Early GT, am I mental?
Discussion
Sorry to intrude folks but I'm after some advice from those in the know i.e. people that have experienced the car first hand.
I have just sold my TVR Cerbera and am looking to replace it with something. I sold the Cerb because I just couldn't justify the yearly outlay keeping the thing on the road, it cost me about £3k a year just mechanically and you can probably double that if you add in tyres/fuel and insurance etc.
My budget is £30k and that's stretching it secretly without the OH finding out.
I've been looking at the 5 ltr Jag XKR and must admit, its a very nice car that drives fantastically and has boundless performance as well as being a very nice place to sit in, but...it doesn't quite feel quite special enough.
Earlier this year I was on a roadtrip with a few cars, one of which was a GT and I must admit it was a very nice looking car and it appeared to take the trip in its stride. I've been looking at reviews and a few forums which seem to paint the GT generally in a positive light, even stating that reliability has been greatly improved. The general consensus is to go for the 4.7, but unfortunately I haven't got a hope in hell of stretching the budget that much more without getting found out, so it would be a 4.2 and even then I'd be looking at an early 2008 car with about 50k miles.
I'm after your honest opinions, would I be jumping straight into another money pit a la TVR or is it worth a punt? Or should I skulk back off to the Jag section?
Thanks folks and I eagerly await your thoughts.
Benn
I have just sold my TVR Cerbera and am looking to replace it with something. I sold the Cerb because I just couldn't justify the yearly outlay keeping the thing on the road, it cost me about £3k a year just mechanically and you can probably double that if you add in tyres/fuel and insurance etc.
My budget is £30k and that's stretching it secretly without the OH finding out.
I've been looking at the 5 ltr Jag XKR and must admit, its a very nice car that drives fantastically and has boundless performance as well as being a very nice place to sit in, but...it doesn't quite feel quite special enough.
Earlier this year I was on a roadtrip with a few cars, one of which was a GT and I must admit it was a very nice looking car and it appeared to take the trip in its stride. I've been looking at reviews and a few forums which seem to paint the GT generally in a positive light, even stating that reliability has been greatly improved. The general consensus is to go for the 4.7, but unfortunately I haven't got a hope in hell of stretching the budget that much more without getting found out, so it would be a 4.2 and even then I'd be looking at an early 2008 car with about 50k miles.
I'm after your honest opinions, would I be jumping straight into another money pit a la TVR or is it worth a punt? Or should I skulk back off to the Jag section?
Thanks folks and I eagerly await your thoughts.
Benn
Thanks Voicey,
I've just had a look at your website, you're clearly well acquainted with the Italian exotica so please accept my thanks for your response.
As with TVRs it appears that previous maintenance is just as important.
I had read about the variators, would this not have been done as a factory recall and if so, how would I identify if its been carried out?
I've read a few posts regarding the skyhook suspension, is this not an issue too?
I hope you don't mind, but I'm sure I'll have more bone questions to throw your way in the not too distant future?
Cheers Benn
I've just had a look at your website, you're clearly well acquainted with the Italian exotica so please accept my thanks for your response.
As with TVRs it appears that previous maintenance is just as important.
I had read about the variators, would this not have been done as a factory recall and if so, how would I identify if its been carried out?
I've read a few posts regarding the skyhook suspension, is this not an issue too?
I hope you don't mind, but I'm sure I'll have more bone questions to throw your way in the not too distant future?
Cheers Benn
Had mine (Dec 2007 car btw) for almost 2 years. I think it was a 50k miles car when I bought it, currently has 82k. Outside of yearly servicing, 'only' the following has needed taking care of:
Waterpump impellor shaft bearing failed and it threw a belt and overheated. Including recovery (it was on the M62 and I live in Cambridge) £1,000.
NSF Headlamp unit developed a fault. £300.
Rocker cover gasket developed a leak. £24 part, but a few hours labour (had both sides done) at £85 adds up
Some front suspension parts / bushes need replacing but only available as a whole part, £700 per side plus fitting
Currently has a leak on the steering rack, £500 part but I think c. 4 hours labour.
All that said, I love it. Just make sure you have a few £000's each year for maintenance and bits that (will) go wrong.
Waterpump impellor shaft bearing failed and it threw a belt and overheated. Including recovery (it was on the M62 and I live in Cambridge) £1,000.
NSF Headlamp unit developed a fault. £300.
Rocker cover gasket developed a leak. £24 part, but a few hours labour (had both sides done) at £85 adds up
Some front suspension parts / bushes need replacing but only available as a whole part, £700 per side plus fitting
Currently has a leak on the steering rack, £500 part but I think c. 4 hours labour.
All that said, I love it. Just make sure you have a few £000's each year for maintenance and bits that (will) go wrong.
I got one recently. Considered the XKR too in black with black pack, sure it's high power but it doesn't have the chassis to match the 997 TT level of poke that it has and the power is a bit pointless from what I can make out. Brand is OK but Maserati in another class. Gets compliments from a wide variety of people including wife's mates who never noticed the 997. That's not the reason I like it but it is a notable change, people let you out of junctions too which is nice after 10 years of Porsches when I don't think that happened once!
