RE: Maserati Quattroporte: Spotted

[ianwayne]

After April, it'll be £555 a year for VED (car tax) for this. It'll be the killer of cars of this ilk. Yes, at this value it's not that relatively expensive but it soon will be. Very, very hard to sell on.

Love it, but like EVOs, big AMG Mercs etc as they get cheaper the cost of the car tax will ruin their values. Already happening to Jaguars and SLKs where older cars of the same model are fetching more money because they are '55 reg or earlier.

[BVB]

Most beautiful saloon ever? Quite possibly.

[Motorsport3]

"First off, and most importantly, the original owner correctly specced it with the six-speed ZF automatic 'box, rather than the ruinous - mechanically and financially - DuoSelect automated manual which earlier cars were lumped with. "

Is Duo select really that ruinous?

My early 05 with 40k miles on the clock is still on the original clutch and reading this weeks shows 55% clutch wear. Sure, the single box is not as smooth as a merc when change gears but is dry sump, has weight bias on the rear axle and drives like a big M3.

[ITP]

ianwayne said:

After April, it'll be £555 a year for VED (car tax) for this. It'll be the killer of cars of this ilk. Yes, at this value it's not that relatively expensive but it soon will be. Very, very hard to sell on.

Love it, but like EVOs, big AMG Mercs etc as they get cheaper the cost of the car tax will ruin their values. Already happening to Jaguars and SLKs where older cars of the same model are fetching more money because they are '55 reg or earlier.

I would say anyone who considers the cost of the VED being the deal breaker should not be going anywhere near a 10 year old Maserati.
Surely no-one says ‘if only the VED was £140/year i’d have one of those’.

I would agree with a previous poster that these are probably the most beautiful saloon ever, a classic heart over head purchase. I’d have one!

[Helicopter123]

Motorsport3 said:

Is Duo select really that ruinous?

Yes.

[akirk]

Strela said:

ITP said:

Surely no-one says ‘if only the VED was £140/year i’d have one of those’.

You would have to be a complete gippo to take into account all the potential running costs of a Maserati and then dismiss it on the basis that the car tax is equivalent to a few tanks of fuel or a couple of tyres.

exactly! I have just had a look to see what the tax is on my M5, I had no idea...
- it is paid on a direct debit and considering the cost of fuel through it is a minor monthly cost...

would have considered one of these had the M5 not been the alternative (and I wanted manual) - they are stunning

[BRR]

Absolutely love these, I doubt it'd be too expensive to run if doing under 10k per year, if imagine roughly the same as my Gransport so about 2.5k p/a. I'd spend a bit more and get the 4.7

[HorneyMX5]

A client of mine used to own one of these. He loved but a couple of years ago sold it for a Model S which he much preferred.

[givablondabone]

Dr Nookie said:

The Cayenne works in the same way as Uggs. They look ridiculous but they cost enough money to make people think they're a good way to prove you've got some money. If Uggs were 20 quid everyone would laugh at them as the joke they are.

I couldn't agree more sir!

[Benmac]

Motorsport3 said:

"First off, and most importantly, the original owner correctly specced it with the six-speed ZF automatic 'box, rather than the ruinous - mechanically and financially - DuoSelect automated manual which earlier cars were lumped with. "

Is Duo select really that ruinous?

My early 05 with 40k miles on the clock is still on the original clutch and reading this weeks shows 55% clutch wear. Sure, the single box is not as smooth as a merc when change gears but is dry sump, has weight bias on the rear axle and drives like a big M3.

Quite. Mine is on just over 50k and is on it's second clutch. That was changed at about 38k miles and was 60% worn at the time so loads of life left in it. The release bearing was making a horrid noise though so while it was being changed for the sake of the parts price of the clutch (nothing horrendous if memory serves) it was daft not to do it.

Mine will be up for sale soon only because I don't really have a need for it anymore. It'll be a sad day when she goes; they're fantastic cars.

[anonymous-user]

They look and sound stunning... But that's about as far as the plus points go in my opinion.

In terms of similar aged super-saloons in the same price bracket they are slow, not that well built or equipped and come with repair bills that would make even an AMG/M/RS/R owner wince, then it is topped all off with possibly one of the worst gearboxes in recent memory (the duo select). Both in function and design/cost of repair.

To be honest, I'm kinda surprised they aren't worth significantly less.

Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 7th February 20:26

[feef]

Strela said:

ITP said:

Surely no-one says ‘if only the VED was £140/year i’d have one of those’.

You would have to be a complete gippo to take into account all the potential running costs of a Maserati and then dismiss it on the basis that the car tax is equivalent to a few tanks of fuel or a couple of tyres.

