Maserati 4200 buying tips
Discussion
I have looked in to purchasing a 4200 for some time. Never a real push, just an interest in the car. I have recently seen a 2002 model with aprox 65k miles with full service history and so on. Good mileage for a 15yr old car.
No details on clutch wear etc, but I am not up to speed on the wear and tear costs that come with owning a Maserati.
Thanks in advance for any input
Vince
No details on clutch wear etc, but I am not up to speed on the wear and tear costs that come with owning a Maserati.
Thanks in advance for any input
Vince
Hi there, you won't be disappointed with the 4200, they are a superb car and that 4.2litre 4cam chain drive V8 is magic!! A very lovely and revvy engine with a fabulous exhaust note!
They do have some foibles so do your homework. I spent a couple of years looking and trying different ones until I found one, being patient reaped rewards.
The 4200 Coupe/Spyder had a mid life face-lift (around 2004 if memory serves me) whereby the front grill was slightly bigger, the rear bumper received venting and the dashboard numericals/facia was changed. The interior also received an update by getting a smaller ashtray to give way to a cupholder. The run-out models also received the factory fitted 19inch Gransport rims. By late 2006 early 2007 the Gransport model had arrived.
The 4200 came as a four seater Coupe and in two seater Spyder format, both were available as a Cambio Corsa (paddle shift system) and a manual (3 pedal) gearbox. Not all cars came with a space-spacer spare wheel, some cars came with a cigar lighter air pump/latex bottle (fix a flat type). Maserati also gave an option of fitted luggage and/or a leather Golf-bag......Not sure how many people went for that?
One of the main/essential things to look for is Clutch wear and clutch wear reading on the CC's. Make sure the car you end up seeing has that somewhere in it's history and budget accordingly, they are not cheap to replace. Another thing to look out for is cam cover oil weeping/misting as they are a common occurrence.
Having tried half a dozen CC's (which were ok) I then found out that Maserati actually produced a manual (meaning 3 pedals). Searching for a manual can be daunting but they do exist and when I found and tried one, it immediately felt more engaging (that's just me and I'm not knocking anyone with a Cambio corsa car). For me, I just didn't want the additional hassle (on top of the Clutch), of having to deal with an F1 pump replacement (they can and do go wrong) which can be ££crippling......
Manual three pedal cars have a very light action clutch and the gear change is via a pair of cables, some will experience a notchiness in the gear change, which will be an adjustment in the cable that needs tending to. Otherwise they are pretty robust with scheduled gearbox oil changes.
Look out for suspension bushes/joints wear and make sure the sky-hook suspension is fully operational.....The built in Sat-Nav or Nav-track / infotainment is archaic by todays standard but this is missing the point, adequate would be a fairer description and is still a welcomed addition to making the car a pleasure, so make sure this is working.
If you find/smell dampness in a car and boot the windscreen seals front and back will need looking at, Air-bag lights also tend to be a pain and on mine it was traced to the passenger air bag switch that needed replacement. You'll need to plug a diagnostic tool to reset and eliminate. Invest in a trickle charger and get a quality battery with the correct ampage (as these are a power hungry/drain car with their alarms if not exercised regularly) so a flat battery will be an occurrence and will sometimes trigger dash board fault lights....
Maserati produced 5371 Cambio corsa Coupes and 1078 manual coupes for world wide market. In the spyder format it was significantly less at 3134 CC's and 574 manuals.
They are a stonkingly capable and charismatic car, the last of the breed from Maserati for which you can revel in. 177mph is plenty quick and they are alot of car for not bonkers money.................Go for it!!! They're a wonderful slice of Italiana!!
They do have some foibles so do your homework. I spent a couple of years looking and trying different ones until I found one, being patient reaped rewards.
The 4200 Coupe/Spyder had a mid life face-lift (around 2004 if memory serves me) whereby the front grill was slightly bigger, the rear bumper received venting and the dashboard numericals/facia was changed. The interior also received an update by getting a smaller ashtray to give way to a cupholder. The run-out models also received the factory fitted 19inch Gransport rims. By late 2006 early 2007 the Gransport model had arrived.
The 4200 came as a four seater Coupe and in two seater Spyder format, both were available as a Cambio Corsa (paddle shift system) and a manual (3 pedal) gearbox. Not all cars came with a space-spacer spare wheel, some cars came with a cigar lighter air pump/latex bottle (fix a flat type). Maserati also gave an option of fitted luggage and/or a leather Golf-bag......Not sure how many people went for that?
