Maserati Gransport
Discussion
So I have been thinking about leaving the M3 fold for a decent amount of time, just never found the right car to replace the E46 so ended up not doing anything.
I have stumbled across the Maserati Gransport which gets me all excited, I aware I am buying a near 20 year old Italian car, so may end up with the costly repairs, however the E46 can also throw some large bills our way now and then.
Just wanted to see if anyone on here has had and experience with these cars and would like to share.
P.S trying to gauge a value for my 2005 Estoril blue Manual coupe with 113k miles, if anyone's got some pointers that would be helpful too.
I have stumbled across the Maserati Gransport which gets me all excited, I aware I am buying a near 20 year old Italian car, so may end up with the costly repairs, however the E46 can also throw some large bills our way now and then.
Just wanted to see if anyone on here has had and experience with these cars and would like to share.
P.S trying to gauge a value for my 2005 Estoril blue Manual coupe with 113k miles, if anyone's got some pointers that would be helpful too.
I absolutely love the Gransport. Especially in that Fuji white colour with the full leather interior (including headliner). There are some pretty funky colour combinations to be had though, not all to my taste. I've been close to buying one a few times, but always got rational again (or maybe a bit scared) and let it go.
I have done a bit of research and in general these are not bad cars at all. The engine is pretty strong and being a sort of end of the line version of the 4200 most bad bits have been ironed out. However the F1 box seems to be an aqcuired taste and clutches can wear out quickly at a considerable cost (don't use auto mode and mostly use the sport setting to get the most out of it). Otherwise the catalytic converters can be pretty scary cost wise (2 pre-cats and 2 regular ones if I'm correct). They hang pretty low and can break up interally when you hit them on something. The shocks can be pretty pricy as well if they need replacing. Other than that is mostly annoying Italian quirks of the era (sticky buttons and seat backs) and horrible fuel consumption. Very special car though for the price!
I have done a bit of research and in general these are not bad cars at all. The engine is pretty strong and being a sort of end of the line version of the 4200 most bad bits have been ironed out. However the F1 box seems to be an aqcuired taste and clutches can wear out quickly at a considerable cost (don't use auto mode and mostly use the sport setting to get the most out of it). Otherwise the catalytic converters can be pretty scary cost wise (2 pre-cats and 2 regular ones if I'm correct). They hang pretty low and can break up interally when you hit them on something. The shocks can be pretty pricy as well if they need replacing. Other than that is mostly annoying Italian quirks of the era (sticky buttons and seat backs) and horrible fuel consumption. Very special car though for the price!
Jurgen said:
I absolutely love the Gransport. Especially in that Fuji white colour with the full leather interior (including headliner). There are some pretty funky colour combinations to be had though, not all to my taste. I've been close to buying one a few times, but always got rational again (or maybe a bit scared) and let it go.
I have done a bit of research and in general these are not bad cars at all. The engine is pretty strong and being a sort of end of the line version of the 4200 most bad bits have been ironed out. However the F1 box seems to be an aqcuired taste and clutches can wear out quickly at a considerable cost (don't use auto mode and mostly use the sport setting to get the most out of it). Otherwise the catalytic converters can be pretty scary cost wise (2 pre-cats and 2 regular ones if I'm correct). They hang pretty low and can break up interally when you hit them on something. The shocks can be pretty pricy as well if they need replacing. Other than that is mostly annoying Italian quirks of the era (sticky buttons and seat backs) and horrible fuel consumption. Very special car though for the price!
Thanks, I'd read about the clutch, not the cats tho. That is a few cats if ever they needed replacing. I have done a bit of research and in general these are not bad cars at all. The engine is pretty strong and being a sort of end of the line version of the 4200 most bad bits have been ironed out. However the F1 box seems to be an aqcuired taste and clutches can wear out quickly at a considerable cost (don't use auto mode and mostly use the sport setting to get the most out of it). Otherwise the catalytic converters can be pretty scary cost wise (2 pre-cats and 2 regular ones if I'm correct). They hang pretty low and can break up interally when you hit them on something. The shocks can be pretty pricy as well if they need replacing. Other than that is mostly annoying Italian quirks of the era (sticky buttons and seat backs) and horrible fuel consumption. Very special car though for the price!
