first maserati gran turismo - advice

[immers]

Hi everyone,

I'm a new member and after some advice please...

Mrs is pregnant with our first child which has resulted in me selling the Porsche. However, I've persuaded her the logical replacement is the gran turismo 4 seats and boot (pretty small, I know)

I'll be doing an average of 5-6 k miles per year, if that. I'm thinking about a GT 4.2 2008 with roughly 35k miles on the clock. In my mind this won't depreciate much more which then covers any service costs I have to fork out.

My only concern is that most of the cars are now out of warranty or will be shortly after I purchase it. Is it worth getting a third party warranty for 1500-2000 extra? I'm aware that the chances are they won't pay anyway so is it really worth it. From my research it seems these models are pretty reliable now and maybe not necessary

I had a quote fr a 37 k service from an Indy specialist (Synter ) which would cost 1k. This would be a standard service oil, filters, etc. Is this reasonable for this type of service?


Any tips on buying a used gt? Anything else I should watch out for or consider cost wise?

Many many thanks in advance....

 

[BennyD]

Immers, welcome to the best Maserati forum around. May I suggest you send a p.m to DickieGrace through this forum, he is great at sourcing good cars for your specific requirements. Have a chat with him and he will give you the benefit of his extensive knowledge and explain the ins and outs of the different GTs. Have fun and congratulations on making the very astute decision to join a fantastic marque.

 

[Parisien]

Immers...firstly......congrats on your first baby!

GTs seem pretty good reliability wise......running costs as you'd expect for a supercar....warrantys not really worthwhile.

Use supercarhub.com to get an assortment of service costs in your locality.

Brakes are expensive, clutches lasting longer than the 4200/GS range.

But do get an indie inspection (£250 or so) to ensure you're buying a good'un!!!


P

 

[2b1ask1]

Welcome Immers, sound advise already given; have you considered a QP? They are no slouch by any means and 5 seats, big(ish) boot and back doors to help getting junior in and out... Bang for buck much better than a porker or beemer!

 

[fcz360]

Immers

Welcome.

Mine has been reliable.. more so than my new RS6 - which has now gone.

Check all electrics, get it inspected and the (on 4.7 anyway) front brake discs are a fortune. The clutch can be read for wear. Make sure you check the paint all over. personally i think miles are less important compared to its history a good car with more miles is better than one that been scrimped on and not used.

You will get lots of support and help on the forum.

Go for it, they are much more interesting than a Porsche (my opinion) and no one runs to speak to you when you drive a Porsche!

Good Luck

PS the rear seats are fine for a (very big) teenager - and the boot can - ive been told - take a pram.

 

[Andyk]

A big welcome immers and conratualtions on the pregnancy......You will get loads of asvice on here......GT is a good coice just check the boot out first as not the biggest for baby stuff from what a few have said on ...

 

[ratbag]

No - a warranty would be a waste of money-
not worth it- I too was worried when my 08 GT went out of warranty but nothing, ever,of any sort has ever gone wrong (nor do i expect it to judging by the reliability of my old 4200)
The build quality on these cars now is second to none, and even in the trade they are well thought of reliability wise,
with major components considered pretty bullet proof.
As another poster said brake discs and pads are MEGA expensive.....
Yes you can get a service for around £1000 using Supercar Hub....

Hi everyone,

I'm a new member and after some advice please...

Mrs is pregnant with our first child which has resulted in me selling the Porsche. However, I've persuaded her the logical replacement is the gran turismo 4 seats and boot (pretty small, I know)

I'll be doing an average of 5-6 k miles per year, if that. I'm thinking about a GT 4.2 2008 with roughly 35k miles on the clock. In my mind this won't depreciate much more which then covers any service costs I have to fork out.

My only concern is that most of the cars are now out of warranty or will be shortly after I purchase it. Is it worth getting a third party warranty for 1500-2000 extra? I'm aware that the chances are they won't pay anyway so is it really worth it. From my research it seems these models are pretty reliable now and maybe not necessary

I had a quote fr a 37 k service from an Indy specialist (Synter ) which would cost 1k. This would be a standard service oil, filters, etc. Is this reasonable for this type of service?


