Maserati 3200Gt or similar...

[mr_tony]

Seems that I'll have some money coming my way shortly so the new car search begins in earnest.
(the AMG is officially dead )

Very very tempted by 3200Gt's. Already spoken to Alex on here who drives one (and seems to love it!), thanks Alex, your info is much appreciated.

However, when you do these things you have to test a few cars to get an idea of what is out there.
Car has to be only car, be comfortable living outside, and capable of racking up 16k+ a year for the next 18-24 months.

Current shortlist :

3200Gt
996C2 / 993 c2/4S
CLK55amg
XKR

Any of you guys driven any / all of the above?

Any thoughts on long term Maserati depreciation?

lastly - is there a tubi option for the 3200, if there is I might just forget my senses and go for it...


>>> Edited by mr_tony on Monday 3rd March 15:08

[marki]

XKR is a favourite of mine, good solid car cheap to run imo , but i could be seriously tempted by a CLK 55

personally i would give the Masser a miss for 16k a year motoring

[AlexHancock]

You're welcome!

And yes, there is a Tubi - I'm still waiting to hear one on a 3200.

[mr_tony]

personally i would give the Masser a miss for 16k a year motoring

That is my gut reaction too, but it is such an achingly nice looking motor.

Going to drive a 3200 with Maranellos at the weekend - will post my thoughts if anyone is interested. If anyone has any thoughts on that particular dealership / who to speak to / etc - please mail me off list.

cheers!

[clubsport]

>15k miles = German

[456mgt]

Current shortlist :

3200Gt
996C2 / 993 c2/4S
CLK55amg
XKR

Any of you guys driven any / all of the above?

Very similar to my shortlist if you add an RS4 as well. I've driven them and ended up with the 996C2 I have at the moment. You need 4 seats? Suspect you do from the choices you put forward. In my case gearbox played a large part in the decision as I don't like automatics that much.
Maser: the car my heart would choose. Hands down. Didn't much like the manual gearbox (gritty change & transmission shunt), tank is small (est. 200 mile range max) but mainly because the seats made my arse ache on any journey over 30 mins. Auto box really blunts performance and you lose that kick in the kidneys when the turbos light up. Couldn't do it in the end, though Christ knows I wanted to want one.
Jag XKR: swapped my neighbour a drive in his XKR for a drive of one of mine. Drives like a BIG car. Great cruiser but doesn't disguise its mass at all, and you do get a pendulum effect from those overhangs. Didn't feel that accelerative. That slab of wood comprising the dash not attractive in my eyes. Auto only too.
Merc: similar deal to the XKR. Great cruiser but handling woolly and auto only again. Not a fan of Merc. dealers either.
Porsche. 993s didn't like the interior or the floor mounted pedals, and as my wife would be driving it too, this was completely out.

Eventually went with a 996 C2. Choice of the head and pleased with it so far. Needs a sports exhaust, and now has one in my case. Good practical car though in all honesty it does not stir my soul; it doesn't feel alive in your hands the way Italian cars seem to do. What engages you about the the 911 is its competence but you have to push it hard to get excitement from it. All IMO of course!

[trackdemon]

The only one off the list I've driven is the 3200GT, and rather like Kevin I really wanted to like it. But boy, what a let down. REALLY grunty, but lots and lots of tubo lag; engine too quiet but worst of all the chassis just felt a bit anodyne. Light, uncommunicative (but certainly direct) steering allied to squidgy damping and firm springs made for a point and squirt kind of cornering attitude - no real composure when pressing on, but the ride was a bit jittery too, as though the springs were too firm to take the initial edge off the ride. Probably a great car on the motorway, although the driving position wouldn't suit me long term... bloody quick though and soooo good looking

>> Edited by trackdemon on Tuesday 4th March 18:16

[rubystone]

Can't remember whether I've posted this before or not, apologies if I have...I drove both auto and manual 3200 GTs some years back and a 928 GTS auto on the same day for comparison, all in the dry. I echo the comments made on the auto 'box, but it is potentially the safer option in the wet....I had the traction control light lit up virtually all the time I wasn't in a straight line and the car squirmed all over the place - a bit like lifting off the power in an early 911, - the back felt like it wanted to come round. In the wet it must be virtually impossible to drive these cars anywhere near their potential

The combination of the drive by wire throttle and twin turbos made for very entertaining getaways, but became tiresome in traffic in the manual and impossible to get right in the auto either. I liked the cabin, although like the 355 I was amazed how far away the dash appears compared to a 911.

As it happens, the 928 GTS was solid as a rock, amazingly quick and far better built, but yes, it had less soul than the Maserati...I bought a 964 RS in the end by the way

[AlexHancock]

I, of coarse, disagree with most of the above.

