RE: Spotted: Maserati 3200 GT
Discussion
blindswelledrat said:
Alfa159Ti said:
, the surprisingly low rent interior,
DId you mean to say that? Seriously?
I'm looking for a NICE 2+2 and most cars have horrid plastic interiors and one of the reasons I considered the Maserarti was because of its quality interior.
I cannot help but feel a little responsible for this popping up.
About 2 weeks ago Chris tweeted out for a BMW M5 Touring to stop harassing him so (with the help of XLTweet to get some html linking to the PH classifieds) I threw him links to an RS6+, RS4, E55K and V8 300C Touring along with THIS 3200GT which was half the price of the offending M5 Touring.
It could all be a coincidence but you never know.
About 2 weeks ago Chris tweeted out for a BMW M5 Touring to stop harassing him so (with the help of XLTweet to get some html linking to the PH classifieds) I threw him links to an RS6+, RS4, E55K and V8 300C Touring along with THIS 3200GT which was half the price of the offending M5 Touring.
It could all be a coincidence but you never know.
Edited by Defconluke on Thursday 9th February 16:07
Defconluke said:
About 2 weeks ago Chris tweeted out for a BMW M5 Touring to stop harassing so (with the help of XLTweet to get some html linking to the PH classifieds) threw him links to an .
I truly hope I am not the only person who hasn't gor the faintest idea what that means."tweeted out for", "stop harrassing so", "XLTweet to get some html" "threw him links"?
Four phrases that I genuinely haven't even an inkling of thier meaning. Are they real words? Did you mean to type them here?
I owned a 1999 V reg 3200 GT Auto a couple of years back when I turned 25, it had 68k on the clocks when I bought it, it had reams of service history, load of work done by the previous owner, thought it was a real bargain at £10,500. Drove it back from Belfast, on the ferry to Stranraer, then back home.
Was a fantastic drive home, loved every minute of it. I loved the brutal acceleration & the noise of it...
This was my pops giving it some revs on the way home...
http://youtu.be/CROSC__tBw8
Few days passed, everything was going spot on, had the cam belt and a service done by a supposed Ferrari specialist who incidentally put the incorrect grade oil in, so went and bought the correct Selenia Racing 10w/60 stuff and changed it myself. Again, everything seemed fine for a few weeks, then, the problems started.
First it was an uneven idle, then a momentary dip in power at around 5000rpm, limp mode where 40 mph was the max. speed available and finally, the engine would start to rev up by itself to around 4k when it should be at idle. Classic signs of the throttle body playing up. So with the advice from the guys on the Maserati forum,sent it away to be refurbished, it came back worse than it had went in, so sent it back again, got a different one back. Fitted it back on and all was well for another week or so.
I bought a diagnostic kit from a guy in the Netherlands, the early 3200's aren't OBD2 so this was a specially made unit to mimic the Ferrari/Maserati main dealer SD2 diagnostics, invaluable piece of kit. So, plugged it in next time I had a fault, Knock sensor 1 and both pre-cat O2 sensors. Ordered the genuine parts from Eurospares, knock sensors were cheap at about £35, but given their location I bought 2, (under the inlet manifolds and water hoses in the centre of the 'V') Took it in to a local Italian car specialist, the owner dabbles in Ferrari's from time to time so knows his way round most things like the 3200. When the inlet manifold, 8 or 9 coolant hoses, the water manifold, starter motor etc were all removed, the cause of the problem with the knock sensors was revealed, the guy that did the cam belt hadn't tightened one of the hose clamps up, so a fine mist of coolant was filling up the V of the engine, submerging the knock sensors.
With that all back together and the new O2 sensors fitted, the car ran nice once again, only for another 400-500 miles later, ABS warning lights, no ASR/traction control and a 'Slow down' light coming on when at full boost in 2nd gear around 5000rpm accompanied by the engine struggling to rev any more, almost like fuel starvation. No faults logged with the diagnostics, was advised to give all of the engine electrics connections a going over with some contact cleaner. Did that and everything was good again and drove without fault for 500 miles. At this point, 6 months had elapsed and I was losing enthusiasm with the car and just wanted rid of it before anything else went wrong and it bankrupted me. So, part x'd it for a Range Rover, one of the conditions of the deal was the 3200 was to be checked over by a garage called GT Cars in Sutton Coldfield IIRC. The bloke that ran it was an ex Ferrari mechanic, one of only 6 in Europe that was licensed to work on Enzo's. His garage was superb, loads of nice Ferrari's, a couple of Lambo's and an identical 3200 to mine. He had it up on the ramps for half an hour, gave the whole car a good going over, put it on the latest SD2 diagnostic machine then gave his verdict.
