Buying a Maserati

I have been looking at Maserati's for sale.. 2002 to 2005. I need to have one for the new year. Some of the interior pictures show the center console. The buttons on some cars look all messed up... Like my dog chewed on them. What happens to the buttons? My first thought was water damage.

 

My suggestion is to get one that is 2004 or newer, since that is when some important changes happened. We've discussed this in other threads, use the search feature to find them and see the details.


The problem that you see with the buttons, is called "sticky buttons" and it is well known issue. The varnish gets destroyed (by sun exposure, by cleaning products, fingernails, etc) and you get the effect that you see in the pictures.

There are two solutions:

1) Get new buttons. Expensive, since the buttons can't be found on their own, you need to replace part of the console (around 2 grand plus or minus depending how many buttons are affected).

2) Some companies offer to clean the buttons, but they can't print the graphic like the originals, so they use stickers


If this ever happened on my car, then I'd go for the first solution, more expensive but I plan on keeping my cars. If on the other hand you are looking for a short term lease on a car, then the second solution is cheaper, but the buttons look ugly with the stickers on them.

 

the finish on those buttons as well as chrome around air condition vents as well as leather at top of door is thin and falls off. sticky buttons showed up first. then rings around dash vents flaked off. top of door where i had my arm resting wore thin to zero as well a behind seats on convertible deck when top was down. now for the serious stuff. the cc transmission(paddle shift) is seriously a poor design. real dollars involved. i have an 02 with 25000 miles. 8000 on the first clutch(dealer charge $3,800 installed with flywheel and throw out bearing) in 05. today same job is $8,600. F1 pump for CC transmission go bad. top mechanics tend to wear out. complete new top installed $26000 was the quote. want any more info? my engine went bad. i started car in zero temp after sitting all day. upper did not lub. was not good. with all this crap the toss up was auction, it managed to reach $14,000 wholesale. buyer was not aware of problems. i chose not to sell because the same auction had a damaged 02 and i bought it for one dollar a mile $7,100. plan to fix the new one by robbing parts from mine. love the car. it was my first maserati. i am up to 23 total now. went bananas. oh i forgot. u will notice the dash will shake. does on all of those years.

 

bundas,

1) your dealer is a stealer? F1 clutch change should cost around 2k with an independent Maserati mechanic.

2) as I suggested above, you should get a 2004 car or newer. The 02 model you describe came with a single plated F1 disc, which wore rather fast. Later F1 discs where upgraded to double plating and lasted a lot longer (~40,000km). You must also only drive the car in Sport mode and NEVER in AUTO!!! (in auto the car forces the clutch to continously slip!).

3) Yes the Spyder top is expensive, even in Italy

4) The F1 pump is known to die, thus you usually change it when you have a new clutch installed, even if the old one is working. Because, there is a newer upgraded F1 pump (different part number). You also change the F1 relay to a more durable and higher rated relay (50A relay, which is black in color, while the old one is gray).


In other words, you could have avoided pretty much most of these things, by not going to the dealer, by buying a 2004 or newer car and by taking a bit more care with servicing and replacing parts before they die. Oh, and only drive in Sport mode, never Auto

 

Wow, $8,600 is a crazy number. $3,800 sounds normal though. You can easily get a clutch change (with all bearing and F1 sensor) for $3-5k, depending on where you live. If Columbus is not too far, I would consider Studio 47. I briefly talked to Craig Reed about it and he indicated that he would be on the lower end of that scale. I've used Studio 47 for other work and couldn't be happier. Heard the same from others. Great guy, great shop.

The F1 pump that was initially spec'ed for these cars was too small and tended to burn out. The new one is much more robust. I believe that it was used all the way up until the last 4200s were built in 2006. I believe F430s use the newer, beefier pump though.

Bundas, you're my hero!!! Tell us more!!

Cowl shake is a well known problem in the Spyders, especially 2002.

 

I have to disagree. IMO, unless you would suffer terrible inconvenience by a failure, why replace a part that works? It's not that big a deal.

+1 on other points though.

 

well, in my experience, the F1 pump dies of two reasons:

1) blown F1 relay, which gets stuck and then makes the pump run constantly, which in turn makes the pump fry.

2) the contacts within the pump get worn out eventually.


My GS has had only ONE clutch change since 2006, so considering I changed the cluch in 2010 (4 years, with 50,000 KM on the odometer), then I think it is a good idea to change the pump after all that mileage!

Considering the pump only costs 250 euros... it is a cheap way to maintain reliablity. So I changed both pump and relay.


PS:
You can change the pump without changing the clutch, since the pump is actually accessible via the trunk of the car!

 

i have seen 02 clutch kits including flywheel and TOB for a lot of dollars in the USA. basic clutch, $2000 + TOB + Flywheel. please direct me to a cheaper source

 

WOW!! That's super cheap for a pump. Independent, I assume? But still, I thought sourcing the part alone was a lot more. Is it a Maserati part or a substitute? Details please.

 

The F1 pump used by Ferrari and Maserati is also used by Alfa Romeo. A little known secret, is that the F1 gearbox was used in Alfa Romeo cars (first introduced in the 156 model), these cars are known as "Selespeed".

Ferrari = F1
Maserati = Cambiocorsa
Alfa Romeo = Selespeed

All three use the SAME pump! Because all three are the nearly the same, but with slightly different ECU system (different gear change speeds, etc). The pump is made by Magneti Marelli.

You can order it at your local Afla Romeo dealer, or even online for around 250 euros:

http://www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=store&op=Details&ProdID=3319&sku=9323