RE: PH buying guide: Maserati 3200 GT
Discussion
Our old CEO had one.
I don't think a month went by when something didn't break/fall off/leak/ & it didn't appear being driven on site by a Maserati dealership bloke...
These things are nothing but trouble. Even a decent one is just a ticking time bomb with a £2k garage bill just around the corner.
I don't think a month went by when something didn't break/fall off/leak/ & it didn't appear being driven on site by a Maserati dealership bloke...
These things are nothing but trouble. Even a decent one is just a ticking time bomb with a £2k garage bill just around the corner.
You are all correct in terms of this being about affordability.
You could buy a 550 Maranello, the cheapest of which is £37k on this site.
You could buy a DB7, the cheapest of which is £20k on this site.
These will both cost just as much to fix (the Ferrari much more if there are any engine woes).
They are both uglier than a 3200.
So if you but a £13k 3200 and it costs you £3k pa to keep it running (it will if you buy a dog and do not understand which end of a spanner to hold so you can fix simple things yourself)it will be 2020 before you have made the same investment you have to make to get in a 550. That assumes the running cost of the 550 are zero.
Its all about perspective. Many of you seem to be lacking this. Funnily enough the same people who have never owned one of these cars.
You could buy a 550 Maranello, the cheapest of which is £37k on this site.
You could buy a DB7, the cheapest of which is £20k on this site.
These will both cost just as much to fix (the Ferrari much more if there are any engine woes).
They are both uglier than a 3200.
So if you but a £13k 3200 and it costs you £3k pa to keep it running (it will if you buy a dog and do not understand which end of a spanner to hold so you can fix simple things yourself)it will be 2020 before you have made the same investment you have to make to get in a 550. That assumes the running cost of the 550 are zero.
Its all about perspective. Many of you seem to be lacking this. Funnily enough the same people who have never owned one of these cars.
I borrowed one a couple of times when a member of Brum Classic Car club. I absolutely loved it. Proper head turning car. Great interior which felt a special place to be and incredible surging power delivery and great noise. Probably only had it for 5 days in total but it tried to kill me twice. In retrospect putting it in sport mode on a frosty day and giving it a big bootful probably made me complicit in the attempt on my life. Took me a while to gather up the rather impressive tankslapper that ensued! I'd love one.
I had one until last month when I took out a lamppost with it.these cars are superb and are a performance bargain for 10 k ish.sure they take some maintaining however buy right and there is nothing to beat it in regards to pace,exclusitivity and oh the sound!!if I did cost 2 k a year to run that's less than the depreciation on a new car and I know which I would sooner.im just glad the reputation Is perceived as poor as that way every Tom-dick doesn't have one.rob
TheLastPost said:
The vendors won't thank me for it, but here are a couple (ignore the dates on the ads - they've been regularly re-listed; I've been watching them for months):
link
link
There are others, but I don't want every 3200 owner in the country out to get me!
Certainly some cars do seem to sell (though seldom in days rather than weeks, it seems) and some vendors are a bit more cunning/a bit less desperate to sell and leave a period of weeks or months between relisting their cars rather than having them listed continuously, but when you've been watching the market for a couple of years, they start to become strangely familiar.
As others have said, colour and the year. If you must have a 3200 it would be 2001, although the 40k mile car on 2000 is definitely more tempting than the first!link
link
There are others, but I don't want every 3200 owner in the country out to get me!
Certainly some cars do seem to sell (though seldom in days rather than weeks, it seems) and some vendors are a bit more cunning/a bit less desperate to sell and leave a period of weeks or months between relisting their cars rather than having them listed continuously, but when you've been watching the market for a couple of years, they start to become strangely familiar.
Edited by TheLastPost on Saturday 4th August 00:22
Later cars are reputedly better, but it still comes down to how well looked after it was, and a certain amount of luck.
My 3200 ended up with crank end float later in it's life (after my ownership) and that was a 2002 car.
Mine again was a good car - never let me down (except a blown air von compressor that seized on my first date with my wife) but I ended up with receipts for around £1 per mile in servicing (at main dealers and specialists) in 2 years and 20k miles..
I'd love to know where it ended up - would happily buy it back !
