GranTurismo dreams vs reality

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Banan91

New Member
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Hello everyone I’m new on forum, my name is Rafael ;), sorry for my english (not my native)

Maserati GranTurismo is my dream car, im not very rich but I live with my wife and together We have 3000+ monthly
I found this forum because I plan buy GT but I have few questions

1. My budget is £23K, I saw few in uk in this price range, worth it?(usually early cars and 100k+ mil done)
2. What about running costs, I will do max 3000 mil per year (gym,work,shopping).
3. Service, parts it is very expensive?
4. Can I do service at Indie garage or only at maserati official dealer?
5. Important things to pay attention when buying

Thanks for help :D
 
CatmanV2

CatmanV2

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48,727
Welcome Banan!

I have an early GT, hasn't made 100k miles yet but it's definitely worth it :)
Running costs are not that much. Driving like an old lady tyres will last for a couple of years (more like 4 in your example). Petrol is not great but you're not going to be going through loads of brakes either.
Some service parts can be very very expensive. Fortunately these cars seem to last pretty well. Make sure you get whatever you're buying well inspected. Some of the potential issues (variators for example) can cost £3-4k on their own. Most consumables are in the 'OK' price range though, particularly if you use the forum to get discounts or group buys.
I'd recommend using an Indie for a car like that. They are possibly more experience, and probably be a lot cheaper. Just make sure they know what they are doing, and they will need the correct diagnostic kit.


5) Is the big one: Variators, ABS sensors, broken springs, drop links, bushes, cracked exhaust manifolds are a few things. Be *very* wary of any warning lights on the dash. If the seller says 'oh it just needs resetting' or 'it's a simple fix' ask why they haven't done it yet :)

Good luck!

C
 
safrane

safrane

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16,828
Spend a couple of grand more and there are plenty of early 4.2 GTs with c50k on the clocks inc some at forum sponsor garages... take a look at the classified pages on here.

Good luck hunting
 
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Banan91

New Member
Messages
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CatmanV2 said:
Welcome Banan!

I have an early GT, hasn't made 100k miles yet but it's definitely worth it :)
Running costs are not that much. Driving like an old lady tyres will last for a couple of years (more like 4 in your example). Petrol is not great but you're not going to be going through loads of brakes either.
Some service parts can be very very expensive. Fortunately these cars seem to last pretty well. Make sure you get whatever you're buying well inspected. Some of the potential issues (variators for example) can cost £3-4k on their own. Most consumables are in the 'OK' price range though, particularly if you use the forum to get discounts or group buys.
I'd recommend using an Indie for a car like that. They are possibly more experience, and probably be a lot cheaper. Just make sure they know what they are doing, and they will need the correct diagnostic kit.


5) Is the big one: Variators, ABS sensors, broken springs, drop links, bushes, cracked exhaust manifolds are a few things. Be *very* wary of any warning lights on the dash. If the seller says 'oh it just needs resetting' or 'it's a simple fix' ask why they haven't done it yet :)

Good luck!

C
Click to expand...

Thanks for your respond, I heard that service should be every 2 year or 10k mil, even if the car has 100k on the clock?

Most consumables parts like in all others cars breakes, fluids, oil, filtres, clutch?
 
Andyk

Andyk

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61,120
safrane said:
Spend a couple of grand more and there are plenty of early 4.2 GTs with c50k on the clocks inc some at forum sponsor garages... take a look at the classified pages on here.

Good luck hunting
Click to expand...

Can't see any in our classifieds for a few K more as they are more like 5k plus more. But Peter is right spend the most you can.

People will always tell you to stay away from the cheaper end of the market as they are cheap for a reason. These cars don't sell quickly and sometimes private sales will be priced to sell so as long as you get a full inspection you could get yourself a decent 4.2 GT. As an auto you will not have expensive of the MC shift clutch which is a big one either. Go in with your eyes open do lots of research and have some back up money in the background and good luck with your search.
 
CatmanV2

CatmanV2

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48,727
Banan91 said:
Thanks for your respond, I heard that service should be every 2 year or 10k mil, even if the car has 100k on the clock?

Most consumables parts like in all others cars breakes, fluids, oil, filtres, clutch?
Click to expand...