He said it was a very sorted car, all of the common issues had been sorted, only things he recommended were an oil pressure sender needed replaced as the gauge would fluctuate at idle, the front discs needed the holes re-drilled to clear brake deposits, the underside could do with being under-sealed as a precaution and 2 rear tyres could do with being changed soon, (that would be me 'enjoying' the car to it's potential the night before!) I dare say, the issues the car had, I had fixed and I would have had trouble free motoring from then on, but by then, all the faults it had in the past had put a downer on the whole experience.
In all though, I loved the look and sound of it and would probably have another if I knew it was fault free car that wasn't going to spend more time off the road than on. Everywhere I went, I always got compliments about it, not one person had a bad word to say about it. It's a real shame it was let down by a combo of shoddy workmanship and sub standard parts.
Was a fantastic drive home, loved every minute of it. I loved the brutal acceleration & the noise of it...
This was my pops giving it some revs on the way home...
http://youtu.be/CROSC__tBw8
Few days passed, everything was going spot on, had the cam belt and a service done by a supposed Ferrari specialist who incidentally put the incorrect grade oil in, so went and bought the correct Selenia Racing 10w/60 stuff and changed it myself. Again, everything seemed fine for a few weeks, then, the problems started.
First it was an uneven idle, then a momentary dip in power at around 5000rpm, limp mode where 40 mph was the max. speed available and finally, the engine would start to rev up by itself to around 4k when it should be at idle. Classic signs of the throttle body playing up. So with the advice from the guys on the Maserati forum,sent it away to be refurbished, it came back worse than it had went in, so sent it back again, got a different one back. Fitted it back on and all was well for another week or so.
I bought a diagnostic kit from a guy in the Netherlands, the early 3200's aren't OBD2 so this was a specially made unit to mimic the Ferrari/Maserati main dealer SD2 diagnostics, invaluable piece of kit. So, plugged it in next time I had a fault, Knock sensor 1 and both pre-cat O2 sensors. Ordered the genuine parts from Eurospares, knock sensors were cheap at about £35, but given their location I bought 2, (under the inlet manifolds and water hoses in the centre of the 'V') Took it in to a local Italian car specialist, the owner dabbles in Ferrari's from time to time so knows his way round most things like the 3200. When the inlet manifold, 8 or 9 coolant hoses, the water manifold, starter motor etc were all removed, the cause of the problem with the knock sensors was revealed, the guy that did the cam belt hadn't tightened one of the hose clamps up, so a fine mist of coolant was filling up the V of the engine, submerging the knock sensors.
With that all back together and the new O2 sensors fitted, the car ran nice once again, only for another 400-500 miles later, ABS warning lights, no ASR/traction control and a 'Slow down' light coming on when at full boost in 2nd gear around 5000rpm accompanied by the engine struggling to rev any more, almost like fuel starvation. No faults logged with the diagnostics, was advised to give all of the engine electrics connections a going over with some contact cleaner. Did that and everything was good again and drove without fault for 500 miles. At this point, 6 months had elapsed and I was losing enthusiasm with the car and just wanted rid of it before anything else went wrong and it bankrupted me. So, part x'd it for a Range Rover, one of the conditions of the deal was the 3200 was to be checked over by a garage called GT Cars in Sutton Coldfield IIRC. The bloke that ran it was an ex Ferrari mechanic, one of only 6 in Europe that was licensed to work on Enzo's. His garage was superb, loads of nice Ferrari's, a couple of Lambo's and an identical 3200 to mine. He had it up on the ramps for half an hour, gave the whole car a good going over, put it on the latest SD2 diagnostic machine then gave his verdict.
