tinyurl.com/pyh92w
thoughts?
I am looking at it tomorrow
Guy
{Link changed so as not to show your postcode, but one of the suggested ones by Autotrader instead}
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 27/06/2009 at 15:11
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I like that sort of car. Not too showy, very plain in fact compared to a current one. Low mileage and good price.
Worth getting a specialist to check it if possible though. And running costs might be high. I notice the ad talks expansively about 'thousands spent'. Only 55,000 miles remember. What on, one wonders? Oil changes? New turbos (does it have turbos?) Autobox (shudder)? If specialist gives it the nod, and you like it and can afford high or highish running costs, I would go for it. As I say, I like those unshowy nice cars. Alfa 166 for example. Phaeton rather than Bentley.
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Check everything carefully, especially the service record, and see how it all tallies.
Who serviced it? Any suspicious intervals? Are there receipts to prove?
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"It has receipts showing thousands being spent" says the ad.
The optimist will think "great, a sorted car that will run for a good while before I need to spend more", while the realist will say "the last owner had to spend thousands on it, perhaps just to make it saleable; what else is there to do, and how long before I too have to spend thousands, like him?"
"it's the cheapest in the UK" says the ad. Perhaps it's the only one left...
I think you need to do a good search on Petrolheads - bound to be some experiences on there.
I'd avoid it, but them I'm half Lancastrian, half Scots....
Edited by oldnotbold on 26/06/2009 at 18:31
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Thanks
I am not expecting it to be cheap to run
Some readers will know I have a Merc CLK which I find rather dull to drive, and also around here there are SO many "blondes" driving them it is unbelievable
I had a Nissan 200SX turbo which was more thrilling to drive but put me in a ditch on a rainy slimy day.
Now I recently bought a Polo (6 year old 1.4) to teach my daughter in, my Merc and my wifes Mitsubishi grandis not being suitable for that duty. So since we have those two cars as fall back, I am prepared to take a certain level of risk with a car that might need periodic fettling
Also, IO went on the Maserati Owners forum and they suggested a specialist for inspection, and guess what, they are only 15 miles away from me.
Plan is view and test drive the car, if I like it I will put a deposit on it, and then get it inspected.
Seller seems very reasonable, I have already stated that if the inspection shows up any horrors not declared I will expect to be able to pull out and get my deposit back, normal wear and tear, or a little non structural rust here or there won't deter me
He seemed fine with that
Same running gear as a Bi-turbo I think
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Nice car, I've seen this one before - not sure if it was on Autotrader though.
Take it you've spotted the missing wheel hub trim.
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i like it
i like the dealers advert
i like your approach to doing business
i hope it turns out well
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Well comrade ... it doesn't quite do it for me, but then I'm not buying it am I :)
It's worth buying just for the interior IMO, but outside, well - it looks like an oversized Lancia.
12 years old now + Italiano :(
Hertfordshire police will be very attracted to it no doubt.
If you do decide to throw 8k at it, which isn't a lot of money (to some), then treat it as you would a period property - and have a full survey carried out.
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I like unusual too GG and i like well sorted saloons, but the spares situation would give me the heebies, both availablility and cost.
Have you researched the potential problems and the costs to fix those problems, sometimes i have found owners forums to have a slightly rosy tint to their chosen marque.
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A nodding aquaintance of mine has a red Bi-Turbo as his daily driver. Had it for years. High annual mileage too by all accounts. Looks great. He is a bit odd though. Wears hand tooled cowboy boots every day. I think I'd probably quite like one too ( the car that is, not the boots ) but I expect I'd lack the courage.
I like it. I hope you buy it and enjoy it.
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A word of warning. If it's the same running gear as the Bi-Turbo you could be buying yourself a load of trouble.
A friend's son's friend, (complicated I know, but both of them mechanics) worked for the local Fiat/Maserati dealer in Basingstoke when it was still a current model.
I went to look at a convertible that they had for sale but he warned me off with horror stories of engine failures and very, very poor backup from the factory.
I doubt that they have become more reliable or that the spares situation, especially trim bits for the QP, has improved in the last ten years.
Having said that:
It's a guaranteed classic if you look after it.
Kevin...
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You're paying for the name, and the rarity: if something unusual is what you want, then maybe take the risk.
But if you want a fun car to go with the sensible Grandis and Polo, for £8,000 you could have a BMW Z3 like mine (or an early Z4) or an MX-5.
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>>Maserati - Mad to? or mad not to?
Mad. As a box of frogs. But promise me you'll do it? Go on, you know you want to!
A mate of mine bought a 'Y' reg 3200 and loves it to bits. Although to be fair, he does call it his 'Grand Car' as every time something goes wrong (and things go wrong a lot), he's always told "it'll be about a grand".
He's currently trying to sell it to fund a house refurbishment but has loved every minute of owning it.
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re MX5, Honda S2000, and various BMW incarnations, I need a 2+2, i don;t drive much (work from home), but when I do, I often have to pick up or drop of a couple of my children along the way.
Nissan 200SX did fit that bill, but the whole Japanese drifting scene seems to have taken over the image of that car, mind you there are a few un-modded ones around, and despite my earlier incident in them, I have learnt a little from the modding scene, about improving the grip and handling, so it is a thought (to find another one).
Guy
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I was reading a buying guide on these just the other day. Basically, the sensible money is spent of preventitive, detailed servicing, which while it does cost a bit of money, one has to remember it is an expensive car and all expensive cars have service bills that look horrendous to a Mondeo owner, but are par for the course on such exotics.
The key is look after it and it will look after you.
It is a gorgeously understated car and it takes a special sort of person to make that leap what with Maserati being such rare and unknown cars.
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