heard over any engine noise. Factor £2k to have the job done at an indie.

Check the Air Conditioning works efficiently as the condenser and dryer can fail. Any issues with the Air con system and internal sensors will result in a "E" displayed where the outside temperature is displayed during ignition self check (See Workshop manual for more info on codes)

Most importantly if it drives well then enjoy it! Since my own car has been used as an everyday car it has become so much more reliable and rewarding. Yes you may get the odd warning light or drop in oil pressure as the gauges/senders are very flaky but as long as it goes and pulls well then there is no need for concern :D


744_PHOTOS_0.jpg

Tech Specs

Maserati 3200 GT /GTA (1998-2001)


Price
Manual £60700
Auto £62950

Top Speed - 174 mph
Acceleration 0 to 62 - 5.12 sec (auto 5.7 sec)
Cylinders - 8 in line 90° V
Displacement - 3217 cc
MPG combined - 15.6 mpg
Torque - 442 Nm / 362 lb.ft
Rear-wheel drive, 6-speed manual
Auto option 4-speed electronic

Dimensions
Wheelbase 2,660 mm (104.7 in)
Length 4,510 mm (177.6 in)
Width 1,822 mm (71.7 in)
Height 1,305 mm (51.4 in)
1,290 mm (50.8 in) (Assetto Corsa)
Kerb weight 1,590–1,620 kg (3,505–3,571 lb)

Standard

ABS
Front Fog Lights
Getrag 6 speed manual transmission / 4 speed automatic (BTR)
Two IHI turbochargers with air-to-air intercoolers.
Electric front seats
Normal/sport modes
Traction control (Bosch 5.3 module)
2 year warranty (In September 2000 the warranty was extended from two to three years or 60,000 miles)
Full leather upholstery
Airbags
Electric windows
Fully automatic climate control
Remote central locking with alarm
18" alloy wheels (fronts being narrower than rears, 235/40ZR18's on the front and 265/35ZR18's at the rear)

Standard Colours (14)

Verdi Mistral (light Green), Verdi Mexico(Dark Green), Nettuno Blue (dark blue), Sebring Blue (medium blue), Argentina Blue (light metallic blue) Rosso Mondial (Plain red), Rosso Bologna, Grigio Alfieri
(Dark Grey), Nero Carbonio (metallic black) and Touring Silver etc.....

Non standard colour option - £2,800.

Options

Grey/red brake caliper - £309
Becker CD changer - £447
Navigation System & Hi-fi Upgrade - £2314
Electrochromic rear-view mirror £199
5 piece fitted luggage set - £1640
Complete carbon kit - £!!!!!!
heated & memory front seats - £1200
Gold Clock - £135
Wood kit (gear knob, console and dash panels) - £410
space saver wheel - £219
Fire Extinguisher - £306
Custom piping - £206


Rare Carbon Kit

3176FEDAD5964F749D5034416418275B.jpg

Options List.

Options.jpg


Resources

http://www.ferraridatabase.com/The_Downloads/Other/Brochure Maserati 3200 GT 1999.pdf
http://www.maserati.com/maserati/en/en/index/about-us/heritage/Gran-Turismo/m-3200gt.html
http://www.helpfindmea.co.uk/cars/s...-coupe-99-02-fh-2dr-specifications-16007.aspx
http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/reviews/classic-maserati-reviews/1503/maserati-3200-gt-review/

Workshop Manual for 3200.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/pcm8ox1dm005gww/AAB_xs25rwof3xX9Vt1kaGJma?dl=0
 
Last edited:

alfatwo

Member
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5,517
Cheers Phil thanks for the guide...but there not so bad as you make out and you don't have to spend £10000's..
Any 15 year old performance car what ever make will have it's problems, so don't let that put you off owning an old 3200

Knocked into shape old Maser 3200 GT's are lovely elegant cars to own but still bloody quick!

Dave
 

Contigo

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18,376
Dave, on the whole the buying guide is positive but alerting any potential owner to any pitfalls. The key which I'm sure you will agree is to get an Inspection done. :)
 

alfatwo

Member
Messages
5,517
Absolutely Phil... an inspection if allowed by the ownwer, by a marque specialist is really a must with these old cars..yea, ok its a pain giving someone 3 or 4 hundred quid for nothing plus all the faffing about,
It might save you £10000's later on if you decide to buy though..

