Car inspections and gearboxes

[TMSpyder]

Hi there

I'm new to the forum and looking at buying a Spyder so wondered if anyone had any advice on the following:

1) Since it's the most I'll have spent on a car I'm tempted to get it inspected. Do most people do this? Are they able to provide insight and sensible comments about the potential problems with relatively rare and specialist cars like Maseratis or do they tend to run through generic checks of tyre tread, service history and worn belts? Are there specialists who people recommend? Keen to go in to this with my eyes open although obviously I'm not expecting hassle free motoring and cheap servicing!

2) The car I'm looking at has 71k on the clock which feels a bit leggy but does suggest it has had a reasonable usage rather than sitting rotting in a garage. Other threads suggest people have 100k+ on their cars so it feels like this might have some life left in it? To my untrained eye it looked in great condition, limited rust/leaks, no smell of petrol. It has just had a new clutch, I took it for a drive and LOVED the Cambricorsa gearbox - I found it silky smooth when being gentle around town and not as clumsy as I had been led to believe even when doing the worst combination of foot flat on the floor changes in sport mode. However I've seen examples with far fewer miles on boasting "new gearbox" - do these things have a finite life and is it likely I'll need to replace the whole thing soon, or is it feasible it could continue for the next 30k miles ok? Appreciate it's hard to tell but wondered if it was a known problem at this sort of age?

Cheers

Richard

 

[CatmanV2]

Welcome, Richard, to what is undoubtedly the best Maserati forum in the world

To answer...
1) Generally it is recommended to get an independent inspection. I didn't. I think I was lucky, my car has 72k on it and has had, in nigh on a year, not a single issue. There are loads of independents that will do the inspection for you. Cost is IRO £300 as I understand. People on here will be happy to recommend an indy for any car that you're looking at.

2) I've only been kicking around for about a year and a bit. I've not read all of the 250000 posts in the history, but I don't recall a single instance of *gearbox* failure. Yes, the clutches go, but they do on any car Engines have been well known to go >100k. It's a good old lump. Clutch may well last 30k miles. It depends on how much you love driving it I have no doubt mine will be going strong at 100k.

Things you may have to think about: Hoses, these are now getting on a bit, and some Maserati prices are eye-watering. However, our very own member Newton is using his contacts to get silicon replacements made up much more cheaply. We also have alternates for the rear tie rods, brake pads, discs, batteries, and a whole panoply of other bits, which get added to whenever someone is kind enough to make use aware (I maintain a spreadsheet).

But, don't just take my word for it. Let us know if we can see the car ad (we may actually know the car), pull up a petrol pump and drink deeply of the well of wisdom, humour, pathos and language barriers that is SportsMaserati

C

 

[Chrisbassett]

1. Inspection is very much recommended. There are things that can go wrong so ask about things like are there signs of the oil pump going (not even sure if you get any signs) as that's something people have mentioned before as an issue in older 4200's (just ask a 3200 owner, they are more than happy to remind us of this)

With a Spyder, just make sure the top seems smooth in operation, and there are no leaks round the join at the corners where it meets both windscreen surround & door windows as the seals can dry out in the sunshine if exposed a lot.

Looking forward to seeing another Spyder on the forum. Good luck.

 

[TMSpyder]

Thanks Catman, very helpful - sounds sensible about the inspection. The car's up in Leighton Buzzard if anyone knows a good indy inspector up there. Very reassuring to read about the increasing range of replacement parts out there as well as the decent indie garages. The clutch life and prices don't seem unreasonable, I've just had an OEM clutch on my existing car for similar sort of money. I'm guessing the CC gearbox seemed so slick because the clutch is only 1-2k miles old but it certainly didn't seem anything like the jerky rubbish I've read about.

Here's the car: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GORGEOUS-...9569294?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3cd579d58e - if anyone knows anything about it I would be very keen to hear!

Cheers

R

 

[CatmanV2]

ChrisB, I think the last time the oil pump issue was discussed we came with one example (Matt's coffee table) that probably had been run low on oil, causing the pump to fail rather than the pump failing causing the engine to blow.

But I could be wrong.

TMSpyder, lovely colour combo. Bill McGrath's (http://www.mcgrathmaserati.co.uk/) is about 20 miles up the road from there. I suspect he'd be strongly recommended. He's only done a key re-code for me, but I was impressed never the less.

C

 

[TMSpyder]

Thanks Chrisbassett - that reminds me, the oil pressure reading was right over on the "5" on the scale, is that what it is meant to be?

 

[CatmanV2]

Thanks Chrisbassett - that reminds me, the oil pressure reading was right over on the "5" on the scale, is that what it is meant to be?

That's good. It will drop when hot and idling. Mines goes down to about 2 when it's really hot. The sensors for the warning light can be a bit flakey, so flashing lights are not *necessarily* a cause for panic as long as it picks right up when you press the loud pedal.

C

 

[Phil the Brit]

Is it a manual with a paddle shift??

 

[Parisien]

Richard, whilst you may be stretching to buy it, it can be an even bigger stretch to keep it on the road, they are old supercars now.....but still supercars with commensurate costs attached, even using an indie to keep it on the road can blow the bank.......buy the best one you can, it will pay off

P

 

[Emtee]

Hi Richard, A warm welcome to the forum and great to have another Spyder in the offing.

