Wednesday 8th June 2011

You Know You Want To... Maserati Quattroporte

A four-door, twin-turbo, V8 Maserati styled by Gandini for beer money...what's not to like?

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If you were after a fast luxury saloon from the nineties you'd surely have to consider a Maserati Quattroporte as a cool alternative to something from Stuttgart or Munich?

This Quattroporte from our classifieds caught our eye, not just because it's one of the last non-Evoluzione V8s, but because it's a rare manual too. The current owner is apparently spending more and more time out of the country, so as a result this original, low-mileage, properly serviced, downright sexy Quattroporte (easy there, Andy - Ed) is up for an asking price of just £6k.

"It's different," the vendor told us. "You can't really compare it to anything else because it's so stylish but understated as well. I've had this one for three and a half years and it's been great, although you do have to have them serviced by the right people."

The ropey condition of some of the Biturbos you see out there are testament to what can happen if an owner skimps on maintenance, but this Quattroporte appears not to fall into that category. As well as a comprehensive main dealer/Maserati specialist history, it's also had recent discs and pads as well as a rebuilt air-con system.

The interior was described to us as 'immaculate apart from some very minor wear on the driver's seat outer bolster' whilst the exterior sports only some very minor age-related chips and scratches to the original black paint. Overall it looks stunning even though some can't decide if the rear wheel arch is a bit...erm...'challenging.'

Let's not get carried away here, though - running one of these cars properly is going to require a certain financial commitment as far as the servicing goes (although cars with 'AMG' or 'M' in the title aren't exactly cheap to run). And it's also worth pointing out that, for this money, you'd likely get an M5 of similar vintage, but probably with more than double the mileage.

[Recarobob]

Dodgy speedo, or did he really take the picture while driving at 12MPH? Ecletic seats or electric seats? Matalic back?

If you are going to try and sell your used Italian supercar then don't make the ad as trustworthy as the reputation of the cars themselves!

[crostonian]

Have always been tempted by one of these but put off by potential annual servicing and repair costs exceeding the cars value! Having said that Mario at Autoshield in Manchester swears by them and says they are far more reliable than 3200 GT's, not a great yardstick I realise. They really are a wolf in sheeps clothing as nobody knows what they are and they don't have much presence on the road. I guess like all things that are cheap, there is a reason.

[VX Foxy]

£6k? Not. A. Chance. £600 - maybe...

[Johnboy Mac]

Recarobob said:

Dodgy speedo, or did he really take the picture while driving at 12MPH? Ecletic seats or electric seats? Matalic back?

If you are going to try and sell your used Italian supercar then don't make the ad as trustworthy as the reputation of the cars themselves!

Was thinking the exact same.


P.s. Also it's idling @500RPM with no oil pressure.............

Edited by Johnboy Mac on Tuesday 7th June 17:08

[Mafioso]

Recarobob said:

Dodgy speedo, or did he really take the picture while driving at 12MPH?

I believe most older Italian instruments never go to zero when everything is off. Anyone know the reason?

[Justayellowbadge]

Mafioso said:

I believe most older Italian instruments never go to zero when everything is off. Anyone know the reason?

It drives ricc absolutely bloody spare.

That's enough reason for me.

[grumpy52]

Mafioso said:

Recarobob said:

Dodgy speedo, or did he really take the picture while driving at 12MPH?

I believe most older Italian instruments never go to zero when everything is off. Anyone know the reason?

Because they "look like they are doing 70 mph even when standing still"
"seeemples"

[chazwozza]

Very jag-like interior from the drivers door view.

[jbforce10]

Recarobob said:

Dodgy speedo, or did he really take the picture while driving at 12MPH?

It's an Italian thing. Check any Integrale speedometer at rest, maybe that's why they had such a quick 0-100kph time for that era (starting at 20kph isn't cheating is it? ).

[firebird350]

If I wanted a car that needed my constant love and affection (along with the bills which that would entail) even more than my Alfa Romeo 164 Cloverleaf, then I could think of very few cars that would accomplish this 'drain' on resources better than one of these Quattroporte's (although the Evoluzione is preferable).
However, that's no reason for not having a crack at one (Yikes, what am I saying!!). Thank God I don't have any spare cash right now. Love 'em! Love the understated looks and discretion and I'm sure I'd find a road somewhere in the UK where I could use all 335BHP!

[GPT]

Looks good but there's a Ghibli in the classifieds for only a couple of k more.

I would love a Ghibli. Such a good looking 4 seater.

[Gallen]

GPT said:

Looks good but there's a Ghibli in the classifieds for only a couple of k more.

I would love a Ghibli. Such a good looking 4 seater.

Save 2k if you buy the same car from this ad:

http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/classic-car-pa...

£6995 as opposed to £8995

Yep - Gorgeous

[myhandle]

I had a go in an auto V8 one when it was only a few years old, and I really liked it. Even at 3 or 4 years old it seemed to be very good value for the rarity / performance / charisma, and now it's really inexpensive for what it inherently is. They obviously need to be looked after by a specialist who know what they are doing, and probably should be garaged, but are not quite as terrifying to own as some would make out, as long as they have been kept in good condition from new.

[belleair302]

A tricky car to drive quickly on damp or wet roads and I believe that the suspension is somewhat expensive as and when it fails. Rust will always be an issue but a very left field car and is a good change from BMW's etc. In the ilk of the Audi RS2 and Alpina B10 Bi Turbo category!!!

[buellboy]

This reminds me of the Italian Mafia's car in the GTA series of games...I want one!

[hebbhog]

I have always been tempted by these, especially the later versions from when Ferrari got involved and build quality improved (well that's what they say).

Buying it would be okay, but it is the unknown factor of reliability and parts. I know that Fiat Italy used to shut down for most of the summer which used to make making getting hold of non UK stock parts 'interesting' - I imagine that it could be even worse for something rare like this.

However, if somebody was to give this car to me then I would have £6k to spend parts!

[detomaso]

I'd love one - a neighbour of mine had one having moved on from a Ghibli, a 430 and a 222. He kept them all immaculate and they had real presence which is a shame when you see the dog eared ones in the classifieds looking sorry for themselves...

[Fastra]

I've always, always loved these things but a similarity (ish) has just struck me:





nahhh - its been a long day..!

[doodles19]

£6,000 is beer money!? What pub are you going to!?

[jackdebray]

Those rear wheel arches look a bit Citroen XM to me!