GranSport

[levron73]

I've been toying with car choices for a while now and am looking for something (reasonably) paractical. I need "useable" rear seats so the obvious choice was a 997. Then I looked at the 4200 and then saw the Gransport!

I will be using it probably for 200-300 miles per week and am particularly interested in peoples experiences between the 4200 and the gransport for ownership / running costs etc.

They look like you get alot of car for between £25-£38k which is my budget range, but do you get alot of service and niggles along with it!!!!

Thanks in advance.

[Davey S2]

At that mileage I would expect running costs to be far in excess of those of a 911.

Nice cars though

[cayman-black]

just out of intrest, has anyone seen the tom hartley gransport?

[LittleBro]

cayman-black said:

just out of intrest, has anyone seen the tom hartley gransport?

I havent seen it in the flesh - its been for sale since April time and has recently had a good reduction.

[runway78]

levron73 said:

They look like you get alot of car for between £25-£38k which is my budget range, but do you get alot of service and niggles along with it!!!!

Thanks in advance.

Do it, and I am sure you will not regret it for one moment. I did not. However, be warned £25k now for a GranSport will only buy you a sniffer, whereas £38k will buy you a peach. In fact I think you will struggle at 25k to get a GranSport, only 4200's are around at that price. If you do spend 38k expect some depreciation aftre 6 months or so as the GranTurismo seems to be losing value quite steeply at the mo which does not help. With a GranSport you must get the clutch and F1 pump checked by a specialist/dealer for wear and tear. As if that lot goes wrong (which is common) and the car has no warranty you will hurt. Apart from that no complaints. Oh, and check specs. You should look out for cars with LE spec (more electrical gizmos)too.

[cayman-black]

LittleBro said:

cayman-black said:

just out of intrest, has anyone seen the tom hartley gransport?

I havent seen it in the flesh - its been for sale since April time and has recently had a good reduction.[/quote yes offered £33k two months ago, th said they would take £36k. have not seen car though.

[Fabster]

had a 996, bought a Gransport - it rocks!
Get the LE spec - full leather (no funny tights-esque material) and all the toys you really need..
the back is VERY roomy - can never quite believe how much room is back there (considering overall dimensions arent very different from a 911), boot's not all that big mind (but again bigger than a 911 - if thats what you need), but its quite thirsty - in fact make that really p!$$ poor around town! But worth every penny for the noise!

[levron73]

Thanks folks - I'm looking to line up a test drive next week sometime so will get back with my thoughts.

[maser sod]

runway78 said:

levron73 said:

They look like you get alot of car for between £25-£38k which is my budget range, but do you get alot of service and niggles along with it!!!!

Thanks in advance.

Do it, and I am sure you will not regret it for one moment. I did not. However, be warned £25k now for a GranSport will only buy you a sniffer, whereas £38k will buy you a peach. In fact I think you will struggle at 25k to get a GranSport, only 4200's are around at that price. If you do spend 38k expect some depreciation aftre 6 months or so as the GranTurismo seems to be losing value quite steeply at the mo which does not help. With a GranSport you must get the clutch and F1 pump checked by a specialist/dealer for wear and tear. As if that lot goes wrong (which is common) and the car has no warranty you will hurt. Apart from that no complaints. Oh, and check specs. You should look out for cars with LE spec (more electrical gizmos)too.

LE pack was more or less standard for 06 cars and beyond, probably to help them sell at the end of their production run. I've got all the gizmos on mine bar Xenons, the only one I really value is the rear parking sensors.

Experience shows that GranSports lose their value much more for mileage than age. I bought my GS as an ex-demo last August on an 06 plate with 10K miles for 45K, it now has 13K miles which places it in the 39-42K range on Auotrader. So arguably 5k depreciation over a year, maybe a tad more after haggling etc.

I've not heard of that many problems with the 4200/GS F1 pump. The clutch, as stated above, should be measured electronically for wear, as it can perish quite quickly. I had mine changed shortly after purchase, it was 65% worn after 10K miles. But the car as stated is ex-demo, so would have had some test pilots wringing the neck out of it no doubt.

The GS is a good all round car, I enjoyed my 3200 a little more but I can't see myself selling the GS in a hurry as it ticks most of the boxes.

[mal]

I have had my GS since new in March 06 and other than depreciation, which I expected, it has cost two services and one set of tyres. I have done nearly 26,000 miles in that time and used it practically as a daily driver. It still puts a smile on my face every day - not in the same way though as the 3200 which is hilarious because it is a bit of a hooligan. On dry days I still turn the radio off wind the window down and listen to it make music!

[ModenaMagic]

I bought a GS last year and still have a smile on my face every time I get in it. Lost patience with Porsche through all the faults I had been having and got to admit that I wish I had bought a Maserati sooner.