He said it was a very sorted car, all of the common issues had been sorted, only things he recommended were an oil pressure sender needed replaced as the gauge would fluctuate at idle, the front discs needed the holes re-drilled to clear brake deposits, the underside could do with being under-sealed as a precaution and 2 rear tyres could do with being changed soon, (that would be me 'enjoying' the car to it's potential the night before!) I dare say, the issues the car had, I had fixed and I would have had trouble free motoring from then on, but by then, all the faults it had in the past had put a downer on the whole experience.
In all though, I loved the look and sound of it and would probably have another if I knew it was fault free car that wasn't going to spend more time off the road than on. Everywhere I went, I always got compliments about it, not one person had a bad word to say about it. It's a real shame it was let down by a combo of shoddy workmanship and sub standard parts.
johnpeat said:
Didn't they change the rear lights because they cost a FORTUNE to make and replace??
Yes !A mate of mine bought one that had had a small bump a few years ago.
Rear 1/4 damage and a broken light.
IIRC it was £900 for the light.
Ah but only £495 for a used one !
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Maserati-3200-GT-Near-Si...
blindswelledrat
15,201 posts
86 months
[report]
[news]
15:24 quote quote all
Defconluke said:
About 2 weeks ago Chris tweeted out for a BMW M5 Touring to stop harassing so (with the help of XLTweet to get some html linking to the PH classifieds) threw him links to an .
I truly hope I am not the only person who hasn't gor the faintest idea what that means.
"tweeted out for", "stop harrassing so", "XLTweet to get some html" "threw him links"?
Where are you living fella, the 1950's?
15,201 posts
86 months
[report]
[news]
15:24 quote quote all
Defconluke said:
About 2 weeks ago Chris tweeted out for a BMW M5 Touring to stop harassing so (with the help of XLTweet to get some html linking to the PH classifieds) threw him links to an .
I truly hope I am not the only person who hasn't gor the faintest idea what that means.
"tweeted out for", "stop harrassing so", "XLTweet to get some html" "threw him links"?
Where are you living fella, the 1950's?
First heard one in 1999 walking between tall buildings in the city, I even ran to the corner to see more and hear the acceleration closer. We had fiat coupe 20VT at the time.
Fast forward 7 years (via 911 Cab, BMW 730, Alfa 166 x2) to the launch of Alfa Brera which we were due to buy for £22-24k
Good old Classic Cars had article by Uncle Quentin (Wilson), showing you can buy 3200 GT for 20k. "Hang on a minute", I said to mrs rs48635. "what if we can get a proper 4 seat Italian car for same as the Brera?" (which drove like a dog). She replied, "sounds okay"
We bought a black 2001 3200 GT Assetto Corsa in august 2006. What a noise, spectacle and occasion. Had to learn to drive all over again, but what a joy. Without fail everyone loves the car, small boy stopped me to take photos, "you don't see many Maserati in Huntingdon mister, can I take a picture?"
Of course he took one, then I sat him in drivers seat, let him start and rev it. Took soem pics for him and had a chat with his dad.
Nothing gone wrong , just some brakes, exhaust rear boxes (now stainless), and tyres (rears last ages), until this year.
Buy a good one, and be sympathetic to the odd error light (my CEL was on for first 5 months - so what?) and you will be smiling all day and night.
Fast forward 7 years (via 911 Cab, BMW 730, Alfa 166 x2) to the launch of Alfa Brera which we were due to buy for £22-24k
Good old Classic Cars had article by Uncle Quentin (Wilson), showing you can buy 3200 GT for 20k. "Hang on a minute", I said to mrs rs48635. "what if we can get a proper 4 seat Italian car for same as the Brera?" (which drove like a dog). She replied, "sounds okay"
We bought a black 2001 3200 GT Assetto Corsa in august 2006. What a noise, spectacle and occasion. Had to learn to drive all over again, but what a joy. Without fail everyone loves the car, small boy stopped me to take photos, "you don't see many Maserati in Huntingdon mister, can I take a picture?"
Of course he took one, then I sat him in drivers seat, let him start and rev it. Took soem pics for him and had a chat with his dad.
Nothing gone wrong , just some brakes, exhaust rear boxes (now stainless), and tyres (rears last ages), until this year.
Buy a good one, and be sympathetic to the odd error light (my CEL was on for first 5 months - so what?) and you will be smiling all day and night.
blindswelledrat said:
DId you mean to say that? Seriously?
