612, fun and frustration...
Discussion
After 4 years I finally sold the Quattroporte and bought a 2006 612. Spent most of my weekend driving in the rain or stuck still in traffic in North London, to be honest the car was fine and my 3yr old was perfectly happy asleep on the rear seat.
In fact it was great, it has (or seems to at least) a smaller turning circle than the QP, is easier to park and apart for the apocalyptic fuel consuption its absolutely civilised.
The one principal gripe I have, and had with the QP as well, is that the stereo/sat nav is absolutely atrocious. Its Mahindra bad...
I'm glad I bought this second hand, had I bought a new car for that price and with such a shocking system I would be spectacularly cheesed off. Its actually embarasingly bad, the few passangers that got in just rolled over laughing when they saw that horrid Bose system.
I'm trying to see if I can fit a 2DIN Sony in there but I need to see the fiches for a pre and post 2007 car to see if the stereo mask fits.
Also cannot get the rear set out to find the isofix fittings.
Nothing dramatic, but it needs about 5k spent on it to transform it from a weekend runaround to a proper car.
In fact it was great, it has (or seems to at least) a smaller turning circle than the QP, is easier to park and apart for the apocalyptic fuel consuption its absolutely civilised.
The one principal gripe I have, and had with the QP as well, is that the stereo/sat nav is absolutely atrocious. Its Mahindra bad...
I'm glad I bought this second hand, had I bought a new car for that price and with such a shocking system I would be spectacularly cheesed off. Its actually embarasingly bad, the few passangers that got in just rolled over laughing when they saw that horrid Bose system.
I'm trying to see if I can fit a 2DIN Sony in there but I need to see the fiches for a pre and post 2007 car to see if the stereo mask fits.
Also cannot get the rear set out to find the isofix fittings.
Nothing dramatic, but it needs about 5k spent on it to transform it from a weekend runaround to a proper car.
Would love to hear more about your experiences with the 612 as I keep getting drawn to it. Actually went to see one at Meridien Modena last year. Couldn`t quite bring myself to pull the trigger as I`d only just bought the M6.
Where did you buy from? What age, mileage etc etc.. PM me if you like. Intrigued
Where did you buy from? What age, mileage etc etc.. PM me if you like. Intrigued
jontysafe said:
Would love to hear more about your experiences with the 612 as I keep getting drawn to it. Actually went to see one at Meridien Modena last year. Couldn`t quite bring myself to pull the trigger as I`d only just bought the M6.
Where did you buy from? What age, mileage etc etc.. PM me if you like. Intrigued
Great cars, friend bought a black one and he let me spend some time with it,2005 pre-faclift with 30k miles on the Clock. It as comfortable to drive as any 5 series BMW and you either love or hate the looks.Interior looks and feels as good as anything that you would find in a Bentley,I guess shouldnt be suprised as it was a £170k car once. 4 of us went out in it, all over 6ft and it was very comfy. Leg room for passenger behind driver maybe not ideal but you could easily take a young family out on a long trip. Where did you buy from? What age, mileage etc etc.. PM me if you like. Intrigued
It is a 2005 pre-facelift model so it does have the old school Sat Nav sound system and not the better looking bigger screen that appeared in the facelift.
F1 auto is jerky but not as bad as an early Gallardo. Feels its size and weight but like other sportscars gets into its zone when flooring it - it empahisis what i believe a GT car is all about with regards to long motorway trips rather than blasts up the B-Roads or dare i say it - a track day.
No error codes,thuds,smells,clunking,grinding noises to be heard as i have experienced with all other exotica that i have ever had the pleasure to be in. It is a well put together car.
One thing to be wary of is my mate paid £80k for it 6 months ago and same dealer offered him £55k for it the other day. I would personally think that prices will eventually go on the up or stabilise as the 4WD replacement in my opinion is a monstrosity.
Note that Car was bought from Main dealer and had some issues that i posted about a few months ago with regards to the standard of prep but all is now sorted at expense of the dealer.
