GranTurismo Running Costs

[Joe5y]

You'll resent the car if you are concerned about running costs. I have run mine now for 2 years and in the whole has been very reliable but if I tot up the costs vs another similarly priced performance car it will be vastly higher.

[SwankBaton]

will-w said:

Cheburator mk2 said:

£1200 for an alternator is retarded - access isn’t hard and any self-respecting shop can refurbish a Valeo alternator for a lot less.

£755 inc VAT for a new alternator. Refurbished alternator from a reputable auto electrics company is about £350. Add fitting, book time is 4 hours.

£1000+ is a joke , do it yourself , mine was £80 same day rebuild and I swapped some coolant lines whilst the manifold was out of the way.

Doesn't have to cost the earth, poly bushes now available for the wishbones etc

[doodlebug]

Funkstar De Luxe said:

Also, I don’t think the GranTurismo is hand made. I don’t even think it’s hand assembled. They’ve built nearly 40k.

Not that that’s an excuse for frequent repair.

I've been to the factory several times. They are hand-assembled. The only robot used in the assembly is the one that is used to fit the windscreen.

[rawenghey]

MitchT said:

I saw a stunning 2008 in metallic black with cream leather set against a predominantly black interior. Looked like an amazing car for the price but I just couldn't get past being terrified by the kind of bill it might present at some point. I did read extensively on here about them. Someone mentioned getting a "common issue with these cars" sorted and a few other bits and the bill coming to £14k. That put it to bed for me and I decided to stick with looking at BMW F32 440s. Same price but ten years younger and a whole lot cheaper to run!

If you haven't already bought it, I'd just get the F82 M4 mate. I had one, and once the novelty of the admittedly rather excellent drivetrain had worn off.... I just found myself wishing I'd scratched the M itch.

Edited by rawenghey on Wednesday 11th October 16:34

[Joe5y]

Mine has just come back from it's MOT.

£1917.55

[MitchT]

rawenghey said:

If you haven't already bought it, I'd just get the F82 M4 mate. I had one, and once the novelty of the admittedly rather excellent drivetrain had worn off.... I just found myself wishing I'd scratched the M itch.

Edited by rawenghey on Wednesday 11th October 16:34

I have considered an M4 but the insurance, warranty renewal premiums and general running costs are two to three times what you pay for a 440i in return for about 10% more performance that you can't use on public roads... and I prefer the 440i exhaust note.

[Calza]

Joe5y said:

Mine has just come back from it's MOT.

£1917.55

Go on...

[Max1111]

Cheburator mk2 said:

Anyway, we digress...

If you let the car be maintained by a specialist, yes, be prepared for often unnecessary big bills. However, the OP specifically mentioned he would service the car himself, hence me pointing out that this route offers significant savings and makes the car a lot less hard on the wallet. Given that a good GranTurismo S F1 privately is as low as £22k, and that the OP wants to keep it long term and pile on the miles, having the stamp in the book vs. having the evidence of maintenance via photos, receipts and general condition of the car will be less and less important...

If you can avoid the variator issue and sub frame rust do you think these are a reasonable proposition as a part DIY effort?

I had good luck with my Boxster by buying cheap and sorting a lot of the small issues at local garages. I think going forward anything that can be done without a ramp I should be doing myself.

[Cheburator mk2]

Max1111 said:

If you can avoid the variator issue and sub frame rust do you think these are a reasonable proposition as a part DIY effort?

I had good luck with my Boxster by buying cheap and sorting a lot of the small issues at local garages. I think going forward anything that can be done without a ramp I should be doing myself.

Yes, I think it’s a decent DIY proposition if you have a decent collection of tools and you aren’t scared/fazed by things. After all, it’s a car, not a space shuttle. There’s nothing revolutionary about them. There is also a Quattroporte WSM online - underneath it’s pretty much the same car.

To give you an example - let’s say your suspension develops a nasty knock(s). Do you pay a specialist the exorbitant cost to fit a new arm from Maserati and labour at around £100/he or you put that car up on axle stands, take off all four corners and have them rebuilt by VPS in Slovenia for the same money and with a proper 24mth warranty?

Do you pay a specialist to change the cam cover gaskets or you open the WSM on your tablet and you follow the procedure in your time? There’s nothing hard about it, it just takes time and “courage” - the Maserati engine is a V8 just like the BMW N62 or the Cayenne/Panamera etc…

[Max1111]

Cheburator mk2 said:

Yes, I think it’s a decent DIY proposition if you have a decent collection of tools and you aren’t scared/fazed by things. After all, it’s a car, not a space shuttle. There’s nothing revolutionary about them. There is also a Quattroporte WSM online - underneath it’s pretty much the same car.

To give you an example - let’s say your suspension develops a nasty knock(s). Do you pay a specialist the exorbitant cost to fit a new arm from Maserati and labour at around £100/he or you put that car up on axle stands, take off all four corners and have them rebuilt by VPS in Slovenia for the same money and with a proper 24mth warranty?

Do you pay a specialist to change the cam cover gaskets or you open the WSM on your tablet and you follow the procedure in your time? There’s nothing hard about it, it just takes time and “courage” - the Maserati engine is a V8 just like the BMW N62 or the Cayenne/Panamera etc…

Thanks that makes sense. That particular job is the kind of thing that wouldn't be practical on a public road but it looks like there are cheapish ways to sort most things.