3200 manual or 4200 f1?

Lozzer

Member
Messages
2,280
I don't know.....Benny might disagree
He will not, no snowflake will agree, probably has a flaccid c0ck , just like his cars upper half, all floppy and that......although I have heard he has a mahoosive collection of Egg Cups...to cup his balls when he's lonely and looking at that abomination on his drive......
 

luisabel9090

Junior Member
Messages
30
At this stage, bearing in mind these cars age, I would buy based on condition and history. Have never driven a 4200 manual, but have experience in the other possible combinations. For reliability, I agree the 4200 manual, but think also, if you were to use the car every day, about comfort. The 3200 GT manual is a lot faster than the Auto, despite what we can read on magazines, yet, I chose Auto because the clutch in the manual was so hard...and uncomfortable.
 

BennyD

Sea Urchin Pate
Messages
14,994
3200 manual all day long, a proper car that shows the snowflakes you have a strength of character they can only dream about. ;)

The strength of character that shows you can put up with constant disappointment, pending heartache and a potential financial buttfucking?
 

Twinspark

Member
Messages
460
The main issue with the 3200 is finding a shop that will work on it as most shops will not touch them, it has its specialists in the UK but I don’t know the situation in Greece. Even if you do work yourself information on it is a lot harder to come by, the newer car’s F136 engine was much more common and was used elsewhere.

The 4200 is a high revving engine a lot like the M3s, the 3200 turbo V8 will certainly feel a lot different.
 

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,038
Love the 3200 and had one but I would not have one over the 4200. For me the Ferrari engine is probably more reliable and sounded better plus I believe it's getting harder to get 3200 parts which would be a concern.
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,539
Why is there a presumption that a stick shift manual clutch will have a longer life than a manual cambiocorsa on a 4200?

They are the same box and clutch. Surely it is just down to how you use and drive it that will impact its life expectancy.

There are so many variables. I've always taken it with a pinch of salt that things like 'Sport Manual' and DBW had a generally significant impact compared to what we do day to day.

C
 

Twinspark

Member
Messages
460
Well to be fair the CambioCorsa does like to ride the clutch in low speed situations, like reversing or setting off.
 

philw696

Member
Messages
25,113
Had two 4200 F1 both run over 4 years each and no clutch issues at all.
The first one was the cheapest Classico in the UK and many keyboard warriors said don't touch it was my favourite with the original raw gearbox software.
My second bought as Spares and Repair with a failed oil water pump unit which I replaced myself was so good I took it to New Zealand.
Good Luck.
 

FIFTY

Member
Messages
3,100
Interesting to read that the manual 4200 is over budget in Greece, in the UK market they are rare but do not have more of a premium price than a well kept 4200

For me Cambiocorsa is an expensive F1 hydraulic system with difficult to access components that can leave you stranded on the road vs. simple cable operated stick shift on a hydraulic clutch pedal.

Of course there is such a thing as good maintenance but you will need to budget some extra money in case you have CC problems (cheapest part F1 pump relay, most expensive part is robotic actuator but failures are rare)

I am no expert on 3200s but from everything I have read on here i would say that they are not suitable for daily driving now they are 20 years old and the parts have got scarce... They are more of a weekend/occasional car for enthusiasts who are good hobby mechanics or have enough money for regular maintenance
 
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MrJoshua

Member
Messages
175
I had an E46 M3 SMG Coupe and now have a 4200 CambioCorsa.

The clutch pressure plate collapsed on my M3, so it's not just a Maserati thing.

Gear changes were more violent and faster in the M3... The 4200 is a different type of car.

SMG pumps and CambioCorsa pumps are probably equally unreliable, but at least on the 4200 you can get a cheaper Alfa pump.

The 4200 feels faster and in my opinion sounds better.

The 4200 gets a lot more attention.

The interior of the 4200 is a lot more special.

The Boot / Trunk in the M3 is huge in comparison.

Fuel consumption is worse on the 4200 - I use 18.8 L/100KM

Oh, and I don't think the boot floors have a habit of tearing to pieces in the 4200 lol
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,539
For me Cambiocorsa is an expensive F1 hydraulic system with difficult to access components that can leave you stranded on the road vs. simple cable operated stick shift on a hydraulic clutch pedal.

That's a bit like saying the 4200 engine is a complex, variable timed, DOHC design vs single cam pushrod...

Or indeed automatic ignition advance vs a ratchet on the steering column ;)

C
 

Hawk13

Member
Messages
1,471
I hate knocking the Maserati brand but let's be honest, neither the 3200 or 4200 fall into the category of reliable every day driver.

If you want that you need to buy a Ghibli or GT.

And if you can't afford that, you have a choice of:

buying your second choice 996
or (my preferred option)
buy the 3200 and have a cheap daily runaround as a back up car
 

doodlebug

Member
Messages
913
I hate knocking the Maserati brand but let's be honest, neither the 3200 or 4200 fall into the category of reliable every day driver.

If you want that you need to buy a Ghibli or GT.

And if you can't afford that, you have a choice of:

buying your second choice 996
or (my preferred option)
buy the 3200 and have a cheap daily runaround as a back up car
I've had my 4200 manual daily driver for 13 years now and driven over 100k miles in it. It has been much more reliable than I ever hoped for.

The main issues outside general wear and tear have been battery related and Bosch related. Apart from a flat battery and a faulty alarm, it has never left me stranded. Even when the fecking Bosch ABS pump failed and the full complement of dash lights came on the car still got me all around France, Italy and Switzerland and back to Blighty.
 

Lozzer

Member
Messages
2,280
Correct, especially the Scottish that own a 3200.
I'm a Northerner myself, I'm just pleased to see Maserati have come to their senses and are producing their own engines again , something not seen since the 3200 and not the diluted 5hite that came after it.... :shy1: