non main dealer servicing

[twisted2fit]

hi,

i keep persuading myself to buy a maser only to talk myself out of it again:-( everybody talks about how great they are with strong arguements for both the 3200gt and the 4200gt.

3200gt has high running costs partly due to the complexity of the engine and also as they appear less reliable than 4200s. The handling on the 4200gt is lso better. Though the 4200gt goes through clutches which if you use the cars as intended balances the running costs in my opionion making them pretty similiar.

now heres what i think----long term i think the 3200gt with its boomerang rear lights will be more collectible because of the numbers produced and their uniqueness---i also think the gransport will b collectible becasue its such a good car. I think the maser 4200gt will drop though the best compromise as a daily runner would be a 4200gt manual which cost about 26k. Now u can buy a 3200gt with low miles for about 18k approx. is the the 4200gt 8 k better??? and on an 18k maser can one just get them serviced at your local specialist non-maserati dealer??? and do u guys think they r gona drop much more in price??? is there anyway to run a maser cheaply?

[andy355]

are they cheap to run? no. well maybe if you are lucky, but buying a cheapish maser without a warranty can well be expensive. Parts costs are high, labour can be high. But 18k for a 3200 is a lot of car for the money and yes there are specialists who can service them. They are few and far between though. Search for threads on here and you will hear good things said about Verdi, Grimaldi, Bill Mcgrath (tho they are official service agents i think) and a few others. As has been mentioned on other threads, parts can be sourced from independent suppliers or breakers etc. I would add that if you are struggling to afford the car, then its not a wise choice as you could easily get hit for a decent size bill, the purchase price is not the end of the story. When i was 20 i bought a maser biturbo. Cost me 8k and then i found it needed 3k worth of work done to it! Ok things have improved since then but

As to which car to buy, i would say the 4200 is probably the better car but i prefer the 3200, it has more character. This isnt totally objective as i have only owned a 3200 and only driven a couple of 4200s. Drive both. 3200 is auto or manual, 4200 is CC or manual. So thats 4 test drives!

Things go wrong on these cars, but they have huge smile factor. Its not to do with speed, its character. Some fast cars have none, these have maybe a bit too much!

There are some expert current owners on here who will hopefully contribute further, plus an owners club, so plenty of info on hand. Hope you find the car you want!

[3200gt]

It really depends on what you plan to use it for. If its a daily user you want and that use is going to involve a lot of traffic, then a 4200 is probably better for you. The power delivery is a lot less brutal on the 4200 and (obviously) its a newer development car and as such "should" have had some of the faults tidied up. Having said that when I got mine (3200/2001) I put 20k miles on it in the first year of ownership without so much as a hiccup. I have since put another 20k on it without any serious faults. Mine has been properly maintained throughout its life, all main dealer, and on occasions I have replaced parts as a precaution rather than nessecity, but even including them I dont think It has cost me more than £2k in any one year. I have certainly never had a service bill over that figure and even the cam belt service was only £800ish.

I have driven plenty of both and for me the 3200 is the one to have. It has character, brutal power delivery, those tail lights, and IMO is the better overall package.
For 18k it is a hell off a lot of car and I know it would take more than that to get similar "experience", mine still makes me grin after 7 yrs.

Beware a rogue one of either model will be a money pit and ensure that the one you get has the red key or walk away, regardless of the condition.

[Muncher]

To be honest, being on the other side of the counter to a Maser customer, I wouldn't buy any Maserati at all.

[maser sod]

I've just gone from a 3200GT to a GS, and though the latter is the more sorted car, it is hard to believe that my current maser is worth nearly 30K more.

The 3200GT is a lot of smiles for the buck, but the 4200 engine is more manageable in all conditions.

As has been already said though, the purchase price is just the start of it. Be prepared to pay for big ticket problems.

Luckily the 3200GT I had didn't cost me any more than a couple of services (less than 1K in total - 1 minor, 1 with belts) and the usual wear and tear items like tyres and discs.

I thought about a 911 turbo, it's faster and probably better value for money than a maser, but the latter turns heads like no other and has bucketloads of character. The engines sound great too. (I particularly like the 'heel-toe' flourish of revs on the GS when you switch down in sport mode!)

[twisted2fit]

well in a budget of approx 20k my options r a low mileage 3200gt (2000) or a 996 hi mileage approk 60-70k (1998) ---the thing is im sure the 996 would be easier to shift a year later if i wanted to upgrade---though i dont lust after one as i do for a maser:-(

[fieldl]

I've just sold my 996 C4S and bought a 4200 Spyder.
The 996 is a great car just not particularly exciting, it doesn't get to you in the same way that the Maserati does. I bought it thinking it would be a safe bet, it wasn't really and I had a Porsche warranty. £20k will get you an early 3.4 996 which has a few known issues, quite a few in fact. Not the safe bet you may think it will be. Mind you they can't lose much more money surely.

If you buy a good 3200 it may cost less to run than you think. Check all the consumables and try to find one that you are not going to have to replace the clutch, brakes and tyres in the next 12 months. Autoshield get a good write up if you are based in the North and have reasonable hourly rates.