Maserati 3200GT vs Porsche 993 (911)

These stunners are two of the best second hand performance buys in the UK. Once priced at over £60k, you can pick up decent models of each from around £25k.


Porsche 993

http://www.prestigecarnet.com.au/images/main/porsche_993_garrera.jpg

Years of production: 1994-1997
Engine: NA Flat 6, 3.6L
Power: 285bhp @ 6100rpm (Varioram)
Torque: 251lbft @ 5250rpm
Power-to-weight: 211bhp/ton
0-60mph: 5.2s
Top speed: 168mph

Maserati 3200 GT

http://www.preuss.dk/images/massettocorsa.jpg

Years of production: 1998-2002
Engine: twin-turbo V8, 3.2L
Power: 370bhp @ 6250rpm
Torque: 362lbft @ 4500rpm
Power-to-weight: 237bhp/ton
0-60mph: 5.3s
Top speed: 174mph


The 993 is the best-looking 911 ever imo, and last of the air-cooled. I also love the looks of the Maserati, with its incredibly sexy boomerang taillights that were sadly ditched on the 4200. It also has a sumptuous interior, far superior to the 911's.

Both offer similar performance in terms of straight-line. The 911 is more nimble on its feet but of course there's that rear-mounted engine to be weary of. The 3200 is more of a bruiser and is said to be a handful in the corners due to its spiky power delivery.

The Maz will probably cost more to maintain than the Porsche, is less economical, and will set you back a higher insurance premium. On the flipside, £25k will buy you a '00 Maserati with fewer miles and owners compared to the 993 (newest 993 you can buy is a '97), where in reality nearer to £28k is needed for a low(ish) mileage, not-too-many-owners model. So the Maz will be newer and cheaper, probably only have one previous owner, but it will be more thirsty, likely to depreciate more and cost you more to live with than the Porsche.

So as you can see, there are many trade-offs with these two cars. But both offer great performance, style, and wear highly desirable badges. The question is, taking costs of ownership into account, which would you pick?

I'd go for a Honda NSX if I were you then cut my hair into a mullet, then tell everyone I'm Jensen Button :p.


Though if you can get past the fact it's a Honda, then the NSX is the most logical proposition, sadly neither the 3200GT or the 993's (911's never really got reliable until the water-cooled 996 came along) are overly reliable cars, the 993 was where things STARTED to go right for Porsche, the keyword, of course being started, the NSX however, IS a very reliable car, just as reliable as a Civic or Accord. Historically the NSX is an important car, it nearly bought about the collapse of Ferrari and Porsche, so that's saying something.

The NSX is also a very fast car, especially the 97+ 3.2 VTEC, handles beautifully at the limit, but can potter through traffic like a Jazz. Though at the end of the day, if you care what people think, then go for the Maserati, do style properly, it also has more character than Japans supercar, as does the Porsche.


Suppose you'd have a problem finding a used one as well, few enough people bought them new.

It's not about caring what people think, i've just never been a huge fan of the NSX. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Have you driven the 3200 jimmy?

but the 993 is arguable better built than the 996.....
a quick question about the 3200GT; do they/will they/can they sort the chassis of the oder car to match the newer cars?
of the two initial presented, i would personally go for the porsche simply because of preference (and because jamie oliver drives a maserati.....).

on the other hand, those who read my posts will know that i have a passion for the NSX and it would take at least a 993 turbo to sway my mind from the NSX.
i'm not sure if it was almost the cause for collapse of those two but it definitely gave them a kick up the arse and set about the push for an hi-tech aluminium ferrari.

we're talking UK market right?
in the same price range would be an old 308 or even quite a new lotus esprit...... or a tvr......
if we are talking strictly £25,000 for a car that i would drive every day then i'd say a cerbera speed 6.
compared to other cars of this kind, parts are quite cheap (brake discs not included...) and they are a bit tempremental... but then what do you expect from a car partially designed by god/dog?

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/images/large/522-1.jpg
not a speed 6 but well, it's not like thre's any difference in the body/shape.

