[mosesbotbol]

Anyone own a MASERATI Ghibli 2.8 in the US?

If not, anyone here own in in EU? Wondering how they are to own. Thoughts? They look like it would neat to import one with little hassle.

 

[dt95aac]

I have one in the EU.

The car in your photo is an early car, with 16" wheels, no ABS, points ignition and the old diff.
I would avoid those cars for various reasons.

Also EU got two engines, one was the 2.0 for Italy and the 2.8 for the rest of Europe.
The 2.0 is more powerful, revs more and has a 6 speed box, the 2.8 is a bit torquier and gets a 5 speed box or an auto.

The later GT and Cup cars with 17" wheels, ABS, new rear subframe, Ferrari diff are the ones to go for.
They are reliable if maintained properly and very nice to drive.
Some parts are now becoming very hard to find.

I think values are set to go up.

 

[mosesbotbol]

I have one in the EU.

The car in your photo is an early car, with 16" wheels, no ABS, points ignition and the old diff.
I would avoid those cars for various reasons.

Also EU got two engines, one was the 2.0 for Italy and the 2.8 for the rest of Europe.
The 2.0 is more powerful, revs more and has a 6 speed box, the 2.8 is a bit torquier and gets a 5 speed box or an auto.

The later GT and Cup cars with 17" wheels, ABS, new rear subframe, Ferrari diff are the ones to go for.
They are reliable if maintained properly and very nice to drive.
Some parts are now becoming very hard to find.

I think values are set to go up.

How's been to own and maintain? Can you find parts easily enough? Any rust issues? The picture I choose was due to the only or best one on autoscout24 at the 25 year old mark. I too think values will go up as I see these as the last of the "real Maserati" and just cooler looking than what they are selling today.

 

[dt95aac]

How's been to own and maintain? Can you find parts easily enough? Any rust issues? The picture I choose was due to the only or best one on autoscout24 at the 25 year old mark. I too think values will go up as I see these as the last of the "real Maserati" and just cooler looking than what they are selling today.

You need to have to either have a mechanic who knows their peculiarities or to be able to invest time yourself.
The engines although very reliable, are quite complex, so with no real time diagnostics (they weren't available at the time) it's not easy to diagnose when something goes wrong.
Parts availability as mentioned is not great, but many parts no longer offered by Maserati are just rebadged Fiat, Lancia or Citroen items which are still available cheaply , so if you're willing to do your homework you can find solutions.

Rust is not a major issue, but it's still a 90s Italian car, so don't expect Japanese levels or rust protection.
Wheel arches and firewall need to be checked thoroughly before buying.

There is a Yahoo group called Biturbo Zentrum, which contains a wealth of information and knowledgeable owners.

 

[mosesbotbol]

There is a top notch Maserati indy repair shop near my house. They know the biturbo era cars probably the best in the north east of the US. I know my '85 biturbo would rust just looking at it.

 

[dt95aac]

The earlier biturbos were horrible cars in my opinion.
Badly designed, rust buckets with shitty electrics and temperamental engines.

Ghibli II GT and Cup are not like this.

They were developed with funding that came from Fiat's takeover of Maserati and benefited from access to their parts bin.
The electrical issues were sorted, the rust proofing is much better, the mechanical side of the engines was improved by Cosworth and the electronics
used were the same as the most advanced turbo cars of the era (F40, Lancia Integralle, Ford Escort Cosworth).

I use mine daily without issues.

 

[mosesbotbol]

The earlier biturbos were horrible cars in my opinion.
Badly designed, rust buckets with shitty electrics and temperamental engines.

Ghibli II GT and Cup are not like this.

They were developed with funding that came from Fiat's takeover of Maserati and benefited from access to their parts bin.
The electrical issues were sorted, the rust proofing is much better, the mechanical side of the engines was improved by Cosworth and the electronics
used were the same as the most advanced turbo cars of the era (F40, Lancia Integralle, Ford Escort Cosworth).

I use mine daily without issues.

What are the first model years for Ghibli II GT and Cup? What are you thoughts on the Shamal?

 

[dt95aac]

What are the first model years for Ghibli II GT and Cup? What are you thoughts on the Shamal?

Late 1995 for the GT and 96 for the Cup if i'm not mistaken.

The Shamal is a different beast.
Shorter, more powerful and torqey and with narrower tyres than a late Ghibli it can be a handful to drive.

Visually for me they just don't work, but most other people love them.
Price have now gone up significantly so I don't think they are a bargain any more.

Parts were mostly from the biturbo cars of the era, apart from the engine which I think is quite rare.

 

[mosesbotbol]

Late 1995 for the GT and 96 for the Cup if i'm not mistaken.

The Shamal is a different beast.
Shorter, more powerful and torqey and with narrower tyres than a late Ghibli it can be a handful to drive.

Visually for me they just don't work, but most other people love them.
Price have now gone up significantly so I don't think they are a bargain any more.

Parts were mostly from the biturbo cars of the era, apart from the engine which I think is quite rare.

I asked too soon. Looked up prices on the Shamal and they're like 90K CHF! Wow.

21 year old cars can be imported to the US without concern of Emissions and 25 year old cars can be imported without safety concerns. Not sure where the 21 year old Maserati's fit into category one. If they can be imported to the US without a hassle.

 

[94massa]

Recently imported my 94 222 4V from Australia. It is basically an early Ghibli with a few differences. Have owned it for nearly 15 years, and it was a daily driver in Sydney.
Have made a lot of "enhancements" over the years and the car has been awesome. Now much quicker than a Shamal too!

Who is the Boston service shop - is it the guy in Allston?

 

[mosesbotbol]

Recently imported my 94 222 4V from Australia. It is basically an early Ghibli with a few differences. Have owned it for nearly 15 years, and it was a daily driver in Sydney.
Have made a lot of "enhancements" over the years and the car has been awesome. Now much quicker than a Shamal too!

Who is the Boston service shop - is it the guy in Allston?

Is your car on the Cape? I'd love to see. Send me a PM if that's the case (or if anywhere in MA for me to see).

John at Motorsport is an option, but I was referring to Accel Automotive in Waltham. You must be familiar with them if you own a Biturbo (next to Aston Martin dealer). They are masters at older Maserati and Italian cars. European Engineering in Framingham can also handle a lot of the service items.

 

[94massa]

Wow - that's good to know. Have not been here long and had not heard of them at all. Car is currently at Black Horse Garage in Connecticut getting timing belt, water pump and a few other things done.

Will have it back on the Cape in a few weeks probably. Not even sure if I am going to register it here yet. Will have to see. Will PM.

Thanks!

 

[mosesbotbol]

Wow - that's good to know. Have not been here long and had not heard of them at all.

Where the Aston Martin - Lotus dealer is, was an Alfa & Maserati dealer previously. When both marques left the US, the dealership closed and AML moved into it from their old location in Brighton.

The mechanics of the previous dealership (High Performance Cars) opened Accel Automotive. One of their mechanics, Leroy is considered one of the best Alfa mechanics in the country. Accel is a no frills kind of repair shop. They'll fix it right the first time and not charge an arm & leg. Boston Sports Car in Weston, Independent Ferrari in Easton along with Aston Martin - Lotus are all other places you could go. Would be crazy to go to AML with Accel next door. Most likely AML will walk next door to get parts. At least Accel has parts and connections to minimize down time. AML has the computers for the newer & current models should owners not want to go to the Maserati dealer for service.

 

[94massa]

PM sent....

 

[DrGhibli]

Hi I'm currently looking at a 1995 one with ABS. Its a 2.8L Auto is that going to be more like the later GT cars or the earlier models in terms of quality/reliability etc ?

It looks pretty much exactly like this with those wheels: (Are those 16 inch or 17 inch wheels)

 

[dt95aac]

These are 16" wheels, later Gt cars has 17"

ABS cars are closer mechanically to the GT than the early cars.
They have electronic ignition, upgraded hubs and brakes but still lack the significantly improved rear subframe and diff of the GT cars.

This appears to be a Japanese market car.
The headlights and door mirrors and vent hoods are the giveaway.
I prefer the look of the Euro spec cars.

 

[94massa]

What country are you in - I can point you in the right direction if you are in Australia.
Provided it has been well maintained, any Ghibli is a very nice ride. The auto is not so desirable obviously, but none the less, very enjoyable.

 

[DrGhibli]

I’m in NZ. Yeah it’s a Japan spec car.

 

[94massa]

Sweet - ex-Kiwi/Aussie here! There are a couple of good Maserati clubs - one in Sydney and one in Melbourne. You could try emailing them. There are quite a few similar cars there, and I know one Ghibli auto that sees a lot of track time and does very well. These are beautiful cars to drive even today, and providing you look after it well, they are great. They are a big step up from the early Biturbo cars. There are lots of improvements you can make, depending on what you are after and how far your budget goes. Plenty of caution needed on wet mountain (NZ) roads if its still running stock 16 or 17 inch wheels and narrow tires. I wouldn't play with the boost or anything on stock turbos. The little IHI turbos are crap and will blow seals if run more than stock pressure. There are Bilstein upgrade kits available for them, although I went custom built Konis. Japan is often a good source, and a surprising number of these cars ended up there and many were extremely well maintained. The manuals are a much better proposition, especially if you want to get a bit serious with the driving. Parts can be had - MIE in Seattle is a great source and used to ship very quickly to Sydney. David Askew in the UK has lots of stuff and often has whole cars.
Good luck with the search.

 

[DrGhibli]

Sweet - ex-Kiwi/Aussie here! There are a couple of good Maserati clubs - one in Sydney and one in Melbourne. You could try emailing them. There are quite a few similar cars there, and I know one Ghibli auto that sees a lot of track time and does very well. These are beautiful cars to drive even today, and providing you look after it well, they are great. They are a big step up from the early Biturbo cars. There are lots of improvements you can make, depending on what you are after and how far your budget goes. Plenty of caution needed on wet mountain (NZ) roads if its still running stock 16 or 17 inch wheels and narrow tires. I wouldn't play with the boost or anything on stock turbos. The little IHI turbos are crap and will blow seals if run more than stock pressure. There are Bilstein upgrade kits available for them, although I went custom built Konis. Japan is often a good source, and a surprising number of these cars ended up there and many were extremely well maintained. The manuals are a much better proposition, especially if you want to get a bit serious with the driving. Parts can be had - MIE in Seattle is a great source and used to ship very quickly to Sydney. David Askew in the UK has lots of stuff and often has whole cars.
Good luck with the search.

the car I’m looking at other than blower motor seems well maintained.

you think MY94 ABS is still decent even though it’s not a GT?