456 or 4200

[dubbs]

Ok, probably will be lambasted for even comparing... but out of interest in the following scenario...

11 year old
16 month old so car seat needs to fit in rear
Car used mainly at weekends but definitely for odd decent length trip (2-3hour jaunts)
Already have decent family car for when necessary
Whether I like it or not a fair amount of urban driving

Ferrari 456 or Maserati 4200??

Now... I'll have a top end budget of 25k and want a decent 2+2 sportscar that could even go on the odd trackday... for fun and wouldn't expect it to be a top performer on track.

Expecting running costs of circa £2000 a year excluding petrol.

Which is best suited? 4200 gets me a young model but is the 456 so amazing I should go for that? Which is going to be most exciting to drive and sound best once a suitable exhaust system has been fitted? Which has scary bills (ok...both!!) and which is going to be most fragile?

Mileage will be about 3k a year maybe a little more but less than 6k.

[ross-456]

25k wont get you a very good 456, TBH. However, if you could stretch to close to 30k you may be in more luck. Is this posible?

FWIW, I know of a VERY nice 456 GTA which you could get for under £30k. E:mail me if you want some details.

[dubbs]

Thanks Ross - would need to understand running costs more.... I love the TdF blue/green colour cars, think it suits the car well :-) It's seeing one with Tdf and Crema hide for about 29k a year ago that made me think about them.

Assuming you own a 456 what do you think on my list and ever considered a 4200?

Cheers

[propaganda]

I have had a 4200 in the past. Very nice car, comfortable, sporty etc. No problem with the back seats as the car easily seats four adults, unlike say a 911 or XKR. Cannot comment much on the 456 other than I personally like the design a lot. I found the 4200 very reliable but you do need to allow a decent amount for running costs as main dealer parts/maintenance can be fairly expensive on Maseratis. 25k could get you a fairly decent car if you look carefully. A word of warning - remember the 4200 is a £65-70k car and the 456 is a £150k car, so when things go wrong in a 456 you may need very deep pockets indeed.

[dubbs]

This was my thinking... I've owned a few similar cars in my time in terms of silly running costs so want to ensure eyes are open :-)

The question is... does a 75k car really have less running costs than a 150k one? In my experience the Lotus at 65k was about the same cost to run as a 355 which was 100k+

Think you get to a certain ceiling... saying that apart from knowing they look gorgeous I don't know enough about the running costs or maint for the 456 to compare with the 4200.

[burriana]

As mentioned by Ross, £25k will not get you a 456.

£30k will be right at the bottom end, unless you strike lucky, which you may do with the one Ross knows.

Make sure door seals have been done fairly recently, and if possible the rear shocks, as the self-levelling units are about £5k a pair.

Edited by burriana on Monday 22 September 16:32

[dubbs]

Ok - and thanks to all for replying..

However I've noticed no one is really answering the question. Great to know I need another 5k, no probs as I'm not looking to max out finances and am buying whatever I end up with without credit so anoher 5k wouldn't be an issue if I really had to push.

I'm more interest in overall running costs, babyseat in back and ability to fulfil the tasks I've listed. Which could squeeze in the family luggage for a short weekend stopover at relatives for example yet still let me go out on a bit of a hoon on my own or maybe cope with the odd track day once in a while (2 or 3 times a year max, if that as I'd probably drive there and hire a caterham)

Also which is hen the more engaging drive, which will sound most amazing with the right exhaust system and which will feel least dated to drive and be a great ownership prospect for the next couple of years.

[456mgt]

OK I'll answer the question directly. They'll both do the job you have in mind, admirably. You can fit car seats and stow general baby crap in both. Similarly, both are designed for long trips and are comfortable.

There's more boot space in the 456 and I easily fit one of those umbrella type buggies and a portable cot in the back. Rear seat space in the two is roughly the same, slightly better in the 4200 I think.

Budget aside, I'd go for the 456 every day of the week. It handles better than the 4200- more direct feel and *much* better feedback. Power in the real world is more or less the same. I've been on several hoons in the 456 and never been disgraced. To be fair, this is because the feedback is good and the handling very forgiving; much easier and safer to push than an edgy rear- or mid-engined car. You can push the 4200 too, it's just that in my hands I wasn't sure what the four corners were doing and it often felt that the front and rear of the car were independent of one another. Plenty of grip though. This was in a skyhook car, so it may have been messed up.

Both are grand tourers though so I think your comparison is a good one. Don't buy either for 'speed'. There's plenty of kit out there that will match them- an M3 is easily on the same pace.

[ross-456]

Never owned a 4200 and would not cosider it, purely because Masa's aren't my thing - not nocking them tho.

Budget £3k pa for service and the replacement of consumables. Some years will be less, some years will be more - so £3k avg.

I was lucky, I found a good car and did 13k miles in just over a year. Cost me a major service at an indi (c.£2k), a repair to a radiator leak (£200 i think) and a new rear tyre due to a puncture (£200). Think I got away with it quite well considering the miles I did.

Best all-round car I've ever owned.