2 years or 12.5k miles I think. Yes, most of the consumables are the same. Although you won't have a clutch on a 4.2, they all have automatic gearboxes (from ZF). Brake pads can be expensive from Maserati, but there are plenty of after market options. I recommend Formula Dynamics Carbon / Kevlar pads.

As others have said, the cheapest are often cheapest for a reason so it would be sensible to make sure you have some money aside in case of initial problems.

C
 
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Banan91

New Member
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True guys, I’ll wait , I think 28k should be ok I saw few nice cars at this price, mayby I’ll take car loan from the bank if bank will be nice for me ;D
 
Andyk

Andyk

Member
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61,120
I would think 25k should get you a good one these days and most of the 28k ones have been for sale for ages so deals can be done. Good luck.
 
Andyk

Andyk

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Messages
61,120
Most V8 cars take a while to sell these days but Maserati seems to take a tad longer. Limited market, high running costs and reputation from the past still has the general public running for cover.
 
GeoffCapes

GeoffCapes

Member
Messages
14,000
People buy Maserati's cheaper than Ferraris and expect them to have the running costs of a Mondeo as they're a similar cost.

The people who have owned those cars are the ones to steer clear of. If you find one where the owner is concientious about the car it will have a stack of receipts. That's not to say they always go wrong, if it isn't for repairs it will be for bits of trim, badges, resprayed parts, alloy refurbishments, this shows the owner has looked after the car. Not run it as cheap as possible.
 
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Banan91

New Member
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So 25-28k in this price range I should get nice one, I know that running costs are not the same like in other „normal” cars. I want get nice car in my budget and don’t spend billions for repairs after buying. I’ll be patient and I start my hunting
 
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Banan91

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What do you think about cars from dealers? Usually those cars don’t have number plates (on photos) and I can’t check HPI
 
Gp79

Gp79

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1,398
Banan91 said:
What do you think about cars from dealers? Usually those cars don't have number plates (on photos) and I can't check HPI
Click to expand...

Just phone them up and ask for it, most purchasers would want to do their own checks.

I own a GS not a GT, but parts for both are expensive, suspension bushes / wishbones, brakes, clutches etc etc then if you don't do it yourself the labour rates are higher than a normal garage where you would take a normal 10 yr old car.

These are normal consumables really, have a look at the Eurospares website to get an idea of parts cost.

Not trying to put you off, but just go in eyes wide open.

I have probably spent around £6k in 4 years and 4k miles, a lot was on bringing the car up in condition and fixing a few faults, most was DIY as well so little labour included in that total.
 
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Banan91

New Member
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Gp79 said:
I have probably spent around £6k in 4 years and 4k miles, a lot was on bringing the car up in condition and fixing a few faults, most was DIY as well so little labour included in that total.
Click to expand...

I see that your car was in poor condition, 4k miles and 6k on service very sad. I would like to find car in good condition and avoid costs after buying, I know this car has high running costs but I will do only 2000+ miles per year
 
Gp79

Gp79

Member
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1,398
Banan91 said:
I see that your car was in poor condition, 4k miles and 6k on service very sad. I would like to find car in good condition and avoid costs after buying, I know this car has high running costs but I will do only 2000+ miles per year
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say it was in poor condition, just normal condition for a UK car of it's age and mileage (65K miles and 9 years old when bought)

Even with low annual mileage the costs do mount up.

It is everyone's dream to spend little after buying but then the reality comes... so just be prepared
 
Andyk

Andyk

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61,120
Sometimes a very low miles car will cost you just as much as a high miles one to run if not more as the higher miles cars engine parts etc are moving were as a garage queen they aren't and they need to be used. A high miles car can be a good buy as long as it's been serviced and well looked after. But you can expect high running costs no matter what you buy. Maserati parts are silly money to replace. Servicing by a specialist is much better now though where as a 2 year service from a dealer I believe is about 2kish...

I would talked to Dicky Grace first as he may know of a car and is well respected on here. He's happy just to chat as well and has sold many cars to members.
 
Andyk

Andyk

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61,120
All seem pretty good. I like the silver ones better and the Lawton Brokes one from the pictures looks lovely but has the most miles. There is a black one at Giallo on here for that sort of money as well. Miles in the 60's but they are specialists and think it has a Larini exhaust.
 
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