Maserati Grandsport./ Ferrari 456.....Why?
Discussion
For those of you who own or have owned one of these cars, I'm hoping you can help me out. I have posted a similar question to the other cars I'll mention in their respective forums. I want blunt answers to my point blank questions, my intention is not to offend or rub your back up the wrong way, just to gain quality info by owners to help me in my quest to own a quality luxury GT sports car for around 40-55k.
Why did you not opt for an Aston DB9/Vanquish, a Bentley Conti GT, or a new Jaguar XKR, or even a Maserati Grand Tourismo.
What was it above all else that swayed your decision to buy your car above all others.
What's so good about them, what do you feel are their best attributes and driving characteristics.
What kind of reactions do you get driving them, good , bad or indifferent.
How do you feel driving them.
What are they like as a daily/other day driver, what are they like to live with, and how costly are the services.
Are they generally as problematic as media and other sources would have you believe.
Should I go through a main dealer for peace of mind and warranty or are the specialist indies just as good.
I've been out in a Mas 3200 on a test drive a couple of years ago and it was good, but have not had the pleasure of the Grandsport or the 456, and I think the Grand tourismo may be just a tad too high for me right now, but I'm looking for feedback in the mean time to help in my decision until I can get out on a test drive or two.
I'm 6'6" and 21st, I can fit in all of the other cars mentioned and even the 3200, but would I have any in the 456
Why did you not opt for an Aston DB9/Vanquish, a Bentley Conti GT, or a new Jaguar XKR, or even a Maserati Grand Tourismo.
What was it above all else that swayed your decision to buy your car above all others.
What's so good about them, what do you feel are their best attributes and driving characteristics.
What kind of reactions do you get driving them, good , bad or indifferent.
How do you feel driving them.
What are they like as a daily/other day driver, what are they like to live with, and how costly are the services.
Are they generally as problematic as media and other sources would have you believe.
Should I go through a main dealer for peace of mind and warranty or are the specialist indies just as good.
I've been out in a Mas 3200 on a test drive a couple of years ago and it was good, but have not had the pleasure of the Grandsport or the 456, and I think the Grand tourismo may be just a tad too high for me right now, but I'm looking for feedback in the mean time to help in my decision until I can get out on a test drive or two.
I'm 6'6" and 21st, I can fit in all of the other cars mentioned and even the 3200, but would I have any in the 456
I'm 6'3" and have driven a 456 in the past - I dont remember having any difficulties fitting in. The GranSport would be snug - I reckon I'm about as big as you can be to be comfortable in one.
You mentioned the DB9 and GranTourismo - IMO these are not in the same price bracket at as GranSport or a 456.
I would say the ownership prospect would be affected by what you're going to do with the car. For me, a GS is usable every day. A 456 less so, particularly if you're doing the miles. Not because it cant handle it, but down to the general running costs.
You mentioned the DB9 and GranTourismo - IMO these are not in the same price bracket at as GranSport or a 456.
I would say the ownership prospect would be affected by what you're going to do with the car. For me, a GS is usable every day. A 456 less so, particularly if you're doing the miles. Not because it cant handle it, but down to the general running costs.
Happy to help - I bought an '04 GranSport last year. At the time I tested a few 456s, as I REALLY wanted to like a Ferrari I could afford. In the end I just didn't get on with them. In summary:
456 - hated the seats and the feeling of being in a a very fast Transit van. Actually, not that fast, and doesn't feel modern any more. Just not worth selling my 928 for. Potentially horrific running costs. Achingly beautiful though.
GranSport - feels modern, fast, great sound, great seats, plenty of room for young kids. Mine is black with anthracite wheels and small boys point at it (the reaction from my 11 year old's classmates was magic!) and even at the recent PH meet it was gathering admirers. Usable everyday.
Aston etc - can't afford it!
I posted some other thoughts here: http://www.pistonheads.com/Gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
456 - hated the seats and the feeling of being in a a very fast Transit van. Actually, not that fast, and doesn't feel modern any more. Just not worth selling my 928 for. Potentially horrific running costs. Achingly beautiful though.
GranSport - feels modern, fast, great sound, great seats, plenty of room for young kids. Mine is black with anthracite wheels and small boys point at it (the reaction from my 11 year old's classmates was magic!) and even at the recent PH meet it was gathering admirers. Usable everyday.
Aston etc - can't afford it!
I posted some other thoughts here: http://www.pistonheads.com/Gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Gransport - comfortable (I'm 6'7) rapid, reliable.. thinking abou ta bentley GT at the moment. Astons & XK's - there's just too many about. 456 is getting a bit long in the tooth for me, 612 would be nice but out of my price range at the moment.
If you haven't already, go drive a gransport or a turisimo.. personally the GS was more my thing the turisimo is a big car.
If you haven't already, go drive a gransport or a turisimo.. personally the GS was more my thing the turisimo is a big car.
