What is the price these days for a masser 3500 good car no stries.
Which Model Maserati 3500 GT? GT, GTI, or GTIS. What year? etc. Your question is a little open ended to give an accurate answer.
Forgive my ignornce, dont know the differences. Just that they look great and compared to an aston DB4 they appear to be a hell f a deal, and are probably btter.
Classic reasoning for most who enter the world of vintage Maseratis. Not trying to dissuade you or even say that 3500s fall into this realm but have a look: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/maserati/420561-why-do-ghiblis-worth-4-times-less-than-daytona-iso-grifo-bizzarini.html Better to know going in.
I know about Ghiblis. Yes a lot of them are ropey. A ghibli is a classic at the wrong end of the curve, like a testarossa. The value vs cost of maintanance keeps it in the worng place, although its slowly breaking out. Plus yes the current maserati "Brand image" measn the twit crowd has not caught on. They look stunning, but the two I drove were far more GT in the old idiom than exciting, nothing like a Daytona, other than style. And the new mass porduction maseratis dont take the "brand" to the ferrari/aston premium arena. That being said, objectivelky a 3500 seems to be everythign an aston from the same ra is? Yet look at Astons from the 50's and 60's serious prices, I just dont objectively see why the maser is worth so much less, other than "brand " perception. But then I rememebr when a lambo 350 Gt was a 50-70k car, people didnt see it then either. I am pretty sure a 3500 is going to be as much fun to drive as a BD4/5. So the real question is can one find a great one, or are they all ropey, and what does a really good one cots. A ropey one cant be worth it as restoration will eb too expensive, and a non restored car may run, but it cant run great. So yes a car someone else spent all the blood sweat and tears on, that is still reasonable from the era, seems only to be a 3500 or sebring.
I'm still going through the blood sweat and tears of my '59 3500 restoration...but if not done soon I'll make someone else do some bleeding.
I think you should drive some good examples of these cars. I haven't driven a Daytona but I got a long ride on a cold day in one. The thing seemed like a truck to me. But then so does a Ghibli when compared with something a bit more modern having fully independent suspension. The Indy I drove two summers ago was nice through some sweeping mountain roads and it had a nicely tuned 4.7 V8. The 4.9 in my Bora is nice as well though. If you want a rip snarling raw performance type vehicle I have to wonder how good a fit the 3500s are going to be?
I have read the truck like analogy from Bob a few times regarding the Ghibli and until recently had not spent any time in one [ at least not a running one] David Z was kind enough to take me out for an extended drive in his a few weekends ago and I was expecting a very harsh choppy ride especially at the rear of the car where the live rear axle would surely mess things up. I have to say I was immensely impressed in how the car handled the Australian roads , with potholes and broken surfaces. It was much much more compliant in my experience than I was expecting and I left impressed with how well this suspension had been made to perform. This seems consistant with roadtests of the time....It may not be the perfect suspension but in my opinion it does remarkable job considering its set up!! Try one before you buy..it really isn't as bad as our detractors would suggest Julian Image Unavailable, Please Login
You are making a lot of assumptions in your assessment. A "great one" is going to set you back $180,000 to $250,000. A "ropey" one is going to set you back $75,000 to $100,000. If you are serious send me a PM, I have contacts for both your needs.
Consider a Good Rivolta GT, they handle great and you can push the engines hard. The 327 winds up nice and the maintenance can be done by most shops. The only thing bad I can say about them is that they have too much cush in the front seats. Build quality is as good as Maserati. Image Unavailable, Please Login
What price range for these machines? Cant say I love the looks from the front. Saw a Gordon Keeble in the flesh this summer, I was impressed with how good it looked.
You are way off on that one, Ghiblis as well are most similar era Maseratis are relatively low maintenance compared to their equivalent Ferrari, Lamborghini or Aston. Where as a Testarossa is a maintenance pig.
I didn't have all bad things to say Julian Is that the impression you took away? I was comparing the ride and drive to that of my Espada's or even the few Khamsin's I've been in but all these cars are truck like at low speed with no power steering. The ride of the Espada IS that much better though and it rides smoother than my 2001 Mercury wagon did when new and of course it handles a lot better. Pretty good for a car 30 years it's predecessor. I guess Dallara knew his stuff what? I haven't driven any of the 3500s. Maybe Ivan can weigh in on what to expect? For many it's more about the look and sound these days anyway. My Espada is a slug when compared with anything new. And I did suggest driving them. One mans truck is another's ______ ?
I dunno, some had citroen bits, all old cars need radiators, busihings etc, and old massers rust. Parts are no less than ferrari parts, wheras the value does not justify the cost to restore properly. in that sense they are like TRs caught in a cost to fix vs value trap. the Ghibli does seem to be breaking out of this finaly. Nevertheless a lot of ghiblis I have seen, run but not great, look ok at a few feet but are not really pristine.
My interest in these apart from asthetic may well have to do witht he way they drive. These days you can do 70-80 mph on the open road reasonably. An older car is going to engage you at that speed and ben an "experience" whereas in a modern its just time passed till you get to your destination. Since I am apparently ADD, and ocd and or love cars and fettling, somethign engaing or fun yet comfortable for the 1 hr drive to my lake house should make enjoyment out of a chore. Plus yeah they look and sound great. Ghiblis look sublime, but the ones I drove did not light the fire. I love the look of a Khmasin, at least in euro form, but that is going to be a labor of love, and maybe too modern, plus find a good one. I even love the V8 quatroporte and have flirted witht he idea of a 10-20k Qp for a daily runaround. But these too all seem rundown, and you know its endless $$$ to put right. So yeah if there was one so eone had loved, it would be a buy for me. I even like the mistral, just dont necessarily love the looks. I do seem to have masser on the brain. Somehow a bettr choice than a ferrari for an older car, because you can afford it, there is none of the ferrari negative social stigama, its a tatseful enthusisats choice, they look great, make all the right sounds etc. So something like a 3500 or a sebring, maybe a mistral. I just want a car someone has already sorted, because been there done that with a lambo 350gt and my boxer and dont want to go through that all again. You know a great car, someone took care of and is looking to send to a loving home. As to espadas, they are brilliant, alsmost a modern, and thta is the issue.
Still kinda BMW 2000 front end ish. But yeah the rest looks good and they must be reasonable to run, ac prb works too. The grey one looks great.
I'd never mistake my Espada for say my Jag S Type R. I'd' like power steering on it but even then, the smells, the noise the "you really know you're shifting gearbox" etc. (i's a long list) let you know it ain't no modern car. Sounds like you want a car that's already done, sorted and has been used regularly for 5-10K miles. Maserati's aren't typically that hard to take care of if they've been well sorted. Trouble is most have not. Just being pretty is a lot easier to do ... Good luck with your search. Only drive the well sorted ones ... LOL
Hey, no problem Bob, I was expecting a crude mess of a car that looked great and rode terribly and I was very pleasantly surprised with the ride quality. I'm not saying its comparable with a modern Jaguar but neither was it a commercial vehicle in any way either. I had bought my Ghibli blind to its dynamic qualitys and I'm just so pleased with what I can look forward to when its finished. I love the build quality too, its been beautifully built with hewn from solid feel that might explain the weight [ still lighter than Bora though !! LOL ] Got the power steering too so its just that clutch pedal and gearbox to wrestle with