Any tips on buying a used gt? Anything else I should watch out for or consider cost wise?

Many many thanks in advance....

 

[Felonious Crud]

Hi Immers, welcome.

Congrats on the looming child. Great choice to move to Maserati and a Granturismo is a joy. The boot is plenty big enough. With careful packing I can fit two teenagers, Mrs N and a fortnight's worth of luggage and assorted junk in my GT and still make it to the south of France and back relatively unruffled. My only concern with a baby is the squeeze through into the back, which makes me think that Newton's QP suggestion is a goodie. You can get a lot of QP for your money and they ooze style.

Good luck!

/Adam

 

[immers]

Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated...

I did think about the QP but felt the style of the GT was more to my liking. I'm surprised about the brake costs, are they really that expensive? One of the reasons I avoided the 4.7 was the brake costs involved in replacing them. Correct me if I'm wrong but the pads would be a hundread or so, not sure about the discs...

I've managed to find a baby seat which will fit in the back,....just need to find the right colour combo now (for the car, not the baby seat)!!

I think i'll scrap the warranty idea and just put money aside for parts etc...

I need to check authorised service centres nearby, I'm in between Leeds and manchester. Manchester stratstone have had some bad reviews by other maserati owners.....

 

[conaero]

Immers, you can save on brakes, you can get them skimmed at the main dealer for about £250 all round. Now normally I am not a fan of skimming but upon the purchase of my GTS I had juddering at speed from the front discs. I had them skimmed and they were perfect and were still perfect when I sold the car some 6k miles later. As for the pads, the OEM dealer price is about £700 for the front axle, but after some detective work found they very same pads could be had for under £200.

So you can either pay £3k for brakes or £500 with the help of this forum, so you dont have to pay these silly prices if you use your head.

For me, only a GTS would do as it is, despite its size, a drivers car and will hold its value better than the 4.2 in the long run, especially as the values are now down in the mid £40k's.

 

[LeeH]

Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated...

I did think about the QP but felt the style of the GT was more to my liking. I'm surprised about the brake costs, are they really that expensive? One of the reasons I avoided the 4.7 was the brake costs involved in replacing them. Correct me if I'm wrong but the pads would be a hundread or so, not sure about the discs...

I've managed to find a baby seat which will fit in the back,....just need to find the right colour combo now (for the car, not the baby seat)!!

I think i'll scrap the warranty idea and just put money aside for parts etc...

I need to check authorised service centres nearby, I'm in between Leeds and manchester. Manchester stratstone have had some bad reviews by other maserati owners.....

Hi Immers

Give Marios and the guys a ring at Autoshield Maserati In Manchester re your service requirements.
An extremely knowledgeable indie that many of us on this forum use for all our servicing etc

Cheers

Lee

 

[immers]

Hi Immers

Give Marios and the guys a ring at Autoshield Maserati In Manchester re your service requirements.
An extremely knowledgeable indie that many of us on this forum use for all our servicing etc

Cheers

Lee

Thanks Lee, I'll give them a call and get some details....

 

[TridentTested]

I need to check authorised service centres nearby, I'm in between Leeds and manchester. Manchester stratstone have had some bad reviews by other maserati owners.....

Another vote for here for you to speak to Richard Grace (advertises on this site), you are ideally placed to deal with him, he's near Chester.

Congrats on the forthcoming bambino.

 

[dickygrace]

Thanks very much for the recommendations guys. Immers, you know where I am if you need any help or advice.

 

[immers]

I had a quote from autoshield for a service and brakes, info below, if it helps anyone:

Service including oil filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, air filter - 550 + vat

Brake pads on a 4.7 - 350 + vat (I asked for brakes on a 4.2 but they gave me info on a 4.7)

Seems reasonable to me.....

Thanks

 

[Parisien]

Thats very good......the plugs are £12 each or so.....


P