Mr Spock, Fade2grey, you have gorgeous looking cars, I must admit I do have a liking for the Gransport, the Maserati Indy Autoshield is less than half mile away from me and the owner is a really nice guy, very helpful. I see all sorts of Maseratis outside, and occasionally some drive past where I live, my god what a glorious sound, especially the GS and I love its styling.
Looked long and hard at 456 before getting my first Maserati, a 4200 Coupe GT. Maser was more sporting and every day useable and in the 2 years I had it surprisingly reliable. For the money, I would choose a GranSport over any of the others in the same price range, if you can fit.
I currently drive a GranTuriso S which is in a whole different ball park but probably too expensive. The regular GT is still very good just not as sporting as I suspect the GranSport is (never drove one but I understand vastly better than the regular 4200, which wasn't half bad!)but a much more modern car and not exactly slow.
Running costs of the Maser should not be too hideous if it has been well looked after but you should have a reserve of at least a couple of grand set aside "just in case". The Masers also stand up well to daily use (they appear to have fewer issues if regularly used) although do like to drink petrol but then you don't buy cars like these for their economy.
Hope the above helps.
I currently drive a GranTuriso S which is in a whole different ball park but probably too expensive. The regular GT is still very good just not as sporting as I suspect the GranSport is (never drove one but I understand vastly better than the regular 4200, which wasn't half bad!)but a much more modern car and not exactly slow.
Running costs of the Maser should not be too hideous if it has been well looked after but you should have a reserve of at least a couple of grand set aside "just in case". The Masers also stand up well to daily use (they appear to have fewer issues if regularly used) although do like to drink petrol but then you don't buy cars like these for their economy.
Hope the above helps.
I always wanted a 3200 - ever since it was launched - but when I had the money to buy it the Gransport was in my reach. It wasn't too deadly on the money to make the step up and I am overjoyed I did . IMO it isn't too flash so I can turn up to a client's house in it. When it is not showroom clean people will walk past when it is parked and I prefer that understated approach. There are not too many of them around, in Edinburgh I only know of two others whereas the Aston's, Bentley's et al are a daily sight. The 456 is lovely but I feel that it will start to look a bit old over the next few years.
I have had mine for over two years now and have not seen anything I could afford that would make me change. I added a Larini exhaust recently and that has polished it to perfection IMO. Enjoy your test drive.
Nick
I have had mine for over two years now and have not seen anything I could afford that would make me change. I added a Larini exhaust recently and that has polished it to perfection IMO. Enjoy your test drive.
Nick
Pasting earlier post from AM forum:
Oddly, I just joined the forums so that I could get some views on my plan of changing my Granturismo for a Vanquish. I can offer a view observations on the GT, and what it has been like, and why I am now considering the AMV.
I have had the GT for just over 12 months. It was my first foray into the more rarefied world of low volume cars - previous stuff had been all mainstream volume manufacturers (SLK, 330d, S4, 325i convertible, etc.), at one point supplemented for a couple of years by an old (1973) 911. I live in Central London, with parking/garaging restrictions, and was therefore looking for something that was automatic (lot of time spent crawling around town) and has decent seats in the back ('cos I take my 2 kids to school in the morning before I drive into work). I considered XKR, DB9, 612 and GT, and the GT offered the best real world practicality for a daily driver. It is a bit big, and the consumption around town is obviously dreadful (10mpg), but otherwise it is a very easy car to use day-to-day.
It also works very well as a grand tourer. For example, when the ash cloud problems arose at Easter, I drove down to Rome to pick up my wife who was stuck out of the country with the kids. On a quick(ish) blast to Rome and back (something like 3200km) I was able to put in 12 hours of driving and feel fine at the end of the day. The car just devoured the miles, and for the trip I averaged 110km/h (including getting in and out of London and Rome) and got over 25mpg.
On the downside, the car doesn't feel particularly quick (it is the 4.2 automatic). The engine revs well, and if you are prepared to dirve like a hooligan it will pick up its skirts and run, but it lacks torque and the sheer weight blunts the perfromance.
I know looks are purely subjective, but I have always thought it a handsome car, and it gets a lot of interest from Joe Public. I haven't had any negative reactions (unlike a friend who bought a 430 and sold it after 4 months because of the amount of abuse he was getting whenever he drove it around Central London). It has been trouble free over the 10,000 miles or so I have put on it, and the service from Joe Macari in London is excellent (much better than HR Owen, whose excellent sales department is let down by a below par service department).
Overall, I have been very happy with the car - so why am I looking to change?
A couple of reasons, which are probably more linked to personal circumstances than to any problems with the GT. First, I am beginning to feel increasingly uncomfortable commuting to work in a 4.2 V8, and I am considering buying a little 500 for that purpose (I am very impressed with Fiat's new twin cylinder turbo, banging out 85 bhp and only 95g/km CO2). Second, my wife decided to swap her little Mito for a new Giulietta Cloverleaf, so we will have a decently sized family car for doing the boring schleps around country to visit relatives, etc. That leaves me free to get something less practical than the GT.
So, unconstrained by the need to be a bit sensible, but still looking for a 2+2 so the kids can come down to Goodwood and stuff like that, I am reconsidering. I want something more powerful that the GT, and which is more prurposeful than pretty. I also want the old-fashioned pleasure of a clutch and gear stick given that the new machine is not going to be used in town very often. It seems to me that the AMV, with the works manual conversion, is an obvious choice. It sits on the cusp of classic and modern, and as the last of the NP breed hits all the petrol head buttons in me.
Reading this back, I am not sure how much use it is to anyone else - but in a nutshell, I suppose the GT is the car I bought when I needed to compromise, and the AMV is the car I will probably get now I can be a bit more selfish!
Oddly, I just joined the forums so that I could get some views on my plan of changing my Granturismo for a Vanquish. I can offer a view observations on the GT, and what it has been like, and why I am now considering the AMV.
I have had the GT for just over 12 months. It was my first foray into the more rarefied world of low volume cars - previous stuff had been all mainstream volume manufacturers (SLK, 330d, S4, 325i convertible, etc.), at one point supplemented for a couple of years by an old (1973) 911. I live in Central London, with parking/garaging restrictions, and was therefore looking for something that was automatic (lot of time spent crawling around town) and has decent seats in the back ('cos I take my 2 kids to school in the morning before I drive into work). I considered XKR, DB9, 612 and GT, and the GT offered the best real world practicality for a daily driver. It is a bit big, and the consumption around town is obviously dreadful (10mpg), but otherwise it is a very easy car to use day-to-day.
It also works very well as a grand tourer. For example, when the ash cloud problems arose at Easter, I drove down to Rome to pick up my wife who was stuck out of the country with the kids. On a quick(ish) blast to Rome and back (something like 3200km) I was able to put in 12 hours of driving and feel fine at the end of the day. The car just devoured the miles, and for the trip I averaged 110km/h (including getting in and out of London and Rome) and got over 25mpg.
On the downside, the car doesn't feel particularly quick (it is the 4.2 automatic). The engine revs well, and if you are prepared to dirve like a hooligan it will pick up its skirts and run, but it lacks torque and the sheer weight blunts the perfromance.
I know looks are purely subjective, but I have always thought it a handsome car, and it gets a lot of interest from Joe Public. I haven't had any negative reactions (unlike a friend who bought a 430 and sold it after 4 months because of the amount of abuse he was getting whenever he drove it around Central London). It has been trouble free over the 10,000 miles or so I have put on it, and the service from Joe Macari in London is excellent (much better than HR Owen, whose excellent sales department is let down by a below par service department).
Overall, I have been very happy with the car - so why am I looking to change?
A couple of reasons, which are probably more linked to personal circumstances than to any problems with the GT. First, I am beginning to feel increasingly uncomfortable commuting to work in a 4.2 V8, and I am considering buying a little 500 for that purpose (I am very impressed with Fiat's new twin cylinder turbo, banging out 85 bhp and only 95g/km CO2). Second, my wife decided to swap her little Mito for a new Giulietta Cloverleaf, so we will have a decently sized family car for doing the boring schleps around country to visit relatives, etc. That leaves me free to get something less practical than the GT.
So, unconstrained by the need to be a bit sensible, but still looking for a 2+2 so the kids can come down to Goodwood and stuff like that, I am reconsidering. I want something more powerful that the GT, and which is more prurposeful than pretty. I also want the old-fashioned pleasure of a clutch and gear stick given that the new machine is not going to be used in town very often. It seems to me that the AMV, with the works manual conversion, is an obvious choice. It sits on the cusp of classic and modern, and as the last of the NP breed hits all the petrol head buttons in me.
Reading this back, I am not sure how much use it is to anyone else - but in a nutshell, I suppose the GT is the car I bought when I needed to compromise, and the AMV is the car I will probably get now I can be a bit more selfish!
This is an interesting topic ....
I am toying with the idea of swapping the Jag STR & the 360, for a DB9 that will be used daily and weekends.
Ferrari is wonderful in every way, but we have a 3 1/2 yr old who loves going in it ... but the three of us can't ever go in it, really needed a 2+2 but also wanted a ferrari.
Now toying with either a DB9/Gransport as my only car which will cover both uses, or maybe keeping a daily runner and swapping the 360 for a Vanquish ... just the dated dash that detracts from the DB9
I am toying with the idea of swapping the Jag STR & the 360, for a DB9 that will be used daily and weekends.
Ferrari is wonderful in every way, but we have a 3 1/2 yr old who loves going in it ... but the three of us can't ever go in it, really needed a 2+2 but also wanted a ferrari.
Now toying with either a DB9/Gransport as my only car which will cover both uses, or maybe keeping a daily runner and swapping the 360 for a Vanquish ... just the dated dash that detracts from the DB9
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