Thoughts on this car - Maserati GT

[Joe5y]

Hi all,

What is your thoughts on this car?

https://www.randwmotorcompany.co.uk/vehicle/masera...

Am I right in thinking that this is the MC not an Auto?

[cgt2]

That is the MC. The auto has a gearlever.

[BigR]

It's amazing what you can get for £27k!!!

[rat rod]

Joe5y said:

Hi all,

What is your thoughts on this car?

https://www.randwmotorcompany.co.uk/vehicle/masera...

Am I right in thinking that this is the MC not an Auto?

Whats not to like for that sort of money,although Italian you don't see many in red ,standard exhaust sounds amazing so this one should sound like armageddon l, all that history for the price of a MX5 ,

[anonymous-user]

The thing I found with Maserati's is that the interior doesn't wear well. The switchgear and surfaces are not of a quality one would expect in such a vehicle. Apart from that, they look and sound fantastic.

[Superleg48]

This car is not an MC. Look at the dash above the glovebox. It clearly says S. Furthermore, most MCs have the air scoop on the bonnet which this does not. Not sure about the manual question, it is clearly auto.

[BlackR8]

Superleg48 said:

This car is not an MC. Look at the dash above the glovebox. It clearly says S. Furthermore, most MCs have the air scoop on the bonnet which this does not. Not sure about the manual question, it is clearly auto.

It looks like an MC shift to me as it doesnt have the auto gearknob.
I think its the MC Stradale models that have the air scoop in the bonnet.

[jakesmith]

You do need to use your head here. Are the variators clear of the danger range - 4.7's were affected. Check the engine number against the list online
If it is affected you can fix it preemptively for £1500 or £3500 once the rattle on startup happens
Front suspension is about £3500 all in and will need doing too there's no way around it if you want it to rive well. Again, wait for one that has had it done!
Bloke on here got one with variators and suspension just done for low £20's.
Don't get too hung up on 4.2 vs 4.7. Neither of them will outpace a Golf R so doesn't make that much difference which one to get
I've had faster cars but the 4.2 was plenty for the type of vehicle

[Joe5y]

Superleg48 said:

This car is not an MC. Look at the dash above the glovebox. It clearly says S. Furthermore, most MCs have the air scoop on the bonnet which this does not. Not sure about the manual question, it is clearly auto.

It is an MC.

[Joe5y]

jakesmith said:

You do need to use your head here. Are the variators clear of the danger range - 4.7's were affected. Check the engine number against the list online
If it is affected you can fix it preemptively for £1500 or £3500 once the rattle on startup happens
Front suspension is about £3500 all in and will need doing too there's no way around it if you want it to rive well. Again, wait for one that has had it done!
Bloke on here got one with variators and suspension just done for low £20's.
Don't get too hung up on 4.2 vs 4.7. Neither of them will outpace a Golf R so doesn't make that much difference which one to get
I've had faster cars but the 4.2 was plenty for the type of vehicle

Thank you for the information. I will have a read up on this; I've got c6weeks until I want to part with my money but will buy tomorrow if the right one comes up.

[EC2]

It's a GTS which comes as standard with the single clutch automated gearbox. It might have the skyhook adaptive dampers - many do, it was a cost option. You need to drive it or look at the dampers themselves to find out.

Most of the issue with the front suspension is just a need for the bush kit, budget £1-2k for this depending on where you get it done. A/C compressors can fail as can the head unit on the info. system. Variators already mentioned, but may not be an issue. Front brakes for the 4.7 are bigger than the 4.2 and are much more expensive. That's about it.

Agree about the Golf R comment - I have both - but that's not the point with these cars, its about looks, noise and very easy handling due to only six gears, no turbos and a long wheelbase.

[cgt2]

Superleg48 said:

This car is not an MC. Look at the dash above the glovebox. It clearly says S. Furthermore, most MCs have the air scoop on the bonnet which this does not. Not sure about the manual question, it is clearly auto.

It is a Granturismo MC Shift in 'S' trim. Their naming is very muddled but from 2008-2012 there was a Granturismo S model (auto) and separate to that an 'S' trim level which is what this is. The lack of gearlever and huge paddles behind the wheel confirms this is an MC Shift, so it has a clutch rather than torque converter auto.

First thing I would ask is how recent the clutch is and as mentioned if the suspension has been refreshed as either job will be due at some point and that's at least £5k right there.

[jakesmith]

EC2 said:

It's a GTS which comes as standard with the single clutch automated gearbox. It might have the skyhook adaptive dampers - many do, it was a cost option. You need to drive it or look at the dampers themselves to find out.

Most of the issue with the front suspension is just a need for the bush kit, budget £1-2k for this depending on where you get it done. A/C compressors can fail as can the head unit on the info. system. Variators already mentioned, but may not be an issue. Front brakes for the 4.7 are bigger than the 4.2 and are much more expensive. That's about it.

Agree about the Golf R comment - I have both - but that's not the point with these cars, its about looks, noise and very easy handling due to only six gears, no turbos and a long wheelbase.

Only reason to mention the Golf is that there’s no point obsessing over getting the ‘faster’ 4.7 as they’re both not that fast. They are a mega event to drive, own, look at, park, listen to

Varieties will fail eventually on every car that came before the design change, as the engine loosens up and loses tolerance usually around 50k miles, it no longer holds oil pressure in the cam covers when the engine is turned off. Oil drains down when the car is parked and after that the varieties start dry making a rattle. If it is not picked up preemptively, which I did for about £1500, the varieties themselves have to be replaced at £200 each and then the engine needs to be retimed and it has no timing marks on it so it takes 15 hours Labour. It is essential to buy a car that doesn’t fall in the range or has had it addressed.

Front bush kits can be bought for £600 per side, but involve changing 6-7 bushings per side. £1k doesn’t even cover the parts and it is many hours labour. And once that’s all done, it doesn’t cover the ball joint as that’s fixed to the wishbone. For that it needs the whole wishbone changing which saves knocking out all 6-7 of the previously mentioned bushings. It is a much more expensive kit though. So changing the bushings and not the wishbone is a fools errand and a waste of money in my opinion. Best price I could get to for the work was £2500 at an indi

They are reliable cars no doubt and don’t have the ridiculous Porsche engine issues but they’re easily £2k a year running cost cars.

[Superleg48]

cgt2 said:

Superleg48 said:

This car is not an MC. Look at the dash above the glovebox. It clearly says S. Furthermore, most MCs have the air scoop on the bonnet which this does not. Not sure about the manual question, it is clearly auto.

It is a Granturismo MC Shift in 'S' trim. Their naming is very muddled but from 2008-2012 there was a Granturismo S model (auto) and separate to that an 'S' trim level which is what this is. The lack of gearlever and huge paddles behind the wheel confirms this is an MC Shift, so it has a clutch rather than torque converter auto.

First thing I would ask is how recent the clutch is and as mentioned if the suspension has been refreshed as either job will be due at some point and that's at least £5k right there.

Thanks for putting me right. Can get very confusing.

[Joe5y]

jakesmith said:

EC2 said:

It's a GTS which comes as standard with the single clutch automated gearbox. It might have the skyhook adaptive dampers - many do, it was a cost option. You need to drive it or look at the dampers themselves to find out.

Most of the issue with the front suspension is just a need for the bush kit, budget £1-2k for this depending on where you get it done. A/C compressors can fail as can the head unit on the info. system. Variators already mentioned, but may not be an issue. Front brakes for the 4.7 are bigger than the 4.2 and are much more expensive. That's about it.

Agree about the Golf R comment - I have both - but that's not the point with these cars, its about looks, noise and very easy handling due to only six gears, no turbos and a long wheelbase.