AJSG said:
After 4 years I finally sold the Quattroporte and bought a 2006 612. Spent most of my weekend driving in the rain or stuck still in traffic in North London, to be honest the car was fine and my 3yr old was perfectly happy asleep on the rear seat.
In fact it was great, it has (or seems to at least) a smaller turning circle than the QP, is easier to park and apart for the apocalyptic fuel consuption its absolutely civilised.
The one principal gripe I have, and had with the QP as well, is that the stereo/sat nav is absolutely atrocious. Its Mahindra bad...
I'm glad I bought this second hand, had I bought a new car for that price and with such a shocking system I would be spectacularly cheesed off. Its actually embarasingly bad, the few passangers that got in just rolled over laughing when they saw that horrid Bose system.
I'm trying to see if I can fit a 2DIN Sony in there but I need to see the fiches for a pre and post 2007 car to see if the stereo mask fits.
Also cannot get the rear set out to find the isofix fittings.
Nothing dramatic, but it needs about 5k spent on it to transform it from a weekend runaround to a proper car.
I just dont get why Ferrari, Lamborghini et al cannot put a decent satnav in their cars and charge crazy prices for the honour of having one fit the dash. The Gallardo system is way behing my £90 Garmin I bought 3 years ago. £1800 you are having a laugh!!! In fact it was great, it has (or seems to at least) a smaller turning circle than the QP, is easier to park and apart for the apocalyptic fuel consuption its absolutely civilised.
The one principal gripe I have, and had with the QP as well, is that the stereo/sat nav is absolutely atrocious. Its Mahindra bad...
I'm glad I bought this second hand, had I bought a new car for that price and with such a shocking system I would be spectacularly cheesed off. Its actually embarasingly bad, the few passangers that got in just rolled over laughing when they saw that horrid Bose system.
I'm trying to see if I can fit a 2DIN Sony in there but I need to see the fiches for a pre and post 2007 car to see if the stereo mask fits.
Also cannot get the rear set out to find the isofix fittings.
Nothing dramatic, but it needs about 5k spent on it to transform it from a weekend runaround to a proper car.
I'm not sure I'd agree with this thread. Firstly I think the Bose sounds great and personally I like the unobtrusive satnav. Granted we use our 2006 612 HGTE for fun runs but I don't have a problem with it (certainly it's not up to the BMW satnavs that have the traffic master element - but then again I find the big screens horrific in GT's/sportscars). Gotta say I love the 612 - it does everything really well. Running costs have been manageable with ave service at around 1200gbp, however this years major service (cambelts etc) tipping the scales at 3k+!
Wanta996Gotta said:
Great cars, friend bought a black one and he let me spend some time with it,2005 pre-faclift with 30k miles on the Clock. It as comfortable to drive as any 5 series BMW and you either love or hate the looks.Interior looks and feels as good as anything that you would find in a Bentley,I guess shouldnt be suprised as it was a £170k car once. 4 of us went out in it, all over 6ft and it was very comfy. Leg room for passenger behind driver maybe not ideal but you could easily take a young family out on a long trip.
It is a 2005 pre-facelift model so it does have the old school Sat Nav sound system and not the better looking bigger screen that appeared in the facelift.
F1 auto is jerky but not as bad as an early Gallardo. Feels its size and weight but like other sportscars gets into its zone when flooring it - it empahisis what i believe a GT car is all about with regards to long motorway trips rather than blasts up the B-Roads or dare i say it - a track day.
No error codes,thuds,smells,clunking,grinding noises to be heard as i have experienced with all other exotica that i have ever had the pleasure to be in. It is a well put together car.
One thing to be wary of is my mate paid £80k for it 6 months ago and same dealer offered him £55k for it the other day. I would personally think that prices will eventually go on the up or stabilise as the 4WD replacement in my opinion is a monstrosity.