One of the main/essential things to look for is Clutch wear and clutch wear reading on the CC's. Make sure the car you end up seeing has that somewhere in it's history and budget accordingly, they are not cheap to replace. Another thing to look out for is cam cover oil weeping/misting as they are a common occurrence.
Having tried half a dozen CC's (which were ok) I then found out that Maserati actually produced a manual (meaning 3 pedals). Searching for a manual can be daunting but they do exist and when I found and tried one, it immediately felt more engaging (that's just me and I'm not knocking anyone with a Cambio corsa car). For me, I just didn't want the additional hassle (on top of the Clutch), of having to deal with an F1 pump replacement (they can and do go wrong) which can be ££crippling......
Manual three pedal cars have a very light action clutch and the gear change is via a pair of cables, some will experience a notchiness in the gear change, which will be an adjustment in the cable that needs tending to. Otherwise they are pretty robust with scheduled gearbox oil changes.
Look out for suspension bushes/joints wear and make sure the sky-hook suspension is fully operational.....The built in Sat-Nav or Nav-track / infotainment is archaic by todays standard but this is missing the point, adequate would be a fairer description and is still a welcomed addition to making the car a pleasure, so make sure this is working.
If you find/smell dampness in a car and boot the windscreen seals front and back will need looking at, Air-bag lights also tend to be a pain and on mine it was traced to the passenger air bag switch that needed replacement. You'll need to plug a diagnostic tool to reset and eliminate. Invest in a trickle charger and get a quality battery with the correct ampage (as these are a power hungry/drain car with their alarms if not exercised regularly) so a flat battery will be an occurrence and will sometimes trigger dash board fault lights....
Maserati produced 5371 Cambio corsa Coupes and 1078 manual coupes for world wide market. In the spyder format it was significantly less at 3134 CC's and 574 manuals.
They are a stonkingly capable and charismatic car, the last of the breed from Maserati for which you can revel in. 177mph is plenty quick and they are alot of car for not bonkers money.................Go for it!!! They're a wonderful slice of Italiana!!
themac said:
I have looked in to purchasing a 4200 for some time. Never a real push, just an interest in the car. I have recently seen a 2002 model with aprox 65k miles with full service history and so on. Good mileage for a 15yr old car.
No details on clutch wear etc, but I am not up to speed on the wear and tear costs that come with owning a Maserati.
Thanks in advance for any input
Vince
Lovely cars but you will need a sizeable bork fund set aside.No details on clutch wear etc, but I am not up to speed on the wear and tear costs that come with owning a Maserati.
Thanks in advance for any input
Vince
Thanks for feedback
The 4200 would be a weekend car and not a daily driver. So hopefully this would help with running costs, maintenance. The only concern I have is purchasing a pig and paying out a shed load of money for major unknown entity’s. I own a TVR Griffith at the moment and I was thinking the Maserati would be an ideal replacement. The Griffs a cracking car, just time for change.
Once again Thanks
The 4200 would be a weekend car and not a daily driver. So hopefully this would help with running costs, maintenance. The only concern I have is purchasing a pig and paying out a shed load of money for major unknown entity’s. I own a TVR Griffith at the moment and I was thinking the Maserati would be an ideal replacement. The Griffs a cracking car, just time for change.
Once again Thanks
Edited by themac on Friday 23 February 21:29
Parisien said:
Raygun said:
I've heard this happens. Can't they be welded though?
All depends on how wide spread, this happened on mine 5 years ago, so if present now, bound to be a lot more extensive!P
Is there any part of the front subframe that I should look for?
Reason for asking I am going to look at one which had an advisory on a MOT back in 2016 'slight corrosion to front subframe' but since then it's had 2 MOT's with no mention of this again.
Me thinking it could of been repaired.
Thanks in advance for any pointers.
Not looked at this thread since! Its the main section running across, you'd need to inspect it closely to be honest, if it can indeed be welded but can be very extensive. So if looking at them be suspicious of fresh coats of paint or underseal, get an independent to inspect if necessary.
P
P
hashluck said:
Good advice but dampness in footwell of the car likely means heater matrix has gone which is a dashboard out job and sadly very common
Two far more common causes of dampness in the footwell are a blocked air-conditioning drainage pipe and the drainage holes in the bulkhead being blocked with leaves, neither of which will cost you anything to sort but time. There is plenty of information on Sports Maserati giving detailed guides with pictures of how to fix these.If the heater matrix is borked, the matrix from an Alfa 166 is identical and much cheaper provided you can still find one. It's a long job to replace so will be expensive unless you are handy with spanners but it is much less common than the two types of blockages noted previously.
Raygun said:
Hi there
Is there any part of the front subframe that I should look for?