My 3200 ended up with crank end float later in it's life (after my ownership) and that was a 2002 car.
Mine again was a good car - never let me down (except a blown air von compressor that seized on my first date with my wife) but I ended up with receipts for around £1 per mile in servicing (at main dealers and specialists) in 2 years and 20k miles..
I'd love to know where it ended up - would happily buy it back !
sgq89 said:
crostonian said:
(although the 3200 and 4200 are quite different though even if they look pretty much the same. 3200 is a 3.2 bi-turbo made by maserati, the 4200 is a 4.2 no turbo made by ferrari. The Ferrari build quality and intelligence really shows.)
It's only the 4200's V8 that was developed by Ferrari, the rest of the car was built in Modena by Maserati as was the 3200. Ferrari became involved with Maserati in the mid to late 90s, before 3200 production - the Quattroporte V8 Evoluzione and the late Ghibli Coupes were the first cars to have any Ferrari influence on production methods, quality etc. Yes it is true to say there is more Ferrari expertise in the 4200 than the 3200 but they weren't a such built by Ferrari.
This is only partly true. Yes the 4200 engine was made by Ferrari, but they also moved all of the productiong into the ferrari factory, meaning they would be doing the same quality control and production methods as Ferrari. Also, ferrari changed a few other things, such as the bonnet has a larger bulge in the middle, the front bumper has a very slight redesign of the bottom lip, and they also decided to put a maserati badge on the nose that wasnt previously there! All in all, Ferrari ironed out some things to improve the car all round.It's only the 4200's V8 that was developed by Ferrari, the rest of the car was built in Modena by Maserati as was the 3200. Ferrari became involved with Maserati in the mid to late 90s, before 3200 production - the Quattroporte V8 Evoluzione and the late Ghibli Coupes were the first cars to have any Ferrari influence on production methods, quality etc. Yes it is true to say there is more Ferrari expertise in the 4200 than the 3200 but they weren't a such built by Ferrari.
I've owned a few of both (well, two of each). Both have influence from Ferrari and both share Ferrari parts, but the 4200 was built to a lower quality (in terms of materials at least) as the cost of building the 3200 was necessary to save the marque, but wasnt very profitable! I also didnt notice any difference in build quality between my 3200 vs 4200 cars. Actually, the first 3200 was probably the best!
Possibly the most under-rated of all the modern supercars.
There are faster cars on the road, but if she is put on the correct settings for the engine, which came from the factor with the cams set to minimal power output, produces closer to 390bhp and a fatter torque curve throughout.
They run with a cripplingly heavy unsprung weight, you can lose 10kgs on each corner, I removed 40kg on mine. the result was astonishing. £1200
Far faster than its contemporary Ferrari 550 on the road and track.
If you buy one take it to a Bosch centre, ask them to fit the correct bits from the Bosch range for all the senders/receivers, DO NOT use Fer/Mas parts, although they have the same name they are bulk purchase and have lower tolerances.
This stops all the CEL issues in an instant, it costs £800 but the car is infinitely better and doesn't scare you with warning lights.
Take the car to an independent Borg-Warner specialist (if auto) and get them to 'clean up' the rather badly made Ozzie auto-box, this costs £750/1000 and the car is transformed further.
Next, just take her to a good garage and get the turbo actuators looked at, almost all don't fully open, I never found one that did in my search, get them working correctly and then ask the mechanic to apply a little dab of copper-ease and then cover that dab with propeller grease.
Do all this and the Auto will trounce any manual version and seriously bother a F430.
If you're really serious, and these cars do breed enthusiasm, you'll book a holiday in Switzerland and spend £1500 on updating the computer systems at the specialist there, the communication system runs at 800baud on the standard car, but a few mods and it talks at 3200baud, they include mapping that is at the extreme of the original parameters and the fuelling is corrected to suit.
That changes everything, drive there thinking how fast she is and drive back thinking 'Christ this is damned fast now!'
You can buy a cheap one, do nothing and just revel in its beauty, these cars are the King of dating, you simply don't have a dick if you can't pull the best looking woman in the joint, no car comes close, nothing, nada, zilch. You can (I have) pulled a cracker at a petrol station with contemptible ease.
