Ghibli buying advice- just viewed a left hooker

tomoshea

Junior Member
Messages
91
Hoping for some insights here guys.

Currently in north Italy....

Just viewed a late 06 Ghibli ... stunning colour, interior is faultless paintwork 9.5 out of 10.

This is the first I have viewed and I am not familiar with the 'nuances' of these cars so a few questions.

2 photos attached of left and front right wings is this finish normal from the factory... i.e the poor finish between body and wing panels?

Also the top end of the engine is a bit tappity when cold ... the noise goes away when the car starts to warm up...is this normal?

Left front under the car appears to be oil in a he vicinity of the turbo... waste gate valve covered, and an oil drip from the front cam cover... though this could be as a result of oil being flung upwards.

Car has 54Kms on it.

Insights appreciated.

HCs at idle circa 150ppm and at 3K rpm 20 ppm

CO 0.1% or less.

No evidence of smoke on start up from cold in the exhaust ...

Also attached are a couple of photos of front sub structures behind where arches ... are these normal..

All views appreciated ... car side on also attached.
 

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tomoshea

Junior Member
Messages
91
Also attached samples from the service book... does this look like an original book?
 

Ewan

Member
Messages
6,756
I can only see 2 pictures. Are these of the bonnet open, showing where the front spoiler joins the top of the front wings? If this is correct, then it looks okay to me. It's a classic spot for rust to start, and these look fine. If the bulk head is rust free and the underneath looks okay, you should be fine.

You say it's on 06. I assume you mean 96, and if so, is it a GT model? Which engine does it have - is a 2.0 lt Italian market car?

Slight oil leak from cam cover doesn't sound too serious.

Lovely colour by the way.
 

del mar

Junior Member
Messages
257
They rust at the bottom corner of the screen where the a pillars join the Bulk head.

Take the a pillar interior leather covers off - they pop on and off, and shine a torch down there.

Oil will leak from the cam covers front rear and sides, gaskets are cheap and easy to replace if you have 3 very small hands ......
 

tomoshea

Junior Member
Messages
91
My bad .. yes I meant 96 not 06.

Good to hear re the front wing finish... as no evidence of respray or damage underneath....

Yes it is a GT 2.0, with cup exhaust and wheels ordered as part of original spec.

Re the leak ... allegedly jjust recomissioned, invoice for belts and water pump ... so I would have expected cam covers replaced and cleaned ....but doesn't look like it...

Colour is amazing in the flesh.... but looking for top dollar (€ 37k) so I dont want any surprises...

If per chance it's a turbo issue ... what's the ball park for a rebuild /replace?

Hopefully additional photos will load this time....
 

Ewan

Member
Messages
6,756
That is an original/period service book. The car looks great, and rare to have Cup spec Lloys and exhaust from new. Even has the Cup engine, just with the normal (not Cup) turbos.

I'd say that is as lovelier Ghibli as you're likely to find, and the most desirable other than a Cup (as long as you want LHD). Interestingly LHD Ghiblis in Europe are worth more than their RHD equivalents are over here, so even though it is top dollar, it's probably fair for the market.

However, you can get a more modern/better GS or a GT or a QP for that money, so you need to be sure that a Ghibli is the right car for you.

To keep that value safe you'll need to keep the miles low, the servicing high, and keep it away from water and salt. At that price, mileage and condition you are buying a collector car, not a daily.

If you get it, you'll be doing your bit for Maserati's heritage, as precious few Ghiblis are still good examples.
 

Rwc13

Member
Messages
1,668
Really, I would have thought he'd need to add around £10k or even more to get a UK cup, and how often do they come up for sale?

Lovely looking car and an absolute joy to own and cruise around in. But as Ewan says, it's really a weekend fine weather toy, not a daily driver.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

dickygrace

www.richardgracecars.co.uk
Messages
7,309
Really, I would have thought he'd need to add around £10k or even more to get a UK cup, and how often do they come up for sale?

Lovely looking car and an absolute joy to own and cruise around in. But as Ewan says, it's really a weekend fine weather toy, not a daily driver.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

He probably would come to think of it, but it would be £10k well spent.
 

Ewan

Member
Messages
6,756
I think Stu is asking over £50k for my last Cup. You'd struggle to get a UK Cup at the price of the OP car (£33k) - if you could persuade one of the owners to sell you'd only get a 100k mile example at that money.

With a "normal" Ghibli it's virtually impossible to find a low mileage and rust free example. These cars dropped all the way down to about £5k, so lots are tatty. Concours quality cars are few and far between, so a premium needs to be paid.
 

tomoshea

Junior Member
Messages
91
Thanks for the feedback guys.

My interest in the Ghibli stems from my late teens / early 20's... this and the integrale were cars that I just loved the look of.

