Used Maserati Parts

Used, NOS, NORS, remanufactured, reproduction: what the terms mean

Good used

Removed from a donor car, inspected, and sold as serviceable. Condition varies, so a reputable seller grades it and photographs the actual part.

New old stock (NOS)

An original genuine or OEM part made in period, never fitted, usually still in its original packaging. The most correct choice for a restoration.

New old replacement stock (NORS)

A period aftermarket part, never fitted. Correct for the era but not made by the original supplier.

Remanufactured or rebuilt

A used core restored to specification with new wear components. Common for hydraulics, starters, alternators, gauges, carburettors and steering parts. Often sold on exchange with a core charge.

Reproduction

A newly made part built to the original pattern. Quality ranges from indistinguishable to approximate, so ask who made it.

Take-off

A new or nearly new part removed from a car shortly after delivery, typically when an owner upgraded. Effectively new at a used price.

Parts that are smart to buy used

Anything that does not wear in normal service, and that is expensive or unavailable new, is a candidate.

• Body panels, bumpers, grilles and brightwork. A straight used panel in the right colour family saves a great deal over new, and for classics it may be the only option.
• Glass. Windscreens, rear screens and door glass for classics are rarely made new.
• Interior. Seats, door cards, dashboards, consoles, carpets, headliners and trim pieces.
• Switches, gauges and instrument clusters. Fine used if tested, and often rebuildable.
• Wheels. Check for cracks, repairs and runout, then refinish if needed.
• Castings and housings. Intake manifolds, cam covers, bell housings, brackets, differential and transmission cases.
• Transmissions, differentials and complete engines. From a known donor with mileage history and, ideally, a bench test or compression check.
• Electronic modules. Acceptable when the part number matches exactly; some modern modules need coding to the car, so ask first.
• Lighting. Headlamp and tail lamp assemblies, especially the model-specific units on the 3200 GT and classics.

Parts you should buy new

• Brake pads, discs, hoses, master and slave cylinders, and all hydraulic seals.
• Clutch discs, pressure plates and release bearings.
• Timing belts, chains, tensioners, guides and cam variators.
• Drive belts, coolant hoses, fuel hoses and vacuum lines.
• Wheel bearings, ball joints, tie rod ends and suspension bushes.
• Gaskets, oil seals and O-rings.
• Filters, spark plugs, ignition leads and coils.
• Tyres, and anything related to airbags or seat belts.

These are the parts where a used item either has an unknown remaining life or cannot be safely re-used once disturbed. New genuine or OEM is the right call; see OEM Maserati Parts for how to choose between them.

How to inspect a used Maserati part

1. Match the part number. Compare the number on the used part with the number for your chassis, not just your model. Series changes are common.
2. Look at mating surfaces. Flanges, sealing faces and mounting points should be flat, uncorroded and free of stripped threads.
3. Check for cracks and previous repairs. Castings around bolt holes, wheel spokes and barrels, plastic trim tabs and dashboard mounts.
4. Inspect connectors and wiring. On electrical parts, look for corrosion, melted pins and cut wires. Ask whether the part was tested.
5. Measure wear items that cannot be separated. Brake discs on a used hub, bearings in a used housing, splines on a used shaft.
6. Ask about storage. Parts stored indoors and dry age far better than parts from a field car.
7. Request photos of the specific areas above. A seller who inspects parts will have no trouble providing them.

When new old stock is worth it

NOS is the gold standard for a concours restoration, for parts whose appearance is judged, and for anything no longer made. Two cautions:

• Rubber and seals age even unused. A 40-year-old NOS hose or seal may look perfect and fail quickly. Use NOS for correctness where it is visible, and modern replacements where it is not.
• Electrical and electronic NOS can deteriorate in storage. Capacitors dry out and contacts corrode. Test before fitting.

For a driven car, a good used part or a quality reproduction is often the better value, and the NOS item is better saved for the restorer who needs it.

Where used Maserati parts come from

Donor cars are the main source: accident-damaged, abandoned or uneconomic-to-repair cars bought and dismantled by specialists. The rest comes from dealer stock clear-outs, closed workshops and private collections. Because every Maserati model was built in small numbers, the useful inventory is concentrated in a handful of long-established specialists rather than scattered across salvage yards.

MIE Corporation (maseratinet.com) has been acquiring donor cars and surplus stock since 1976, which is why its 70,000+ new and used parts cover models from the 3500 GT to the current range and why a part that cannot be found anywhere else is often on a shelf there.

What owners look for, by era

• Classics (3500 GT to Khamsin): glass, brightwork, bumpers, pop-up headlight mechanisms, interior pieces, Borrani and Campagnolo wheels, Citroën hydraulic components for Bora, Merak and Khamsin.
• Biturbo family, Shamal, Ghibli II, Quattroporte IV: interior leather and plastics, switchgear, window regulators, body rubber, lighting, carburettor and injection parts.
• 3200 GT, 4200, GranSport, Quattroporte V: the 3200's boomerang tail lamps, interior trim, Skyhook dampers, wheels, body panels and electronic modules.
• GranTurismo, GranCabrio, Ghibli III, Quattroporte VI, Levante: body panels, bumpers, wheels, lamp assemblies, seats and infotainment components, usually after accident damage.