Ill conceed that the sat-nav unit is slightly plasticky for something so luxurious but the 4200 has one of the most beautiful interiors of any car IMO.
SOmething like 9 specially-bred cows are mercilessly butchered for one interior. HOw can that be 'low rent'?
The car I sat in felt very similar to the interior of Alfa's of similar vintage - lovely seats, nice leather trimming but rather nasty looking plastics. Ill conceed that the sat-nav unit is slightly plasticky for something so luxurious but the 4200 has one of the most beautiful interiors of any car IMO.
SOmething like 9 specially-bred cows are mercilessly butchered for one interior. HOw can that be 'low rent'?
Just look at the steering wheel, stereo facia and dash - looks pretty nasty to me. I also seem to remember the finish of some of the clocks and dials looked a bit low rent.
Maybe I would feel differently if I sat in one with a nicer colour scheme like the cream one in your pic, as the one I drove was light and dark blue inside which was a bit garish. I distinctly remember being pretty underwhelmed with it though when I drove it.
Motorrad said:
Lordy that looks nice.
Sounds like you had very bad luck with your car, reminds me of issues I've had with 'reliable' marques in the past but thankfully they were less expensive and elusive than yours. Let's hope the next owner benefited from your efforts.
My work partner bought a 3200 at the same time as I bought the 4200 and he hated every moment of ownership. HIs story read exactly the same as the one above. Every two minutes something was going on it and the check engine/limp[ mode was a regular feature. A lot of the stuff was pretty minor i.e. electric mirror switch which on a normal car you would pop to your local menders and have it back in 10 minutes with a £20 bill. Its just on a Maserati the parts are 10, 50 and even 100 times more than logic might suggest it should be and you can never have it done by a normal dealer so it was simply soooo much hassle to own.Sounds like you had very bad luck with your car, reminds me of issues I've had with 'reliable' marques in the past but thankfully they were less expensive and elusive than yours. Let's hope the next owner benefited from your efforts.
REF: running costs. Mine started with a full set of Main dealer stamps. I added one more just in case I needed to sell on quickly.
Good indies are no more expensive for workshop time than any other brand, my local place does mainly Porsche, BMW and Merc. They do some stuff on the 3200 and our 911 3.2 carrera, also for thier sins they keep my daily s
tter in honest MOTs.
The proper Maserati places (Genuine indies and Main Dealer *) can sometime charge too much for routine service work IMO.
There is a genuine value-add to having experts do your routine mainenance, but at a cost. They often point out "stuff you want to look at soon"
Good indies are no more expensive for workshop time than any other brand, my local place does mainly Porsche, BMW and Merc. They do some stuff on the 3200 and our 911 3.2 carrera, also for thier sins they keep my daily s
tter in honest MOTs.The proper Maserati places (Genuine indies and Main Dealer *) can sometime charge too much for routine service work IMO.
There is a genuine value-add to having experts do your routine mainenance, but at a cost. They often point out "stuff you want to look at soon"
- some main dealers will price match the indies, so do phone them. Lots of prestige car owners pay main dealer for annual (inspection?) service, then get any work required done elsewhere.
Don't tell me, you knew a man who had a dog which bit the postman who delivers to an old lady who's son once had one. So it must be true.
blindswelledrat said:
My work partner bought a 3200 at the same time as I bought the 4200 and he hated every moment of ownership. HIs story read exactly the same as the one above. Every two minutes something was going on it and the check engine/limp[ mode was a regular feature. A lot of the stuff was pretty minor i.e. electric mirror switch which on a normal car you would pop to your local menders and have it back in 10 minutes with a £20 bill. Its just on a Maserati the parts are 10, 50 and even 100 times more than logic might suggest it should be and you can never have it done by a normal dealer so it was simply soooo much hassle to own.
Come on now, any garage can fix an electric window switch! There's tons of second hand parts and nothing much at all has to be bought new for the 3200.The situation described also applied to mine, but after 2-4 months it all settled down. Nothing at all was replaced, some elcetrical connections were cleaned and the car run regularly. Seem the 3200 doesn't like being left standing on a forecourt with only half gallon of fuel for company.
The rules for normal cars might not apply to exotic cars, where a little patience pays dividends. If you're expecting Audi levels of internal build/reliablity, forget it.
If you want succes you find a way.
If you don't you find an excuse.
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