James in the UK writes:

RE: 3200GT servicing in Wales and the West Country:

"Enrico,

Wonder if you can help, I‘m thinking of buying a 3200gt at the moment – can you suggest any specialist in South Wales / West Country who could service it for me – I live in Newport and work in Cardiff.

Thanks,

James."

Reply from Enrico:

"Hi James,

The only service agent in Wales that I know of is Dick Lovett in Cardiff. Try contacting Tina from their servicing department on 02920 350900.

Also Dick Lovett in Swindon on 01793 615000.

Also Carrs of Exeter on 01392 822880.

Most dealers offer a pick-up and drop-off service.

I have named only official Maserati agents as I do not know of any non-official specialists in South Wales or the West Country that I could recommend.

Bill McGrath Maserati, the only independent Maserati specialist I would recommend, are now servicing 3200GTs. They offer free collection and delivery within the greater London area. Outside a fifty mile radius of London, they charger 40p per mile.

They also offer a pre-purchase inspection service on these cars. The car does have to go to their workshop but the inspection can be done while you wait. It takes around 2 hours and costs £150 plus VAT for them to produce a written report.

Hope this helps,

Enrico."

Mike in the UK writes:

RE: 3200GT air-con and brake pads and discs:

"Enrico,

I have just bought a 2000 3200GT and have a couple of questions:

The air con was not working. On having it tested (by a mobile re-gas service) I am told that the condenser has a leak (I did hear this when he pressure tested it). He quoted £800 and my main dealer quoted £850. I am going to go with the dealer but is this a realistic price for the work?

Where can I buy discs and pads? I don’t want to pay main dealer rates for fitting these as I have always looked after this myself in the past. I just can’t seem to find a web site that sells them.

Can you answer the oil check question. I have been told to check the oil hot, check it cold, check it with the engine running. Logic says cold but when I topped it up to half way up the dip stick the next time I drove it the dip stick blew out and sprayed oil all over the engine bay. I don’t want to run it too low but also don’t want this to happen again. I notice from the service history that this has happened before and oil has had to be drained.

Hope you can help.

Regards,

John."

Reply from Enrico:

"Hi,

The price for supplying and fitting the air-con condensor and re-gassing the system is about right. The cost depends largely on their labour charges. I think you are doing the right thing by going to a main dealer!

I am pretty sure Brembo will not supply direct to individual customers. Tarrox do make pads and discs but their prices are about the same as those from Maserati. Not sure about any other suppliers.

The 3200GT Driver's Handbook states quite clearly that the engine oil should be checked when the engine is COLD!

QUOTE: "Engine oil

The level checks must be carried out with the car on the level and with the engine cold.

The oil level must fall between the MIN and MAX reference marks on the dipstick.

The gap between MIN and MAX corresponds to about 1.5 litres of oil.

If the engine oil level is close to or actually below the MIN reference, add oil through the filler cap until the MAX reference mark is reached.

The oil level should never exceed the MAX reference."

Regards,

Enrico."

Mike in the UK writes:

RE: 3200GT extended warranty?:

"Hi,

I am about to purchase a Maserati 3200GT and given their reputation would like to buy a warranty. Does anybody have any suggestions or experiences with regard to the best place to purchase such a warranty?

Also is the lack of a red key, still a major issue? I have read various posts on the web which say that this in not such a problem for dealers anymore. Any comments?

Thank you in advance for any help.

Regards,

Seb."

Reply from Enrico:

"Hi,

Sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner but I have been away for two weeks holidaying in Italy.

Who are you buying the car from? Is it an official Maserati dealer?

The red key is very important. Personally, I wouldn't buy a 3200GT that didn't have one. If the key is now missing, I think it says a lot about the way the car has been looked after.

I have heard that if the car was imported into the UK via the official dealer network, then a record of the code for the red key should be on file. However, if the car was imported privately I have no idea what information would be available.

Regards,

Enrico."

Alex from Greece writes:

RE: 3200GT oil consumption?:

"Dear Enrico,

I just bought a 2000 3200GT. It really drives well, but I noticed a big oil consumption, greater than on the Ghibli I owned before. It does not leak and there is no oil smoke from the exhaust. Can you please tell me which is the normal oil consumption for relatively hard driving?

