Maserati Quattroporte

which year QP?

 

Exactly my conundrum. For me, the big draw is the sound.

The chassis is more fun than modern BMWs. But as the bushings wear, it gets wallowy. I drove both high and low mileage cars, the difference was enormous.

Looks better than the BMWs, but inferior build quality. Reliability, well, let's gloss over that.

 

I had an 06 QP-Sport GT and loved it. The build quality is hit-n-miss, but mostly very nice. It's an "emotional" car for sure, some of the controls are oddly placed, and it will remind you that it is an Italian car. But the sound is pure heaven. When I sold my QP, the new owner drove it away from me....I had never actually heard the car from the rear....OMG was it glorious! The Sport-GT exhaust less restriction and sounds incredible. You will be looking for ways to make noise with these cars....and your significant other will be giving you disgusted looks and try to squish the fun...but don't let that happen! I personally loved the Duo-Select transmission, but you do have to be mindful of how to properly drive them to maximize clutch life, etc. The ZF autos are much better for reliability but some of the hard-core sports car feel is missing....just my opinion.

 

Overly engineered and beautiful vehicle. 100% agree with a week suspension links for such a size vehicle. It is only less reliable than other cars because of its unnecessary electronics. The engineer prob. had nothing else to do but lay out the pattern of the wiring, ecu's, etc.
Enjoy it if you buy it but dont pay too much for it.

 

I have to agree with you on the Duo Select. I just sold my 07 QP SGT and got an 09 GTS with the MC Shift and I'm loving it.

 

Let me preface by saying that I make my paycheck fixing Maseratis for a living. With that said..

I'm on my third QP, first two were the Duo Select and current one (late '07) is the ZF Automatica. The DS is definitely more engaging to drive and can be had cheaper on the front end but you need to make sure to budget more cash aside for ongoing repairs/maintenance. Also, if you do a lot of city driving, you'll find that the DS is not well suited for it but if you plan on using it for extended highway cruising or for spirited back road driving then no problem. Suspensions definitely wear more prematurely than on comparable sedans which, IMHO, is unacceptable, but it is what it is with these cars. Since you are focusing on the Automatica version (which I prefer myself), you'll want to see that the camshaft timing variators have been replaced on any prospective car, as it's an immensely time consuming job (30 hours labor + parts) and has to be done by a Mas dealer as the front cam caps get sent off for modification to a specialty machine shop contracted by MNA. Also I'd want to know if the HVAC blower motor has been done as it's a big job, necessitating dash removal to access.

You'll have the odd electrical glitch/failure here and there, and things like window regulators and interior door handles go bad with frequency but overall, these cars are pretty well made and, other than the variator issue, we don't see any issues with the wet sump engines and have yet to see any problems out of the ZF box. There is a rear weight bias so they go through rear tires and brakes like crazy but again, that's something that's just part of the game with these cars. My '07 just rolled 98K miles and still runs like a dream, so don't be put off by examples with some miles on them provided they've seen proper maintenance.

 

Hello Aaron....I know I speak for all when I say we truly appreciate your input. I too agree that overall the QP is well built and very solid. It's good to hear that the ZF transmission has been basically trouble-free. The prices of earlier QP's are dropping to the point where many can buy one, but people need to be aware that the maintenance costs are still for a car with an MSRP well over $100k. In fact there is a blue/tan QP-Sport-GT on ebay that I've been watching, the seller's price is now below $20k. If it's anywhere near as nice as it looks in the pictures it's a bargain, and my wife keeps threatening to hit the buy-it-now! I also concur that the Duo-Select is not suited for stop-n-go city driving, but you can adjust your driving style and do things to ease the burden on the clutch. And I have to say it again....there isn't a better sounding V8 on the planet than the 4.2 in a Sport-GT...

 

Jeff,

I looked at the blue one you mentioned, the guy's write up is pretty bad though. Definitely not a good foot to start out on by emphasizing NO REFUNDS, SOLD AS-IS!!!

LOL

That said, if your WIFE is threatening to hit the Buy it Now that's a pretty awesome woman you have there!

And yes, if you take various precautions with the DuoSelect cars, you can keep the clutches in them for a good long while. Probably my best advice is to never reverse uphill and always drive it in manual+sport mode and be deliberate with throttle application--don't ease into it as otherwise you'll slip the clutch too much, accelerating the wear rate.

Let me know if you get one or if you have questions regarding anything. Oh, and the cam variator problem hasn't been an issue with the dry sump engine, only the wet sump paired to the Automatica versions, but I'd still rather take my chances with one needing variators done than having to deal with clutches in the F1, so mark my words

 

Great thread and some fantastic information about these cars.

Keep in mind that rivals in this category are no walk in the park....The similar German luxo barges are far more complex and go wrong more often.

The QP is just beautiful, especially a 2010-2013 GTS.

Did the 4.7 have variator issues?

 

Yes, the 4.7 has variator issues. I just did a set in a customer's '09 GranTurismo S. $9K repair but Maserati stepped up to the plate and covered the parts because the customer bought the car new and has done all services on schedule.

 

Bergxu:

I am looking at an '11 gts with about 30k miles. Sounds like I'll need to be aware of the variator issues on this year/model as well? Is this a 'not if but when' issue? Also, if I get a ppi at a maserati dealer, will they look for and recognize this issue?

 

Hello Aaron.....yes that ebay seller's wording makes me cringe too. I would definitely need to see that car in person. Yes I did all of the little tricks with my duo-select to extend clutch life, and it was actually fun...I drove the car a bit aggressively as it was meant to be driven. I had a Testarossa just prior to getting the QP and the QP actually felt faster in a straight line - I know that isn't true but it felt that way. Being as it was a Sport-GT it had the 20" wheels, rare carbon fiber trim, contrasting piping on the seats, alcantara headliner....it was just gorgeous! If I could have custom ordered one new I would not have changed anything - it was perfect in my eyes.

All this QP talk is starting to get me worked up....I have to stop thinking about it.....

 

@Gle8: with a 2011 model, you most likely won't have the variator issue. If I'm not mistaken, the updated style variators were fitted by then but I'd have to check with my guys at MNA to be sure. In other words, we've not seen any issues with cars that late, pretty much just '07-'09 cars. As for diagnosing or figuring out if they've been done, it would be notated on Maserati's database if they were done so any dealer can plug the VIN into Modis and review any car's history. Regarding whether they'd need doing, you'd want to listen for a loud rattle upon startup, especially from dead cold. Beyond that, removing the valve covers and inspecting the front cam bearings for evidence of the modification having been done is the only other visual telltale.

Jeff; I'd say you just need to buy buy buy!

There are a couple cheap Automatica versions on eBay now, one being blue on cream with blue dash and blue steering wheel....mmmmm!