GT stereo is absolutely hopeless, spent £3.5k at Auto Audio jazzing it up a bit, much much better now
Larini X Pipe is £700 and sounds awesome
Mine needs discs and pads all round, from Maser these are ridiculous, something like £2.5k parts only!
Luckily pattern parts are available from Eurospares for about £700 inc VAT, then get any competent garage to fit
Service interval is 12,500 or 2 years so much cheaper to service than a Vantage that has yearly service
Mine needs the wishbone bushes only doing, it's £800.
I got Autofincina to inspect it for £300, a few bits as above showed up & I got a good deal on the car, it was just under £29k with 41k miles on and in great nick. Parking sensors play up but I got a reversing camera fitted. It's a huge car, very impractical in some ways as parking in any carpark with narrow spaces can be hard to get the door open wide enough, also any ramp at all and it scrapes, even local Waitrose where you often see Ferarris and McLarens etc
The bits above will be about £2k but it doesn't need a service this year.
I wouldn't get sucked into the whole 4.2 / 4.7 thing necessarily, especially coming from a TVR which are so light and fast. I wanted to slow down a bit in a GT car that sounded and looked great, neither of them are particularly fast these days so not sure if it is worth the extra money. It's a big old boat and doesn't handle like a sports car, the weight doesn't inspire the sort of late braking or hard cornering that you can do in a TVR or Porsche. It's a totally different proposition, for me it's all about the looks, sound, brand. In fact the car adds up to a lot more than the sum of it's specifications if that makes sense
However... given my research, I would always expect to pay £2000-£3000 a year on maintenance, servicing, tyres. Any less than that and I'd be lucky. Brake pads have very little friction material. Variators typically go between 40,000-60,000 and cost £2k. Tyres 20" and obviously change in pairs. Tax top band etc. Not bad on fuel in the 4.2, 70MPH cruise control gives 25MPG, normal driving more like 19-23, town / heavy traffic more like 15, not far off my 997 3.8, I'm pleased with that.
Nice motor that's for sure, love it, going to keep it for several years.
GT stereo is absolutely hopeless, spent £3.5k at Auto Audio jazzing it up a bit, much much better now
Larini X Pipe is £700 and sounds awesome
Mine needs discs and pads all round, from Maser these are ridiculous, something like £2.5k parts only!
Luckily pattern parts are available from Eurospares for about £700 inc VAT, then get any competent garage to fit
Service interval is 12,500 or 2 years so much cheaper to service than a Vantage that has yearly service
Mine needs the wishbone bushes only doing, it's £800.
I got Autofincina to inspect it for £300, a few bits as above showed up & I got a good deal on the car, it was just under £29k with 41k miles on and in great nick. Parking sensors play up but I got a reversing camera fitted. It's a huge car, very impractical in some ways as parking in any carpark with narrow spaces can be hard to get the door open wide enough, also any ramp at all and it scrapes, even local Waitrose where you often see Ferarris and McLarens etc
The bits above will be about £2k but it doesn't need a service this year.
I wouldn't get sucked into the whole 4.2 / 4.7 thing necessarily, especially coming from a TVR which are so light and fast. I wanted to slow down a bit in a GT car that sounded and looked great, neither of them are particularly fast these days so not sure if it is worth the extra money. It's a big old boat and doesn't handle like a sports car, the weight doesn't inspire the sort of late braking or hard cornering that you can do in a TVR or Porsche. It's a totally different proposition, for me it's all about the looks, sound, brand. In fact the car adds up to a lot more than the sum of it's specifications if that makes sense
However... given my research, I would always expect to pay £2000-£3000 a year on maintenance, servicing, tyres. Any less than that and I'd be lucky. Brake pads have very little friction material. Variators typically go between 40,000-60,000 and cost £2k. Tyres 20" and obviously change in pairs. Tax top band etc. Not bad on fuel in the 4.2, 70MPH cruise control gives 25MPG, normal driving more like 19-23, town / heavy traffic more like 15, not far off my 997 3.8, I'm pleased with that.
Nice motor that's for sure, love it, going to keep it for several years.
and not X pipe, get an H!!!Just found out the front suspension needs rebushing, it's one of the car's weak points. (That, the variators, and the expensive brakes)
New bush set is about £500 but apparently such considerable labour to dismantle & fit, that it is more sensible to buy the whole new wishbone kits from Masser at the special price of £700+ VAT per side, and fit them, which takes about 10-15 hours labour (at £95+VAT PH at my local specialist) depending on how hard they are to get the old bits off
So looking at a spread of £3k-£3.5k! Not terrifying but pretty pricey.
New bush set is about £500 but apparently such considerable labour to dismantle & fit, that it is more sensible to buy the whole new wishbone kits from Masser at the special price of £700+ VAT per side, and fit them, which takes about 10-15 hours labour (at £95+VAT PH at my local specialist) depending on how hard they are to get the old bits off
So looking at a spread of £3k-£3.5k! Not terrifying but pretty pricey.
