What could possibly go wrong - 2006 Maserati Quattroporte
Discussion
In early lockdown, in a fit of madness, I traded in my 2016 Mustang V8 GT for a Ford Kuga PHEV. The Mustang was my dream car but having it as my daily was getting harder and harder to live with.
The Kuga has been a reliable workhorse but it just isn't a very exciting or engaging drive and since I'm making another pilgrimage to Le Mans this summer, I started looking for something a bit more exciting earlier this year. I stuck in a search for something rear-wheel drive, engine size 3L or above, over 300BHP and under £10K, not really expecting much of interest and was pretty shocked when the Quattroporte popped up, and even more so when it turned out to be in East Kilbride, with is only 40 miles away from me.
I talked it over with my friends as I'm a bit of a n00b when it comes to buying used cars and after a few tense weeks of waiting until I had a free weekend to go and see it, I booked a test drive and set of with one of my friends to go and see what we could see.
Long story short, at nearly 16 years of age and with 80,000 miles on the clock, I couldn't fault it mechanically or body-work wise. It's a beauty and I had to make it mine. I'm delighted, I never expected to own a car like this.
I'm still learning how to get the best out of the semi-auto gearbox and sadly I've managed to stall it a couple of times when it's changing down from 2nd to 1st (which is a real pisser) so if there are any owners or ex-owners of cars of this vintage who've got any tips, I'd be grateful for a few pointers. Otherwise, I'm a very happy owner of a Ferrari V8 with a Maserati body on it. Loving it!
The Kuga has been a reliable workhorse but it just isn't a very exciting or engaging drive and since I'm making another pilgrimage to Le Mans this summer, I started looking for something a bit more exciting earlier this year. I stuck in a search for something rear-wheel drive, engine size 3L or above, over 300BHP and under £10K, not really expecting much of interest and was pretty shocked when the Quattroporte popped up, and even more so when it turned out to be in East Kilbride, with is only 40 miles away from me.
I talked it over with my friends as I'm a bit of a n00b when it comes to buying used cars and after a few tense weeks of waiting until I had a free weekend to go and see it, I booked a test drive and set of with one of my friends to go and see what we could see.
Long story short, at nearly 16 years of age and with 80,000 miles on the clock, I couldn't fault it mechanically or body-work wise. It's a beauty and I had to make it mine. I'm delighted, I never expected to own a car like this.
I'm still learning how to get the best out of the semi-auto gearbox and sadly I've managed to stall it a couple of times when it's changing down from 2nd to 1st (which is a real pisser) so if there are any owners or ex-owners of cars of this vintage who've got any tips, I'd be grateful for a few pointers. Otherwise, I'm a very happy owner of a Ferrari V8 with a Maserati body on it. Loving it!
Now that’s a brave pill purchase! Always had a massive soft spot for these. They sound pretty tasty with a few exhaust mods and look a lot nicer than the new Quattroporte. The ice in these is a tad dated by modern standards which is the only thing that lets them down.
Not keen on the tricolore vents mind, but to each their own. From what I’ve been told the sports maserati forum folk are a friendly bunch so maybe they can advise further on the stalling issue?
Not keen on the tricolore vents mind, but to each their own. From what I’ve been told the sports maserati forum folk are a friendly bunch so maybe they can advise further on the stalling issue?
giblet said:
The ice in these is a tad dated by modern standards which is the only thing that lets them down.
If this is bothering you, then look into the Naviplus solution. There's a touchscreen overlay that sits over the OEM screen and it provides full Android Auto and Apple Carplay integration. It works very well. I'm fairly sure it's available for the QP.
darkyoung1000 said:
I'm sure I've seen that somewhere before..... 
I bet it must sound glorious worth that engine!
Hang on, don't I know you?I bet it must sound glorious worth that engine!