Dave
 

allandwf

Member
Messages
10,958
Good write up Phil, couple of typos to correct though, "MAF has arranged a group buy for a full set of discs for not muh more that £200.." ;)
 

Contigo

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INDEPENDENT MASERATI GARAGES UK

SOUTH
http://classicmaseratis.co.uk Bill McGrath. Unit 8, Claggy Road, Kimpton, Hertfordshire. SG4 8QB
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http://www.grimaldiengineering.co.uk/ Unit 2A, Bluebridge Ind. Estate, Halstead, Essex. CO9 2SZ
http://www.cars.robertsaerospace.com/ Maserati Shed. Whitehaven Workshop, Trampers Lane, Fareham, Hants. PO17 6BP
http://www.giallo.co.uk/ London Road, Hildenborough, Kent. TN11 9ND
http://www.sbraceengineering.co.uk/ 6-7, Bermer Place, Imperial Way, Watford, Herts. WD24 4XX
http://www.joemacari.com Joe Macari Cars. The Kimber Centre, 54 Kimber Road, London, SW18 4PP
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http://www.autofficina.co.uk/about-autofficina Merlin House, Ruxley Lane, Chessington. KT9 1RH
http://www.bhpmsport.com/ Near: Aylesbury, Bucks
http://www.dkeng.co.uk DK Engineering. Little Green Street Farm, Green Street, Chorleywood, Herts. WD3 6EA
http://www.theferraricentre.com/service Target Business Centre, Bircholt Road, Parkwood Industrial Estate, Maidstone, Kent.
http://www.fioranosportscars.co.uk/ Southampton


MIDLANDS
http://www.davidaskew.co.uk/ Leicester. (PARTS)
http://www.shiltechperformancecars.com/ Units 9-10, Aerodrome Close, Loughborough. LE11 5RJ
http://www.ferrarimaserati.co.uk/ Migliore Cars. Unit 4, Buntsford Park Road, Bromsgrove. B60 3DX
http://www.thesupercarrooms.co.uk/ 132, Elm Drive, Hartlebury Trading Estate, Hartlebury, Worcestershire DY10 4JB.
http://www.gtautospecialist.co.uk/ F1 Performance Cars. Unit 4, Prospect Road, Burntwood, Staffordshire. WS7 0AE

NORTH
http://www.autoshieldmaserati.co.uk/Home.html 465, Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton-Cum-Hardy, Manchester. M21 8AU
http://www.millbrookecars.com/home.html Unit D, Fell Road, Attercliffe Common, Sheffield S9 2AL
http://www.gtcarslimited.co.uk/ GT Cars Ltd. Lyncastle Way, Appleton, Warrington, Lancs. WA4 4SN
http://www.pksupercars.com Whin Park Industrial Estate, Prestonpans, Cockenzie, East Lothian. EH32 9SF
http://www.supercarclinic.co.uk/ Unit D2, James Nasmyth Way, Green Lane, Eccles, Manchester. M30 0SF
Falcon Performance. Davy Road, Skippers Lane Industrial Estate, Middlesborough (Not Brand Specialist But Good)
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,747
A great write up Phil.

I can't see (Maybe too quick at speed reading) any reference to corrosion around the bottom of the rear lights. I think this affects both 3200/4200 cars, the lip on the bottom of the boot lid and where the rear bumper rubs against the body.

Peter
 

highlander

Member
Messages
5,214
nice write up Phil, well done having the patience to do this.
the price of "extras" was shocking given this is 17 years ago...........I remember outrun telling me when I picked Marci up that the full Alcantara interior she has was an 11 grand extra.....wtf!!!! :jpmad:
 

Contigo

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Messages
18,376
Added comments about corrosion etc Peter thanks but as usual any potential buyer should be going round every panel and checking for corrosion, dings and panel gaps etc....
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,747
So So true...I went to check out a 3200 here in Bristol for a forum member...very sad to see the poor quality repair around the rear lights...you could just make out the sanding lines under the paint and the horrid repair with mastic under the boot lip.
 

jluis

Member
Messages
1,703
So So true...I went to check out a 3200 here in Bristol for a forum member...very sad to see the poor quality repair around the rear lights...you could just make out the sanding lines under the paint and the horrid repair with mastic under the boot lip.

I don't get that.
If you have body problems you don't need to take the car to a maserati specialist.

All you need is a good body repair shop and I believe these will work with fair hourly rates
 

RW3200

Junior Member
Messages
295
Excellent job Phil.
Especially the point that if its running well, enjoy it.

Cheers.
Ru
 

saintetienne

Junior Member
Messages
242
Nice job and some good information .

As you noticed there is no listing in the price guide for the full carbon interior trim , probably just as well given the price for the tiny console and gear knob trim !
 

davy83

Member
Messages
2,809
Nice job sir, good write up. I would also say on throttle bodies and that area, engine idle speed should be 1000 rpm, and it should not move around too much, if it hunts up and down, or idles at a different speed, this would be a potential warning sign. And contact-less pedal sensors still available.
 

davy83

Member
Messages
2,809
oh and there is a Bosch starter motor which can be easily modified for the 3200 and it think its better than the Valeo one. worth checking.
 

tappets

Junior Member
Messages
123
Great info on the 3200 Phil............just an opinion on the Cam Chain replacement interval. Apparently from a reliable source (Ex Maserati factory) these are not to be touched unless they are audibly noisy which will be picked up by your friendly mechanic.
 

Contigo

Sponsor
Messages
18,376
Yes I don't mention too much on there really as most don't do it and when they do need doing you will hear them! The other issue is there are no more cam chains anywhere in the World!!!!
 

allandwf

Member
Messages
10,958
I was also under that impression. Some want them done exactly as per the servicing schedule, which is fair enough. I'm happy to leave mine as is though.