Most women think the average Fer/Lambo owner is a poncey nerk of the first water, but just the name Maserati conveys sensuality, even if you are predatory womaniser, the name smothers all such vaguaries in your nature.
Or take one and spend some money and play with it and just blow your socks off...
Buy the best colours if you can, they are Argenta Azzuro, both shades! (there were two shades of this colour and the darker is best in the UK, but the lighter is best in European sunshine), the Rosso mondial, and one of the darker blues, but it is a personal choice, Avorio interiors look beautiful as do the Tobacco.
£9000 for an average one, £6000 on making her better than when she left the factory... £15k... so cheap it's almost obscene.
There are faster cars on the road, but if she is put on the correct settings for the engine, which came from the factor with the cams set to minimal power output, produces closer to 390bhp and a fatter torque curve throughout.
They run with a cripplingly heavy unsprung weight, you can lose 10kgs on each corner, I removed 40kg on mine. the result was astonishing. £1200
Far faster than its contemporary Ferrari 550 on the road and track.
If you buy one take it to a Bosch centre, ask them to fit the correct bits from the Bosch range for all the senders/receivers, DO NOT use Fer/Mas parts, although they have the same name they are bulk purchase and have lower tolerances.
This stops all the CEL issues in an instant, it costs £800 but the car is infinitely better and doesn't scare you with warning lights.
Take the car to an independent Borg-Warner specialist (if auto) and get them to 'clean up' the rather badly made Ozzie auto-box, this costs £750/1000 and the car is transformed further.
Next, just take her to a good garage and get the turbo actuators looked at, almost all don't fully open, I never found one that did in my search, get them working correctly and then ask the mechanic to apply a little dab of copper-ease and then cover that dab with propeller grease.
Do all this and the Auto will trounce any manual version and seriously bother a F430.
If you're really serious, and these cars do breed enthusiasm, you'll book a holiday in Switzerland and spend £1500 on updating the computer systems at the specialist there, the communication system runs at 800baud on the standard car, but a few mods and it talks at 3200baud, they include mapping that is at the extreme of the original parameters and the fuelling is corrected to suit.
That changes everything, drive there thinking how fast she is and drive back thinking 'Christ this is damned fast now!'
You can buy a cheap one, do nothing and just revel in its beauty, these cars are the King of dating, you simply don't have a dick if you can't pull the best looking woman in the joint, no car comes close, nothing, nada, zilch. You can (I have) pulled a cracker at a petrol station with contemptible ease.
Most women think the average Fer/Lambo owner is a poncey nerk of the first water, but just the name Maserati conveys sensuality, even if you are predatory womaniser, the name smothers all such vaguaries in your nature.
Or take one and spend some money and play with it and just blow your socks off...
Buy the best colours if you can, they are Argenta Azzuro, both shades! (there were two shades of this colour and the darker is best in the UK, but the lighter is best in European sunshine), the Rosso mondial, and one of the darker blues, but it is a personal choice, Avorio interiors look beautiful as do the Tobacco.
£9000 for an average one, £6000 on making her better than when she left the factory... £15k... so cheap it's almost obscene.
johnnyBv8 said:
sgq89 said:
crostonian said:
(although the 3200 and 4200 are quite different though even if they look pretty much the same. 3200 is a 3.2 bi-turbo made by maserati, the 4200 is a 4.2 no turbo made by ferrari. The Ferrari build quality and intelligence really shows.)
It's only the 4200's V8 that was developed by Ferrari, the rest of the car was built in Modena by Maserati as was the 3200. Ferrari became involved with Maserati in the mid to late 90s, before 3200 production - the Quattroporte V8 Evoluzione and the late Ghibli Coupes were the first cars to have any Ferrari influence on production methods, quality etc. Yes it is true to say there is more Ferrari expertise in the 4200 than the 3200 but they weren't a such built by Ferrari.