Is it possible that I have a turbo failure or burning oil in the combustion chambers without oil smoke from the exhaust?

And is it normal that I get a 5 bar reading on the oil pressure gauge all the time, even at idle with warm oil?

Thanks,

Alex."

Reply from Andrea:

"The oil consumption on the V8 engine is normally around 1 litre in 1000 miles – much higher than on the V6 engines. If you had a turbo failure etc, then you would have blue smoke in the exhaust when idling hot. The 5 bar oil pressure reading when hot is also correct!

Regards,

Andrea."

Mike in the UK writes:

RE: 3200GT exhaust leak?:

"Enrico,

Great site and full of fantastic info for a virgin Maserati buyer like myself.

I am in the process of purchasing a year 2000 3200 GT with 22k on the clock.

The car has a full HR Owen service history and I went to see it last week.

With the exception of a few cosmetic scratches the car looks great, my only concern was what looked to be a couple of leaks from the exhaust pipes (joints). Could this just be condensation leaks or could it possibly be something more serious like the catalytic converters. I am told by HR Owen that if it were the 'Cats' it would not run, but I'm not sure of this.

Could you please advise your opinion on this matter, or if any of your readers have noted the same on their 3200 GT's advise the same.

Thanks.

Keep up the good work.

Regards,

Mike."

Reply from Andrea:

"The chances are that this is condensation if the joints you are talking about are between the catalysts and the rear silencers. There is no possible problem with the catalysts that would cause anything to ‘leak’.

Regards,

Andrea."

David in the UK writes:

RE: 3200GT battery re-charging:

"Sorry to bother you again,

I am worried about the battery going flat as my Porsche 944 does after a few days without use.

Can I trickle charge without disconnecting the battery or should I open the isolation switch first?

I presume this does not have an adverse effect on the cars electrical/ alarm systems etc?

Regards,

David."

Reply from Enrico:

"Hi David,

I believe there is a battery charger on the market that plugs into the cigar lighter socket and trickle charges the battery whilst still allowing the alarm to operate. This is your best option.

Advice on starting your car following removal of the battery should be in your Driver's Handbook.

Alsdo check out the Airflow Automatic at www.airflow-uk.com.

Regards,

Enrico."

Stefano in the UK writes:

RE: 3200GT air/con fault:

"Hi,

Firstly may I compliment you on all the infomation you provide, your site is a well of Maserati info!!

I have a 3200 GT, 2000 X reg, and I am having problems with the aircon unit. The actual disply reads "E", which I presume means error and evenn though air does come out of the unit it is not cold air-conditioned air, it's just normal air.

Would you have any idea what this is, is it just that it needs regassing, or is it an electrical fault.

Please could you help me.

All the very best and kind regards,

Stefano."

Reply from Enrico:

"Hi Stefano,

Ciao Stefano,

Attached are pages from the 3200GT Service Manual, giving instructions for the self-diagnostic system.

Sim in the UK writes:

RE: Buying a 3200GT:

"Hi Enrico,

Just stumbled across your very informative and great site. Went and saw a 3200GT yesterday at Rossa Corsa, lovely car as i purely happened to be driving by. I am thinking of spending about £20,000 give or take a couple. From your site it seems to indicate reliability problems or am I wrong as I was visiting a problem solving page. Also where can I find info about the range and upgrades and improvements since the early models and reviews on it which gives a real life handling and usage like driving round town as well as high speed runs and real life usage rather than pure technical stuff. I am after a manual one and understand that early ones don't have great brakes or steering and when they are sorted (what month of what year) and how to tell as I am after the earliest good example. I believe it is very jerky from the few reviews I read but sorted out after 2001 (again can you tell me how to spot them). Also, whether the handling/suspension can be improved and on what versions it is done. Are all models 6 speed and have a sports mode? Are there any bad points with this car?

Any additional help will be gladly appreciated, also where I can get one inspected by a good expert and the prices. I better stop now before I take up all your time!

Thanks again,

Sim."

Reply from Enrico:

"Hi Sim,

Thank you for your email.

With any car check that it has a FULL, and I mean FULL, uninterrupted Maserati service history. If it doesn't have an uninterrupted official Maserati service record, my advice is to leave well alone. A bad buy will cost you a fortune in the long run. Always look out for the later post 2000 version - the early ones had a poor braking system.

