Maserati Quattroporte – used car video & advice

Posted on 17-12-2015 to 16:00 pm by Wouter – 45 Comments”

One of the most beautiful Maserati’s of the past few years, good to be practical, and second-hand copies are relatively affordable. What’s not to like?

And the answer is: the gearbox. At first I found the Quattroporte only with the so-called DuoSelect gearbox. This is a robotized manual gearbox with a single clutch with flippers behind the steering wheel to operate. If you did, then it was well, but in the fully automatic mode is a ongeciviliseerd piece of technology. Then the DuoSelect box late, too slow and jerky.

Fortunately, there came, in January 2007, good news, Maserati decided the Quattroporte also provide with a regular automatic transmission sourced from ZF. Those instances are marked with a blue valve cover and had regular oil lubrication. The DuoSelect QP’s have a red cam cover and dry sump lubrication, which ensures that at high cornering the lubrication better. The DuoSelect tank was on the rear axle mounted, but the regular ZF automatic transmission got a place in the front. Nevertheless, this was an improvement, because the weight distribution was more neutral: 49/51% front/rear versus 47/53% for the DuoSelect Quattroporte.

Offer on Marketplace
There are some 30 Quattroporte’s on the Marketplace, and the majority of this, fifth generation. The prices start at 20,000 euros, and for around 30 mille, there is plenty of supply.

Pros

• Majestic V8 sourced from Ferrari.
• Still exclusive.
• It is a Maserati.
• That appearance!

Issues

• Buy the best copy you can find, and in your budget.
• Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance. A copy of the maintenance history is unclear or poorly documented, can better be skipped.
• It’s a Italian car, so be sure to check the operation of all electrical/ electronic features. Known weak points are: the open roof, the softclose function of the trunk and the inklappende mirrors.
• The link of the DuoSelect gearbox, is depending on the usage around 40-70.000 km. Choose at least one instance where, quite recently (10-15.000 km) the clutch is replaced or go for a QP with a ZF gearbox.
• Both versions of the V8 are pretty solid, but have short service intervals of 10,000 km. What oil can prevent and does not have serious problems to explain.
• A restless current V8 at idle is usually a faulty mass air flow sensor.
• Chassis alignment is crucial, and be sure to check the operation of the (optional) Skyhook shock absorbers. Which are pricey to replace.
• The closure of the hood sometimes works bad, just opening and closing.

Find the Quattroporte or any other vehicle on Marktplaats.nl

Gallery: Maserati Quattroporte

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