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Preparing to Buy a 2010 GranTurismo S

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ef11

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Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
Hello Maserati community,


First post here, have been looking around for a few months on the forum though. I have found a 2010 GranTurismo S in my area with 48,000 miles that I am extremely interested in. From all discussions with the owner the car appears to be well maintained and is currently owned by an older couple that "have it as a third vehicle which is rarely driven." I come from a moderately tuned 2009 335i with 130,000 miles, have been looking at E92 M3s for a while as I want a naturally aspirated engine, but then came across the GranTurismo S and I just couldn't get my mind off of it...months later here I am.


I have tried to read and find things to look for, but I wouldn't feel right about buying if I don't at least post my own thread to ensure I don't miss anything. I have emailed several times with the owner and we are planning to get together on Sunday (4/29) so I can take a look at the vehicle.


Recent Service:
- New brakes 10,000 miles ago
- New front tires 10,000 miles ago
- New rear tires 1,000 miles ago
- New spark plugs, fuel injection service, and the rear valve cover resealed (haven't heard much about this on the forum) 1,000 miles ago.


Things to look for:
- Engine serial number for CAM Variator reasons, not sure if I can get this number when I see it on Sunday or does it have to be on a lift? I believe there is a sound the car makes on cold start that can indicate this is an issue, is that the case?
- Not sure if it has fixed or skyhook suspension, is there an easy way to tell? I have read so many mixed reviews on both I'm not sure I have a preference.
- I'm not very familiar with various packages, I feel these cars came pretty much loaded in 2010 without a ton of options, but not positive if I should look for various packages and how to tell whether the car has it or not.
- The Carfax doesn't show detailed maintenance history like oil changes etc, just things like "registration completed" or "title issued" or "passed emissions testing". Maybe I can contact a dealer to have them pull the full history of the vehicle but I know some won't do that?


Only known issue with the car is TPMS sensors are out and rarely there is a slight squeak that might be coming from the suspension that goes away after a minute or two.


PPI in my area seems to be $500 which seems like a lot...I would like to avoid but I doubt anyone would recommend this no matter how clean it looks or how well it drives, what are the communities thoughts on this?


Thanks for any help you all can provide, really excited to potentially become a member of the community.


Pictures:











 
#2 ·
Good luck

1) I think the engine number should be on the registration doc? It surely is in the UK. The sound the car will make is like (dry) beans in a tin. Normally ;) See if there's any evidence that they have been done in the service documentation
2) Almost certainly Skyhook. As far as I know fixed was only on the MC, but someone may well correct me.
3) Never quite get this bit. If you don't know what's in the option, why do you want it? No offence intended :) Front parking sensors are a good idea IMHO.

Hope you find a good car!

C
 
#4 ·
ef11 said:
I did find a very reputable place that will do the PPI for $195, multiple other places quotes $500-600 which I think is ridiculous. So for $195 I plan to have the PPI done next week.
Click to expand...
With all due respect, what do you think you will accomplish with a $195 PPI? No, $500-600 is NOT ridiculous if you are looking for a thorough, mechanical PPI.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
Dave Rocks said:
With all due respect, what do you think you will accomplish with a $195 PPI? No, $500-600 is NOT ridiculous if you are looking for a thorough, mechanical PPI.
Click to expand...

They walked me through all the details of the inspection, seemed exactly the same as what the others were offering. They said they have done many Maserati PPI, scan all systems, check engine, trans, all fluid systems for leaks, suspension, electrical functions, put it up on the lift and check everything there, drive the car and then back on the lift to check for anything that doesn't look right after the drive. They said it would take 3 hours and they would take me out to show me any issues or just let me check it out for myself with their mechanic.


This is their website - Car Repair Houston | Car Service Houston | Mercedes Benz Service Houston


I think the $500-600 is a Maserati tax by the other places, they told me theirs would take 2-3 hours so I can't imagine they are doing that much more. I'm not sure how a mechanical inspection differs from what you're thinking Motorwerks would do, but at 3 hours I would think that's pretty mechanical.


