Used car buying guide: Maserati 3200 GT

You mightiness beryllium tempted by immoderate car wearing a Maserati badge that you tin bargain for conscionable £10,000, but I person to pass you that determination is, alas, nary specified happening arsenic a bargain. 

To support said Maserati connected the roadworthy for adjacent the astir minuscule of yearly mileages and moving adjacent reasonably good volition outgo you much than a tiny nation’s yearly GDP, but could it perchance be, if we enactment the vulgar taxable of wealth to 1 broadside for a moment, really worthy it?

Well, determination are fewer car badges with arsenic overmuch cachet. Chuck your car keys down connected the barroom astatine the Dog and Duck and each your friends volition swoon. This cut-price 3200 GT whitethorn person been launched successful 1998, but it inactive looks beauteous neat today, with its handsome Italdesign styling and boomerang rear lights and lavishly leathered interior.

Under the hood and astatine the bosom of the 3200 GT is simply a 90deg, DOHC 370bhp twin-turbocharged 3.2-litre V8 incorporating Formula 1-style drive-by-wire throttle technology. It’s a punchy portion almighty capable to propulsion the Maserati from 0-62mph successful 5.1sec (5.7sec successful Automatica form) and connected up to 174mph, oregon 168mph for the four-speed automatic.

The 3200 GT besides came with a six-speed manual transmission, a quirk being that it uses power-steering fluid arsenic gearbox oil. Our testers really favoured the automatic, adjacent though it’s a comparatively elemental four-speeder. The dense clutch and engine’s ferocious transportation marque the manual harder work.

Nearly each UK 3200 GTs had a Sports bundle suspension too. This was a computer-controlled progressive thrust strategy that utilized servos to stiffen the beforehand Bilstein dampers nether braking and the rear ones nether acceleration. It could besides summation rotation stiff ness successful the bends. A Sport fastener made the full batch adjacent stiffer.

So, contempt a fewer reservations astir immoderate of the precise aboriginal examples we drove, it was launched to mostly affirmative reviews and ran until 2002, erstwhile it was replaced by the similar-looking but much oregon little wholly antithetic 4200 GT.

We liked the 3200 GT, too, mostly, calling it the champion Maserati for 20 years. It was undeniably steadfast successful the thrust department, but what bash you expect? Bumps that wouldn’t person fazed a Jaguar XKR could nonstop shudders done the bodyshell, added to which roadworthy roar supra 60mph could go intrusive.

It steered nicely, though, done a 2.7-turns-lock-to-lock powered rack, though our testers noted a spot of vagueness conscionable off-centre. Grip levels were precocious successful the dry, but the 3200 GT could beryllium rather a fistful connected a bedewed road, particularly if you were the benignant who turned disconnected the traction control. Mix a limited-slip differential with a surge of turbo boost and you got yourself immoderate bully old-fashioned oversteer.

Oh, and if you truly are reasoning of buying, you volition request heavy pockets not conscionable for the parts and servicing; you tin expect to spot nary much than 15mpg successful mundane usage from this beauty.

And should you fancy adjacent much sizzle, the limited-run Assetto Corsa was offered precocious successful the 3200 GT’s life. It rode connected 15mm-lower suspension and had antithetic wheels and tyres, a quicker steering ratio, reddish brake callipers and lightened brake ducts.

An owner’s view

Kevin Dake: “I bought a astir caller 2002 Spyder with the larger V8 and kept it for 15 years. Because I lived retired successful the sticks, it suffered unspeakable neglect successful my hands, but it mostly kept working. I did work it erstwhile it needed it, and I kept the mileage low. Parts and servicing were incredibly expensive, though. I loved the motor enactment and the velocity and the handling. I sold it to a friend, and truthful acold helium hasn’t fallen retired with maine implicit it; successful fact, the car is thriving.”

What we said then

13 December 2000: “Few cars person a much welcoming interior. There’s glorious Connolly leather each implicit the place. Even the trademark clock, which successful different Maseratis looks utterly kitsch, is tasteful successful the 3200 GT. There’s much country than you’ll find successful a Jaguar XK8, too. It whitethorn person lone managed to get to 60mph from remainder successful 6.2sec, but it feels a damned show quicker than that. It’s truthful urgent; you person lone to tickle the throttle and the car leaps forward.”

Buyer beware

Engine: If this goes wrong, you’re successful superior occupation – truthful store carefully. You privation a stack of receipts for recent, regular enactment to amusement that it has been looked aft properly. Keep an oculus retired for leaks, and if the lipid unit gauge isn’t astatine 5 barroom astatine idle, person the motor checked. 

Check cam covers for lipid leaks. Cambelt alteration is each 31,000 miles oregon 4 years; timing chains each 68,000 miles. Check for noisy valve shims and excessive crankshaft-end interval connected manual cars. A failing crankshaft sensor tin origin starting problems. An motor that hunts oregon fails to commencement whitethorn request a caller throttle potentiometer.

Transmission: The four-speed automatic is known to beryllium reasonably strong, arsenic is the manual, though clutches tin deterioration quickly. If the merchandise fork breaks disconnected its brace, you’re looking astatine a immense bill, truthful cheque that it’s shifting arsenic it should. 

The automatic gearbox’s tail-flange retaining seed tin besides travel loose. The fly-by-wire throttle gives lumpy in-town show requiring tons of clutch slip, which tin trim clutch life. Clutches are hard to source.

Suspension: The suspension requires bushes that are circumstantial to the 3200 GT, and they perish implicit time. If there’s immoderate rotation oregon uneven wear, get the geometry checked. All suspension joints are prone to premature failure. Steel bushes successful wishbones are a anemic spot and cripplingly expensive. 

Rear dampers tin leak. Deep potholes tin popular retired the captive seed connected the apical beforehand suspension mount, requiring motor removal to hole . At the rear, the roseate associated successful the track-ad justing limb (part of the little wishbone) deteriorates first, resulting successful unusual handling. Front anti-roll-bar links besides wear, causing rattles.

Brakes: These are mostly resilient, though the ABS pump tin go. Brake pipes rust, truthful cheque them for leaks. Pads and discs alteration depending connected whether you spell for Maserati items oregon aftermarket parts. Brake discs corrode due to the fact that they tally without backplates to prevention weight; handbrakes seize.

Electrics: Electrics are delicate to artillery condition, truthful support it plugged in. Engine-check-light issues are common, mostly caused by bodged connections.

Also worthy knowing 

Parts specified arsenic crankshafts, clutches and throttle-position sensors are becoming harder to find arsenic suppliers halt making them.

Service past is particularly important connected a car similar this, truthful guarantee determination are tons of receipts and paperwork, if not a afloat past – and work it each thoroughly.

A Spyder was launched successful 2001. Italdesign chopped 22cm disconnected the wheelbase to make a two-seat drop-top with an automatic electrohydraulic roof. The Spyder was the archetypal to usage the all-new, Ferrari-built 390bhp 4.2-litre V8, which past went into the 4200 GT.

How overmuch to spend 

£10,000-£14,999: Higher-mileage cars bought privately. Some precise bully buys present but cheque paperwork thoroughly. Worth putting connected a ramp, too.

£15,000 and above: Post-2000 cars with mileages beneath 70,000 and bought from specializer dealers. Some Assetto Corsa examples present too.

One we found

Maserati 3200 GT, 2000, 78,000 miles, £10,495: Our find comes with the uncommon optional carbonfibre centre console and gearknob. The cambelt, h2o pump and clutch person each been replaced and the gunmetal alloys refurbished. It has an MOT until adjacent February and comes with a elaborate work history.