We consider a 3200 GT the best entry-level Maserati. Hence this silver over blue coupé with 18.500 km can be yours for 35.000 euro. She comes with a very complete service-history with every maintenance detailed with its original bill.

The price naturally includes all European Union taxes and commissions. She comes with a European registration.

With the 3200 GT, Maserati has at last built a car which stands objective comparison with the best cars in its class, new or used, and has a charisma that none can match.

The Maserati's performance, like the price, is almost identical to that of the 3200 GT's two natural rivals - Porsche's 911 Carrera and Jaguar's XKR. In character, the Maserati falls somewhere between the two, less of a Grand Tourer than the Jaguar but nothing like as raw as the Porsche.

Visually, the car looks even better in metal than it does in the pictures. It's a softer shape than anything Ferrari has ever produced, it gives the distinct impression that all the power is bulging from the rear, like a cartoon rocket about to explode. The owner of this car will want to make a less aggressive statement.

And since he or she is likely to be spending a lot more time at the wheel, the cabin's a lot more practical too. For a start, you really can seat two full-sized adults comfortably in the back (try doing that in an XKR or a 911). You can carry most of their luggage too.

At the front, the driving position is near perfect and the driving environment more desirable than anything Maserati has yet produced.

Leather has been applied to almost every conceivable surface: the seats, the door pulls, the dashboard, the centre console - everything's covered in it. If news that a 3200 GT can lap Ferrari's Fiorano test track quicker than a 550 Maranello is any guide, most owners should find this Maserati a devastating cross-country tool.

Some owners may find the traction control system a little too eager to assist, even in the optional 'Sport' mode (selectable at a switch of a button). Just as well then, that you can turn it off completely and take for yourself the responsibility of controlling all that power.

So, a Ferrari for less than half the price that you can use almost every day? Pretty much. Maserati reckon that 3200 GT owners will do nearly three and a half times the mileage of their Ferrari counterparts - and they'll enjoy every moment. Even the Ferrari President likes to use one at weekends. Which, given that his company car is a 550 Maranello, probably tells you all you need to know.

In 2002 the 3200 GT was replaced by the normally aspirated 4.2-litre V8 and Spyder models.

Although no significant mechanical issues surround the 3200 GT, build quality has been an ongoing concern, and those who expect their cars to function with the metronomic efficiency of a Toyota should probably look elsewhere. Nevertheless, Ferrari instigated a rolling programme of improved quality control, and later cars are noticeably tighter in terms of fit and finish than early cars.

If you are giving a 3200 GT the once over, make sure that all the electrics are operating, that the wheels, tyres and bodywork are in perfect condition and the interior isn't looking too careworn. The leather trim is hardy, but try to avoid the paler colours which get dirty extremely quickly.

The 3200 GT is mechanically quite robust, with no known faults, although many owners report a prodigious thirst for oil. Check for a full service history, and if buying privately pay for a third-party check it's a wise investment.

The difference between the early cars and 2001 model year edition is most marked in terms of driveability. The first cars were all manual models and frustrated keen drivers not because of their outright performance, but in the manner in which it was accessed.

The throttle and brake pedal are like a hair trigger, unleashing great gales of turbocharged power after a slight pregnant pause while the turbo's spool up. To compound matters, this 370 hp tsunami often takes a moment to subside after the throttle is closed, making town driving a nervy process.

This throttle action is softened in the slightly more urbane automatic version, but it too shares the odd brakes. For the first part of the pedal travel not a great deal happenes and then suddenly you be hanging off your seatbelts, eyeballs out on stalks. Smooth driving takes a very delicate touch in the pedal box. Likewise the handling takes some getting used to.

The ride is firm, but not out of keeping with the cars sporty character. It is only when you switched the traction control button off that you realise quite how much work the system is putting in. Lighting up the rear tyres in lurid oversteer was never easier, and the wet handling requires a deft hand at the tiller. If you possesses such skills, the Maserati rewardes like no other competitor.

Balancing the car on the edge of traction as you exites a corner, the turbos detonating an explosion of power as the 3200 GT squats on its haunches and catapults itself crazily up the road is a motoring experience that will live long in anybodys memory. The raw figures of 270 km/h and a rest to one-hundred time of 5.1 seconds understates the Maserati's sporting intent.

Drive a 3200 GT after stepping out of a Jaguar XKR and it will feel rawer and tauter a true sports car rather than a hotted up GT cruiser.

2001 model year cars are a revelation. The steering is less neurotic and the throttle response is far more linear, making the 3200 GT a less frustrating companion for those of us without Schumachers reactions.

On any but the 2001 model year Maserati 3200 GT's it is difficult to objectively recommend one over a Jaguar XKR or Porsche 911. Wonderful in some areas and frustratingly flawed in others, the Maserati is exasperatingly close to touching brilliance.

What is without question is that the 3200 GT is a more charismatic ownership proposition, desirability oozing from every pore. Early automatic cars are a good compromise if you can't stretch to a late car.

Learn to accommodate its characteristics and you'll never castigate yourself for choosing the Modena marque. Every time your garage door opens and you're greeted with that trident emblem, anything else seems just that tiny bit mass-market.

So before you make your mind up about what car to buy next, imagine the following conversation. A friend asks: 'What are you driving?'

You respond: 'A Maserati.'

Feels good, doesn't it?

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