GS for Daily driver?

I do about 25-30k miles a year in local driving (NE USA). I know it's not the best decision for a comfortable, reliable, daily driver, but I've purchased a used '05 GS w/22k miles on it anyway. I'm that small % that would take the stock sport seats out and feel more comfortable in a full race seat!.

As a daily driver, and not wanting to ever get stranded out of town on business, what should my maintenance schedule be? Oil every 3k, 5k, 10k (have always used Redline in previous cars and would go 10k between changes).

How about the clutch on the F1, does it just gradually fail over several thousand miles or is it near instant where I'll be stranded somewhere?

Any known weaker parts I should pay attention to? Before my weekly trips (m-thr), I usually pop the hood and give a 10 min inspection to hoses and known problem areas, so if there's a particular part that seems to fail more than others, would be interested in hearing.

TIA

-Mille162

 

I'm not an expert...so you get what you pay for.

Overall a very reliable car, especially given it's racebread nature. The clutch tends to wear slowly over time, and may need addressing every 15-20K miles. Oil changes are one of the biggest myths in automotivedom (IMHO). Synthetics don't have the same risk of thermal breakdown and 10K between changes is acceptable, however I still am a little "old school" and tend to do them sooner. (I think it falls under the same idea that if I eat right and exercise often I can control my own fate....just not so. It is better to eat right and exercise, but if you do you can still die at 45 of a heart attack or pancreatic cancer. Same with oil changes, we feel that if we do them, we won't have maintenace headaches....wrong.)
Maserati has roadside assistance, just tell them the car won't run and they wil flatbead it to the dealer.
You're avergae BMW of MB may strand you too.
You made the right choice!
-Rob

 

Well, I have had mine for 2 1/2 years and 31K miles. The clutch is a slow wear out, but the F1 is catastrophic, and based on my experience and others on the ************.com site, it doesn't appear to give any warning. When it happens you are stranded. When it goes the car just doesn't work, period.
Other problems I have had (steering system had failure somewhere and fluid got polluted with metal specs - still worked, just made a groaning sound; convertible top wouldn't open, but would close: passenger window fell down inside the door, which might make a trip a bit wet and/or cold until fixed) weren't as catastrophic as the F1.
Maserati does have roadside assistance, but you need a flatbed, and an operator/driver who knows what he is doing with a Maserati.
Point being, I am not sure how far afield you are going to be traveling, but you might be waiting quite a while for the flatbed depending on where you are.
Mike

 

They're not all that bad. The GS is the last of the breed, so it's supposed to be better than the previous models. I know several people in the US and in Europe who drive Coupes and Spyders all the time. The greatest sources of problems are:

1) Clutch on F.1 models (especially if you drive a lot in town)
2) Gearbox problems on F.1 models
3) Small electrical problems
4) Interior trim problems.

In any case it's not so bad, the weakest point being really the F.1 - I know it's fun to play with but treat it gently.

 

There are some things you can do to improve clutch life on the F1-

1) Drive it like it was intended, ie us "N" neutral when stoped at lights, don't use the motor to hold the car on a incline stop light etc. Basically if you driver the Maserati Cambiocorsas (F1's) with the same skill and good habits you would drive a 6sp Manual, you'll be way ahead of everyone else with an F1. This goes for Ferrari's, Lambo E-Gears, Audi DSG's and BMW SMG's also.

2) It is possilbe to have the dealer set the clutch for a more aggresive engagement like they did on the older 2002 coupes. The clutches slip less and tend to last longer with that setting.

The problem is that an inexperienced Maserati Cambio driver will tend to think this setting is too "rough" because they don't have the timing and throttle control skills down for seamless shifting. Hense the reason I believe Maserati keeps setting the clutch soo soft and lazy from the factory, that way all the "automotive journalist" (Read: Guy the write for the Food and Beverage section of your local fish wrap/bird cage liner paper) will say the car shift smooths because they got no talent for driving.

Anyone that have ever driven a 2002 Coupe, knows what I'm talking about, the car shifts so nicely, even chirps the tires on the 2-3 shift at WOT.