I would be playing the long game with this and the 90th anniversary... both rare and stunning in the flesh.... neither are daily drivers... garage queens with maybe 1000 miles between them annually.

As said above there are very few Ghiblis in very good condition and with low miles....

I made a poor choice of words previously ....
When I said leak on cam cover ... I meant to say on the front cam timing belt cover... just on the low point of the exhaust cam belt drive gear( you can see a small drip/ drop forming).....the dump valve is also covered in oil as the area in general which is why I suspect the turbo or oil feed line... just not easy to view... any views? How frequent do these things leak? Are they repairable? Or is replacement required? Ball park costs?

If I'm paying top dollar or close to it... don't want a big bill...in addition I have the wonderful Irish VRT to pay to get a plate....30% of open market selling price... now that makes it expensive so has to be a long game..

Cheers

Tom
 

Ewan

Member
Messages
6,756
Chat to Myles at Emblem Sportscars in Poole. He is God of all things Ghibli so will tell you what to look for and discuss repair costs.

Save yourself the 30% tax :as004: Store it in the UK and come over each summer to use at one (or more) of the Forum or Maserati Club events. :)
 

Navcorr

Member
Messages
3,839
Save yourself the 30% tax :as004: Store it in the UK and come over each summer to use at one (or more) of the Forum or Maserati Club events. :)

:biggrin:

Really! Who in their right mind would offer to store her FOC.
Can think of only .. maybe .. 20 or 30 off the top of my head :)
 

Rwc13

Member
Messages
1,668
My interest in the Ghibli stems from my late teens / early 20's... this and the integrale were cars that I just loved the look of.

I would be playing the long game with this and the 90th anniversary... both rare and stunning in the flesh.... neither are daily drivers... garage queens with maybe 1000 miles between them annually.

I was the same. Used to see an earlier biturbo regularly on my way to work at my first job. I would have been early twenties. Loved the looks, made the bmws of the time look dull. Couldn't resist when one came up for sale at auction last year. Mine's done 82k miles, but wears its mileage so well. It's concours and drives as tightly as any low mileage example. So don't get hung up on miles, if it's been well maintained.

We must have very similar tastes. I have an Anniversary Blu GS Spyder too.......


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dickyb

Member
Messages
432
It seems that Ghibli prices in Europe have more than doubled in the last few years and that particular car seems to be right at the top of the price range for a GT, I guess the low KMs are a contributing factor. Looks like a lovely car and a great colour. I'm sure I have seen that car advertised in Switzerland, be sure that it has the correct European paperwork otherwise it'll be subject to additional costs, VAT etc.

The leak around the timing belt cover is probably a leaky camshaft seal, not a major job if that's the case.

Oil around one of the turbos is probably a leak from an oil feed pipe or union, I'm guessing you haven't seen any smoke from the exhausts which may indicate a problem with the turbo's internal seals. The cost to rebuild turbos themselves shouldn't be too bad, maybe £500 each depending on what needs doing but there's a lot of labour involved to remove them.

The ticking sound you mention at the top of the engine sounds to me that one or both exhaust manifolds are cracked, particularly as the sound goes away as the engine warms up, any cracks will tend to close up as the manifolds expand as they get hot. Unfortunately fixing the problem is an engine out job and therefore very expensive. I would have a close inspection and a good listen in these areas.

It looks as though the car has been jacked up incorrectly in the past judging by the crushed chassis legs, in fact in the second photo you can even see the imprint of the jack. Unfortunately its quite common and usually due to tyre shops not knowing where to place their jacks. They don't look too bad but you can see some distortion and one of the seams looks to have pulled apart. Also looks to be some cracking to the underseal and some surface rust. Its nothing to get too worried about but could be a bargaining point.

The areas around the front wings close to the bonnet hinges are normal, some of the application of seam sealer was a bit slap-dash from the factory. As has been suggested check the area of the bulkhead close to the bonnet hinges carefully, unlikely on that particular car but if there's any rust there its best to walk away. Also have a look at the front chassis legs from the top as they can crack.

It might be worth having a look at some other cars while you're in Italy to get some context, Roselli Automobili in Bari have a nice looking Verde Tundra 2.0 GT with 104000km for 23500 Euros.
 

Ewan

Member
Messages
6,756
That Rosella car looks nice. But to think, that's about £21k, and back in 2003 I bought a similar 2.0 lt LHD Ghibli from David Askew, with fewer miles, for £15k. And at that price he had freshly imported it from Italy and made a profit. How times change.

You really really need to specifically want a Ghibli to be being these prices and higher. In quality, comfort and performance they are no match for the 3200, 4200, GS, GT or QP, all of which can be had for the same money or less. But having had 3 myself, I do understand the desire. Every time I see a really good example for sale a little part of me thinks, "shall I?"