Reason for asking I am going to look at one which had an advisory on a MOT back in 2016 'slight corrosion to front subframe' but since then it's had 2 MOT's with no mention of this again.
Me thinking it could of been repaired.
Thanks in advance for any pointers.
Is there any part of the front subframe that I should look for?
Reason for asking I am going to look at one which had an advisory on a MOT back in 2016 'slight corrosion to front subframe' but since then it's had 2 MOT's with no mention of this again.
Me thinking it could of been repaired.
Thanks in advance for any pointers.
I've just done something incredibly stupid that I've never done with a car before...bought an incredibly cheap one sight unseen from eBay. Oh, and it's on the Welsh coast. 
Wish me luck. I may need more than luck, in fact. I may need to move country to avoid the debt collectors.
MOT history is very clean though - hasn't had even a proper (aside from tyres, lights) advisory since 2013.
I'm hoping it turns out as well as that £17k Ferrari 456...
Wish me luck. I may need more than luck, in fact. I may need to move country to avoid the debt collectors.
MOT history is very clean though - hasn't had even a proper (aside from tyres, lights) advisory since 2013.
I'm hoping it turns out as well as that £17k Ferrari 456...
Edited by breezer_42 on Monday 3rd June 13:57
breezer_42 said:
I've just done something incredibly stupid that I've never done with a car before...bought an incredibly cheap one sight unseen from eBay. Oh, and it's on the Welsh coast.
Wish me luck. I may need more than luck, in fact. I may need to move country to avoid the debt collectors.
MOT history is very clean though - hasn't had even a proper (aside from tyres, lights) advisory since 2013.
I'm hoping it turns out as well as that £17k Ferrari 456...
Welcome!Wish me luck. I may need more than luck, in fact. I may need to move country to avoid the debt collectors.
MOT history is very clean though - hasn't had even a proper (aside from tyres, lights) advisory since 2013.
I'm hoping it turns out as well as that £17k Ferrari 456...
Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 3rd June 13:57
Got any pictures of the car?
Get over to Sports Maserati forum for advice, they've even got a long thread that tells you a cheaper alternative to paying Maserati tax, an example being a Sachs Audi A3 clutch master cylinder that I'm waiting to drop through my door, change the pushrod over from the knackered Maserati one which I'm told takes a couple of minutes, £37 rather than £350.
Raygun said:
Welcome!
Got any pictures of the car?
Get over to Sports Maserati forum for advice, they've even got a long thread that tells you a cheaper alternative to paying Maserati tax, an example being a Sachs Audi A3 clutch master cylinder that I'm waiting to drop through my door, change the pushrod over from the knackered Maserati one which I'm told takes a couple of minutes, £37 rather than £350.
That's excellent advice, thanks! I'll get some pics up when I've collected it, but it's a nice green colour. It's 2004 so hopefully has updated gearbox software. Got any pictures of the car?
Get over to Sports Maserati forum for advice, they've even got a long thread that tells you a cheaper alternative to paying Maserati tax, an example being a Sachs Audi A3 clutch master cylinder that I'm waiting to drop through my door, change the pushrod over from the knackered Maserati one which I'm told takes a couple of minutes, £37 rather than £350.
Do you have any tips for driving the automated manual gearbox? Like ways to make the clutch last longer (it's got 5k miles on it) and how generally to treat it right? I've never had one before.
breezer_42 said:
Raygun said:
Welcome!
Got any pictures of the car?
Get over to Sports Maserati forum for advice, they've even got a long thread that tells you a cheaper alternative to paying Maserati tax, an example being a Sachs Audi A3 clutch master cylinder that I'm waiting to drop through my door, change the pushrod over from the knackered Maserati one which I'm told takes a couple of minutes, £37 rather than £350.
That's excellent advice, thanks! I'll get some pics up when I've collected it, but it's a nice green colour. It's 2004 so hopefully has updated gearbox software. Got any pictures of the car?
Get over to Sports Maserati forum for advice, they've even got a long thread that tells you a cheaper alternative to paying Maserati tax, an example being a Sachs Audi A3 clutch master cylinder that I'm waiting to drop through my door, change the pushrod over from the knackered Maserati one which I'm told takes a couple of minutes, £37 rather than £350.
Do you have any tips for driving the automated manual gearbox? Like ways to make the clutch last longer (it's got 5k miles on it) and how generally to treat it right? I've never had one before.
Your car sounds like it's the same colour as my Spyder the colour is called Verde Goodwood which is a dark metallic green. I bought mine March 2018 and love it. You have a powerful Italian car that is normally a lot rarer than Ferraris and Porsches, hope you enjoy your purchase.
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