I'd choose the Maser just because they're so much less common than a Porsche(around here at least).

a quick question about the 3200GT; do they/will they/can they sort the chassis of the oder car to match the newer cars?
of the two initial presented, i would personally go for the porsche simply because of preference (and because jamie oliver drives a maserati.....).

Oh well fuck... that's just made my decision. I'm going to delete every post i've ever made in which i admit to liking Maserati's :banghead:

j/k, won't let the bastard ruin it for me :grinno:

I don't know if you can effectively update the 3200 as you suggest, but i doubt it would be a cheap job...


on the other hand, those who read my posts will know that i have a passion for the NSX and it would take at least a 993 turbo to sway my mind from the NSX.
i'm not sure if it was almost the cause for collapse of those two but it definitely gave them a kick up the arse and set about the push for an hi-tech aluminium ferrari.

I LOVE the 993TT but it's out of my budget and would be hell for insurance (yeah, i know... the standard 993 won't exactly be as easy to insure as a Fiesta either...)

The NSX i know is a very good car, especially in its later years, but recent models are actually quite pricey (£40k - had a look on autotrader) and as i said before i've just never been a huge fan of it. Don't like the rear styling either.
we're talking UK market right?
in the same price range would be an old 308 or even quite a new lotus esprit...... or a tvr......
if we are talking strictly £25,000 for a car that i would drive every day then i'd say a cerbera speed 6.
compared to other cars of this kind, parts are quite cheap (brake discs not included...) and they are a bit tempremental... but then what do you expect from a car partially designed by god/dog?

not a speed 6 but well, it's not like thre's any difference in the body/shape.
Yep, we're talking UK market. I can definitely rule out getting a Ferrari (i'm only 23, don't want to look like a complete cock!), or the L.O.T.U.S. (lotsa....). The Cerbera is a good idea, always liked those, but again, you never know what you're getting with a TVR and I'm fairly sure i would actually kill myself in a huge accident if i drove that car. Within a month, tops.

Sorry for shooting down everyone's ideas, but keep the opinions coming :lol:

well, thing with the cerbera is that people who buy them usually know what they're buying and make extra sure that everything is in top condition and working order.
this also means tvr are familiar with the things that can go wrong and so fixing them won't be a problem/hassle.
generally, owning a tvr isn't that much of a minefield, especially with the cerbera.
they're also not too much of a handful (although the brakes feel a bit odd when you first apply pressure).
you kinda get a feel for when the rear is going to break away unless you really stamp on the gas as you turn (very tidy steering by the way, just over two turns lock to lock if i recall correctly) on a wet roundabout after having prodded the brake on entry....

well, i was extra careful when i drive one, as you would when the owner is sitting next to you, so i can't really say i was really pushing it.

and hey.... if you're going to kill youself in a cerbera in a month, how long will you last in a 993?
from what i've read, the tail of the 993 breaks away more readily than the cerbera.

Good point, but the 993 had TC as an option, and ABS as standard, which should help me out when i run out of talent - that'll be on the way home after buying the car :lol:

Correct me if i'm wrong (im by no means a TVR buff) but neither TC or ABS were available on the Cerbera? And it's a far more powerful car...

Fair enough with the NSX, I suppose, kind of shocked with how expensive they still are, though.


I have driven a ton of 3200GT's, both manual and automatic and while I loved both the engine and styling I always found the chassis to be twitchy. They're easy enough to point through traffic though, I'll certainly give them that. How unique are they compared to 993's in Britain?

Quite a bit more unique. As an estimate, maybe 1 3200GT for every 3 or even 4 993's.

But how expensive is maintenance, do you know? I also get the feeling that i'll be on first name terms with the guy at my local petrol station in no time at all if i get the 3200.

They drink like an Aussie, I don't have any mpg figures handy, but fueling the things is expensive, you had better go pay the guy at the local BP a visit and bring a dozen Stella with you, you're going to get to know him well if you buy a 3200GT. But it's probably the same thing with a 911 (I haven't had the "fortune" of paying to fuel one).

There are quite a few reliability woes with the 3200GT's, though they're mainly niggling things like trim falling off or stuffy electrics.