Yeah, on startup, it could wake the dead. Not sure my neighbours appreciate it, but I certainly do. You'll have the pleasure of hearing it first hand soon enough
giblet said:
Now that’s a brave pill purchase! Always had a massive soft spot for these. They sound pretty tasty with a few exhaust mods and look a lot nicer than the new Quattroporte. The ice in these is a tad dated by modern standards which is the only thing that lets them down.
Not keen on the tricolore vents mind, but to each their own. From what I’ve been told the sports maserati forum folk are a friendly bunch so maybe they can advise further on the stalling issue?
Thanks very much, I'll check them out.Not keen on the tricolore vents mind, but to each their own. From what I’ve been told the sports maserati forum folk are a friendly bunch so maybe they can advise further on the stalling issue?
I like the tricolore vents, the rest of the car is sufficiently understated I think it gets away with it, but as you say, each to their own.
My car has a Parrot Bluetooth kit which lets me to bluetooth audio, I love that the car has an honest-to-God phone handset in the centre console, I must try that and see if it still works. In general, I'll be using my phone with a suitable mount and Android Auto to get past the ICE bits, I want to keep the car original. I'm lucky because I have the original navigation CD-ROM with the car too.
omniflow said:
If this is bothering you, then look into the Naviplus solution. There's a touchscreen overlay that sits over the OEM screen and it provides full Android Auto and Apple Carplay integration. It works very well. I'm fairly sure it's available for the QP.
Top tip, thanks! I was content with using Android Auto on my phone but this sounds like a better solution and like it will keep the car as original as possible.
Looks nice, these are always so cool.
I'd check the rear subframe for rust if I were you https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... - not sure how widespread it is, but this guy's Granturismo was from Scotland and needed work.
Front subframe, front subframe and front subframe, it’s basically scrap if you need to replace it.
You shouldn’t be stalling the car, I’d suggest something is wrong, although it is the duoselect which is not the best that needs looking at.
Steering rack is also a weak spot (mine was leaking and replaced 1 seal for £1k), new one was £4K fitted.
Be prepared for bills, I had a 2007 GT Sport QP, £15k spend in 3/4 years, car was £15k, FFSH on 40k miles.
Everything is expensive or unobtanium, find a good specialist.
You, generally, can’t take them to a normal garage when any reprogramming is needed as no one has the right equipment.
They are expensive.
Don’t let the little jobs build up as something will fail.
Don’t damage any interior parts, £750 for a piece of trim anyone?
Make sure you charge the battery, do not let it die.
If you ignore the sense of impending doom every time you turn the key it’s an absolute machine, the noise, the drama, the presence is absolutely fantastic.
I wouldn’t have another though!
Budget £3-4K for the variators, if it hasn’t been done.
Enjoy it! Just remember it’s a hand built super saloon of which around 1000 were built in RHD (iirc) and had a retail of £70k (for yours iirc) 16 years ago!
You shouldn’t be stalling the car, I’d suggest something is wrong, although it is the duoselect which is not the best that needs looking at.
Steering rack is also a weak spot (mine was leaking and replaced 1 seal for £1k), new one was £4K fitted.
Be prepared for bills, I had a 2007 GT Sport QP, £15k spend in 3/4 years, car was £15k, FFSH on 40k miles.
Everything is expensive or unobtanium, find a good specialist.
You, generally, can’t take them to a normal garage when any reprogramming is needed as no one has the right equipment.
They are expensive.
Don’t let the little jobs build up as something will fail.
Don’t damage any interior parts, £750 for a piece of trim anyone?
Make sure you charge the battery, do not let it die.
If you ignore the sense of impending doom every time you turn the key it’s an absolute machine, the noise, the drama, the presence is absolutely fantastic.
I wouldn’t have another though!
Budget £3-4K for the variators, if it hasn’t been done.
Enjoy it! Just remember it’s a hand built super saloon of which around 1000 were built in RHD (iirc) and had a retail of £70k (for yours iirc) 16 years ago!
Edited by Han Solo on Thursday 31st March 18:03
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