Possible Spyder Purchase on the cards

[Gareth P]

I'm sure the question has been asked plenty of times, but here goes again! I love the 4200 spyder. My last car was a Tuscan, it was also a nightmare! I am therefore warry of buying exotic cars. How reliable is the Maserati, I am being told about the problem clutch, also is the scuttle shake very bad! Would appreciate any advice you can offer before I dive in. Thanks

[360boy]

Gareth P said:

I'm sure the question has been asked plenty of times, but here goes again! I love the 4200 spyder. My last car was a Tuscan, it was also a nightmare! I am therefore warry of buying exotic cars. How reliable is the Maserati, I am being told about the problem clutch, also is the scuttle shake very bad! Would appreciate any advice you can offer before I dive in. Thanks

The original 3200 models (like most new models) had some teething problems.
When the 4200 was introduced, the car was well sorted.
If you do decide to buy a 4200 Spyder, get one from a dealer with a good warranty. It is common sense really, and something that you should do with any exotic, not just a Maserati.
Make sure that the warranty does cover things like the clutch, because most do not!
Good luck with your future purchase.

[johnnyboy225]

Gareth, the person to ask is David A.... oh, and ask him about the TUBI....

[David A]

johnnyboy225 said:

Gareth, the person to ask is David A.... oh, and ask him about the TUBI....

Don't ask just bloody get one

Must get a maser tubi convey happening sometime soon - maser tunnel run anyone ?

edited to add - yes it would involve dropping a gear thru the tunnels and lots of revs at every opportunity

Edited by David A on Monday 19th June 18:57

[David A]

Spyder eh?

Get a glass screened one (newer), get a cc

Satnav is good
Heated seats are good
CD changer is necessary and good
get a tubi
hi-fi is shit - budget £1K to 1.5K for an upgrade if you like music (I used the place 1 min away from maranellos in egham and they did a great job)
check the back cubby hole behind the seats clips down securely - mine is wedged with paper as it pops up at speed ! will be fixed next service.
get a tubi
light leather helps as they tend to have dark headlining
phone option is good (set yours to divert when in car) you will need a PAYG sim card crap over 40mph with the roof down though. it does have an earpiece that doesn't fit my ears - gonna rewire it to a normal ear and mic setup at somepoint for long drives with roof down when i might need the phone
my rears lasted 8K(well probably 7K but I didn't check !!!!)

Thats about it really - I used to have nettuno and avorio on the 3200 and now have sebring and beige on the 4200 - nettuno and beige would probably be good, avorio - way too light for a spyder. I drive it with the roof down unless its raining heavily! so the leather gets a lot of conditioning and cleaning.

Did I mention getting a tubi ? You should.

Dave

[Gareth P]

Good info, I was behind a spyder in Norwich the other day, its was cruising through the city, it sounded fantastic, that V8 made me go running to my nearest dealer begging for a car, it must have been a Tubi, Awesome.

[nickwilson]

I'm going for a test drive in a Spyder, at a dealer. It will be my first drive in a Maserati. Is there anything I should be checking up on. This one is a 2003 Cambiocorsa.

I had been looking at the SLK AMG but these are more appealing but I'm a bit concerned as I've heard conflicting thoughts on them.

Thanks
Nick

PS
I like the silver, red or black with Bourdeaux interior

[propaganda]

Go for a MY2004 if possible - rear glass screen, chassis fixes helped scuttle shake, improved Cambiocorsa.

Edited by propaganda on Friday 3rd August 00:24

[mcgus]

2004MY onwards as has been said.

I've just completed my third week of constant, face splitting grinning ownwership of a 2003 (04MY).

Don't discount the manual. It's what I've got. I tried the CC and whilst I liked it my missus couldn't get used to it but that said, she's only driven it once anyway so far!

We had a brilliant 580 mile trip to the highlands last weekend and I fully expected the roads to show up any idiosyncracies but I can honestly say it was awesome. The way the car pulls away, even up a hill, in sixth is incredible and beyond anything I've had previously (which in the context of this particular forum may not stand scrutiny but still includes some nice cars).

The car does do somethings funny - e.g. forget the sat nav - unless you have the CD changer (mentioned by Dave as essential and I can see why) you can't play a CD and have the sat nav at the same time as the sat nav disc goes in the solitary CD player!

The manual box takes a bit of warming up. Initially a bit clunky between 1 and 2 but okay after that and you don't really need 1 anyway.

Skyhook suspension - I find the sports setting does definitely make a difference. most cars come with it I believe but check.

Watch the catch on the cubby hole behind the seats! too fast and it may have a tendency to pop up unexpectedly! I'll leave you to work out at what speed sellotape works in extremis!

I've washed it three times so far in just under three weeks - obsessive or what.

Any more questions fire away and I'll see if I can help.

[mcgus]

oh, and avorio on mediterraneo is awesome!

[nickwilson]

Many thanks for your intro to maser ownership. Certainly fuelled my enthusiasm. I went into Lancesters at Colchester and had a chat to the Maserati guy. They didn't have a spyder but I had a look over a GranSport that they have there but well outside my price range! I'm hoping to arrange a drive in a Spyder soon.

[nickwilson]

How long is the warranty and are there any recommendations for getting servicing etc. done ?

Any idea how much should I budget per annum for this on a 2004 car ? I doubt I will do more than 10k per annum unless its just too much fun ...

[fieldl]

I picked my 04 Spyder up today. Will post my thoughts later (off t'pub)
Needless to say I love it I went for a manual too.

[nickwilson]

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

But I don't expect we will hear from you for a few weeks ...

Edited by nickwilson on Monday 6th August 11:23