RE: Maserati Quattroporte: Spotted
Discussion
Schermerhorn said:
I was going to post Doug's video as well; IIRC there are some very peculiar quirks to the interior/infotainment systems that would take some getting used to. 
BigMon said:
Bloke up my road has one of a similar vintage bought from a car collector who barely used it.
It is beautiful but he showed me the thick wad of service history and it's a real eye opener. Rear brakes? That'll be £2.5K Sir.
He also said if you thrap it from standstill you can smell the clutch burning, and you have to be careful reversing up hills as (apparently) it's easy to burn the clutch out there if you're not careful.
Not sure how much of the above is true or not, but when you hear the rumble of the Testarossa engine going past it's a great sound.
So... so... and.... so......It is beautiful but he showed me the thick wad of service history and it's a real eye opener. Rear brakes? That'll be £2.5K Sir.
He also said if you thrap it from standstill you can smell the clutch burning, and you have to be careful reversing up hills as (apparently) it's easy to burn the clutch out there if you're not careful.
Not sure how much of the above is true or not, but when you hear the rumble of the Testarossa engine going past it's a great sound.
It's obviously not for you..... lol
Even if it was £1k......
£7.5 k is basically a free Maserati..... even if it breaks, you just sit it down and drive your run around... fix it over time, you still have a Quattroporte.... for £7k lol
Had one just like this and the Duoselect box is a peach. I'd want a clutch wear reading before buying one as that is about £2.5K for a new clutch. Check suspension bushes and discs all round too as they are very expensive. Uneven tyre wear means wheel alignment out (hunter machine needed) or arm bushes are shot.
Go for it!
Go for it!
Lovely looking thing, but....
I’m always suspicious as to why sellers hide the reg number, is there something they’re hoping to hide in then MOT history?
Let’s face it, you’re going to see the reg when or if you go to view it.
Likewise the comment concerning ‘stamps in the book’, stamps mean nothing on their own (and with a car like this I’d want to contact the concern who placed those stamps to ascertain exactly what they were for.
Indeed, I’d expect to see a sheaf of bills, invoices, receipts with a car like this, any less would make me walk away without a backwards glance.
I’m quite a fan of this colour combination, although darker shades do suit it and give it, in my eyes at least, a touch of modern day ‘Italian Job’ mafia...
I’m always suspicious as to why sellers hide the reg number, is there something they’re hoping to hide in then MOT history?
Let’s face it, you’re going to see the reg when or if you go to view it.
Likewise the comment concerning ‘stamps in the book’, stamps mean nothing on their own (and with a car like this I’d want to contact the concern who placed those stamps to ascertain exactly what they were for.
Indeed, I’d expect to see a sheaf of bills, invoices, receipts with a car like this, any less would make me walk away without a backwards glance.
I’m quite a fan of this colour combination, although darker shades do suit it and give it, in my eyes at least, a touch of modern day ‘Italian Job’ mafia...
Here's my old car. I sold it in 2014. It was great fun to drive and a lovely place to be. It wafted family Blib effortlessly through Europe on numerous occasions, never missing a beat.
I miss it to this day. Though, we're I to replace it, I'd opt for full auto, rather than duo-select. I had one of those clutches fail in a 4200 on the Brent Cross flyover one rush hour. No fun.
don't you love when that "invisible hand" delivers value for money at the far end of the market?
maybe there could be a special category called Shed de Luxe that is fixed at 5(shed)
if you have a decent job, the cost of maintenance at an independent specialist should be easily absorbed
massive presence
beautiful
Around this time last year I was hovering with intent looking at buying an early ZF example but chickened out, in overpowering bright red with a sumptuous black leather interior it had oodles of presence and sounded wonderful. I was taken for a very fast ride around Bruntingthorpe in a duo-select version a while ago which made the hairs on the back of my neck do strange things, the V8 sounded incredible on the limit. I've read everything I can about them on the Sportsmaserati forum, weighing up the pros and cons of duo-select vs ZF box, but still can't quite make the leap and I'm not entirely sure why.
I still want one though...!