My heart is full on ready to purchase but a bit like you rationality/fear creeps in, I have to keep reminding myself if I am going to get one, now is the time to get one.
Really struggled to find a suitable car as the E46 M3, want something "Special" but can fit 2 kids in, and these tick all the boxes plus look/sound lovely. Just when you start logically think about it I get cold feet, so good to hear other peoples experiences/views
I am about to sell my 156 GTA and the Gransport is also on my list of potential purchases. I have about £20k to play with.
I have read-up on these, through the clubs and forums and it seems like the later Gransport is pretty well put together, and dare I say it reliable!
Sure, some things go wrong, but surely that is normal for a car of that age (my GTA just had a belt service, as well as a few bits and bobs and that cost me £2000!)
I'd be interested in reading the post that was mentioned, so if you find it please share...
Meanwhile good luck and let me know how you get on.
I have read-up on these, through the clubs and forums and it seems like the later Gransport is pretty well put together, and dare I say it reliable!
Sure, some things go wrong, but surely that is normal for a car of that age (my GTA just had a belt service, as well as a few bits and bobs and that cost me £2000!)
I'd be interested in reading the post that was mentioned, so if you find it please share...
Meanwhile good luck and let me know how you get on.
I've found some helpful info scrolling through here.
https://www.sportsmaserati.com/index.php
Also checked out a few Youtube videos/reviews although surprising not that many on YT.
Sounds like we have roughly the same budget (Pending how much I sell the M3 for)
https://www.sportsmaserati.com/index.php
Also checked out a few Youtube videos/reviews although surprising not that many on YT.
Sounds like we have roughly the same budget (Pending how much I sell the M3 for)
LordGrover said:
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https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
The Gransport is a very good car suspension components can be pricey & as said earlier the clutches can wear at a rate (a lot of the excessive wear is more to do with stop start traffic & being in auto) but there are ways around this.
One of my uncles had one back in the day & I think that was the reason I ended up buying a Granturismo, a mod that's popular is to add an Xpipe where the secondary cats go.
This adds a deeper note to the stock system & saves the exhaust from knocks.
One of my uncles had one back in the day & I think that was the reason I ended up buying a Granturismo, a mod that's popular is to add an Xpipe where the secondary cats go.
This adds a deeper note to the stock system & saves the exhaust from knocks.
ZX10R NIN said:
The Gransport is a very good car suspension components can be pricey & as said earlier the clutches can wear at a rate (a lot of the excessive wear is more to do with stop start traffic & being in auto) but there are ways around this.
One of my uncles had one back in the day & I think that was the reason I ended up buying a Granturismo, a mod that's popular is to add an Xpipe where the secondary cats go.
This adds a deeper note to the stock system & saves the exhaust from knocks.
Thats good to know. Being a replacement of the 2nd cats not the primary does this become an issue MOT time? One of my uncles had one back in the day & I think that was the reason I ended up buying a Granturismo, a mod that's popular is to add an Xpipe where the secondary cats go.
This adds a deeper note to the stock system & saves the exhaust from knocks.
I had one for 5 years and roughly 25k miles of which I did 12k in the first year.
Overall reliability was very good, other than annual servicing (budget about 1k to have it done properly) the only things I had to replace were disks & pads (done cheap via the sportsmaserati group buy, expensive if not), temp sensor and thermostat. the cars having difficulty starting when hot is quite common and is typically due to the sticking thermostat.
