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Would you drive a 7 year old car cross country?

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4regt4

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2023 Quattroporte Trofeo Nero Ribelle
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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I know, kind of like asking how high is up....

I recently bought a 2011 QP Sport GTS. 30k miles. Dealer supposedly did a 30k service (I take this with a bit of a grain of salt, as some shops might just do the usual fluids, etc., while other shops will pull out the trouble light and wiggle hoses, bushings, etc. looking for issues.) New pads, rotors, P-Zero tires. Everything on the car seems to be operating normally, as near as I can tell.

Scenario: I'd like to visit my son in Atlanta. I'm in Oregon. Drive south, cruise a bit of Route 66, then head east. Might even stop at Formula Dynamics and see how much money I can dump. Then back. I have AAA Premium, but that is probably of little use in Tonapah, Nevada.

Risky? Or "don't worry"? Being a Maserati noob, I really don't know what to expect. Is there any Maserati specific emergency stuff I should carry? (Can you get duct tape with little Tridents on it?)

Thanks,
Hans.
 
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#2 ·
I would without hesitation. When I bought my '07 in 2014 it had a fresh recent service, current oil change at the dealer plus a full CPO inspection that came back clean. The car was in Florida, I was in NYC. Delays in the schedule prevented me from driving too far on day one so that left one day to cover 986 miles! I couldn't have asked for a better travelling companion. My only recommendation is to get the PDF manual online to read up on controls before you get there, it's not always intuitive to do things. Congrats on the new ride!
 
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#4 ·
I would drive my 38 year old LandCruiser in a heart beat (reliability, not comfort).
 
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#5 ·
lcdave said:
I would drive my 38 year old LandCruiser in a heart beat (reliability, not comfort).
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I would also take my 25 year old Mitsubishi 3000GT, it's been amazingly reliable.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 
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#6 ·
The chance of getting stranded is not zero, but if you were seeking the absolute minimum chance of getting stranded you would have to buy a new car before every road trip. Seems a bit much.
 
#8 ·
I've put 8000 miles on my 2011 GTS since May. The only thing that has given me trouble is the TPMS ECU (which I solved - story to follow).

I've driven my 2001 XJR from Halifax to Montreal/Ottawa many times over the past few years.

Enjoy the car!
 
#9 ·
My 2005 has been all over the country. That includes a 5,500 mile trip from FL to AZ and back again. Let me remind you, I have a DS not an automatic. You'll be fine. Just watch out for the small town cops!
 
#10 ·
I would to. Its a good way to "bond" with the car. Create good memories (or a funny story and find out her personally lol)

I took my car (8 years) from the dealer and went straight to Nurburgring, covering approx 1000 miles. ? Building trust with your car is important you know.
 
#12 · (Edited)
without hesitation I'd drive Saratoga Springs to San Francisco in any of them, Maserati Spyder (though I'd mount fresh tires) my 1986 Ferrari 412 that is going into the Saratoga Automobile Auction in September, the '06 Cadillac STS-V and 2004 Ferrari 575.
 
#14 ·
I recently bought a 1989 Biturbo Spyder from a guy in Atlanta and wanted to drive it back to Ohio, 600 miles. I asked the same question, and the issue wasn't so much how reliable these cars are, it was how reliable this specific unknown-to-me car was. So how to proceed?

First, I had a reliable shop PPI the car to learn as much as I could. Second, I asked the mechanic specifically if he had any reservations about driving the car back home. Third, I flew down to Atlanta on a Friday, completed the transaction, then enjoyed driving the car around the city for a couple of days, learning the car, gaining confidence in the car, and then hit the road north feeling pretty good about everything (except forgetting the sunscreen).

Due diligence showed the car was well-maintained and in shape for the trip. The weekend visiting old friends and colleagues confirmed everything I was told. We had a fabulous trip home. Ask the right questions of the right people and prepare a little bit and you should have a fabulous trip too. Good luck! (and tell us how it works out!)
 
#15 ·
TBigs said:
I recently bought a 1989 Biturbo Spyder from a guy in Atlanta and wanted to drive it back to Ohio, 600 miles. I asked the same question, and the issue wasn't so much how reliable these cars are, it was how reliable this specific unknown-to-me car was. So how to proceed?

First, I had a reliable shop PPI the car to learn as much as I could. Second, I asked the mechanic specifically if he had any reservations about driving the car back home. Third, I flew down to Atlanta on a Friday, completed the transaction, then enjoyed driving the car around the city for a couple of days, learning the car, gaining confidence in the car, and then hit the road north feeling pretty good about everything (except forgetting the sunscreen).

Due diligence showed the car was well-maintained and in shape for the trip. The weekend visiting old friends and colleagues confirmed everything I was told. We had a fabulous trip home. Ask the right questions of the right people and prepare a little bit and you should have a fabulous trip too. Good luck! (and tell us how it works out!)
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I am surprised I didn't see that for sale! I'd love to have another 89+ Spyder, 430 or 228. A quick bumper update and those are great daily drivers. Lots of fun.

Make sure you maintain the driveshaft and change the oil ever 2K with good synthetic.
 
#16 ·
why people worry about long jurneys? You drive to work 5 Days a week 47 weeks a year (5 weeks vacation in sweden), then you never worry that the car will break down, but driving 1000-4000km in 1-4 Days then it will break? :). Then i would not take my 2008 gp za 98000km on the Clock to Italy (total trip 4000km), My dad has done the same trip 4 or 5 times with his QP gts -11 last 3 years.
 
Discussion starter · #19 ·
Stephen Ford said:
So Hans - you seen all these replies - are you going to take your car on a “grand tour”?
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"Grand Tour". You make it sound like a Jeremy Clarkson adventure.

Yes, looks like I'll do it. I've put about 1500 miles on it in the last month, and everything seems rock solid.

Thinking about supplies. I will put my Bluetooth OBD gadget in the glovebox, as repairs in small towns may be iffy. If I can at least read any codes thrown up, I can get in touch with someone who knows what he is doing for suggestions.

Any other items I should pack?

Hans.
 
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