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Looking for a Quattroporte

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17/3/2010 8:23:35  
 

Posts: 1
Since: 17/3/2010
Status: offline 		HI All

New here so Hello!

I am considering the purchase of a QP as there prices seem to becoming into my affordability criteria. I have read criticisms of the gearbox and have heard of clutch failure.

What should I look out for when going to view one. I am most likely going to end up with an 05 car. There is one in mind with 50,000kms on it near me and I am tempted to go look, but would like some more information before I do.

Cheers!
17/3/2010 10:45:20  
 

Posts: 480
Since: 6/5/2009
Status: offline 		Best advice is to drive one. Some people love DuoSelect, some put up with it to allow them to get into a QP at a cheap price and some hate it.

Have you driven an M3/M5 with SMG? Similar reactions to that gearbox too and often easier to get a go in one of those.

_____________________________

GranTurismo GTS Auto
17/3/2010 16:15:42  

Posts: 249
Since: 3/5/2009
Region: Cianciana
Status: offline 		Hi Terence,
Welcome to the forum!
As bigbob says...best advice is to drive one (or more if possible),
there are various settings, ie normal, sport, auto and manual, you should try them all!
I have had mine for just about a year now...it is the first car I have driven with a paddle-shift and can honestly say that I absolutely love it.
I always drive mine in manual and sport mode, upshifting without lifting off the acelerator,
but on a downshift I just lift off a fraction, this makes changes a little smoother.
I auto mode, the changes are a little clunckly...if you do a lot of town stop/start driving, then there are probably other cars better suited to this, but I have not found it to be a problem.
Do a search on here for clutches as they do wear...
I would also advise a specialist independent inspection, if they have the correct gear they will also give you a reading of the clutch wear.
Good luck in your search...if you have any other questions, feel free to ask,
Regards,
Enzo.

_____________________________

Love your Life...
1/4/2010 1:34:00  

Posts: 29
Since: 30/10/2009
Region: Leeds
Status: offline 		First drive it and get the "feel" of it. Try to drive a few more Maseratis to compare. You will see significant differences, how smooth is the transmission, any odd sounds (the "hammer" sound when going from N to 1st gear is frequent and can indicate some F1 transmission or clutch problems).

Check for scratches, stone chips, kerbed wheels, check the condition of leather everywhere, check if all doors, windows, mirrors are operational, try all settings (Manual, Auto, Sport, Ice).

Check how clean is interior as that leather can be difficult to clean / repair.

Check the tyre wear and if AC is working OK (should be ice cold).

If anything doesn't seem right, don't worry, but just adjust your offer for any problems (lower your offer £/$/€ 500-1000 for anything you don't like)

Also look at the extras included (extras = better value as they were very expensive when new). The extras are:
1. Sunroof (1/3 of QPs)
2. Rear LCD screen and DVD player (rare but cool)
3. Tinted glass
4. 29-20" alloys (polished chrome 19"s were the most expensive, 20s are too "rough", 18"s don't look as good)
5. Leather ceiling and upper finish (inside the car)
6. Coloured brake pads
7. Heated front seats
8. Fold down tables in the rear
9. 5-CD changer under the steering wheel
10. Massage seats (very rare)
11. Front parking sensors (most have them)
12. Sun shades (the rear one is always included)
13. Tyre pressure monitor
14 Rear climate control
15. Spare wheel (not practical)
16. Sky-hook suspension
17. Metal pedals or wood steering wheel (both useless)

If everything above is to your liking, you might want to get an independent inspection to check for the clutch wear, rust, any leaks etc. You can find out some nasties and revise your offer accordingly.

Also make sure you get the set of codes to unlock your car when your key battery is dead.

Also check when the last service was done and if there is any guarantee (are you buying from a dealer or privately?), if the service was recent, it can save you a lot as service tends to be very expensive. If immediate service is required, adjust your offer or ask the seller to service the car before purchase.

Gearbox in those models is a Ferrari F1 paddle shift semi-auto, some people love it, some hate it. If you are a sports-car fan, you will love it, if you are a limo person accustomed to Mercedes S-class and similar you might not like it. Personally I prefer the older F1 to ZF-auto fitted in the newer models. As for the clutch, it's not as bad as you may read, unless you live in hilly areas. Clutch lasts for 25-40 thousand kilometres depending on the way you drive and to replace it in the Maserati authorised dealer it costs £2000 (UK).

Good luck and I am sure you will not regret your purchase!




< Message edited by deos -- 1/4/2010 1:50:11 >
1/4/2010 23:55:51  
 

Posts: 387
Since: 20/4/2008
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: deos

First drive it and get the "feel" of it. Try to drive a few more Maseratis to compare. You will see significant differences, how smooth is the transmission, any odd sounds (the "hammer" sound when going from N to 1st gear is frequent and can indicate some F1 transmission or clutch problems).

Check for scratches, stone chips, kerbed wheels, check the condition of leather everywhere, check if all doors, windows, mirrors are operational, try all settings (Manual, Auto, Sport, Ice).

Check how clean is interior as that leather can be difficult to clean / repair.

Check the tyre wear and if AC is working OK (should be ice cold).

If anything doesn't seem right, don't worry, but just adjust your offer for any problems (lower your offer £/$/€ 500-1000 for anything you don't like)

Also look at the extras included (extras = better value as they were very expensive when new). The extras are:
1. Sunroof (1/3 of QPs)
2. Rear LCD screen and DVD player (rare but cool)
3. Tinted glass
4. 29-20" alloys (polished chrome 19"s were the most expensive, 20s are too "rough", 18"s don't look as good)
5. Leather ceiling and upper finish (inside the car)
6. Coloured brake pads
7. Heated front seats
8. Fold down tables in the rear
9. 5-CD changer under the steering wheel
10. Massage seats (very rare)
11. Front parking sensors (most have them)
12. Sun shades (the rear one is always included)
13. Tyre pressure monitor
14 Rear climate control
15. Spare wheel (not practical)
16. Sky-hook suspension
17. Metal pedals or wood steering wheel (both useless)

If everything above is to your liking, you might want to get an independent inspection to check for the clutch wear, rust, any leaks etc. You can find out some nasties and revise your offer accordingly.

