Did you consider running and ownership costs when purchasing a vehicle?

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Day off today, have been doing a lot of thinking haha.

When you purchased your last vehicle, did you consider your costs of maintenance, fuel, tires, consumables, insurance etc? After selling my 135i and looking at my month to month finances of the BRZ compared to the 135i, I can't help but notice that I am saving in a lot of ways, and I didn't even consider that when I switched cars.

Anyone else realize this?

[schocker]

When I research cars, I look at fuel economy, tires and that is about it. Maintenance I suppose would be good to look at. Consumables and insurance don't bother me too much as consumables don't cost too much and I would have a decent idea of that and I will drive whatever I want so I don't worry about the insurance.

[Unknown303]

I keep putting 35x12.5 tires on my vehicles, so i definitely don't think about that...

[A790]

Buying new? Fuel economy and expecting maintenance.

Used? Ownership history, expected maintenance, unexpected repairs, etc.

[StreetRacerX]

No to everything pretty much, I seen the vehicle I wanted to replace my F150 with and bought it. Other than joining the forum that coresponds with the platform and researching I wasn't particularly concerned with it.

Test drove several of them and found the one I liked

[Heru-Farukon]

I did the same when I bought my brz lol.

Dealership maintenance for a year or so, fuel, insurance(first new car for me), & if I can survive to live still. Then goodies for when I get a chance(not really a priority)

[RX_EVOLV]

Absolutely. Looked at all the expected maintenance cost for the duration of the warranty or lease period before purchasing as they do add up with $180 oil change to $1000 Major Service. Fuel is a big one, and so is tire replacement cost. Also stuff like windshield replacement etc..

Almost pulled the trigger on a 2010 X6M CPO but the maintenance (315/35/20 tires for the back!!!) and fuel economy (20L/100km city) scared me off

[ercchry]

all i think of is.... HORSEPOWER.... and BAAAALLLLIN and once i was like YEAH! 4x4!!!! ...but only once

[pf0sh0]

^^^ I'm with this guy

[corsvette]

Lol...makes me think of my Cousin, buys a VW Toureg TDI, pays a bit more cause its a diesel but he drives alot so he will save on fuel compared to his old V8 Cherokee. He never thought about the extra maintenance and repairs, $250 oil changes, $200 fuel filters, $120 air filters. Now it has a whopping 144,000kms and a leaking water pump.....on the Toureg, you must remove the entire engine to change it! He's looking at 40+ hours labor plus parts and other "while were in there may as well change" stuff (like two turbos at $1500 each)

I'd say lots of folks don't think of the extra cost in maintenance certain vehicles demand.

[Heru-Farukon]

Originally posted by corsvette
Lol...makes me think of my Cousin, buys a VW Toureg TDI, pays a bit more cause its a diesel but he drives alot so he will save on fuel compared to his old V8 Cherokee. He never thought about the extra maintenance and repairs, $250 oil changes, $200 fuel filters, $120 air filters. Now it has a whopping 144,000kms and a leaking water pump.....on the Toureg, you must remove the entire engine to change it! He's looking at 40+ hours labor plus parts and other "while were in there may as well change" stuff (like two turbos at $1500 each)

I'd say lots of folks don't think of the extra cost in maintenance certain vehicles demand.

Goddam. All of that work just for a water pump? I wonder what the other "might as well change" items are there?
Recommend BIGGER TURBOS !!! LOL

And I never knew why diesel oil changes were so much compared to normal (synthetic included) oil changes.

And +1 on the extra cost (which was sorta why I didn't want to buy an audi wagon lol)

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Originally posted by corsvette
Lol...makes me think of my Cousin, buys a VW Toureg TDI, pays a bit more cause its a diesel but he drives alot so he will save on fuel compared to his old V8 Cherokee. He never thought about the extra maintenance and repairs, $250 oil changes, $200 fuel filters, $120 air filters. Now it has a whopping 144,000kms and a leaking water pump.....on the Toureg, you must remove the entire engine to change it! He's looking at 40+ hours labor plus parts and other "while were in there may as well change" stuff (like two turbos at $1500 each)

I'd say lots of folks don't think of the extra cost in maintenance certain vehicles demand.

I have a friend who works for VW and they regularly see $5000-10000 repair bills for Touregs.

[Heru-Farukon]

Originally posted by Twin_Cam_Turbo


I have a friend who works for VW and they regularly see $5000-10000 repair bills for Touregs.

Those are the major repairs correct?

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Originally posted by Heru-Farukon


Those are the major repairs correct?

Not always, as mentioned things like waterpumps and various things that don't seem that major on an engine cause huge grief on those, there's just no room to work.