You should watch out for the Turbo's, because if the last owner never let the things warm up before thrashing the car or didn't let them cool down before shutting off the engine, then they will give trouble soon enough.

If the Maserati has been maintained and driven properly, however, it should be an absolute bliss to own, expensive to service from what I hear, but I can only really tell so much, having not ownedor serviced a 3200GT before.

nope.
there's not a sausage in the tvr to get you out of trouble.
the speed 6 has 350ish bhp at around 7000rpm (can't be bothered to look for exact figures)
but i do know it's about 330 lb ft at 5000rpm.
it has a hell of a lot of torque for not a lot of weight.
but the cerbera has a very well sorted chassis.
there's a little left turn in the road just before you get to putney bridge that i thought i was going too fast for (it's a mini round-about and i didn't see how the road tightens...) but the cerbera just sailed through it with minimal fuss.

oh, and i;ve only ever seen one 3200 GT in london whereas i come across a 911 every corner i turn around fulham/putney.

and i think you are really better off waiting until you hit 24/25 before getting one of these things.
you'd be surprised how much difference that makes to your insurance premium.

They drink like an Aussie, I don't have any mpg figures handy, but fueling the things is expensive, you had better go pay the guy at the local BP a visit and bring a dozen Stella with you, you're going to get to know him well if you buy a 3200GT
:lol:

I've just looked it up in evo (good issue this month) and the combined cycle for the Maz is 15.5mpg vs 25.0 for the 993... :thinkerg: I'm gonna have to break up with the missus if i want to get the Maserati! What a great excuse :grinno:


Thanks for the advice Jim :thumbsup:

nope.
there's not a sausage in the tvr to get you out of trouble.
the speed 6 has 350ish bhp at around 7000rpm (can't be bothered to look for exact figures)
but i do know it's about 330 lb ft at 5000rpm.
it has a hell of a lot of torque for not a lot of weight.
but the cerbera has a very well sorted chassis.
there's a little left turn in the road just before you get to putney bridge that i thought i was going too fast for (it's a mini round-about and i didn't see how the road tightens...) but the cerbera just sailed through it with minimal fuss.

oh, and i;ve only ever seen one 3200 GT in london whereas i come across a 911 every corner i turn around fulham/putney.

and i think you are really better off waiting until you hit 24/25 before getting one of these things.
you'd be surprised how much difference that makes to your insurance premium.
I'm familiar with that mini-roundabout, a good friend of mine lives in Putters :)

You were spot on with the Cerbera stats, btw :thumbsup:

And now that i think of it, you're right, the 3200GT is rarer than i guesstimated.. it's probably 6 993's to every 3200GT in London. I'm surprised you've only seen one though. I saw one 3200 and one 4200 Spyder tonight in Chelsea :dunno:

I do hear you about the insurance... but i can't live with the Golf anymore, i just can't. And the more i wait, the fewer nice 993's are out there... It's already pretty slim pickings :(

i was almost hit by the 3200GT outside charing x station.
the bastard jumped the red light (y'know, for the taxi's leaving the station) and i looked back to see the boomerang lights. every other one i see doesn't (so it cluld just be a later car of course....) but even then, i've not seen many of them. apart from jamie's parked outside 15 that is.....

you should contact the porsche owners club.
they are super helpful and my friend received a lot of useful advice from them when he was buying.
they could most definitely point in the right direction, although he was looking for a nice classic 1970s 911 at the time which might be slightly different to what you're after, y'know different market and all that.

if you're interested in a tvr have a look here
www.davidgeraldtvr.com
£15,000 griffith is soooo tempting.
i mean, that's focus money.....

i was almost hit by the 3200GT outside charing x station.
the bastard jumped the red light (y'know, for the taxi's leaving the station) and i looked back to see the boomerang lights.
LOL... i've had a few near misses when looking back to see other cars. Easily my worst driving habit :redface:

I'm not huge on the Griff, the Cerbera was always the TVR for me. Some of those cars on that site are shockingly good VFM when you consider their performance... 2003 Tuscan, barely run-in... yours for £30k :eek:

You could've made the comparison Porsche 930 round-nose with Fuchs wheels versus a Chrysler TV by Maserati and I'd still suggest the Maserati.

