Ownership of my 3200 after a month my honest thoughts.

[Marti]

Hi guys,

Thought I write down how my new 3200 has performed and my honest thoughts after a months ownership, I know a only a month isn't a true reflection so was thinking maybe do another thread in a few months and another after 1 year!?

Well my history is that I'm a builder/developer so all my cars are for weekend/fun, (vans during the week) I'm 46 with 3 boys all petrol heads, I'm lucky that my wife shares my love for the Maserati brand so funding my habit is easier than most!!

After 6 years of ownership of a new QP sport GT which we loved and was ideal as the kids were smaller so had to take then everywhere, (brilliant family car) the buzz faded a bit mainly do to having it stolen (and recovered) and waiting close on 9 months for the insurance company to release it, then to top it off our main dealer smashing the rear end to pieces while they had it in for a service ( mention no names but look where I'm from and what dealer is close!) so she went last summer and started to look for a new maser to give me my fix! After a couple of months of looking at various models and price ranges we both got hooked on the shape and looks of the 3200 and the idea of saving one and looking after one for bit of "Maserati Therapy" well we looked at a far view private and trade and and we went went for the cheapest from a private sale!!!! Bet you all thinking what an idiot, well my theory Behind my madness is that I don't trust anybody and what ever3200 a purchased I be spending money on it to get it up to spec, the one I went for was a 2002 with full service history mainly from Galio in Kent, I contacted them and all was good they had looked after the car for the last 5 years and a main dealer before them and all the work needed to be done has been. So all good, hpi was all clear insurance quote was cheap so went for it got the bank details of the guy and forwarded my money over to him, and collected her. When I got her on the M25 bloody **** I couldn't believe how good she was and fell in love all over again! The feel was a lot sportier than the QP and a lot more responsive you could really notice the smaller size of the 3200. Loved the journey home all went well with no lights coming on, I knew from me inspecting the car prior to buying the brakes need doing and the tyres were ****. Got home and then straight to Bill McGrath Maserati to give her a overall service etc etc. Paul came back with a list of recommendation but nothing major and nothing urgent and saying she was not bad at all!!! BM kept her for a week and did their magic (still more to do from BM but that be after Xmas)

I honestly can't believe how much I enjoy driving her the speed and excitement is brill yes the brakes are rubbish and it doesn't help I got the worst set of rubbers on ever made, the noise when you get to 100 is heaven , the pick up from doing 120 is a lot better than the QP 120 to 160 in about 2 seconds. I think she would handle a bit better on slighter lower springs you do get a bit of body roll around the country lanes, some one said you can do 10mm lower on the original springs so going to try this but the sport seats keep you in position so not too bothered. the inside is all good and once i work out how to use the sat nav on the Becker it be even better!! but overall very very impressed with a car under £7k yes I need to spend £4kish to get her how I would like but I think I would needed to do that if I spent £15k . I report back with any more comments as I drive her more. Thanks Martin

 

[conaero]

Excellent write up Marti, chuffed for you.

Is she an auto or manual?

 

[Marti]

Excellent write up Marti, chuffed for you.

Is she an auto or manual?

"Auto" I would I liked a manual but wasn't too bothered..................but saying that I think a manual would be better ............ Just have to get a AC manual to put alongside her!

 

[Andyk]

Great write up..Thanks for sharing....

 

[Marti]

Just came to me ...........when we was looking and went to several dealers none would let me have a test drive unless I was going to buy!!!!!! My 20 year old son has just brought a Astra VXR and he was aloud out for a test drive on his own with just leaving his driving licence with the sales guy. Is it a Back street car sales thing they don't let you test drive to see if you like it? Had a long argument with a salesman in Herts area saw a lovely 3200 was very interested and even had pounds notes with me so could of paid there and then, but he wouldn't let me drive it even with him seating next to me, thought f**k him and just walked off .

 

[CatmanV2]

Had the same issue when I was looking for my 4200. We talked about it on a couple of forums, but it strikes me as being pretty dumb.

At the risk of being derivative, I'll post a month of couple ownership soon.

C

 

[allandwf]

Excellent write up, enjoyed reading that. Think lowering should help the roll, either that just get the AC manual to compliment her, it's already lowered.

 

[TridentTested]

Excellent write up and I applaud you for taking the slightly risky route of buying the cheapest then bringing it up to your standard. Not many would have the courage to pour ±£5,000 into a car worth ±£7,000 but you are not wrong. You will have a lovely example when done and it will be all done to your satisfaction.

Just came to me ...........when we was looking and went to several dealers none would let me have a test drive unless I was going to buy!!!!!

I've never come across this. I looked at quite a few QPs before Dicky supplied one to me. I looked everywhere, main dealers, specialist dealers, dodgy Arthur Daley dealers, private punters and each and every one of them were very pleased to offer a test drive. One private seller even said "eh, I think I should come with you". She was going thinking of just handing me the key!

Given the way QPs drink petrol I probably got through at least a hundred quid's worth of sellers' fuel bills in all those drives.