[Heru-Farukon]

Originally posted by Twin_Cam_Turbo


Not always, as mentioned things like waterpumps and various things that don't seem that major on an engine cause huge grief on those, there's just no room to work.

Ohh that's true.
In my opinion, I would sorta consider the water pump as a major repair but on "low end scale" of the category. As you don't replace it very often

[Masked Bandit]

I don't really consider the running costs. I buy what I need to fit my lifestyle at the time and it costs what it costs. A less expensive version of the wrong tool is still the wrong tool.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
where I throw money when I am bored

That entirely sums up my car experiences. If I am busy I don't even care about buying mods and stuff, but then I get a slow day at work somehow I wander onto the forums and parts sites and end up busting out my credit card.

[benyl]

Interesting that no one has mentioned depreciation.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Originally posted by benyl
Interesting that no one has mentioned depreciation.

Another very valid point I forgot about.

[benyl]

I shudder every time if think of it. Haha, I think that is why most people ignore it.

I would guess the C63 cost me over $1 / km while I owned it.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Originally posted by benyl
I shudder every time if think of it. Haha, I think that is why most people ignore it.

I would guess the C63 cost me over $1 / km while I owned it.

My BMW was $0.28 a km but I bought it used so that really helped.

[DeleriousZ]

the wrong brain makes my automotive decisions for me.

[EF9 Sedan]

I think it all depends on what type of car you're buying.

Daily driver: Yes cost matters! Needs to be extremely fuel efficient, cheap to maintain, and not have any unexpected huge repairs.

Weekend car: I don't care if it drinks gas. I want it to be fun! But it must still be reliable and cheap to maintain.

For that reason... I tend to stick to cars that have a reputation for reliability.

I think it also comes down to how much you like a certain car.
e.g. If somebody really likes the R35 GT-R... they probably won't mind that maintenance is gonna kill them.:bigpimp:

[Graham_A_M]

I factor in everything for my DD's. I dont really care about depreciation, since I typically hold on to cars for many years. I usually buy used to let someone else take the huge depreciation hit for me, which helps. But cost of gas, maintenance, tune-ability, reliability, performance, usability, those are are huge things to consider.
Thats one of the main reasons I bought my Regal GS last year as my DD & fun car, it delivers high on all those levels. Yet Ive yet to encounter any issues of any sort with it.

For weekend warriors/fun cars, Obviously performance & exhilaration are the two biggest things, along with reliability. Insurance is always a bitch when you're young, thankfully Im not exactly a "youngun" too much anymore, so Im never worried about insurance. :dunno:
I also care about Fuel economy even with the fun cars, just that if I ever want to blaze it out to Lake Louis or further for a weekend, I dont want it costing me several times as much to do so with my DD. Sounds cheap I know, but unless Im getting DECENT performance to offset the cost of gas that it would drink, then why bother really. Throwing gas at something that doesn't seriously cook the tires off with ease, to me is a waste of money. :rolleyes:

[Blue]

all i thought about was i need a faster and better car at that time..
Never really thought about fuel, tires, maintenance and all those
I thought about depreciation but then again i told myself i was going to keep it forever until it dies on me

[corsvette]

Originally posted by Twin_Cam_Turbo


I have a friend who works for VW and they regularly see $5000-10000 repair bills for Touregs.

Yeah, they're crazy expensive to fix. Here's what my Cousin was quoted.

- Water pump is at the BACK of the engine, hence the required removal of engine to replace this part.

- while the engine is out it's "suggested" to do the turbos ($1500 ea) the thermostat, starter, and the liquid-cooled alternator, all of which require engine removal if (when) they fail, so you may as well do em while you've got the engine out. Total parts ~$5,500 labour 44 hours at indy shop rate of $110/hr. about a 10k water pump job if all recommended repairs are made.


I can only imagine Touregs big brother the Porsche Cayenne is just as much of a treat to repair, especially the twin turbo version.

The other vehicles I've seen with massive repair bills are Diesel pickups, mainly Ford. It's not hard at all to do 10 grand worth of work when multiple repairs are needed.

[The_Penguin]

Originally posted by corsvette


Yeah, they're crazy expensive to fix. Here's what my Cousin was quoted.

- Water pump is at the BACK of the engine, hence the required removal of engine to replace this part.

- while the engine is out it's "suggested" to do the turbos ($1500 ea) the thermostat, starter, and the liquid-cooled alternator, all of which require engine removal if (when) they fail, so you may as well do em while you've got the engine out. Total parts ~$5,500 labour 44 hours at indy shop rate of $110/hr. about a 10k water pump job if all recommended repairs are made.


I can only imagine Touregs big brother the Porsche Cayenne is just as much of a treat to repair, especially the twin turbo version.