But then, I'm also a diehard Tifosi, so that has a bit of bearing on that decision. :biggrin:

Anyways, even setting aside my Tifosi status, I'd honestly choose the 3200GT. It doesn't have the "Well, my penis doesn't work anymore" stigma that the Porsche has gained, and is a very spirited and comfortable car to drive. Combine that with pretty Giugaro styling, Italian exclusivity, and a fine V8 engine, and you have a clear choice.

a slightly different point of view about cars to buy.
lately, i keep getting drawn to the classic car market instead of newer cars.
occasionally, i see something like a £20,000 AMV8, S2 e-type, and it is really tempting.
i keep walking past a very tidy looking europa twin cam and that's only £10,000.
all very tempting and all with arguably more cred and absolutely none of the stigma that you get with the more modern car (except with the e-type...), if you really are worried about that.

i'm currently looking out for a matra-simca bagheera..... co it looks fun.

Porsche. Especially if its got the whale-tail. Buy I guess Im biased, hence my name...

i keep walking past a very tidy looking europa twin cam and that's only £10,000.
Nice :thumbsup:

what's stopping you?

I don't really like the maserati anymore. Every time I see it it looks more and more like it wanted to be an aston, but couldn't. I would save up for a DB9.

I would save up for a DB9.
I don't think i'm going to be able to afford one of those for a while :grinno:

Besides i'd rather have a DB7 ;)

what's stopping me?
a mortgage........
and the fact the lotus is lime green.
i do have a savings plan that's gonna mature in a few years time that i set up specifically for buying a car in the future.
i've been thinking of either an 2nd hand elise+small shopping car or brand new RX-8 as only car but like i said, there's something very tempting about the older cars.

i mean, take the £20,000 AMV8. would you choose that or a brand new RX-8? £10,000 europa or £18,000 elise?
like i kinda implied, there's something of a stigma with new cars.

A whole bunch of Europa's on sale here:

http://www.banks-europa.co.uk/pinboard/main.cfm

One for only £8.5k, but again, it's lime green :iceslolan

Oh, and i would definitely take a 2nd hand Elise + small shopping car over a new RX8. I like the RX8 less and less every time i see it...

well, initially, the plan was that the savings would net me about £22-24,000 but i got a letter the other day telling me there was going to be a shortfall of around £1200 of the projected figures.
this lump of cash would've been for a big deposit on a nice old classic ferrari (365 boxer in an ideal world or a 'good' condition dino that i could do a little work on).
but the more i look into the cost of actually owning/running/maintaining/repairing/renovating one of those things, expecially the boxer and it's triple pipes, it looks like too much work for my current financial situation.....
that's when i decided to see what i could buy only using the savings.
in terms of new cars, only the rx-8 seems to tick the boxes for what i want.
but yeah.... the looks are beginning to lose its appeal and i am fully aware of the daftness of buying a brand new car in the uk.

it might be the onset of old age but i also keep getting the urge to get my hands dirty.
something very appealing about opening up the bonnet and tinkering around with a pair of carbs.....
there's a lotus elite down the road from me that i can't stop looking at every morning as i walk past (mainly cos it's almost rotting on his driveway...) and that kinda sparked off my interest in old lotus cars. i've asked a few people about related things regarding buying/fixing/playing with them and i've gotten good feedback so far about the feasibilty of such a project/purchase.

yeah.... that's it.
i have a new suggestion for you.
get yourself a lotus europa.
it'll cost you half of what you were thinking of spending, you'd save a tidy sum each year on insurance and road tax (i'll keep hush about other costs though...) and you'll never see another one on the road around london apart from maybe a lime green one driven 'spiritedly' by a little chinese guy.

I'd go for a Honda NSX if I were you then cut my hair into a mullet, then tell everyone I'm Jensen Button :p.


Historically the NSX is an important car, it nearly bought about the collapse of Ferrari and Porsche, so that's saying something.