There is a company who have produced info that you can download from their site that gives a broad outline of what to look out for when buying any used car plus brief details of specific points pertaining to the 3200GT. They are at www.usedcarexpert.co.uk/. Simply type in Maserati 3200GT. It costs around £8 and is worth it for the recall information alone.

If you're interested, there's a red 2002 3200 GTA Assetto Corsa for sale on the Maserati Club website at £27,500 ono. Go to www.maseraticlub.co.uk and click on the Cars For Sale button at the top of the page. Don't know the car but it looks OK.

These cars should only be looked at by experts and that is where the high maintenance cost come from.

Expect to pay between £60 (non-official) to £120 (official from £90 and up) plus VAT per hour for labour.

Expect to pay around £800 for the annual service.

  6,000 miles - £1,300 including parts, labour and VAT.
18,000 miles - £1,300 including parts, labour and VAT.
31,000 miles - £1,900 including parts, labour and VAT.
42,000 miles - £1,300 including parts, labour and VAT.
53,000 miles - £1,300 including parts, labour and VAT.
All prices based on the lower official Maserati dealer labour cost of 90 plus VAT.

Things like cambelt replacement around £600 incl.

Brakes all round including handbrake shoes, pads and discs around £1,800 incl.

Michelin tyres all round around £1,000 incl.

Clutch replacement around £2,700 incl.

The roller-bearing turbochargers cost around £2,700 each plus VAT.

Engine oil and filter, manual gearbox oil and the air/con pollen filter should be changed every year - a good way to check a proper maintenance schedule.

Normal clutch replacement on a 3200GT Cambiocorsa is due at around 12,000 miles, less if driven pretty hard!

The car when new comes with a RED master diagnostic key, two BLACK alarm keys and a code card. The red key and code card are of VITAL IMPORTANCE (make sure your car comes with these, as losing these items could cost up to £3,000 to replac; it involves changing the management system).

With any car check that it has a FULL, and I mean FULL, uninterrupted Maserati service history. These cars should only be looked at by experts and that is where the high maintenance cost come from.

There is only one non-official Maserati expert that I could recommend and that is Bill McGrath Maserati, near Luton in Hertfordshire - excellent reputation.

As official dealers go the most experienced would be Meridien-Modena in Hampshire - excellent reputation.

Mileage/Services:

Most 3200GT cars do not do the expected annual mileage between services and this creates a quandary for owners. Do you pay the high maintenance costs to get the service books stamped every year, regardless of whether the work actually needs doing, or do you delay having the car serviced until the mileage has reached the service interval? The former is a cautious but expensive solution, the latter a risk. This is why some Maserati experts are offering a ‘low-user’ interim service schedule – to make sure that critical items like engine oil, antifreeze, pollen filters etc are kept in good condition, while costing less than a ‘complete’ service. Likely cost of a ‘low-user’ service with an independent specialist like Bill McGrath is around £300 plus VAT.

Please remember, don't expect BMW or Porsche reliability with a Maserati. Don't forget that the 3200GT is quick and should be driven with care in the wet.

Regards,

Enrico."

Karim in Germany writes:

RE: 3200GT "Check Engine" warning light:

"Hi Enrico,

I have just read through all the published emails concerning defects on Maseratis...

I just bought a 3200GT (Year 2000) and I seem to have the same problem many Maserati owners suffer from:

Firstly, when I start the car sometimes I see an "E" in the temperature display and then the A/C stops to work properly.

Secondly the "Check Engine" light comes up pretty often, sometimes followed by a loss of power, sometimes the car still drives as if nothing is wrong. Once I also had this loss of power even without the "Check Engine" light coming up. I know this has been answered a few times, but still I did not find a sure answer to this problem. Do these to things happen due to one relating problem or are they two seperate problems?

I would be very grateful for a solution, because it takes a lot of fun out of driving this superb car....

Thanks in advance...

Karim."

Reply from Lee:

"Hi,

In response to your email I can only say that the ‘E’ light is as you are already aware related to the air conditioning system.

The engine 'check light' is related to a number of different items within the engine management system. They are not really related in any way, both systems would need to be interrogated by SD2 the Maserati test equipment.