 

[Marti]

Thanks Michael, I had read many threads on this forum before signing up saying you get what you pay for and I'm a firm believer in this especially owning my own company and generally not the cheapest out there!!! But on the flip side of the coin I purchased a vehicle last year top money from a main dealer with Full main dealer service history etc etc and within 4months it had blown up needing a complete new engine . Further investigation showed the vehicle had never had an oil or filter change and the main dealer stamps where put on by a not so honest sales rep hence the filter broke down and engine up in smoke!!! So my thinking that I was going to spend money on the 3200 what ever so it was not an issue it was under £7k when most of the others are around £15k+ plus it was never going to be a quick turnaround car. Cheers Martin

 

[mjheathcote]

You do hear horror stories from main dealers. A friend of mine with a Subaru automatic took his car to the main dealer for a service only a few months ago. He also asked for the automatic gearbox oil to be changed due to the mileage/age. Picked it up and on his way home the gearbox locked up solid. Cost him a small fortune to get it repaired, main dealer claimed it was a coincidence it failed within 10 miles of having the oil changed. The reality was of course they either forgot to put the new oil in, or they filled with the wrong grade, but he couldn't prove it.
Only ever us a main dealer when the car is under warranty. Even then it's not legally necessary.

 

[Parisien]

Thanks for the informative write up Marti.......great to hear you're in love again....


P

 

[Maser Sod]

Good to hear the story. My 3200 was much more fun than my my GranSports, I do miss the turbo rush.

I can't work out high-end car salespeople at all. Dem kindly went to look at a car for me last year and they guy basically treated him like a piece of sh*t. I had the money ready and was basically going to buy blind.

A dealership not too far from me have had me go in, ask for updates and in particular ask that they tell me when they are getting certain models in. But they've never called. They seem to think it is good enough simply to give me their card and leave it at that. Maybe they shift enough units by other means, or their mark-up solves the problem, but I'm amazed at how passive the selling process is.

 

[TridentTested]

You do hear horror stories from main dealers.

That's a shocking gearbox story.

Mine has hardly been a horror story but a tale of incompetence nevertheless. I bought my C6 from the main Citroën importer and principal concessionaire. I got them to put two new tyres on it after they had tried selling it to me with barely legal tread. The next day one of the tyres deflated. Thinking I was unlucky to get a puncture in my new tyre I pulled into my local tyre shop. They whipped the wheel off and discovered the valve hadn't been screwed in, then they called me over to see that Citroën had put new weights (hidden on the inside) on without removing the old ones. You could see the old ones covered in dirt. What incompetence.

 

[Spike62]

Good luck with the 3200, I loved mine !

 

[Pibbow]

Marti what a good write up I have to agree with your logic during your purchase process. I went to the other extreme but it has still been very expensive ownership for me. Good luck and enjoy her as much as I enjoy mine.

Peter

Off to the airport in an hour! Yipppeeeeeee.........

 

[Marti]

Need to ask Santa for a "road angel" can't go slow in the 3200 I can see myself getting up to 12 points before the new year!

 

[Simon]

Hi Marti,
I currently have a QP, out of interest what were the circumstances of the theft? I once got followed home about 2 years ago but I had noticed them and passed by where I actually lived, did a few loops and gave them a stare in the rear view mirror at which point they went another way.

 

[Marti]

Hi Marti,
I currently have a QP, out of interest what were the circumstances of the theft? I once got followed home about 2 years ago but I had noticed them and passed by where I actually lived, did a few loops and gave them a stare in the rear view mirror at which point they went another way.

Hi Simon, we think (and the police) that we was watched over several weeks to see our movements (we noticed a couple of cars parked outside our close acting strange but didn't put 2 and 2 together!!) the main problem is that we have a large sports motorhome (boys race motorcross) so out every weekend so you don't need to be a bio -chemist to know we wasn't at home. They broke into the home fund the spare key and key flop , unarmed the navtrak system and drove off they left the car 2 miles away in a street as some cars have two censors for the navtrak , they wait 24/48hpurs if police hasn't found it by then they know they ok to drive it to wherever. The police was sure it was going to Hull to go on a container. It wasn't fun and afterwards it never felt the same. We always phone the local sub police station now and they send a panda car around for a few nights ...it seems to help....touch wood!!!!!

 

[Simon]

Hi Simon, we think (and the police) that we was watched over several weeks to see our movements (we noticed a couple of cars parked outside our close acting strange but didn't put 2 and 2 together!!) the main problem is that we have a large sports motorhome (boys race motorcross) so out every weekend so you don't need to be a bio -chemist to know we wasn't at home. They broke into the home fund the spare key and key flop , unarmed the navtrak system and drove off they left the car 2 miles away in a street as some cars have two censors for the navtrak , they wait 24/48hpurs if police hasn't found it by then they know they ok to drive it to wherever. The police was sure it was going to Hull to go on a container. It wasn't fun and afterwards it never felt the same. We always phone the local sub police station now and they send a panda car around for a few nights ...it seems to help....touch wood!!!!!

The silly thing is that those Navtrak units are always in the same place on any specific model of car so the 'pros' will know how to disarm it. I assume your car wasn't garaged?

 

[Marti]

The silly thing is that those Navtrak units are always in the same place on any specific model of car so the 'pros' will know how to disarm it. I assume your car wasn't garaged?

No it wasn't garaged unfortunately the QP wouldn't fit in along with all my other toys (2 wheel toys) but the police said that wouldn't helped as mine was purchased new from a maserati main dealer so on the Maserati UK data base which anybody can gain info from with a bit of IT knowledge! They said it was stolen to order.