Find of the Week: Maserati Quattroporte 2006

Published on 14 February, 2018

An Italian super saloon with a silky Ferrari V8, rear wheel drive & massage seats for under €20,000?

Overview

Well it is. If you ignore certain pitfalls. This is the fifth generation of the Maserati Quattroporte and was available between 2004 and 2012. The Ferrari derived 4.2 litre V8 was available throughout the lifespan of the Quattroporte. A more muscular 4.7 litre V8 was added to the line-up in 2008, but was only available on the S and GT S models. Back in the heady days of the Celtic Tiger a new Maserati Quattroporte would have cost well north of €100,000. You can pick one up for today for €17,950. Depreciation – a curse or a blessing, depending on what side of the fence you are on.

What about this specific car? Well, the first thing to notice is the excellent choice of colour combination selected by the original owner. The deep red metallic paint (Bordeaux Pontevecchio to be specific)  paired with the cream leather is incredibly elegant and striking. Personally I love the look of the Quattroporte. It has an athletic presence not many cars can match in my opinion and is much better looking than the model that replaced it. I’m not sure if it is to every ones taste but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that…

What about performance? The 4.2 litre V8 produces 395bhp, meaning the Quattroporte can reach the all important 100 km/h in 5.4 seconds  and will carry on to a licence losing 275km/h. The handling on the big Maserati received good reviews back in the day and was considered rewarding and nimble when pushed hard.

This particular example is the GT Executive model which focused more on luxury and comfort. Without going into too much detail you get, heated and cooled seats, massage seats, Xenon headlights, satellite navigation and table trays in the back.

The big let down on this generation of the Quattroporte was the gearbox.  The DuoSelect was a single clutch automated manual, described as clunky, labourious and dim-witted. You had the option of manual mode – changing gears via paddle shifters or full automatic. The odd little t-bar on the centre console that looks like the switch on a kettle is simply for selecting drive or reverse. Maserati introduced a full automatic gearbox in 2007. Dumping the Duoselect completely soon afterwards.

Obviously if you are tempted to take the plunge on this Italian beauty you will need to go in with eyes wide open. Check all the electrics and give the gearbox a good test. This particular car has only done 50,000 miles and completed its most recent NCT on the 19/01/18.  Be prepared for some hefty running costs, your annual motor tax bill will be €1,809, servicing a Ferrari V8 is going to be expensive and fuel economy of 15 miles per gallon should be expected.

The problem for anyone considering a Quattroporte is that you could actually pick up a 2006 BMW M5 for similar money. But a Maserati retains a certain gravitas and respect you just don’t get with a BMW, Mercedes-Benz or Audi. Also, it sounds bloody fantastic, as you can hear in the video below.

Link to Advert - Maserati Quattroporte 2006 €17,950

Anthony Murphy

I just kept turning up and eventually they let me drive some shiny new cars.