Is this a joke? I hardly contribute one car to the downfall of Porsche or Ferrari, let alone the NSX. The economical slump the U.S. experienced in the early 90's is one of the main factors, not the NSX. Acura sells approx 500 of these annually and sales have always been disappointing. Were talking extremely low volume due to the outragous price tag. The cars retail for about 90k new now. You can give me a slighty used GT3 or Turbo long before I would even consider an NSX.

hmm, that sounds like a reply from someone who hasn't read the thread.

tell me good sir, where are you going to find a slightly used GT3 or Turbo for around £25,000?

now who's the joke?

You just didn't understand my post and yes I did read the thread. Let me clarify. I said that to illustrate what a rip-off NSX's are, used or new. If I had 90k in my pocket I would certainly not but a new NSX. If I had 25,000 euros, I would certainly not buy a used NSX or even the Masserati. The 993 would definately come before those two choices for me. And the part about the NSX NOT being the reason for Porsches near downfall is 100% fact.

^^ Porsche's near downfall? When did that ever happen? As long as I can remeber, Porsche has been doing great. I would always take a Porsche over an NSX.

yeah man, you didn't know that Porsche nearly went under in the early 90's? The only thing that saved them was the......boxster and a lil help from Toyota.

If I had 25,000 euros, I would certainly not buy a used NSX or even the Masserati. The 993 would definately come before those two choices for me.
We're talking sterling (£), not euros (€).

this lump of cash would've been for a big deposit on a nice old classic ferrari
You've just gone off the scales on the bankruptcy meter :grinno:

but the more i look into the cost of actually owning/running/maintaining/repairing/renovating one of those things, expecially the boxer and it's triple pipes, it looks like too much work for my current financial situation.....
Ahh... much better :D

in terms of new cars, only the rx-8 seems to tick the boxes for what i want.
but yeah.... the looks are beginning to lose its appeal and i am fully aware of the daftness of buying a brand new car in the uk.
Couldn't agree more. How about a slightly used 350Z? You can pick some up for under £20k now....

yeah.... that's it.
i have a new suggestion for you.
get yourself a lotus europa.
it'll cost you half of what you were thinking of spending, you'd save a tidy sum each year on insurance and road tax (i'll keep hush about other costs though...)
I do like Europas, but i would prefer something more comfortable and modern... I'm such a sissy, aren't i? :grinno:

and you'll never see another one on the road around london apart from maybe a lime green one driven 'spiritedly' by a little chinese guy.
I'll keep an eye out for you :D :D

wait a minute....
when's the last time you saw a 993 for 25,000 euros? i mean, you'd have a hard time finding a good one for £25,000.

nsx a rip off?
let's see, hand made aluminium car.
do you know how hard it is to weld aluminium?
do you know how much it costs to make a car from aluminium?
should we be pointing out that at the time, no other car was made in the same way?
let's take a look at it's direct rivals.
the 911 isn't as well made and whilst is a good drive, it isn't anywhere the level of sophistication in terms of engineering that the nsx is.
it also costs a hell of a lot more to run and keep.
the ferrari is only faster because of superior engine but the £30,000 you pay for the ferrari kinda renders it a moot point. let's forget about running/keeping costs.
if you think the nsx had nothing to do with ferrari's switch to aluminium construction for the 360 then you are more short-sighted than i initially thought.

fact is, the nsx is a cracking car.
it has been used as references for everything from mclaren F1, to nsx to carrera GT.
there's a very good reason for that.
there's a reason that a 15 year old car that's only ever been through minor revisions is still being used as comparison for brand new cars and cars that have been through stages of major revisions says something.

anyway.
i do quite like the 350Z.
once again, i keep seeing one, this time around eltham, in that really lovely metallic blue; that colour is amazing......
but i can't shake the feeling that it's gonna be car that makes more sense to buy a few more years down the line.
other things i've seen is a delivery milage 156 GTA for £20,000; so many cracking deals when you really look for them.

for now, the europa is looking mighty tempting but has it's own set of considerations.
could i settle for the twin cam and live with the gearbox or pay a little more for a special and have the renault box?
lime green or bright orange or that sunset yellow that they have?
(or pehaps something more normal.... hmm, essex racing colours?)

heck, my car buying is going to be a few years down the line anyway.
once i'm settled in a proper job and gotten myself certified (not in the medical sense) i'm sure everything will change.
maybe then i won't baulk at the thought of an oil change costing me £100 in oil alone....