I also had to replace the clutch which was about £2.5-3k, a clutch will typically last between 25-50k depending on the type of driving done
MPG was about 15 mixed or 22-24 on a run, it's low geared so sitting at 80 on the motorway has it revving quite high
I absolutely loved it though and miss it greatly, there's nothing that even comes close for the money to how special one of these feels. I also had the secondary cats and central resonator replaced with a custom X-pipe (cost about £650) which made it sound amazing
budget circa £2.5k per year to maintain it + a lot for fuel and you'll be fine, the lack of depreciation makes the total cost of ownership pretty low
would wholeheartedly recommend getting one
Overall reliability was very good, other than annual servicing (budget about 1k to have it done properly) the only things I had to replace were disks & pads (done cheap via the sportsmaserati group buy, expensive if not), temp sensor and thermostat. the cars having difficulty starting when hot is quite common and is typically due to the sticking thermostat.
I also had to replace the clutch which was about £2.5-3k, a clutch will typically last between 25-50k depending on the type of driving done
MPG was about 15 mixed or 22-24 on a run, it's low geared so sitting at 80 on the motorway has it revving quite high
I absolutely loved it though and miss it greatly, there's nothing that even comes close for the money to how special one of these feels. I also had the secondary cats and central resonator replaced with a custom X-pipe (cost about £650) which made it sound amazing
budget circa £2.5k per year to maintain it + a lot for fuel and you'll be fine, the lack of depreciation makes the total cost of ownership pretty low
would wholeheartedly recommend getting one
I’ve looked at these on and off over the years. They seem excellent value for money and haven’t been affected at all by covid price rises.
The comments above reflect most of my research. All I can add (no first hand experience, remember) is that full leather seems much nicer than the tech cloth, some of which is in very interesting colour combinations. The gearbox is reputedly of its time and rather slow and lumpy, but software is available to upgrade it and improve it. There is always a reasonable selection of coupes for sale - £20-£35k mostly. The special editions seem to carry a premium, but the early cars can avoid post March 06 top rate VED. There are a handful of Spyders around, rarely for sale.
The cheapest Spyder I’ve seen was about £25k. The cheapest coupe eventually sold for about £14k with over 100k miles but seemingly in very good health.
I wouldn’t be afraid of buying one privately (especially at your budget) but a good, recent, specialist service history seems a strong prerequisite.
Good luck. I’m out for the time being, but will always keep the Gransport in mind.
Finally, check out Number27 on YouTube. He ran a Gransport for a short while and gives a good appraisal.
The comments above reflect most of my research. All I can add (no first hand experience, remember) is that full leather seems much nicer than the tech cloth, some of which is in very interesting colour combinations. The gearbox is reputedly of its time and rather slow and lumpy, but software is available to upgrade it and improve it. There is always a reasonable selection of coupes for sale - £20-£35k mostly. The special editions seem to carry a premium, but the early cars can avoid post March 06 top rate VED. There are a handful of Spyders around, rarely for sale.
The cheapest Spyder I’ve seen was about £25k. The cheapest coupe eventually sold for about £14k with over 100k miles but seemingly in very good health.
I wouldn’t be afraid of buying one privately (especially at your budget) but a good, recent, specialist service history seems a strong prerequisite.
Good luck. I’m out for the time being, but will always keep the Gransport in mind.
Finally, check out Number27 on YouTube. He ran a Gransport for a short while and gives a good appraisal.
Always loved these! They are aging so well as well. We are at the stage where running these types of cars will just become harder and harder. So it's now or never. An acquaintance has a 3200 and that can't be run on E10. Not sure the later 4200 and Gransports. Although not sure why one would either. But it's just a matter of time till they phase all of it out or make it stupidly expensive. So go for it and enjoy now! 
I'd struggle to hand the money over for one of these when a newer Granturismo can be had for the same money, with lower mileage?
Appreciate the GT is a bigger car, but if you're going to go for a 4 seater it might as well be one that's genuinely useable?
ETA - That being said, this one is bloody lovely though.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304116...
Appreciate the GT is a bigger car, but if you're going to go for a 4 seater it might as well be one that's genuinely useable?
ETA - That being said, this one is bloody lovely though.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304116...
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