Edited by jakesmith on Tuesday 3rd January 16:04
jakesmith said:
Just found out the front suspension needs rebushing, it's one of the car's weak points. (That, the variators, and the expensive brakes)
New bush set is about £500 but apparently such considerable labour to dismantle & fit, that it is more sensible to buy the whole new wishbone kits from Masser at the special price of £700+ VAT per side, and fit them, which takes about 10-15 hours labour (at £95+VAT PH at my local specialist) depending on how hard they are to get the old bits off
So looking at a spread of £3k-£3.5k! Not terrifying but pretty pricey.
Those bushes are a nightmare to do and require a special tool. It is definitely cheaper to buy new wishbones.New bush set is about £500 but apparently such considerable labour to dismantle & fit, that it is more sensible to buy the whole new wishbone kits from Masser at the special price of £700+ VAT per side, and fit them, which takes about 10-15 hours labour (at £95+VAT PH at my local specialist) depending on how hard they are to get the old bits off
So looking at a spread of £3k-£3.5k! Not terrifying but pretty pricey.
Edited by jakesmith on Tuesday 3rd January 16:04
10-15 hours labour to fit four front wishbones sounds toppy even when you include the alignment...
voicey said:
Those bushes are a nightmare to do and require a special tool. It is definitely cheaper to buy new wishbones.
10-15 hours labour to fit four front wishbones sounds toppy even when you include the alignment...
Yeah I've spoken to another well regarded specialist garage now (incidently it's the one where the owner bought himself the much-discussed cheapo Veyron a couple years back), who are quoting a more reasonable £2300 including VAT for the new full wishbone kit + installation. The said it's 2.5 hours per side but didn't say if it include alignment? Am going down there in a couple days for them to have a look. They can also rebush it for £1300 all in but seems a bit of a false economy when the ball joints on the wishbone could go at any time on a 8 year old car requiring new wishbones for £2300!10-15 hours labour to fit four front wishbones sounds toppy even when you include the alignment...
Brakes I only need front pads and rears needs discs + pads. I can source the parts for £500 including VAT from Eurospares. Am tempted to buy the parts and take it to my good local normal garage (they do loads of high end cars as it's nice part of Surrey) what are thoughts on this?
Finally - Formula Dynamics in the states can ship me their specially developed low noise high milage pads for about $330 USD for all 4 corners... am wondering if worth the £50 extra to give them a go as squealing brakes and high wear is common on the GT apparently. They don't have wear sensors though.
ZX10R NIN said:
As others have said make sure the Variators have been done get the X Pipe mod carried out & then smile, the suspension on the front can be expensive but there are upgraded versions that can be fitted, they're a great car.
Do you have a link to any info on the uprated suspension parts? I had a look but couldn't find anything. Maserati seem to have acknowledged that this is a weak point and in a move to distance themselves from their previous reputation for quality issues are offering a complete bushed wishbone for £700 + VAT per cornerUnfortunately the company I used has gone, but basically they took all my suspension apart & fitted Polybushes everywhere & Poly Bushed ball joints it took them four days but it was so worth it & a really worthwhile upgrade, it cost me around 2.5k at the time, I felt it was money well spent.
Talk to Novitec they were a great help with my car.
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=...
Talk to Novitec they were a great help with my car.
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=...
ZX10R NIN said:
Unfortunately the company I used has gone, but basically they took all my suspension apart & fitted Polybushes everywhere & Poly Bushed ball joints it took them four days but it was so worth it & a really worthwhile upgrade, it cost me around 2.5k at the time, I felt it was money well spent.
Talk to Novitec they were a great help with my car.
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=...
Sounds interesting what were the main benefits, is it longevity or how it drove after etc? Talk to Novitec they were a great help with my car.
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=...
Have been reading this thread with interest. I have had a few Porsche's & may fancy something different in the next 2 years. Took delivery of a new Porsche 981 Boxster Spyder last year. Absolutely loving it - also quite rare. But not sure if it will be a keeper. Thinking longer term about what car I would have into retirement in a couple of years. I am a Porsche fan but do fancy something different. The 4.7 GT S sounds like a possible contender. I may miss reving that lovely flat 6 with a manual shift though 
Quite fancy the MC Stradale but doubt i could stretch that far. If say I went for a low miles GT S for circa £45/50K as a keeper would you see this appreciate as a classic? Don't fancy loosing a shed load on a car (particularly if I had retired by then). With Porsche - choose wisely & I won't lose money only gain.
Quite fancy the MC Stradale but doubt i could stretch that far. If say I went for a low miles GT S for circa £45/50K as a keeper would you see this appreciate as a classic? Don't fancy loosing a shed load on a car (particularly if I had retired by then). With Porsche - choose wisely & I won't lose money only gain. Gassing Station | Maserati | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff