Opinions on this car please- Granturismo

[StreetDragster]

Hi All,

I'm considering Maserati ownership, Gran Turismo.

What is the collective opinion on this car-

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Maserati-Granturismo-4-...

My concerns are that
1) Its due overdue a service, and the last service was a 4 year gap instead of the usual 2 year.
2) It seems pretty pricy to me, I know its in a good colour and the chap insists its immaculate, but its getting into the realms of facelift cars, potential for cash loss when I part with it, presumably after the car market bubble has burst as normal for me.
3) Its had its variator's done, but the owner doesn't seem forth coming on the details of any other maintenance it has, I'm speculating that aside from stamps in the book that is all it has, worrying on a 13 year old car which is bound to have some suspension bush issues by now.
4) Private seller, so no come back at all.

What are your thoughts?

I'm looking for a MC-shift Gran Turismo

Thanks

[Taita]

Sorry have no idea on Maserati's but have always thought they looked fantastic!

[nw28840]

I looked into buying one of these a while back.

Get onto the sportsmaserati.com forum , wealth of information available there. Ask the questions on there, you may be lucky and someone will know the actual car (as it’s an unusual colour).

Also, forum owners cars do come up for sale.

One thing I was repeatedly told , get a pre purchase inspection done !

Unfortunately my purchase didn’t do through, the owner of the car I wanted to purchase went all quiet on me once I arranged for a pre purchase inspection on the car...annoying as I went as far as to book the inspection !

[spikyone]

I've been looking at GranTurismos lately too. For me, that's incredibly strong money for a 2008 car - there are a couple on here of a similar age listed at less than £30k. It's not done too many miles between the two services that were 4 years apart, but the current one is also overdue. That doesn't sound like someone looking after it "like a baby". The seller is also listing an Aston Martin at the moment - they might genuinely be a private seller but that rings alarm bells.

I'd want at least £5k off that price, and a clean bill of health from an independent inspection, but I imagine the owner might find that sort of offer insulting...

I'll second the suggestion of visiting sportsmaserati.com, I've been lurking there for a while and it seems like a helpful community. Good luck with the search!

[StreetDragster]

Thanks for the advice all.

I've had a snotty email back from the seller, i'll not be buying this car.

I'll check out the forum

Thanks again

[ANOpax]

StreetDragster said:

Hi All,

I'm considering Maserati ownership, Gran Turismo.

What is the collective opinion on this car-

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Maserati-Granturismo-4-...


What are your thoughts?

I'm looking for a MC-shift Gran Turismo

Thanks

Bland interior and shouty exterior. The complete antithesis of this;




You can do so much Better

For £5k more, you get a dealer sold car which is 5 years younger and has the face lifted interior as well as only 17,000miles.

[Cheburator mk2]

I am also in the market for a GTS MC Shift and have been keeping tabs on the market. Looks like a nice car....

BUT...

It's stupidly overpriced by about £7k for a "private" sale.

Firstly, the missed service - 4yrs is an awfully long time for old oil to sit in the sump of a car, which gets driven infrequently. Also, Maserati is more of an upmarket brand - rightly or wrongly service history does matter - you aren't buying a washing machine BMW. If you are asking questions about it yourself, think what your potential buyer down the line would do.

Secondly, it's due a service. From my research, service at a good indy doesnt' come cheap. At the asking price, this is not factored at all.

Thirdly, as another poster alluded to - if it walks like a duck and squaks like a duck, then it probably it's a duck. Selling another high end car alongside the Maserati, poor advert with rubbish photos and eBay as a venue screams a cowboy dealer who is one when buying and a private seller when selling.

Fourthly, AutoTrader has a similar 2008 low mileage GTS MC Shift with a dealer for £27k. Dealer looks well suspect, but there at least you have some sort of comeback.

Fifth - join Sportsmaserati.com - one of the nicest and most supportive bunch of enthusiasts I have seen. I have Porsches and BMWs, and the Maserati guys have been super supportive. By the way, a forum member there sold a 2013 GT Sport with reasonable miles for £30k! Admittedly, a trader bought the car for stock within an hour of the advert going live, but yet again it illustrates how ludicrously ovepriced this 2008 car is. Last but not least - I posted in the Newbies section and was offered a nice car by another member, which has been serviced by several of the forum sponsors. Can you get better than this - easily verifiable service history and good provenance? £26k for a 2010 GTS MC Shift with 40k miles, which I am planning to see/drive maybe buy...

[StreetDragster]

ANOpax said:

You can do so much Better

For £5k more, you get a dealer sold car which is 5 years younger and has the face lifted interior as well as only 17,000miles.

Sold unfortunately

[StreetDragster]

Cheburator mk2 said:

I am also in the market for a GTS MC Shift and have been keeping tabs on the market. Looks like a nice car....

BUT...

It's stupidly overpriced by about £7k for a "private" sale.

Firstly, the missed service - 4yrs is an awfully long time for old oil to sit in the sump of a car, which gets driven infrequently. Also, Maserati is more of an upmarket brand - rightly or wrongly service history does matter - you aren't buying a washing machine BMW. If you are asking questions about it yourself, think what your potential buyer down the line would do.

Secondly, it's due a service. From my research, service at a good indy doesnt' come cheap. At the asking price, this is not factored at all.

Thirdly, as another poster alluded to - if it walks like a duck and squaks like a duck, then it probably it's a duck. Selling another high end car alongside the Maserati, poor advert with rubbish photos and eBay as a venue screams a cowboy dealer who is one when buying and a private seller when selling.

Fourthly, AutoTrader has a similar 2008 low mileage GTS MC Shift with a dealer for £27k. Dealer looks well suspect, but there at least you have some sort of comeback.

Fifth - join Sportsmaserati.com - one of the nicest and most supportive bunch of enthusiasts I have seen. I have Porsches and BMWs, and the Maserati guys have been super supportive. By the way, a forum member there sold a 2013 GT Sport with reasonable miles for £30k! Admittedly, a trader bought the car for stock within an hour of the advert going live, but yet again it illustrates how ludicrously ovepriced this 2008 car is. Last but not least - I posted in the Newbies section and was offered a nice car by another member, which has been serviced by several of the forum sponsors. Can you get better than this - easily verifiable service history and good provenance? £26k for a 2010 GTS MC Shift with 40k miles, which I am planning to see/drive maybe buy...

Thanks very much for that

I've been called a time waster this morning, I should be buying a car from a dealer and not wasting his time because apparently if I'm asking questions like this I could get all the answers and still not be happy. I ask proper, well structured, specific & relevant questions I get it thrown back at me. He can go jump, maybe I'll reply with "wots the best prize for cash m8"

[spikyone]

Cheburator mk2 said:

Fifth - join Sportsmaserati.com - one of the nicest and most supportive bunch of enthusiasts I have seen. I have Porsches and BMWs, and the Maserati guys have been super supportive. By the way, a forum member there sold a 2013 GT Sport with reasonable miles for £30k! Admittedly, a trader bought the car for stock within an hour of the advert going live, but yet again it illustrates how ludicrously ovepriced this 2008 car is. Last but not least - I posted in the Newbies section and was offered a nice car by another member, which has been serviced by several of the forum sponsors. Can you get better than this - easily verifiable service history and good provenance? £26k for a 2010 GTS MC Shift with 40k miles, which I am planning to see/drive maybe buy...

I saw that post and Dicky's swift purchase - a little bit gutted that I didn't see it quicker, what a bargain! I need to get around to signing up over there. Good luck with your prospective purchase!

[Austin_Metro]

Street dragster,

Keep going .... a 61 plate just went past me in the car park. Sounded magnificent!

[StreetDragster]

Austin_Metro said:

Street dragster,

Keep going .... a 61 plate just went past me in the car park. Sounded magnificent!

I've driven one around the roads of Carlisle, and it was fabulous to drive. Not fast, not particularly good handling, but a pure occasion to drive, and the sound when on sport was awesome.

I'm working from home now and not doing any miles really any more, so its much more of an option now.
I could do with a bike rack for it though, which is both sacrilege, and probably not available.

[ANOpax]

StreetDragster said:

I've been called a time waster this morning, I should be buying a car from a dealer and not wasting his time because apparently if I'm asking questions like this I could get all the answers and still not be happy. I ask proper, well structured, specific & relevant questions I get it thrown back at me. He can go jump, maybe I'll reply with "wots the best prize for cash m8"

You're asking all the right questions. Don't lose heart - the response from the seller tells you all you need to know about the car.
Walk away.

[Cheburator mk2]

StreetDragster said:

Thanks very much for that

I've been called a time waster this morning, I should be buying a car from a dealer and not wasting his time because apparently if I'm asking questions like this I could get all the answers and still not be happy. I ask proper, well structured, specific & relevant questions I get it thrown back at me. He can go jump, maybe I'll reply with "wots the best prize for cash m8"

Jesus, what a tit!

Maybe am I old fashioned, but I am enthusiastic about every car that I own. If I was selling a special car like a GTS, in a special colour, I would be gushing about it and spending time answering the questions, especially if it looks like there is another enthusiast at the other end of the email.

Sounds like fate is doing its job and steering you away from this one. As for your reply - definitely do it!

[adamellisdj]

Wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole with the sellers attitude.

[StreetDragster]

Have joined the Maserati forum this morning and posted in the newbie section, will take it from there.

Cheers all

Matt

[Van Dessel]

Well I learned something - that you can get a 2008 with a 4.7. I thought the go-live engine was solely the 4.2 (blue painted block) but that car has the red painted block and the colour looks pretty legit from the photos. But of course you can find the right crackle-paint now can you?

But the other puzzling thing is the ad says the variators were done. Everything I've read about variators applies to some 4.2 before a certain VIN and not so much the 4.7s.

Too many questions - they could all have very good answers but as they say on D'sD - for that reason I'd be out...

[BlackR8]

What is you budget for one? I would consider stretching for a facelift if your budget allows.

The facelifts (post 2013+) benefit from an exterior and interior refresh (really nice seats, updated front, nice carbon fibre options etc), and you can get the MC Auto-Shift which I believe is the best of both worlds (no clutch wear to worry about and behaves like an MC-Shift with fast paddle changes and downshift blips).

[StreetDragster]

BlackR8 said:

What is you budget for one? I would consider stretching for a facelift if your budget allows.

The facelifts (post 2013+) benefit from an exterior and interior refresh (really nice seats, updated front, nice carbon fibre options etc), and you can get the MC Auto-Shift which I believe is the best of both worlds (no clutch wear to worry about and behaves like an MC-Shift with fast paddle changes and downshift blips).

That is pretty much where I've got to on the Maserati forum, the auto is probably the actual gearbox for me. I think I'm in the lower end of the thirties so a facelift model is a stretch, but possible, hopefully.

Thanks

[BlackR8]

StreetDragster said:

That is pretty much where I've got to on the Maserati forum, the auto is probably the actual gearbox for me. I think I'm in the lower end of the thirties so a facelift model is a stretch, but possible, hopefully.

Thanks

At low thirties you are probably looking at a high miles early facelift car, so you may need to make sure you get a PPI or a strong warranty supporting your purchase. If I was in your position and I would try save for a bit longer and get a newer lower miles car at say circa. £40k.

Good luck in your search in any case, any car with a Ferrari engine is going to be special!!