Welcome to more feedback of course, thanks for the input.
 
#6 ·
First attachment shows where the engine type & serial number is located. If you or seller has a fiber optic viewer, you may be able to stick it underneath the car and read the engine plate (if it isn't covered with road crap). If not, put the car on a jack stand and scoot under there to read it visually. If a lift is available, definitely use it. Be sure you know where the lift hard points are before using a floor jack. They are higher off the ground than the soft rocker panels.

I'm not sure the 2010 GranTurismo shares the same exact engines as the 2010 QP. If it does, engines after S/N 148697 have the factory fix for the variator issue. Those correspond to a factory vehicle assembly date after September 2010 (that is shown on a label in the driver door jamb). 4.7L engines are reported to have considerably fewer variator issues than the 4.2L engines.

Here are two video clips which show the variator issue. These have to be cold starts, which may be difficult to replicate in TX by this time of year.

https://youtu.be/J2TKt5mOcPQ
https://youtu.be/37Y2xRXtjs8

Even though the loud rattley sounds disappear after a few seconds, this is the sound of variators that need the repair.
Some independent shops charge less than $6K for the repair. Dealers want $9K or more.

If the car you are looking at exhibits this behavior, try showing these videos to the seller. The seller may not be aware of the issue. Maybe that would lead to a sell price reduction to accommodate. If not, you will still know what you are dealing with and you can make your own adult informed decision about how to proceed.

Skyhook suspension - if there is a wire coming out of the top of the shock towers, it's Skyhook. You want it. Especially if your local roads look like mortar craters like mine do.

Maserati dealer records cannot be linked to each other, so one dealer will not be able to pull records from a different dealer. Factory or Maserati NA won't be able to help either with prior maintenance info. That's why it's important to get as much info as you can from the seller. If you happen to know which specific dealer(s) serviced the car, and if you make a personal phone call or visit to the service manager, you may be able to get that one shop's service history. I have never found email inquiries to be effective for this. But personal contacts matter. They set you apart as an enthusiast, not a clueless consumer. People working in the trenches of the car service industry frequently appreciate that distinction.

The above paragraph said, if you cannot verify when a service was done, bite the bullet and do it. Maybe the seller will give you some compensation in the deal if you negotiate. If not, you do want the car to run right and be reliable, don't you?

If you can find someone (you CAN do so in your area) who is already familiar with Maseratis of this era, you would be much better served for a PPI than by using a generic firm that is not familiar.

If the seller cannot give you a complete list of the options it has (shame on him/her), with the VIN you can perhaps approach a dealer customer service rep and get a readout of same (if you ask nicely and on a non-interference basis). If you really want to know and that avenue proves unproductive, PM me with the VIN and I'll see what I can do, if it really matters to you. If you drive it and like it, the rest of this paragraph may be moot.

TPMS sensors - if they were not replaced when the tires were, they need replacing and then there is a calibration procedure you can do to synch the sensors to the TPMS ECU. Replacement brand is HUF, do not get from ebay. Mine cost about $100 each from a reputable independent provider. I got mine at Formula Dynamics.

To echo what others have said, your PPI squawk figure of $500 is not too much. For a reputable PPI on these cars, it may not be quite enough. Worst case, it will confirm that you don't need to spend a bunch of after-purchase money to sort the car out. At best, it will point to thousands of $$ you will have to spend to make the car 100% sound. That could/should be a negotiating point between you and the seller. PPI is an insurance policy, so to speak.

I think that about covers your questions. It looks to me like you have found a great machine. I hope it works out for you. FWIW, I was a BMW owner for decades. But when the next generation Board of BMW walked away from the enthusiasts that made the marque the brand that it used to be, that's when I walked away. That and plastic head bolts in the newer engines. If you continue to want to invest in that marque, my advice would be to get good old stuff from 2001 and earlier. My 2 cents on that brand.

Good Luck,
KTBD
 

Attachments

#7 ·
I would say if you can get a good PPI done, you should, almost any price will pay for itself in the end with what you find out. Because of being in different cities etc. it was impossible for me to get a proper PPI done on the QP I bought, and I suffered for it. Mind you, it's also not clear that even the most thorough PPI would have discovered some of the problems I wound up with, but at least I would have learned that the clutch was 98% worn.
 
#8 ·
ef11 said:
They said it would take 3 hours and they would take me out to show me any issues or just let me check it out for myself with their mechanic.
Click to expand...
So they work for $65.00 per hour - got to be the lowest hourly rate of any shop I've ever heard of. And, it's not just time - it's the experience and knowledge of the tech doing the inspection. That can and will vary greatly.
 
#9 ·
A very thorough and spot-on write-up by kissthebricksdad. Oh how I wish I had gotten a PPI inspection of the Maserati CPO 2013 GT convertible I bought in December!

As an FYI, you can buy TPMS sensors for about $63/each from Rock Auto:
2010 Maserati GT TPMS sensors

These are the same sensors I purchased for my 2013 GT and they work perfectly. After installing them, I didn't have to perform the calibration process!
 
#10 ·
So if it’s 3 hours, they’d be charging you about $65 an hour to thoroughly inspect a Maserati? What they’re offering is equivalent to an inspection for a Honda or Toyota (visually check for leaks, test drive, etc). You may want to reconsider your purchase if you think that $500 is too much to inspect it.
 
Discussion starter · #11 ·
Kissthebricks,


Thank you for your thorough reply, I greatly appreciate it. As far as the Variators, I will ask the owner to not start the car when I come to visit so I can hear a cold start. I'm sure he will find this a strange request, but so be it. It has had multiple owners, so I will unfortunately not be able to get all of the detailed records from before the current owner (owned it for the past year). First owner was Corporate and in 2.5 years put 8,000 miles on it. Not sure what a Corporate owner really means.

Living in Houston, yes my roads are terrible. I have read that if it has a "Sport" button (mine does) it means it has Skyhook, is that true?

The fact that I don't have complete service history and it does have multiple owners plus the push from members here to spend the $500 has convinced me to do so. The owner is very open to me having a PPI done so that is not an issue.


The owner told me that the only open issues the car has (to his knowledge) is the TPMS and that every so often there is a squeak that occurs that goes away once the car is driven a bit. Said it seems to be coming from the suspension and the Maserati dealer couldn't figure it out

I originally called highly recommended Sphere Motorsports and the guy talked to me for a while, said they inspect it just like they were going to buy it themselves and talked me through some common issues but said in general they are good cars, so I plan to schedule with them.


To be clear, I have the $500 no issue, I just feel like if I pay that money and the inspection is bad, I have just wasted $500 which is what makes it hard. Is it unreasonable to ask the owner to split the inspection cost? Not sure if anyone ever has done this. He seems extremely reasonable so he might be willing to.

Thank you all for the replies.
 
#12 ·
ef11 said:
Kissthebricks,

To be clear, I have the $500 no issue, I just feel like if I pay that money and the inspection is bad, I have just wasted $500 which is what makes it hard.
Click to expand...
That is the price of car shopping ;)

ef11 said:
Kissthebricks,
Is it unreasonable to ask the owner to split the inspection cost?
Click to expand...
Well, yes.
 
#13 ·
a. Maybe your PPI provider can diagnose better what that squeak is. Too many possibilities to speculate here without SOME localization of the sound.

b. Earlier I suggested engine number on lower left side of engine. Upon research, I think your candidate car is an M145 engine, which will have the ID tag on the lower right side of the engine bell housing.

Happy hunting!
KTBD
 
#14 ·
You could just do what I did and skip the PPI entirely, and then pay $10,000 to fix the problems you didn't find out about.

Unfortunately, finding a used Maserati is not hard. Finding one that is actually worth buying is pretty hard.
 
#15 ·
Oh and one more answer to one of your questions....

Skyhook, how can you tell? A sales brochure I have says that SH was standard on an S model QP5. To confirm, open the hood and feel under the plastic shroud for a shock tower top. If there is a wire coming out of the top of the tower, it's Skyhook.

KTBD
 
Discussion starter · #16 · (Edited)
Thank you all for the replies.


To be clear on the serial number, I am still looking for #148697 or later for it to have the factory fix, correct? It doesn't display any variator symptoms now, so I shouldn't consider it a deal breaker if it doesn't have the factory fix I assume?


I will try to get some additional details around the squeak to see if the PPI can uncover anything.

I met up with the owner yesterday, thoroughly looked over the car, and took it for a nice test drive. It did not disappoint, the car was cleaner than I could ever imagine a 2010 being on the outside. I couldn't find a scratch or ding in the paint. The wheels have some rash, but not terrible. The interior is in good shape but certainly suffers from stickiness (assuming Dave Rocks can maybe help with that).


Hitting the sport button certainly tightened up the suspension so I am almost positive it has Skyhook, and the exhaust in sport mode is just unreal. Needless to say I have fallen pretty hard and had a huge smile on my face the entire drive.


Have a $500 PPI scheduled with Sphere Motorsports in Houston on Wednesday morning, I am hoping everything checks out and can proceed. The owner is letting me take the car from his house, get it inspected, and return it on my own so I will get some more drive time as well. If there are issues, the owner seems to be very reasonable so I'm sure we can come to an agreement.
 
#18 ·
Yes you should count yourself lucky that you can even get a PPI done. In my case it was just not possible to do, because there are no Maseratis for sale nearby, so I have to deal with cars that are 200 miles away. I don't have time in my life to go down there and camp out long enough to get a PPI done on a car in another city. I certainly can't force the seller to get it done for me. So, I'm basically stuck with "pig in a poke". It's like buying a car on Ebay, sort of.
 
#19 ·
ef11 said:
Thank you all for the replies.


To be clear on the serial number, I am still looking for #148697 or later for it to have the factory fix, correct? It doesn't display any variator symptoms now, so I shouldn't consider it a deal breaker if it doesn't have the factory fix I assume?


I will try to get some additional details around the squeak to see if the PPI can uncover anything.

I met up with the owner yesterday, thoroughly looked over the car, and took it for a nice test drive. It did not disappoint, the car was cleaner than I could ever imagine a 2010 being on the outside. I couldn't find a scratch or ding in the paint. The wheels have some rash, but not terrible. The interior is in good shape but certainly suffers from stickiness (assuming Dave Rocks can maybe help with that).


Hitting the sport button certainly tightened up the suspension so I am almost positive it has Skyhook, and the exhaust in sport mode is just unreal. Needless to say I have fallen pretty hard and had a huge smile on my face the entire drive.


Have a $500 PPI scheduled with Sphere Motorsports in Houston on Wednesday morning, I am hoping everything checks out and can proceed. The owner is letting me take the car from his house, get it inspected, and return it on my own so I will get some more drive time as well. If there are issues, the owner seems to be very reasonable so I'm sure we can come to an agreement.
Click to expand...
How’d it go? Hope everything checked out!
 
Discussion starter · #20 ·
Hello all!


The PPI went well, there were several things that weren't perfect BUT, mechanically the car was very sound and checked out well.


I am now the proud owner of this thing....it is simply amazing.


I have been busy with work and I head to Orlando this evening for a week long convention, BUT I will post a new thread when I get back including pictures, how I worked with the previous owner, PPI details, pricing, etc as well as asking the normal "what should I do first, etc" type questions. Wheel spacers seem to be a popular add-on. Look forward to the new thread and learning everything there is to know about this car.


Thank you all for your help along the way.
 
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ef11
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