having owned and maintained and repaired and driven for more than 20k miles a 4200gt spyder manual 02 reg in british racing green with cream leather all the possible boxes ticked and 18k miles when i got it. :
the buying and servicing experience was immaculate. a driver would come from leeds to hull, drop a 320d mpack off and pick the maser up. then drop it back off a few days later.
however it was at jct 600 leeds every second week for various reasons. 9k (i think it was 9k) service was 1300 quid for spark plugs, oil, filters and general check. then the annual at 400 quid where all they did was clean the brakes. and then a clutch at 2.5k quid. also for the record a rear drive shaft was over a grand!!! plus labour
tyres are 400 quid a corner for the rear ones (ps change the pirellis asap and put pilot sports on!!!)
more body flex than a mattress and a corsa on aftermarket coilovers could overtake me on a roundabout.
creaky cabin and a fair bit of wind buffeting.
oh and it rusts!
10mpg round town, 18-20 on the motorway at 80-90mph
skyhook suspension useless and TCS worse than the Zed's
very average brakes.
and i could go on and on.
the grandsport is better but only just. the coupe is a different car as it handles sweetly and there isnt much body roll. but thats as far as it goes. the interior in the 04 on models is much nicer but the fit and finish still average
then you start the engine and you forget it all!!
sounds amazing, straight line pace up up there with the best and the engine is simply a gem. (it has got chains not cambelts and and its a dry sump or whatever its called)...oh and the engine is very very robust too!
add that its one of the best chick traps and head turners ever and you ve got the perfect poser's car haha
if you buy one you will love it. but be very careful which one you buy and drive it with love or it will wreck your bank accounts (they are cheap as chips to buy for a reason)!!
and drive with respect. you can not drift it!!! especially in the wet it bites back suddenly and big time...i wrote it off in the end
as for the granturismo i would have one any day. 1-2 years old. not brand new and not with the old automatic box...it goes through clutches every 9-10k miles and is very jerky. and then sell it before the warantee expires.
If I go down the Maser route, I might tap you for some info