To answer your questions I would strongly recommend an independent inspection. Bill McGrath is pretty much as good as they come, so well worth making contact. He will tailor the inspection to your requirements if you need, but it certainly won't be an AA type generic inspection. He knows Maserati's intimately, along with all their foibles and potential areas of weakness. He wouldn't put his name to a half-hearted inspection; his reputation is too valuable. He would certainly get it on the Maserati diagnostic system (SD3) to thoroughly check the electronic systems in the car, along with a mechanical inspection based on years of experience.

That the clutch has been changed is a real bonus, but brakes would need checking, along with all the suspension components. ChrisB is spot on with his advice to thoroughly check the operation of the soft top. There are many more than one instance of the oil pump going (that Maserati are out of stock of them is testament to this), though don't let this unduly worry you. I would advise you to really get into the detail of the history. Check who did what and when and contact them to get their impressions. Regular and correct oil changes are a must on a higher mileage car, but if well maintained the oil pump should not be a problem either now or in the future if you follow the same routines.

I've never heard of an instance of the gearbox going, though the diff' has been known to be problematic. This is easily spotted by someone who knows what to look for.

On a general note, check the interior, the front seats get worn more easily than then should, which on a higher mileage example will show itself in the bolsters. If they're worn, than that's not a bad thing, but if they're in good fettle it shows the previous owners have spent money to keep the cabin looking good.

Overall my advise is to get into the history of the car. High miles is not a problem whatsoever if the car has been looked after and there could easily be another 40/50K in there to be enjoyed. History and receipts will give you a very good guide on this.

All the best as you progress towards Trident ownership and please do ask any questions you might have. We were all newbies at some point in the past, and we're more than happy to pass on any tips we've picked up along the way.

Regards, Miles.

 

[dem maser]

Hello, 70k is not high....owners on here have 100k and some, no issues with them

 

[TMSpyder]

Thanks all for the very useful input and the great welcome to the forum. I'm not sure the deal is quite right on this one yet so will probably stick it out and wait for the next one but it will all be useful to bear in mind for the next time.

Cheers

Richard

 

[Parisien]

Good time to buy is Xmas eve when 6 inches of snow on ground........


P

 

[TMSpyder]

Sounds like a perfect time to get a good deal on a RWD convertible!

 

[Chrisbassett]

Especially if you live at the top of a hill in a city where gritters are like hens teeth...

...no, seriously, these are great cars on snow in the ice setting...Very well behaved. As long as you are!

 

[Parisien]

....eeemmmmm really Chris.........maybe with winter tyres, but any sort of incline and you were stuffed!!!!


P

 

[BennyD]

If your budget is stretched with this one, you may well wait for a long time for a cheaper one to come past. If I were you, I would make him an offer of £13k and leave it with him. It looks in fine fettle and, judging by the Bentley next to it, the owner isn't working on a shoestring. It's easy to buy a cheaper dog but the trick is to buy a cheap good 'un and this might well be it.

 

[mjheathcote]

If your budget is stretched with this one, you may well wait for a long time for a cheaper one to come past. If I were you, I would make him an offer of £13k and leave it with him. It looks in fine fettle and, judging by the Bentley next to it, the owner isn't working on a shoestring. It's easy to buy a cheaper dog but the trick is to buy a cheap good 'un and this might well be it.

I agree, new clutch fitted as well.

 

[rossyl]

If your budget is stretched with this one, you may well wait for a long time for a cheaper one to come past. If I were you, I would make him an offer of £13k and leave it with him. It looks in fine fettle and, judging by the Bentley next to it, the owner isn't working on a shoestring. It's easy to buy a cheaper dog but the trick is to buy a cheap good 'un and this might well be it.

I agree with this. Assuming a good Bill McGrath report. £13k makes this a very good car at a great price. It's also in my favourite colour.

Some important issues to be aware of.

To explain the oil pump issue. The unit is a combined oil and water pump. Over the years this can rust and then fail. When it fails no oil goes into the engine and dependent on how soon the engine is shut off, you can do some serious damage to the engine. There is no way to tell if it is about to go or not. The part costs £1k, the labour is most likely an engine out job. So it could cost £2k.

The other thing to note is tat these cars should not be driven through standing water, i.e. puddles. Anything over a couple of inches, or, even someone splashing a **** of a lot of water, that hits/submerges your passenger side bumper can cause the engine to hydrolock. The air intake is located low to the ground and can suck water up into the engine which will in short destroy it. It is just something to be aware of, but it can and has happened.

The roof, like any convertible, is always a concern.

Other than that, the clutch at £1.5-£1.8k is an expensive item. But you won't need to worry about that.

If there's a small spot of rust below the driver side rear brake light - don't worry that's common.

If the silver on the air vents inside the cabin are flaking, that is common. The small ones are an easy fix, the two in the middle of the dash are much more difficult.

ENJOY!

 

[Parisien]

Just a reprise re the oil pump, I beleive someone has mentioned the car also being low on oil being the main culprit or certainly a significant contributory factor to oil pumps failing too


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