The 3200’s a long way from perfect. But this makes it challenging, gives it character and makes you love it more each day. You really need to borrow one of these for a couple of days before you can decide whether it’s right for you.

[456mgt]

AlexHancock said: I, of coarse, disagree with most of the above.

This is an interesting point since every owner I've spoken to loves this car. Makes me think I'm missing something here. I did in fact have a 3200GT for the weekend, and while I was quite prepared to buy one based on a short test drive, spending longer with the car made me less enamoured, not more.

Have you tried the 4200 Alex? I've sat in them in the showroom and can tell they've improved headroom, though the seats & gearbox are the same. Salesman told me the CC 'box is slower than the Modena F1 box. I'm asking you because in all honesty I don't dare try one.

Kev

[AlexHancock]

I went on a driver's day with H R Owen and drove the 4200 with the CC 'box. Don't drive one - you'll probably buy it! Generally, the car is much better - the skyhook suspension is stops body roll in high speed corners, it's normally aspirated so no lag or sudden burst of power, and the CC 'box (although not perfect) is a good compromise between the difficult manual and boring auto. It does take a while to get used to the CC but I could see how it could be mastered. I'm interested to see how long gears and clutches last with these 'boxes but probably better than a badly driven manual.

The manual 3200 is really tough to get right - made a Griffith 500 seem easy to drive - but it's very rewarding when you do. I don't think the perfect combination of performance, reliability, character, cost, depreciation, exclusivity, history, etc. exists but this car is a good compromise. I wasn't sure before I bought it, and had prepared myself for a good kicking, but I'm very happy with it - perhaps I was lucky.

On another subject - I am kicking myself for not bidding more for a perfect Ferrari 308 at the auction the other night, I think I could have got it for £12K plus commission!

[rubystone]

It all goes to prove that you really can't tell what a car is like without driving it extensively...when you look at the amount of money you're going to invest in these things it doesn't make sense to part with the readies without living with one for some time first

[AlexHancock]

You're right - but how can you do that?

If the performance hire companies would charge realistic amounts then I would probably use them.

[456mgt]

AlexHancock said: I went on a driver's day with H R Owen and drove the 4200 with the CC 'box. Don't drive one - you'll probably buy it!

Thanks for the warning!

On another subject - I am kicking myself for not bidding more for a perfect Ferrari 308 at the auction the other night, I think I could have got it for £12K plus commission!

Sh1t! Did it sell at that price? Don't tell Trackdemon, he'll be gutted. At that price it would be worth the risk- you could check out most of the pitfalls without driving it (service history, bodywork, crash damage etc.). Some dealer had Christmas come early.

[AlexHancock]

It went for £11,200 to a non-dealer. I think it's for his wife - but the clutch was very heavy so I'm hoping she won't like it and it'll appear at another auction when I'll be better prepared! Ferrari 308 GTSi (2 valve), Met. Grey, Cream, LHD (USA), cats removed, bumpers changed. Very good condition, low mileage (stored by collector of many rare cars).

[mr_tony]

Cheers for the thoughs chaps.
Latest thinking is :

3200 - my favourite, but concerned about running costs, and the fact that it'll be hard to sell if I stik 30k on it.

996 - sensible, great to drive (have tested one) not sure about image though.

clk-55 - stealthy (in present company), massive grunt, not so sporty but very applicable to the motorway miles.

XKR - no idea about these at all, not that bothered really. Maybe with the arden mods it might be worth a look, but then we're getting up there price wise...

BOxster S - ok don't need 4 seats (but they're always useful) so boxster a possibility, will handle the miles, and have roof off fun opportunities. Drawback is would want rear glass screen so looking at newish

[trackdemon]

456mgt said:

AlexHancock said: I went on a driver's day with H R Owen and drove the 4200 with the CC 'box. Don't drive one - you'll probably buy it!

Thanks for the warning!

On another subject - I am kicking myself for not bidding more for a perfect Ferrari 308 at the auction the other night, I think I could have got it for £12K plus commission!

Sh1t! Did it sell at that price? Don't tell Trackdemon, he'll be gutted. At that price it would be worth the risk- you could check out most of the pitfalls without driving it (service history, bodywork, crash damage etc.). Some dealer had Christmas come early.

Too late, I'm still lurking around on here! Alex, was the auction in Islington per chance? I was going to go myself, but something came up - still, I've been checking out the auctions recently and I'm sure I'll make it along to another some time soon (after the Chim has gone). That is cheap though - even for the most undesirable spec - do you know if it sold?

[AlexHancock]

Yes it sold - £11,200. I went up to £10,500 as I wasn't sure and didn't have anywhere to store it. But I've since been kicking myself as it was in very good condition. We should really let each other know what we're interested in to avoid paying too much!