The other vehicles I've seen with massive repair bills are Diesel pickups, mainly Ford. It's not hard at all to do 10 grand worth of work when multiple repairs are needed.

Jebus! I thought the timing belt/water pump on my Passat was expensive. Glad I talked myself out of the Toureg.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[brucebanner]

Never really looked at cost of ownership with any of the vehicles I have owned. Kind of ball parked things but never any real research into it.

All I know is they've generally stayed around the same or slightly more expensive, until I decided I wanted truck, definitely the most expensive vehicle that I've had.

[Khyron]

http://www.nogaroblue.com/cars/s4v8.jpg

Some timing chains are more difficult than others. :P

[Heru-Farukon]

^ What is that out of?

[xnvy]

^B6 Audi S4

[Khyron]

Originally posted by xnvy
^B6 Audi S4

Yep, if you see a B6/B7 S4 for a steal of a price... there's probably a good reason.

As to OP - I REALLY wanted to get an RX8 but couldn't justify the inital cost, the F150 fuel econ, the flooding, the apex seals/rebuilding risk, no trunk space at all, etc. Still love the car.

A pre-2009 911 - risk of IMS bearing is a small percentage but if you're that guy, 18-22K engine job. Tires, insane as well - with no spare.

[Redlyne_mr2]

Drive it, enjoy it, we all won't be around forever. :)

[95EagleAWD]

Hell no. I bought the car because I wanted to use it. What it costs me, I don't care.

That said, I've spent about $600 on the Coupe in maintenance in 36,400 kms over the last year.

[colinxx235]

I think until you make enough that it doesn't phase you, have to.

It was a huge factor in my decision between a S4/C63/RS4 etc field. I wanted a '08 RS4 so bad, but was I ever paranoid if the pump went, or carbon build up, etc

And well, C63 just eats rubber and brakes for breakfast :rofl:

[max_boost]

It sure does come into play lol especially if you try to preach things like budget baller etc.

The NA Subaru's nothing but oil changes, air filters up to 100k. Off course that matters. The 911 turbo, service once a year or every 30,000kms. Yep.

The BMW 328X, one price, maintenance, wear and tear all in, that's my style.

[msommers]

My latest vehicle purchase is the only one where none of those have been a factor. It is primarily a work vehicle required to be big enough to haul things around, comfortable for long seat times, adequate in areas where the roads suck and be reliable. For that reason, it just costs what it costs to run, be it fuel or maintenance items, and never even bothered calculating it out. Fortunately it worked out the previous owner had bought the top warranty package and I have bumper-to-bumper extended until 200,000km or X amount of years (there is a lot left is all I know). Fortunately she's been really good to me with nothing but fluid and filter changes required at this point. Just about to roll over 100,000 any day now.

Previous to this everything mentioned was definitely a factor because I didn't have extra money to toss into a car while I was in school so it had to be fuel efficient and reliable. Sometimes that worked out, and other times,times like when I replaced nearly every engine part minus internals in a passat, it worked out ok.

The next vehicle decision is going to depend where I'm at for work, either my 4R will get replaced or I'll add a track/weekend car. The only factors I'll be considering are long term major repair costs and short-term maintenance costs, everything else like fuel efficiency, insurance, tires etc are whatever they cost and not a factor.

[dubhead]

Mostly took into account fuel economy since I drive a lot. I've been looking at vechiles lately and built a big spread sheet to compare cost, Financing cost, Fuel economy, monthly fuel usage and cost. All it took was one test drive and haven't looked at the spread sheet since.

So really I guess for me it boils down to the drive at the moment

[DeleriousZ]

Originally posted by Khyron
[IMG]http://www.nogaroblue.com/cars/s4v8.jpg[/IMG

Some timing chains are more difficult than others. :P

That's hilarious I was actually going to post that exact picture. That's the only thing that has me hesitating a b6/7 s4...

[AndyL]

Ugh... Don't remind me :)

Yeah the ML was a bad purchase... premium + 9L of 0w40 every oil change + stupid expensive filter...

However, the damn dodge ram 1500, hasn't been much cheaper overall - with (now) 3 weeks lost due to transmission issues, 13.7L lifetime combined fuel economy... and knowing at 107000km I'm SOL on future transmission issues (it was in again last week for a new solenoid - harness, and program , luckily they agreed that 1.5 years and 107,000kms they should cover it). And it's needing 4 corners brakes, and new rubber at those 4 corners too... :banghead:

One day i'll learn to research ahead...

Then again if we all did our research we'd probably all be fighting over 60/70s ford/chevs - where parts are a dime a dozen and in stock always...

[Supa Dexta]

Ive got a 2008 2500hd chev.. I've put one wiper blade on and just oil changes. Nearing 230k.. And Im not easy on it.

[zieg]

I only consider those things relevant to the reason I want the car. Buying a sports car, don't care about fuel economy or tires. I know both are going to cost me. Since I do all ny own mechanical work, I do consider how easy or difficult the car will be to work on, and to a extent, the cost of parts.

[codetrap]

Yes to all.

[Alak]

The only two things I consider when I buy a vehicle is if I like it and if I think its fun for me to drive.

What I've spent on unexpected vehicle maintenance in the last 10 years I could probably buy a new car. Like an AMG new car.

[Cos]

.

[Graham_A_M]

Originally posted by AndyL
Ugh... Don't remind me :)
However, the damn dodge ram 1500, hasn't been much cheaper overall - with (now) 3 weeks lost due to transmission issues, 13.7L lifetime combined fuel economy... and knowing at 107000km I'm SOL on future transmission issues (it was in again last week for a new solenoid - harness, and program , luckily they agreed that 1.5 years and 107,000kms they should cover it). And it's needing 4 corners brakes, and new rubber at those 4 corners too... :banghead:

One day i'll learn to research ahead...


OR just dont buy a Dodge, I went through hell on earth trying to keep our '92 D250 (w/cummins) going, finally I just gave up after calling every dodge dealership west of Quebec for the parts we needed, yet weren't available.

:banghead:

Every Dodge owner Ive seen since that whole fiasco has had numerous issues I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Mainly electrical, with transmission issues a close second. Im just done with that company, 100% done. :nut:

No I was intensely frustrated. Dodge didn't design that era of trucks to properly handle the weight of the Cummins, so the steering & brakes couldn't handle the weight, which meant they'd prematurely wear out consistently. Now, I get that? trust me I do, as stupid as it is..... but you couldn't buy said parts anymore. So great, 8 years ago we had a truck with no brakes or steering anymore to speak of, since you couldn't get parts for it. They stopped making them a few years prior, and nobody had parts for it, online or otherwise. So now we had a truck with no steering (you'd have to crank the wheel 3/4 of a turn before noticing a change in direction, the ball joints were so worn out). The brakes were beyond shot, it basically had none. So even though we had a MINT '92 D250 Ram, we had to park it since there were literally no parts available to fix it, despite only having 110k kms on it.
We sold it a few years back as a parts truck. Which was far from fun, I have pics of it now, it could be in parade's it was so clean and sharp, despite all its countless issues. :rolleyes: Im still quite bitter towards Dodge after that whole experience, and thats not even going into detail over the electrical issues or the tranny issues.

IDK, still insanely upset with them, For trucks I think I'll be sticking to (non diesel) Fords or GM from now on, exclusively.

[btimbit]

Depends on the car.

Summer car? I don't care, as long as it's fun.

DD? I look at mileage, cost of replacement parts, but I don't mind having to fix anything if the parts are dirt cheap.

[CapnCrunch]

I always look at those costs. It's one of many things I look at.

[sidewaysD]

I did when I was looking at a cheap bang for buck Summer RWD sports car.
Mr2, Mx-5, Supra, S14, 300zx, foxbody mustang, lolololol Fierro :( etc etc in various price ranges.

Did a bit of reasearch acctually.. in known issues, ease to work on, reliability, cost/availability of parts, somewhat.. fuel economy, aftermarket support etc etc.
But also factor in.. whats acctually available to purchase.. and eventually I came to a conclusion.

[klumsy_tumbler]

I agree that all things should be considered before purchasing a DD. Reliability is huge. Before I bought my car, I set up a balanced score card of sorts in excel and went out and test drove pretty much everything. So far, I have NO regrets with my purchase :thumbsup:

[bjstare]

I always take maintenance and reliability into account. Fuel economy, not so much. Usually the faster the car, the more gas it drinks, the more fun I'm having - therefore it's worth it.

I was set on getting a V8 S4 for my next car, but smartened up and got a G35S instead, while staying in the same price range. Owning an Audi off warranty is just not something I can quite stomach yet.

[pheoxs]

Depreciation is the biggest hit for me. My FR-S was ~50 cents / km give or take.

My pos old ranger for a winter beater is epic value. 10,000kms, paid 400$ for it, 0$ maintenance, though it drinks fuel like a siv.

[bjstare]

Originally posted by pheoxs
Depreciation is the biggest hit for me. My FR-S was ~50 cents / km give or take.

....

And that's why it will be a long time before I ever buy a brand new car. Might as well let some other sucker eat the depreciation cost ;)

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

My winter beater I put 10000km on and sold it for what I bought it for, I was pretty excited haha.

[Prail]

Not really.