Maserati Biturbo - 1985 - 30k miles - good buy or not!
Discussion
I have just seen a maserati Biturbo 1985 - engine sounds, gearbox etc sound just needs a little TLC to get it tidy.
I can get the car for next to nothing but want to know if this would be a good project, and if it is worth while completing.
also could I face lift it , and get it on a track possibly?? , is there options to increase BHP Easily
the one i am looking at is the older one, could it be turned into something like the otheroone easily?
[url]
|http://thumbsnap.com/T5769v1P[/url]
I can get the car for next to nothing but want to know if this would be a good project, and if it is worth while completing.
also could I face lift it , and get it on a track possibly?? , is there options to increase BHP Easily
the one i am looking at is the older one, could it be turned into something like the otheroone easily?
[url]|http://thumbsnap.com/T5769v1P[/url]
I think this would make a great track day car as you could strip out most of the interior and electrics (which will save a bundle on restoration costs and headaches) and concentrate on getting the engine and mechanicals in fine shape. Suspect this would still not be a cheap project but you would end up with a track day toy that is a little bit different to the normal Elise/911/M3 crowd you normally see.
Cars going for around 1500 quid.
Im gonna get it checked out i think, anyone know what these engines are like , are they good? - is it a fast car?
I cant really see it worthwhile restoring it as it wont be worth alot and its gonna be a headache but I live in Dubai and i can track it at Yas Marina and Dubai Autodrome for really cheap and with no rust as its lived over here it seems a good deal.
will keep you posted!
if anyone knows a website or anything for aftermarket parts let us know!
Im gonna get it checked out i think, anyone know what these engines are like , are they good? - is it a fast car?
I cant really see it worthwhile restoring it as it wont be worth alot and its gonna be a headache but I live in Dubai and i can track it at Yas Marina and Dubai Autodrome for really cheap and with no rust as its lived over here it seems a good deal.
will keep you posted!
if anyone knows a website or anything for aftermarket parts let us know!
£1500 is not much for a Maser but if it needs work to get road/track worthy may end up costing a significant amount more, maser parts are not cheap. From recollection the basic engines are reasonably strong, it is the electrics that are their achillies heal. Try Eurospares for parts or breakers yards, suspect many a Biturbo has been parted out. Best of luck.
Sorry to urinate on the fireworks but I am going to have say its probably not a good buy.... At that age it will be a blow-through carb set up and they actually don't make that much power, so aren't blisteringly quick (the later fuel injected ones are pretty impressive though). Whilst probably quick enough to be mildly entertaining (and looking pretty cool) you will be holding people up on a track day.... the handling is quite hard work. Having tried hard to hustle a later FI car along fast B roads it was a very tiring and unrewarding experience, in which I concluded that a standard Porsche 944 (or similar) would be faster and more fun..... the only thing that was good was the overtaking on-boost. Depsite being a pretty light car, the brakes aren't up to the job and disappear after a relatively short period of enthusiasm. Ergonomically, I have never found them the most comfortable place to be either - but then I am not really of classic Italian build.
I have actually tried quite hard to like these and gone right through the range from early cars up to Ghibli II - the early cars just aren't 'there' for me. Later FI cars are way better and the Ghibli is quite a beast, but they all have their quirks.... yeah its a cliche but the electrics do have a mind of their own (fusebox failings are common), the engines have a curious off-beat soundtrack (not V6-ey at all) although they are strong... upto a point - cracked exhaust manifolds are common, cambelt services are necessary (and involved) and they weep coolant up the head studs..... they are generally good for leggy mileage though.
Personally I wouldn't consider a project for many of those reasons... they are still expensive to work on and get parts for and you may find you plough a load of money into a car to disocver it actually isn't that much fun to be in at the end of it... I would only buy a totally mint on the button late car for entertaining family transport on high days and holidays or a running snotter to abuse for the daily commute on the assumption it would be thrown away if anything tedious let go....
I have actually tried quite hard to like these and gone right through the range from early cars up to Ghibli II - the early cars just aren't 'there' for me. Later FI cars are way better and the Ghibli is quite a beast, but they all have their quirks.... yeah its a cliche but the electrics do have a mind of their own (fusebox failings are common), the engines have a curious off-beat soundtrack (not V6-ey at all) although they are strong... upto a point - cracked exhaust manifolds are common, cambelt services are necessary (and involved) and they weep coolant up the head studs..... they are generally good for leggy mileage though.
Personally I wouldn't consider a project for many of those reasons... they are still expensive to work on and get parts for and you may find you plough a load of money into a car to disocver it actually isn't that much fun to be in at the end of it... I would only buy a totally mint on the button late car for entertaining family transport on high days and holidays or a running snotter to abuse for the daily commute on the assumption it would be thrown away if anything tedious let go....
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