Your Attainable Dream Car?
- Thread starter CliffyBiro
- Start date
Caporegime
- Joined
- 11 Mar 2005
- Posts
- 32,250
- Location
- Leafy Cheshire
He can't, he's simply trying to fit in with some of the members who have real money and buying potential, i'm sure if we all looked back to being 'young' we all did it to some extent.
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I thought there would be an element of this.
I've had periods of up to a year where I could honestly say a 5 Series is so cheap to run you simply add petrol. And I've had other periods where it literally costs thousands.
You just cant buy a car like this, luck out and fit partworns to it, then claim a Supra is 'dirt cheap' to run.
You could be lucky and nothing happens, or you end up forking out every other week. Either way you need to prepare for it, not stick your head in the sand and claim a 10+ year old turbocharged 'supercar' is cheap to run just because basic maintenance is cheap.
This is why I don't drive a Delta Integrale or an E39 M5.
I can afford the purchase price. I can afford to insure it. I can afford to put petrol in it.
What I can't afford to do is bail it out when a substantial component fails. Even if I do the work myself there are going to be some jobs that are either beyond my skill level, or will require parts that are outright too expensive or just too expensive to justify/sustain over a long period.
I know my limits.
I can afford the purchase price. I can afford to insure it. I can afford to put petrol in it.
What I can't afford to do is bail it out when a substantial component fails. Even if I do the work myself there are going to be some jobs that are either beyond my skill level, or will require parts that are outright too expensive or just too expensive to justify/sustain over a long period.
I know my limits.
Sadly though many people do not- they convince themselves these cars are easily affordable and this is how they all end up ruined and wearing Linglong tyres
They'll often be encouraged by tales from people who change cars more often than I change my boxers saying 'Yea I had an E39 M5 once, it was well cheap to run' without saying that 'once' is '2 days'..
They are super reliable but I think I was really lucky with mine. I had the discs changed all round twice too. That was about £600 a time with pads.
I had the work done at two places. Hyper sports and racing in Leigh when I first got it, but then I found a Jap expert that rented space in a garage literally 3 minutes walk from my house!
I had the work done at two places. Hyper sports and racing in Leigh when I first got it, but then I found a Jap expert that rented space in a garage literally 3 minutes walk from my house!
The costs that Worthy mentions do indeed show that his Supra was reliable. But that reliability is somewhat offset by the cost of mundane components. £400 for a radiator. £600 for discs and pads. Not exactly budget running costs.
And then there's the tyres...
And then there's the tyres...
Brilliantly, do you want a break down of 'major' costs over the last 9 months?:
New Tyres (KU31 Kumhos, couldn't source the Federal RSRs I wanted) went on two weeks ago - £350 front and rear
Front anti roll bar bushes to cure a squeak - £20
Oil, filter and plug change (Every 3000 miles) - £45 x2
£20 of V Power does me between 30-40 miles. I don't drive during the week due to parking so that lasts me a week easy (although according to P.H I've still done £1,500 on fuel this year
)£125 on a genuine Denso O2 sensor a couple of months back
£84 on Rear Pads (Yellow stuffs) and Discs
S/H Pass Door card, door latch and Driver's Seat belt - £50
Replacement Radiator - £100
PCV valve recall and Gearbox strainer - £100
Insurance - Quite bad first year. Halving this month
.Tracing and removing 3rd party alarm system - £Free, but if I had a swear jar I'd be down a few grand
. Off of the top of my head the car NEED anything doing to it but there is a lot of stuff that I want to do. Body work is still tatty, it needs some work to make it suitable for more track days and the "Woah" factor when flooring it isn't quite there anymore, but maintenance wise it is in good health and (for the performance) it has been what I'd consider pretty cheap. You can make your own decisions, but if I can afford it, anyone can!
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Nah, just get a part worn Linglong on it until you can buy some Kumhos, beats buying some Pilot Sport 3's or Potenzas
It always makes me smile when people try to suggest expensive cars are cheap to run for in the main the reverse is true. Lots of fuel, big tyres, big service bills, expensive parts, expensive repairs should they beed needed. Costs can be reduced and corners cut but if you use it daily, use it for a couple of years a car with list price of 50K (as an example) will have the running costs of a 50K car even if it cost you 10K usually.
To be honest, I'm struggling to understand HOW he got done £400 for a rad and £600 for pads and discs.
Worthy I take it that your car was a UK spec? That'd go some way to explaining the pads and discs costs, but still.
I know. I don't have the same car, I do the work myself and I don't mind using non Mr.T parts where considerable saving can be had, I'm not implying that costs can be directly compared, but:
Radiator for me: £100 and a bit of swearing
Pads and discs. £84 for my rears. Could do the fronts for another £100 - £150 with decent pads. (P.S If he has a JSpec car then his brakes would be identical to mine)
Do stuff yourself and go with the numerous non Mr.T parts suppliers and considerable savings can be had.
'This year' as in the last 12 (actually 10) months. Mayte.
What would you know? You can run on an RS4 on a few hundred quid, just change the oil yourself and buy Kowmhoe tyres!