Note that Car was bought from Main dealer and had some issues that i posted about a few months ago with regards to the standard of prep but all is now sorted at expense of the dealer.
Many thanks for that, appreciate it. They have got to bottom out at around 55k ish I would think, one hell of a lot of car for the money.It is a 2005 pre-facelift model so it does have the old school Sat Nav sound system and not the better looking bigger screen that appeared in the facelift.
F1 auto is jerky but not as bad as an early Gallardo. Feels its size and weight but like other sportscars gets into its zone when flooring it - it empahisis what i believe a GT car is all about with regards to long motorway trips rather than blasts up the B-Roads or dare i say it - a track day.
No error codes,thuds,smells,clunking,grinding noises to be heard as i have experienced with all other exotica that i have ever had the pleasure to be in. It is a well put together car.
One thing to be wary of is my mate paid £80k for it 6 months ago and same dealer offered him £55k for it the other day. I would personally think that prices will eventually go on the up or stabilise as the 4WD replacement in my opinion is a monstrosity.
Note that Car was bought from Main dealer and had some issues that i posted about a few months ago with regards to the standard of prep but all is now sorted at expense of the dealer.
Once I`ve got my son driving, myself married (again, ouch!) then I`m going to look again, either that or supercharge the M6 and get a 1 series diseasel as the daily.
jontysafe said:
Would love to hear more about your experiences with the 612 as I keep getting drawn to it. Actually went to see one at Meridien Modena last year. Couldn`t quite bring myself to pull the trigger as I`d only just bought the M6.
Where did you buy from? What age, mileage etc etc.. PM me if you like. Intrigued
Well, I had a 3200GT for 3 years, then a Quattroporte for 4 years, and a few weeks ago got the 612. So I am reasonably vacinated when is comes to mid level build quality, shockingly bad stereos, and the need to fix things yourself.Where did you buy from? What age, mileage etc etc.. PM me if you like. Intrigued
However my wife got a Spyder and after 4 months it tried to kill her by having its brakes and steering failed at the same time.
I drive every day, and I personally think that these kind of cars much prefer that. You can listen out for problems before they become major, you can tell if its heating up a little too much, or the change is getting slower/faster etc etc...long before anything fails.
There are a few rattles but as long as you fix them yourself and don't pay £150 for somebody else to screw in a slightly bigger screw or add some cardboard baffle I have found both Maseratis to be very economic. The QP was fabulous, few years ago we did Vezlay to Ferrara in 9 hours, and my wife managed to sleep! Once its moving its feels like a car half its size.
Lastly I grew up in Italy, which means that I know that all car mechanics "exagerate" faults. Most important tip, takes your wife's nail varnish and paint a few bolts in the engine etc etc. Then when the main dealer calls you to tell you that you need a new Camshaft you can check to see if they have actually opened the head or if they are trying it on. Happened to me, unfortunately "attempted fraud" is not an offence in Britain, whilst in Italy you can call the police (and they turn up!).
Its comfortable, sounds great, deals with London traffic with no issues...potholes, speed bumps...all of them. I even got told how to take out the rear seats and fit a full proper iso-fix child seat. Best of all, and a bit like the Quattroporte, it not an obvious car.
Mine is an 2006, GTC stuff, black with black...once the Stereo is sorted I shall have all the windows changed as now they are tinted and I feel like a drug dealer with ugly friends.
iandc said:
I just dont get why Ferrari, Lamborghini et al cannot put a decent satnav in their cars and charge crazy prices for the honour of having one fit the dash. The Gallardo system is way behing my £90 Garmin I bought 3 years ago. £1800 you are having a laugh!!!
Sure, or don't put one in at all. Just put in the speaker wiring and 1 or 2 DIN holes. My Becker in the 3200 was horrid, the Blaupunkt in the QP was from the 70s, and the Bose in the 612 is just awful. Fine for a Fiat Panda...but come on...Gassing Station | Supercar General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff