Hello, my name is Patrick and I’m an autoholic….it’s the only possible reason for my latest car-buying indiscretion.
Could I possibly find a more sympathetic audience than the A-J faithful to air my thoughts/excuses in front of? I think not. You’ll understand….and it’s cheaper than therapy.

What makes a grown man responsible for a young family, two businesses, a mortgage that would frighten Hercules and already owning one car more than strictly necessary and no garage space go out and buy an Italian car for everyday use with not one but two turbos and one fewer seats than family members?

Well I was going to go the sensible route and buy an Alfa GT as it had 3 seat belts in the back, so I could get an “amusing” car and take us all around if need be. Full domestic approval. Boxes ticked. Or so I thought.

With the “wrong-wheel drive” judgement issued by the esteemed Mr Yu when I dabbled with silly Saabs (there is such a thing) ringing in my ears I took a Maserati 3200 GT for a test drive – just to reassure myself it was wholly inappropriate and how wise I was to consider buying a nearly-new fiscal time bomb, sorry – Alfa GT.

That test drive, a glass or seven of a decent Rioja and a timely email from a chap who had a 3200GT for sale and the path to Maserati-dom was clear: his car was the right age, colour, it was a manual, had the right history, and had my name all over it. If you’re going to buy an Italian fiscal time-bomb do it properly; tales of £5,000 services only spurred me on…

You should know that this auto-journalist has history on this front – when I was looking for my first house as a 25 year-old, my deposit was very swiftly converted into something styled by Giugiaro with a Dino badge as my daily commuter through London. That was all Mr Yu’s fault too. [a very nice 308GT4 as I recall – ed]

So it was I found myself heading to Yorkshire, care of Sparrow’s-fart airlines, to hand over a banker’s draft for a car I had only seen pictures of – but I did have a two-hour inspection carried out by a local specialist, I may be daft but I’m not suicidal.

400 miles later at an alarmingly polite 23 mpg (soon sort that out) and I am really impressed. I was expecting a clutch “like kicking a brick wall” but while firm it’s progressive, easier to crawl in than my colleague’s V8 S4 Audi at least and the car is a really easy cruiser, with plenty of torque off-boost for the standard UK m-way trawl.

If you need some more power….it’s there alright, but a bit like a lit Zippo and an open Jerry-can, you need to be a little tentative with your approach. Getting the revs right in the Maserati so that you’re on the cusp of boost will take some practice, but progress is pretty damn swift when you get it right, a three year old cam belt kept me short of the red-line, but it’s quick enough (for now).

The big disappointment is how quiet it is, however exhausts, along with tyres and brakes, are the first things I usually like to change, so watch this space!

The ratios in the six-speed box are pretty damn close, but there’s no histrionics, it will pull cleanly from 1500 rpm in top, only in first (which is very short) do you get some driveline shunt; best to pull away in second unless an emergency start is required.

First impressions of the handling are what I would expect from a “correct-wheel-drive” big GT, it’s rock steady, and for something considered high mileage (50k) still rattle and squeak free over the local ruts and pot holes. After a week of use I still can’t imagine the need for the “sport” button to tighten up the suspension, I pay my dentist enough as it is.

Brakes – well they work fine, but there’s a bit of excessive pedal travel so some attention may be required before too long.

And the build quality? Well I looked at 993’s, 964’s, Cerberas, XKR’s… and while I didn’t buy any of the others I’d be surprised if they were screwed together much better, and none has more rear seat space.

My car has 50k on the clock with only a little bolster-wear and some light carpet discoloration to show for it; nothing a good valet won’t cure. Everything works, there are no squeaks or rattles, the controls are hardly hewn from granite but they have a pleasing solidity. The only Alfa GT I drove was already more dilapidated in 2 years and 30k miles.

So how nuts was I to buy a £16K Maserati? Well I shall be judged by my journal entries no doubt. I hope this intro will go some way to convincing a few more people to take the risk, ignore the conventional and buy something that is really different. I REALLY hope that forthcoming entries will continue to do so…

Oh and before you think that £16k guarantees you clean entry in to Maserati-dom, I freely confess it needs a cam belt service, and it is booked in next week. £1,250 + VAT… You can expect an update soon, and a report on what full-bore boost is really like, with a fresh cam-belt to keep pistons and valves apart and some new rear tyres to keep me out of the scenery.

Wish me luck.