Maserati Quattroporte - Am I Mad?

[Deleted member 37751]

The diesel engines are made by VM Motori AFAIK and shared with the Jeep Grand Cherokee amongst others!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VM_Motori

They've put some sort of synthetic sound system in the diesels exhaust to make it sound like a petrol, sounds really good until you learn the truth.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

[YOUTUBE]iz85q3oteHc [/YOUTUBE]

 

[HB]

The E63 probably beats the Quattroporte in most departments - power for one - but it's still just an E-Class, not a four door Italian sports car with a Ferrari engine...

How dare you ! It's actually a taxi with a V8 twin turbo!

 

[John]

I get the whole Maserati thing.

I drove a Granturismo earlier this year.

I was looking at a black 57 plate 4.2 because I wanted something slower than mine but with everything else that comes with it!

It definitely has soul, presence, style and all those raw things that true petrolheads want.

Even a couple of guys standing round a GT-R looked up and the one I drove had a standard non-sport exhaust!

That Ferrari block is out of this world.

I drove it up and down a dual carriageway. The ZF 6 is sublime and the car did drive well - although a bit crashy vs. mine on air.

However, the look of the haunched rear wings in the mirrors, the Ferrari block howling and the sheer occasion is fantastic.

I spoke to an inde and he did say, when they are running fine they are a masterpiece (not in the engineering department) but when they get problems, they can be a nightmare to get right.

Set of front discs and pads, not even floating, are about £1600.

He had a 4.7 which was having a nightmare with electronics problems and would be costing an absolute fortune.

I never say say never any more but whether I can bring myself to buy one. I'd really want the 4.7S MC Shift but in reality, I would plump for the 4.7S ZF 6 so that I don't spend every mile wondering if the gearbox will fall out!

 

[developer]

How dare you ! It's actually a taxi with a V8 twin turbo!

Or in my case that final taxi journey to either Dante's Inferno or those Peter's pearly gates .

 

[HB]

I must admit, that solid build you get with a Merc does it for me too, I get a far bigger thrill knowing that the 7th owner will still have a pretty well put together car than thrill the Granturismo can ever give me.

Yeah right!!

I was never really a Masser fan until I drove one, **** the build, it does something that no other car ever has. It felt like my old M3 CSL in many ways, but without the embarrassment when driving it. But then I would always choose a 996 GT3 over 997 GT3, and a 991 Turbo wouldn't even get a look in. (Well maybe if it was a third or fourth car).

You better go drive a 991 turbo....

 

[zipdip]

I have come to this thread late did SPX buy the car,if not there is a great one for sale £32,000 2016 motor had some rear end damage but drives ok the computer says boot is open lol it is a special order blue with full sabia leather £70,000 motor with a small amount of rear damage 07860223131 office hours they will repair it for you if required based at Ipswich

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Thanks for the info but I'm buying a QP V, not keen on the VI at all to be honest.

 

[John]

I remember seeing the first black pack rear boot trim and thinking they missed a trick there - they should have tinted the rear indicator lights black to extend the strip.

A months after having seen someone else with the same idea - it looked the nuts! (maybe I'm a 90s throw-back).

If I bought the XF-R - it's the only mod I'd do externally.

When I was looking for a run out XF, I found the following one which I might well have gone for if the seats weren't so bleedin' carp.

Anyway, at the time I got a Photoshoppy-type in the Studio at work to tint the lights for me and this is the result - I would have done it had I bought it (click for larger image):

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Another XF-R is definitely on the cards, don't know if it'll be next or if I should have a break and go XFR-Quattroporte-XFR-S/E63.

Time will tell I suppose, see how I feel on the day, eh?!

 

[rockits]

Tick off the QP first

 

[Deleted member 37751]

It has to be done, doesn't it? They've been on my radar for such a long time that I'm a bit search weary to be honest!

It's also quite hard finding a specific colour combo on a car that's already rare but I'm determined to get one, there's not much on the market tickling my fancy at the minute so by the law of averages there should be a few coming up for sale that I like!

 

[Deleted member 113659]

Lee, I always remember you said you'd like a McLaren, SLR I think. Is this something you still fancy?

Ant

 

[John]

If I could have picked up a slightly higher miler GT for the sort of money that higher mile QP was, I would have been seriously tempted.

Buy cheap sell cheap, and all that.

RG put me off a bit though - he said I wanted to stick with a lower miler as the maintenance costs go right up for an older one.

I spotted at 80k one not that long ago and it wasn't far off the same money as one with half the miles.

They are perhaps a bit too much of a princess for me!

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Lee, I always remember you said you'd like a McLaren, SLR I think. Is this something you still fancy?

Maybe one day Ant, at the minute I'm too young to have that amount of money sat in a car when it's more useful sat in a house or two.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

They are perhaps a bit too much of a princess for me!

I think that besides the variatior issues the engine has, they're pretty robust all round from my research, and the reason why Maserati never sold that many QP's was the competition it was up against; the best part of £100k for a car with 400bhp when the Teutonic lot at the time were all pushing out well over 500bhp for less money.

Don't get me wrong, power isn't everything, and the QP soundtrack alone is worth every penny, but I think they've never really shaken off the perception of being unreliable (as can be seen by some of the replies on here).

 

[gunning]

I'm keen to purchase an early QP, what's the issue with the engines?

I love the cars (front nose isn't amazing) but if I can get the right colour combo and wheels it's something I want to tick off the list.

I think I'd need to see and drive one before I bit the bullet as I feel a cls is always a tough one to beat in this class!

 

[John]

I think that besides the variatior issues the engine has, they're pretty robust all round from my research, and the reason why Maserati never sold that many QP's was the competition it was up against; the best part of £100k for a car with 400bhp when the Teutonic lot at the time were all pushing out well over 500bhp for less money.

Don't get me wrong, power isn't everything, and the QP soundtrack alone is worth every penny, but I think they've never really shaken off the perception of being unreliable (as can be seen by some of the replies on here).

I'm not talking reliability - I was happy with that and with a ZF box, no qualms.

It was more the higher maintenance costs later in life that put me off - not to mention putting 30 big ones into a 9 year old car...

 

[rockits]

Well I've had my QP for 5 days & can say it is the best decision I made & the best 'all round car' I've ever owned.

It is not the biggest, nor the fastest, nor the cheapest, nor the most expensive, nor the flashiest, nor the slowest. However it is effortless, classy, fantastically looking & sounding. It does all the things I want it to do so so well. They just don't make cars like this anymore & maybe never will.

It is planted, great to drive, great to own & does all things really well. I cannot fault it. As a pairing the QP V as a daily driver with a loudly modded 4200 for a very special occasion has my bases covered. It has taken me 44 years of hardwork, blood, sweat & tears to get here. I'm a very happy man and a very lucky one but very thankful for it.

The QP V is a very very lovely place to be. Spent 4 hours in it today & would do the same again tomorrow and the day after and the day after that etc etc.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Keep me updated how you get on with it please Dean, I know you're a bit fussy with your cars so it'll be interesting to see if and what any little issues arise with it (and get a photo posted up!)