[tomato]

Hello everyone,

I am considering getting a 2007 QP

Used 2007 Maserati Quattroporte, Signal Hill, CA, Sedan, Long Beach BMW Stock: T70026872

I am going to be using this car as a daily driver in Los Angeles. (Yikes! I know, but I dont drive much)

Does this car seem like a good deal?

Besides clutch wear, what other trouble spots should I look for?

Please advise

Thank you

[cydog]

I know I'm not the most advanced person on here, but since I bought recently there are a couple things I would now be looking for:

- I got a Pre Purchase Inspection through Carchex. They did a good job telling me that the car actually existed (it was half way across the country) and drove well, BUT bringing it to a mechanic who specializes in Maserati's would have probably have been a better idea. This would also give you a solid idea of the clutch wear which you are already aware you should know.

- My Carfax listed the dealerships my QP was previously serviced at, so I was able to call them and see if they knew of any issues of the car (they looked it up based on the VIN) and what maintenance was done or what I should be expecting as far as my next scheduled servicing. The Carfax for this car doesn't list that, so I don't know how you'd do this.

- If the Owner's Manual is not there, you should knock $500 off the price for what it will cost you to buy one off eBay. And trust me, that owner's manual comes in handy.

- If there aren't two keys, you should knock $400 off the final price you negotiate so you can get another one made (maybe it is more or less, but you can call the Ferrari/Maserati dealership to find out)

- I'm thinking that "Interior Tour" is a different car than the one they have pictures of, because in the pics it has the knob to select drive or reverse, and in the tour it has the automatic. Nothing to worry about, just saying.

- I'm not a car dealer and don't buy these all the time, so with that in mind as far as price I don't think they are absolutely trying to screw you. It seems like it is a fair price, but to me it looks like a base model and I think there is probably room to negotiate down. I think some forum members may be trying to sell their cars, so you can look in the Buy & Sell section if you aren't sold on this specific one.

- Some may try to steer you towards the automatic transmission since you are going to be in city traffic. I am in city traffic a lot in DC and I use the Paddle Shifters. Although a nightmare at first, I have adjusted to it over the couple weeks I've owned my car and it's not so bad (of course I haven't used the automatic so don't have any familiarity with the alternative).

I don't know if any of this helps you or not, but that's pretty much all I've got. Good luck!

[webdev]

I agree with all what cydog said. I do however like to stress that you should get a PPI done from a Ferrari/Maserati dealer. PPI will reveal what the clutch wear is and other issues if there are any. Very import that you get a PPI, whether you're buying one with F1 or automatic transmission.

Yes, this looks like a base model. 2007s comes in three trims, base, ExecutiveGT or SportGT. Why not get a ExecutiveGT or a SportsGT?

[Yeqon]

Is it an early or late model 2007? The early models were still the duo-select and in that case I would plan on buying a new clutch every year if not every other in LA traffic. Personally I don't recommend the QP as a daily driver unless you have pretty deep pockets. Talking to the Maserati mechanic the other day he again confirmed that if driven in stop and go traffic the duo select clutch is lucky to get 15-20k miles. Yes,I know people have gotten more but I would doubt it in heavy LA traffic. I've actually average almost 25k per clutch but don't ever sit in rush hour traffic with the car. Currently the car is on it's third. He actually had a horror story about a guy that bought a Gallardo and had to sit in traffic to leave his apartment complex everyday that was going thru clutches every 2k miles.

[cydog]

Originally Posted by Yeqon

He actually had a horror story about a guy that bought a Gallardo and had to sit in traffic to leave his apartment complex everyday that was going thru clutches every 2k miles.

I can't WAIT to be able to afford this problem!

[tomato]

Thank you for the valuable feedback!

So the duo select is only in 2006 or early 2007 models?

If that is the case I will just look at later models to avoid frequent clutch replacements.

Please advise

Thank you

PS: Its funny that you mention Gallardo, I have one of those as well. And, it does suck sitting in LA traffic, but I drive it only twice or three times a week so havent had to replace the clutch yet. Fingers crossed .. lol

[elambo]

They began offering an automatic in the middle of '07. Some '07s are duo-select, some are auto.

[tomato]

Originally Posted by elambo

They began offering an automatic in the middle of '07. Some '07s are duo-select, some are auto.

so for the daily driver should i go with automatic to avoid all these clutch problems?

[abichara]

Drive cars with both transmissions. If you know and like manual transmissions DuoSelect is great (even in LA) and much more fun to drive than an automatic. My 2005 with 73K miles is on its third clutch.

[Bob]

Originally Posted by tomato

Thank you for the valuable feedback!

So the duo select is only in 2006 or early 2007 models?

If that is the case I will just look at later models to avoid frequent clutch replacements.

Please advise

Thank you

PS: Its funny that you mention Gallardo, I have one of those as well. And, it does suck sitting in LA traffic, but I drive it only twice or three times a week so havent had to replace the clutch yet. Fingers crossed .. lol

Get the ZF 6speed, that car has Duo Select. late 07 and up have the torque converter tranny (ZF). The ZF will make a much better traffic machine.

[elambo]

Originally Posted by tomato

so for the daily driver should i go with automatic to avoid all these clutch problems?

My commute sees a lot of traffic. I couldn't be happier about my decision to go with the Auto. If I want to have fun I switch to Manual and use the paddles, something I actually do quite often. But when it's stop and go I'm more than happy to let the car handle the job.

These are great transmissions. I've been rough on my QP and it has never even broken a sweat. With the Duo, that little brain troll that lives in my head would constantly be reminding me of the grinding that's happening beneath the car and the repair bill that awaits ahead.

I drove a Duo and although it's sportier it's only slightly more so but it's TERRIBLE in auto mode. Just awful. After getting the drive-by-wire module I don't miss anything about the Duo, certainly not the annoying brain troll.

[elambo]

I remember first digging into these different transmissions. It was slightly confusing to me. Maybe this will help:

The Duo Select and the ZF Auto are different transmissions. The Duo Select was used in Quattroportes prior to the middle of '07. It is a fully manual transmission which offered an "Auto" mode, but it was essentially an electronic manual, NOT a true smooth-shifting Auto. It's my understanding that the Duo never again resurfaced.

The ZF Auto (ZF is the German company which produces the transmission) replaced the Duo Select after Maserati received many complaints about the roughness of the Duo Select. The ZF is a fully automatic transmission which offers a Manual mode where the driver can shuffle through the gears at will, but all shifting is handled by the automatic transmission. It's smooth, though naturally not as quick to change gears as the Duo.

[Keithtsui]

Originally Posted by elambo

I drove a Duo and although it's sportier it's only slightly more so but it's TERRIBLE in auto mode. Just awful. After getting the drive-by-wire module I don't miss anything about the Duo, certainly not the annoying brain troll.

Does the sport version make a difference? I have watched Tiff Needell test driving the 2006 sport GT on YouTube and his comment is it's very smooth even in Auto mode! Any 2006 Sport GT owners, please share your view

Keith

[scot]

Sport is faster at switching when in sport mode and when being driven hard, that's it.

[elambo]

Originally Posted by Keithtsui

I have watched Tiff Needell test driving the 2006 sport GT on YouTube and his comment is it's very smooth even in Auto mode!

I drove an '05, which is mechanically comparable, and it wasn't smooth in Auto mode. Sport "mode" does help.