Monkey, I never said Honda didnt' influence the build design of the 360 or any other car for that matter. I said the NSX had nothing to do with the financial hardships both companies have had in the past. So the NSX is all aluminun. Big Woop. It weighs approx3,050lbs.....ummm that's 100 more than my Box S and the same as the STEEL framed ZO6. Wow, all that alumiinum did nothing except jack up the price.

boxster is smaller.
Z06 is clothed in plastic.

if you can't see the importance in the nsx then fine.
whether or not it caused the hardship is questionable as i had already said but it was most certainly one of the reasons that ferrari and porsche pulled their finger out of their arses and actually re-developed cars instead of re-hashing them.

best example?
the 348 was drastically flawed but they seemed to get away with it because it was deemed to be 'character'.
pure tosh; the way the car was created should've meant that it's handling issues shouldn't have been a problem.
by contrast, a brand new car from a company that hadn't made a car like that before should've been the one having teething problems.

same thing with the 911.
oh the engine is in the rear so we'll forgive it's edginess over camber changes...... so.... why the need for such dramatic changes in the 993 and 996?

don't forget, at the time, it wasn't just ferrari and porsche suffering.
every was and yet, honda still managed to pull out a car that is still ranked as one of the best after 15 years. i can't think of any other car off the top of my head that car reviewers describe as 'perfect' so readily.

aluminium.
the material the car is made from determines the way the car is built. the way the car is built has a great effect on how you can distribute weight, build safety structures, rigidity. if you don't know how Honda's choice of aluminium affects the character/quality/performance/safety of the car then you know very little indeed.

anyway.
back to the thread.
for £20-25,000, an NSX is a hard car to say no to.
crazayjay says no to the NSX because he just doesn't like it.

so, where did you see a 25,000 euro 993?

25,000 euros is approx how much in dollars? I don't know the exchange rate of all the currency. I was thinking pounds which would be around 40k I think

Knock yourself out:

http://www.xe.com/ucc/

well... current exchange rates aren't very kind to non uk people.
i saw somewhere with uk->us at 1.9 something.
by the way.
£1.00 is about 1.2 euro.
25,000 euro would be about £20-21,000.

anyway.
doesn't matter because you still had a figure in mind.
the question still works.
where'd you see a $40,000 993?

here is a few for $40k or less. One is less than 25k.

http://motors.search.ebay.com/porsche-993_Passenger-Vehicles_W0QQcatrefZC12QQfromZR8QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQ sacatZ6001QQsamcmZ6001QQsaspiZ2

is ebay the best place to look for prices?
y'know, auction site and all that.

by the way, we're talking about decent examples that you or i would consider buying.
i'm guessing that he would be looking for an manual, fixed head, low milage (5000-7000 a year?), fresh boots, full service log+receipts.

Uh, those cars weren't beaters. There was a nice 98 model on there with less than 25k miles on it for 42k dollars among many other nice examples.

incidentally, what model 993 are you looking at?
any preferences in kit?

I don't understand what you are trying to say.
The original one I was referring to is off the action now. Here is another except it's a cabbie and it's about as nice as they come. 40.5k Edit: this one was involved in an accident, but there are several nice coups on there that can be had for under 40k.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=10156&item=4534602237&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

x Not the turbo
x Not tiptronic, has to be manual
* S or 4S would be ideal, but usually too steep
* Carrera 2, then Carrera 4, don't mind Targa at all, Cabrio is next in preference.
* Varioram > Pre-varioram


The problem is, you tend to find numerous low mileage, good condition Titptronic models selling for cheap....

y'know, people keep telling me to look into getting a 911 instead of blowing it on a semi-risky lotus but all i've seen in my £22,000 range are the tiptronics.
almost depressing.

Tell me about it. It's like:

£23k, ok, within budget.
2 owners... yes...
38k miles... yeees...

Tiptronic - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO :(

The funny thing is that Tiptronic is about a 3k option. It's definately not a good investment.