Only reason to mention the Golf is that there’s no point obsessing over getting the ‘faster’ 4.7 as they’re both not that fast. They are a mega event to drive, own, look at, park, listen to

Varieties will fail eventually on every car that came before the design change, as the engine loosens up and loses tolerance usually around 50k miles, it no longer holds oil pressure in the cam covers when the engine is turned off. Oil drains down when the car is parked and after that the varieties start dry making a rattle. If it is not picked up preemptively, which I did for about £1500, the varieties themselves have to be replaced at £200 each and then the engine needs to be retimed and it has no timing marks on it so it takes 15 hours Labour. It is essential to buy a car that doesn’t fall in the range or has had it addressed.

Front bush kits can be bought for £600 per side, but involve changing 6-7 bushings per side. £1k doesn’t even cover the parts and it is many hours labour. And once that’s all done, it doesn’t cover the ball joint as that’s fixed to the wishbone. For that it needs the whole wishbone changing which saves knocking out all 6-7 of the previously mentioned bushings. It is a much more expensive kit though. So changing the bushings and not the wishbone is a fools errand and a waste of money in my opinion. Best price I could get to for the work was £2500 at an indi

They are reliable cars no doubt and don’t have the ridiculous Porsche engine issues but they’re easily £2k a year running cost cars.

Excellent information, thank you very much

[vanman1936]

Great cars and agree with above comments. Loved mine (came from a 996 TT).

Better to pay a little more for one that has had a bit done on it (suspension and brakes) and variator warnings per the above.

Get them inspected.

Above aside, they are very solid! Aside from a flat battery, no issues with mine.

[EC2]

jakesmith said:

Only reason to mention the Golf is that there’s no point obsessing over getting the ‘faster’ 4.7 as they’re both not that fast. They are a mega event to drive, own, look at, park, listen to

Varieties will fail eventually on every car that came before the design change, as the engine loosens up and loses tolerance usually around 50k miles, it no longer holds oil pressure in the cam covers when the engine is turned off. Oil drains down when the car is parked and after that the varieties start dry making a rattle. If it is not picked up preemptively, which I did for about £1500, the varieties themselves have to be replaced at £200 each and then the engine needs to be retimed and it has no timing marks on it so it takes 15 hours Labour. It is essential to buy a car that doesn’t fall in the range or has had it addressed.

Front bush kits can be bought for £600 per side, but involve changing 6-7 bushings per side. £1k doesn’t even cover the parts and it is many hours labour. And once that’s all done, it doesn’t cover the ball joint as that’s fixed to the wishbone. For that it needs the whole wishbone changing which saves knocking out all 6-7 of the previously mentioned bushings. It is a much more expensive kit though. So changing the bushings and not the wishbone is a fools errand and a waste of money in my opinion. Best price I could get to for the work was £2500 at an indi

They are reliable cars no doubt and don’t have the ridiculous Porsche engine issues but they’re easily £2k a year running cost cars.

Checked my bill and I paid £2k for the front bushings kit fitted at my local dealer. Time will tell if that is sufficient. Shock absorber (lower) bushes can go but I am told they are relatively affordable whatever that means. Ditto ARB bushes and drop links - had mine done and they were surprisingly cheap, same for springs.

[WCZ]

at £2k a year they are cheaper to run than a golf that's going to depreciate lots more.

at £25k astonishing value.

[jakesmith]

WCZ said:

at £2k a year they are cheaper to run than a golf that's going to depreciate lots more.

at £25k astonishing value.

I bought mine for £29k and traded it for £18.5k after 2 years having spent £3.5k on maintenance that hadn’t even included a service.

Don’t think because they’re cheep they won’t depreciate. I wasn’t including depreciation in my £2k a year.

[WCZ]

jakesmith said:

I bought mine for £29k and traded it for £18.5k after 2 years having spent £3.5k on maintenance that hadn’t even included a service.

Don’t think because they’re cheep they won’t depreciate. I wasn’t including depreciation in my £2k a year.

intresting, makes the most sense to buy one at around £19-20k as that seems to be the bottom of the market then