Also make sure you get the set of codes to unlock your car when your key battery is dead.

Also check when the last service was done and if there is any guarantee (are you buying from a dealer or privately?), if the service was recent, it can save you a lot as service tends to be very expensive. If immediate service is required, adjust your offer or ask the seller to service the car before purchase.

Gearbox in those models is a Ferrari F1 paddle shift semi-auto, some people love it, some hate it. If you are a sports-car fan, you will love it, if you are a limo person accustomed to Mercedes S-class and similar you might not like it. Personally I prefer the older F1 to ZF-auto fitted in the newer models. As for the clutch, it's not as bad as you may read, unless you live in hilly areas. Clutch lasts for 25-40 thousand kilometres depending on the way you drive and to replace it in the Maserati authorised dealer it costs £2000 (UK).

Good luck and I am sure you will not regret your purchase!





Just to add Deos excellent report.

- Sun protection glass. (tinted glass). I have this on mine but the drawback is if you get a stone chip on your windscreen it can't be repaired by the injectable glue method as I've been told it makes a milky patch on the glass.

- Skyhook was standard on all QP's , however the QP GTS didn't have Skyhook as it had a different suspension set up.

- Telephone handset was another major option, consists of a handset in the arm and a hands free phone.

- The Executive GT version came with heated/massage seats as standard front and back.

If I had to prioritize then major considerations after condition/mileage would be

- Colour interior/exterior

- 19 inch wheels (if you bought a car with 18's a new set of 19's in close to £3k.

- CD changer (the Nav CD occupies the central slot)

Also consider running costs. Last time I checked my trip computer after doing a few short journeys it showed average MPG as 7.9. Major service is £1k uowards, new clutch upto £1500.

hope this helps.

13/4/2010 8:35:59  
 

Posts: 44
Since: 5/3/2008
Status: offline 		Hi,

There is also now an official retro fit bluetooth phone system around £800 if I recall, also parrot bluetoths work fine and give ipod connectivity to stero.

Regards
Graham
6/9/2010 9:05:43  
 

Posts: 6
Since: 5/9/2010
Status: offline 		Hello everyone,
I am considering to buy a used QP 2005 Duo Select and all the comments here of great value to me. Does the ZF transmission have less durability problems than the Duo Select ?
Cheers,
D.
6/9/2010 12:46:47  

Posts: 2479
Since: 27/1/2008
Region: Bristol
Status: offline 		Gosh three questions on this subject in one day!

Nothing wrong with the transmission and many have +100k on them now.

CC box is a robotised manual and uses a clutch, the ZF Auto is a Tourque Converter type.

So you will need to budget for clutches in the CC models [Duo Select].

Have an inspection done by a garage that carries as SD 2/3 and it will tell you how much life is left in the clutch...I have managed +40k in mine and still only 60% worn.

_____________________________

Peter

4200 CC
Volvo C70 Cabriolet
VW Golf mk1 Cabriolet
2CV LHD In France
6/9/2010 18:06:23  
 

Posts: 6
Since: 5/9/2010
Status: offline 		Thank you for helping me out on this, the QP is getting closer to my garage
D.
9/9/2010 13:56:16  
 

Posts: 8
Since: 6/1/2010
Region: Dorset
Status: offline 		Hi, if its any help I have had my QP Sport GT since Jan 07 when I collected it from the factory. Since then I have covered 33k mls without any problems whatsoever, much of which spent touring Italy and Southern France. I too tried the automatica and found it stodgy compared to the Duoselect box which on the 07 Sport GT model is much revised and feels far better than even the 06 model Sport GT. The truth of the matter is Maserati had to fit the 4.7 into the QP to bring the 0 - 60 time back down to around 5 seconds because the auto knocked so much of an edge off it. Also going into a fast but tightish bend at speed in the Duoselect which has the gearbox where it should be the car stays perfectly balanced hitting the apex and powering out without drama. In the auto version the rear end feels light and you can feel the front dive in a little when lifting off.

The advice has to be 'go for the newest Sport GT Duoselect you can afford'. the whole car feels more uptogether than the standard QP and certainly more uptogether than the Executive GT which has been designed more for relaxed cruising than sporty driving. If you feel the ride a little too firm with the 20" rims then go up a size in P Zeros i.e. instead of 35 section fronts and 30 section rears fit 40s on the front and 35s on the rear. They are readily available and fill the wheel arches better, also, as the rolling curcumference is equal they don't upset the traction control. They transform the ride without any noticable effect on the handling. 

I recently returned from the Mille and on the Autostrada between Genova and Alessandria, which by the way is the least policed and least used autostrada in northan Italy, I cruised at just over 160mph for over 20 miles before running into traffic. Absolutely thrilling and exactly why I bought the car. For the rest of the trip in Italy 120mph is comfortable and returns around 17mpg.

At the last service my clutch was 27% worn so no worries there but a fellow QP owner I meet on occassion who has an 04 model and does the 'Ring' on a regular basis is on his 4th clutch at 38k mls so in a sense you reap what you sow.

Hope that helps

Regards

23/9/2010 8:46:22  
 

Posts: 6
Since: 5/9/2010
Status: offline 		Hi !
Yes it does help, thank you very much !!!
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