That's exactly how I see it. The C6 was getting on for £500 a year in VED, and that was only 5 and a bit tanks of fuel

[Mr Tidy]

In October 2007 I got an invite to an event for the release of the then new C-Class at Dunsfold - even got to drive one round the Top Gear track! (But as I had an E46 I suppose I was part of the target market).

Anyway as I left I got offered membership of the Pirelli P-Zero Club (IIRC) and thought I might as well - may get a calendar or something.

But it was much better than that because I ended up getting an invite to a Maserati driving day at Millbrook in June 2008!

What a fantastic day - I drove Quattroportes around the handling circuit, banked track and along the 1 mile straight.

That must be one of the best days in cars I've ever had - even though it was drizzly all day the Maser could easily do the bowl at 130 mph, and get to more than that on the mile straight.

I always loved their subtle but classy looks anyway, but just sitting in one felt like a special occasion - driving one was even better!

That's when I decided any lottery win would result in my owning one of these - but the lottery part hasn't worked yet!

I still have the brochure - in 2008 the QP Auto was £77,110, the QP Auto Sport GT S was £86,400. And options weren't cheap - I'm pretty sure massage seats were about £5,500 so you could easily get to £100K!

But this one looks so cheap for what it is - I suppose that is a reflection of the potentially ruinous running costs!

I'm not brave enough, but what a way to potentially crash and burn!

They are fantastic cars IMHO.

[jimAtr]

If you can stand the accent, this is a fun poke around one highlighting its many many flaws

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QAHK1Uy9ao&t=...

[GravelBen]

For whatever reason this is always the Quattroporte I think of first when I hear the name:



I don't know if they were actually any good, but it does have a lot of character.

[Geoffcapes]

Anyone who is looking at a Maserati and is concerned about the cost of car tax, might as well look at something else.
It's the wrong car for you!

People buy Maserati's for the way they look and sound and feel.

No they are not the quickest on the road these days. Although it's a fair bet they are quicker than 80-90% of cars.

However, they look gorgeous, sound gorgeous, and you always look back at it when you walk away from it.

What's not to like? I've a Granturismo S MC Shift, and if I didn't do 30k+ a year in mileage I'd chop in my Merc 350D AMG Sport work horse for a QP in a heart beat as a daily.
Having said that, I am looking at the diesels (I know wash my mouth out) as they're looking very cheap now.

[pSyCoSiS]

Been looking at these over the past year, and have even seen a few below the £10k mark, which will no doubt need some money pumping into them.

Love the looks and the exhaust note. but can't help thinking - will be any better to own and drive than my E39 M5? I know it's a different proposition, but given the potential financial bork - would it be worth getting rid of the M5 for a QP?

Any thoughts from PHers that have had experience in both?

[Turbobanana]

pSyCoSiS said:

Been looking at these over the past year, and have even seen a few below the £10k mark, which will no doubt need some money pumping into them.

Love the looks and the exhaust note. but can't help thinking - will be any better to own and drive than my E39 M5? I know it's a different proposition, but given the potential financial bork - would it be worth getting rid of the M5 for a QP?

Any thoughts from PHers that have had experience in both?

Interesting question, which I can't answer, but I do have thoughts on the whole Italian vs. German thing.

A much lower level, I know, but I have owned an Alfa 156 Sportwagon and an Audi A6 Estate. Both were old-ish examples (around 10yrs old at my ownership). Both needed significant financial input, relative to their values at the time:

- Alfa needed a new radiator, sundry electrical issues sorting and was heading for a front suspension overhaul when I bailed
- Audi needed water pump, cambelt / tensioner, rear discs / pads, was rusting and the undertray fell off

My conclusion is this: you either love a car with soul and character (in which case buy the Maserati and put up with its foibles); or you love a car that is clinically efficient but is actually, however fast, just white goods (in which case buy the BMW and laugh at the broken down Maseratis).

[voicey]

Buying a QP without having it inspected has worse odds than banging the money on red/black at the roulette table. These cars more often than not hide thousands in deferred maintenance and rot. I had a low mileage QP in recently that a client bought and then dropped off for me to "have a look at". Forget the leaking cam covers, leak from the front chest, leaking PAS pump, shot engine mounts, worn wishbone bushes and bubbling bodywork - his main problem was that both front and rear subframes were rotting from the inside out. My quote to replace both would have written the car off.

[ducnick]

GravelBen said:

For whatever reason this is always the Quattroporte I think of first when I hear the name:



I don't know if they were actually any good, but it does have a lot of character.

The qp4 evo is a fantastic thing with a manual gearbox. Looks a bit odd. Hard back seats. But plenty fast. Pre Ferrari era too so it had a proper Maserati engine! I was genuinely shocked how fast the one I drove was (when new).
That said, the qp5 with an auto box will be cheaper to run I suspect if only due to parts availability.