This is only partly true. Yes the 4200 engine was made by Ferrari, but they also moved all of the productiong into the ferrari factory, meaning they would be doing the same quality control and production methods as Ferrari. Also, ferrari changed a few other things, such as the bonnet has a larger bulge in the middle, the front bumper has a very slight redesign of the bottom lip, and they also decided to put a maserati badge on the nose that wasnt previously there! All in all, Ferrari ironed out some things to improve the car all round.It's only the 4200's V8 that was developed by Ferrari, the rest of the car was built in Modena by Maserati as was the 3200. Ferrari became involved with Maserati in the mid to late 90s, before 3200 production - the Quattroporte V8 Evoluzione and the late Ghibli Coupes were the first cars to have any Ferrari influence on production methods, quality etc. Yes it is true to say there is more Ferrari expertise in the 4200 than the 3200 but they weren't a such built by Ferrari.
I've owned a few of both (well, two of each). Both have influence from Ferrari and both share Ferrari parts, but the 4200 was built to a lower quality (in terms of materials at least) as the cost of building the 3200 was necessary to save the marque, but wasnt very profitable! I also didnt notice any difference in build quality between my 3200 vs 4200 cars. Actually, the first 3200 was probably the best!
sgq89 said:
It is infact you Johnny that is talking rubbish! I own a 4200 Spyder, and is far superior to a 3200! for a start the 4200's have a screen inside with completely new and updated instrument panel which looks far far better, and there is no fake leather what-so-ever in my 4200 spyder, its all real. There are also updated door panels and seats. The wheels are far better, as is the front bumper. You base your opinion on the fact the 4200 has bolt on wings? thats it? I too have driven both, and the 4200 is a far far better machine in every way, not to mention the revisions on the 4200 came straight out of the Ferrari 550 parts bin. You think Ferrari would take a car over and make it worse? You're a fool.
Have you had your car re-trimmed? Unfortunatley, if it is a standard car, an alarming amount of the interior isnt actually leather. Ask a knowledgable dealer/specialist. I was genueinely surprised. I have a GS, but I'm pretty sure the same is true for the 4200s.As for the bolt on wings, again, this is something I learned recently. If you compare the front wing of a 4200/GS to that of the 3200, there's no seam on the 32's, but the 42's there's a clear seam at the bottom of the a-pillar. Apparently, done for cost savings.
sgq89 said:
It is infact you Johnny that is talking rubbish! I own a 4200 Spyder, and is far superior to a 3200! for a start the 4200's have a screen inside with completely new and updated instrument panel which looks far far better, and there is no fake leather what-so-ever in my 4200 spyder, its all real. There are also updated door panels and seats. The wheels are far better, as is the front bumper. You base your opinion on the fact the 4200 has bolt on wings? thats it? I too have driven both, and the 4200 is a far far better machine in every way, not to mention the revisions on the 4200 came straight out of the Ferrari 550 parts bin. You think Ferrari would take a car over and make it worse? You're a fool.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing - particularly when spouted by a recent owner who hasn't taken the time to find out the facts. None of the information below is a discussion point; they're facts. Calm down, and perhaps check out some of the Maserati forums (though I think I recognise your style of response from one of them!). One of my 4200s was a Spyder, but I replaced it with a coupe because the scuttle shake was really quite bad...felt right up through the steering wheel. To each of your misguided responses:1) Leather - the seat facings etc are real leather, but not areas like the sides of the seats and the majority of the dash (a genuine leather dashtop was an option though). Perhaps you can't tell the difference, which is the idea. I used to supply automotive leather, so I can. I don't think it matters, but it was an example of the car being built to a price - as any car is.
2) Dash screen - not disagreeing...as per my initial message, I'd said there were various improvements as would be expected with a newer model. However, as an aside, the actual functions of the dash unit are pretty poor - the system is fairly early for its type, and the sat nav is particularly poor...unless a later model they don't even accept postcodes.
3) Front wing - before you got all upset, you should've read the post properly. It was an example of a higher quality of workmanship that was necessarily rescinded.
4) Ferrari took a 50% share in Maserati in 1997. The 3200 was the first car with Ferrari influence, not the 4200.
My personal preference, having owned both, is the 3200 - the Spyder was just a bit flash for me with not enough to back it up....not a driver's car compared to the coupes of either, though it sounded great with larinis on it. Having said my preference is the 3200, I test drove a GS recently and was really impressed....streets ahead of a standard 4200 in terms of its poise, feel and quicker cambiocorsa shift. These quite rightly demand a significant premium over the standard 4200.