The ‘E’ can be several things, the outside air temperature sensor failure or and direction flap motor failure and worst scenario, the ECU. The engine check light is most likely to be something along the lines of a lambda sensor failure but again the most accurate way to be sure would be to take it to a dealer who has the relative test equipment.

I have it good authority that someone who has a EOBD reader can also access this information!

Sorry I can't be of any more help to you.

Regards,

Lee."

Dave in the UK writes:

RE: Buying a 3200GT in Italy:

"Hi Enrico,

I am looking at purchasing a 2000, 3200 GT. I live in the UK and am considering taking a trip to Italy to buy one there. I am wondering, do you know if it will be much cheaper to buy in Italy? Also, will I be able to easily find a right hand drive car in Italy?

Thanks very much for any info you may provide,

Dave."

Reply from Enrico:

"Hi Dave,

A. Prices for used 3200GTs are pretty strong in Italy. They are already achieving collectors status.

B. Almost no chance of finding a RHD over there or anywhere else in Europe for that matter. You might find a left-hand drive car at a reasonable price, but it will be worth a lot less when you try to sell it!

Regards,

Enrico."

Adam in the UK writes:

RE: 3200GTA tramsmission noise:

"Dear Enrico,

Last week I became the second owner of a 1999 3200GTA which has covered 11,000 miles. The car has a full Maranello/H R Owen history. So far I have covered about 400 miles and the car is awesome. My only slight concern is transmission noise at low speed. When driving gently at low speed (sub 40mph) I can hear a slight "groan" from the transmission as it shifts up. Also there is a slight whine on the over-run. Out of town, when you push the car harder, both these noises seem to disappear. I spoke to a ********* Advisor about it and he did not seem too concerned, advising me to monitor it until it's service (next month). Has anyone else experience of this?

Thanks,

Adam."

Kevan in the UK writes:

RE: 3200GT or 4200 Coupe?

"Dear Maserati Owners.

I hope to soon join the Maserati owner club however I am in a quandry. I have just sold my Audi TT and am now looking seriously at a used 3200 (pre 2002). I have read many reviews and on the whole most seem to be favourable however a good freind of mine who currently owns a Ferrari 360 Stradale and is extremely well heeled in the subject of Super Cars has placed a doubt in my mind. He has questioned why the 3.2 twin turbo was so swiftly replaced by the normally aspirated 4.2. I had it in my mind that this was just one of the changes in order to make the car palatable to the US market and Maserati/Ferrari/Fiat could not justify having two engines for differing markets. Am I correct in this assumption or have there been problems with the 3.2 which have forced Maserati to replace the engine?

Given that I am looking at a manual transmission I am also keen to find out that assuming correct gear changes, is there a tendancy for the transmission/ clutch to encounter problems more regularly?

Would you recommend the 3200?

Sorry to ask so many questions but I would like to get some fact from the people who know.

Chris."

Reply from Andrea:

"Hi Chris,

The reasons for the change to normally aspirated engines are complex but nothing to do with any inherent problem with the 3.2 litre unit. The turbocharged engine could trace its parentage back at least ten years and was becoming a little long in the tooth from an emission point of view – which affected Maseratis need to sell to the USA. There was always going to be a tie up in technology terms between Ferrari and Maserati which meant developing an engine usable by both marques. The 4200 engine and the F430 basically share a lot of engine tech. And lastly, a marketing led reason in that the twin turbo engine still associated Maserati with the Biturbo era, from which the new Ferrari management were keen to distance themselves.

None of that has any effect on how good or bad these cars are however! The 3200 has massive mid range wallop that the 4200 cannot match. It has a much more relaxed feel to it and especially in auto, is a much more friendly drive. However, if you want manual then the differences are not so great. The manual can be used properly (without transmission problems) and is still great for a committed driver. Around town however, it can be a pain.

There are areas where a later car is better. The steering on the original 3200 is not very good. The brakes are a little woolly etc. Dynamically, the car was improved immensely when the Assetto Corsa special edition was launched, although the later bits can be retro fitted on any 3200. The seats are also pretty terrible in the original car – again something fixed in later versions.

I don’t think you could say that the only reason to buy a 3200 is that they are cheaper than the 4200, but you will obviously have to spend more time looking for the right example. I would look for an Assetto Corsa in the lowest mileage possible!

Andrea."