I still want one though...!
bobbo89 said:
From what i understand the sticky dash issue is to do with certain buttons and switches that are covered in a thin rubberised coating that over time degrades/perishes so it becomes soft and sticky and starts peeling off. I think a lot of people use a solvent or alcohol solution to remove it completely.
The NG Saab 9-3 had exactly this issue. Apparently over time aftershave, sun lotion etc react with it and it turns soft and peels as mentioned. Let's face it you don't have to fix it. I assume the buttons still work?Equus said:
£313 for a pair of discs and £223 for a set of pads according to this company, and that's for genuine parts.
£2K in labour seems a bit steep for fitting?
What gives? What are the real running costs of these like, if you don't allow yourself to be fleeced by a main dealer?
A quick glance suggests there is a very large Maserati tax applied to pretty much everything. Take those brakes. Genuine Brembo 330mm discs for an Alfa GTA - £130, came with genuine Brembo pads last time I bought a set. As far as a quick search tells me, these Masers also have 330s at the front, but these ones are special - £400 quid for the disks and another £189 for the pads - even on eBay.£2K in labour seems a bit steep for fitting?
What gives? What are the real running costs of these like, if you don't allow yourself to be fleeced by a main dealer?
Specific Maserati parts such as suspension arms, are not available “OE” and are about treble the price of the comparable genuine parts on a GTA, despite fundamentally being the same thing.
These are cheap because you can buy one like this, and easily spend the purchase price again on a few brake parts and suspension fixing, even if you’re doing the work yourself.
V10Ace said:
So... so... and.... so......
It's obviously not for you..... lol
Even if it was £1k......
£7.5 k is basically a free Maserati..... even if it breaks, you just sit it down and drive your run around... fix it over time, you still have a Quattroporte.... for £7k lol
Never said it wasn't for me.It's obviously not for you..... lol
Even if it was £1k......
£7.5 k is basically a free Maserati..... even if it breaks, you just sit it down and drive your run around... fix it over time, you still have a Quattroporte.... for £7k lol
Would love one but it would always be in the back of my mind that a massive bill could be just around the corner and I wouldn't be able to fix wishbones, etc on my own.
I'd only buy something like this if I had a big slush fund to allow for such things. These will always have the running costs of a £80-£100K car and I think it's easy to forget that.
BigMon said:
V10Ace said:
So... so... and.... so......
It's obviously not for you..... lol
Even if it was £1k......
£7.5 k is basically a free Maserati..... even if it breaks, you just sit it down and drive your run around... fix it over time, you still have a Quattroporte.... for £7k lol
Never said it wasn't for me.It's obviously not for you..... lol
Even if it was £1k......
£7.5 k is basically a free Maserati..... even if it breaks, you just sit it down and drive your run around... fix it over time, you still have a Quattroporte.... for £7k lol
Would love one but it would always be in the back of my mind that a massive bill could be just around the corner and I wouldn't be able to fix wishbones, etc on my own.
I'd only buy something like this if I had a big slush fund to allow for such things. These will always have the running costs of a £80-£100K car and I think it's easy to forget that.
a holiday in Vegas, you say?
stock up on consumables at a significant discount:
http://www.formuladynamics.com/products/qp_brake_r...
https://www.facebook.com/formuladynamics/
https://www.autopartswarehouse.com/search/?Ntt=Mas...
P5BNij said:
Around this time last year I was hovering with intent looking at buying an early ZF example but chickened out, in overpowering bright red with a sumptuous black leather interior it had oodles of presence and sounded wonderful. I was taken for a very fast ride around Bruntingthorpe in a duo-select version a while ago which made the hairs on the back of my neck do strange things, the V8 sounded incredible on the limit. I've read everything I can about them on the Sportsmaserati forum, weighing up the pros and cons of duo-select vs ZF box, but still can't quite make the leap and I'm not entirely sure why.
I still want one though...!
Do it mate! Life's too short. I can guarantee it was one of us (sportsmaserati) crew who took you on the high speed lap at Brunty (on your marks) I still want one though...!
Check these cars for subframe rot as the earlier cars can suffer serious problems.
Any advice you need let me know.
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