Anyway, this thread is meant to be about buying the 3200, not the 4200! It's really the car that saved the marque, and thereby enabled the 4200!
Edited by johnnyBv8 on Monday 6th August 13:50
johnnyBv8 said:
sgq89 said:
It is infact you Johnny that is talking rubbish! I own a 4200 Spyder, and is far superior to a 3200! for a start the 4200's have a screen inside with completely new and updated instrument panel which looks far far better, and there is no fake leather what-so-ever in my 4200 spyder, its all real. There are also updated door panels and seats. The wheels are far better, as is the front bumper. You base your opinion on the fact the 4200 has bolt on wings? thats it? I too have driven both, and the 4200 is a far far better machine in every way, not to mention the revisions on the 4200 came straight out of the Ferrari 550 parts bin. You think Ferrari would take a car over and make it worse? You're a fool.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing - particularly when spouted by a recent owner who hasn't taken the time to find out the facts. None of the information below is a discussion point; they're facts. Calm down, and perhaps check out some of the Maserati forums (though I think I recognise your style of response from one of them!). One of my 4200s was a Spyder, but I replaced it with a coupe because the scuttle shake was really quite bad...felt right up through the steering wheel. To each of your misguided responses:1) Leather - the seat facings etc are real leather, but not areas like the sides of the seats and the majority of the dash (a genuine leather dashtop was an option though). Perhaps you can't tell the difference, which is the idea. I used to supply automotive leather, so I can. I don't think it matters, but it was an example of the car being built to a price - as any car is.
2) Dash screen - not disagreeing...as per my initial message, I'd said there were various improvements as would be expected with a newer model. However, as an aside, the actual functions of the dash unit are pretty poor - the system is fairly early for its type, and the sat nav is particularly poor...unless a later model they don't even accept postcodes.
3) Front wing - before you got all upset, you should've read the post properly. It was an example of a higher quality of workmanship that was necessarily rescinded.
4) Ferrari took a 50% share in Maserati in 1997. The 3200 was the first car with Ferrari influence, not the 4200.
My personal preference, having owned both, is the 3200 - the Spyder was just a bit flash for me with not enough to back it up....not a driver's car compared to the coupes of either, though it sounded great with larinis on it. Having said my preference is the 3200, I test drove a GS recently and was really impressed....streets ahead of a standard 4200 in terms of its poise, feel and quicker cambiocorsa shift. These quite rightly demand a significant premium over the standard 4200.
Anyway, this thread is meant to be about buying the 3200, not the 4200! It's really the car that saved the marque, and thereby enabled the 4200!
Edited by johnnyBv8 on Monday 6th August 13:50
sgq89 said:
You can spout all you like, the facts are that the 4200 is better than the 3200. And don't assume that just because I am a recent owner that I don't know what I'm talking about, I've been looking at these cars since I was 17! I did alot of reseach before buying one. You state that the "quality" is better on the 3200, so howcome the 3200 is the one riddled with faults? If anything, the mass of faults with the 3200 is what wrongly put people off buying the 4200! Do yourself a favour and try to be slightly less patronising.
Patronising; oh, the irony!I too have been looking at things since I was a teenager, but that unfortunately hasn't necessarily made me knowledgeable about them. Women, for example.
Edited by johnnyBv8 on Monday 6th August 15:11
sgq89 said:
the facts are that the 4200 is better than the 3200.
All such statements are subjective.If you are speaking technically and of quality (in terms of things doing what they should do) the 4200 is a better car.
The 4200 and the 3200 are GT cars. Both can be driven briskly, but neither will ever handle like an out and out sports car. That said, they will not leave you half deaf, with an aching back and knackered after a long drive like said out and out sports car either.
Subjectively (there's that word again) I think the 3200 is the better looker.
The bonnet vents make it look that little bit more purposeful from the front. (Like Jaguar did same with XK vs XKR)
The boomerang rear lights stop the 3200 looking like a Honda Prelude. It's sad the Yank legislation forced Maserati to drop the lights, and I guess they did the best they could.
The 4200 sounds better.
The 3200 has torque the 4200 can only dream of.
More cows died making a 3200 than 4200. That is a fact.
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