iain m Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Shortly after I bought my Westie 3 years ago a neighbour from the road opposite bought a Porsche 911/996 Carrera/4/S very pretty car, we were only on waving terms and it disappeared a few weeks ago. I was cleaning the Westie in the drive and he stopped for a chat and asked what the running cost were like, I keep my car exactly as it left the factory,( this year it won the "original but different award" at the WSCC Surrey Club) MOT,oil, and some wind deflectors probably total about £100 a year. Like me he bought the Porsche for a bit of fun motoring but had experienced major steering, fuel injection, brake and electrical problems, also engine/gearbox out twice for clutch and oil leaks. He spent £3k on acceptable routine service/parts £10k on unacceptable repairs, and £7k loss when he eventually sold it ( or in his words "gave it away") . £20k is not fun motoring. Ok lots of owners don't have problems of this magnitude but he spent almost the original purchase price keeping it on the road for 30 months. Caveat emptor rules apply Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephenh Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 He isn't the first and he won't be the last. It isn't the cost of buying, its the cost of running exotica that really hurts. I owned an Aston Martin DBS 6 Vantage for 3 years (the old one, not the current one!) so can speak from personal experience. IMHO, of course! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martyblues Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 I have always fancied something a little exotic ( motoring that is) there are plenty of older exotic cars out there, at affordable purchase prices, but the keep on the road costs can spiral out of control, That is why I chose the Westie route, Fun, a little different, and reasonable cost wise, you can spent lots if you so wish, but a basic version will give hours of fun for the price a packet of fags every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhett Turner - Black Country AO Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 I heard a good statement re super car ownership "if you can't afford to run a new Ferrari you won't be able to run a second hand one either". Its a simple statement but it does make you think in a slightly different way. I guess some of the reality is that a second hand one could be more expensive to run than a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTR2Turbo Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Just look at the depreciation figures for most cars. Most cars loose 50% in 3 years. My friend just bought a 3000 mile AM Rapide that had lost £65k in its first 9 months. So the skill is to buy a car that whilst high running costs has little depreciation. Edit to add I think your neighbour was a bit unlucky but I wouldn't touch a 996 or 997 Porsche or any of the boxsters. The engine reliability seems very poor. The dealers just cover it up well by sorting under warranty for the first owners. My brother has a 997 GT3 with 8000 miles and the engine has been out twice under warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martyblues Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 It must be nice to be able to afford those amounts of losses. Rhett, your statement sums it up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Colonial Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Friend has a J-reg 911 Carrera4 that has been in the garage more often than on his drive. Paid £13k for it and I think he's probably spent £6k in repairs without doing that many miles at all. Now the centre diff has gone bang - I wonder if he'll fix it or cut his losses and run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Algar - Competition Secretary Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 It certainly makes you think !! Mind almost any newish car these days has so much electronic gear to go wrong with it, that it rapidly becomes a nightmare to fix faults. Says he about to get his A8 plugged into Jeff's VAG unit to figure out why the windscreen wipers won;t work. Fuses are all OK, wipers seem free, but just stopped working Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterg Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Says he about to get his A8 plugged into Jeff's VAG unit to figure out why the windscreen wipers won;t work. Fuses are all OK, wipers seem free, but just stopped working Auto rain sensor? have you tried switching that off or get SteveD to try p*ssing on the windscreen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evo,s 7SE Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Nick make sure the bonnet is shut properly or that the bonnet catch Is sensing its shut properly The wipers on vag don't work when bonnet is open Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Algar - Competition Secretary Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Thanks Pete and Evo, tried both of those, but it's not playing ball. Bonnet has been up and down more times than I have had hot dinners !! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsurplice Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 I am 50yrs its sure sign of mid life crises to see some my age in a 911 if its a flop top may even have secret gay or gender probs . I have a westfeild people think mad most smile. also much cheaper to run tax and ins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooch Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 He isn't the first and he won't be the last. It isn't the cost of buying, its the cost of running exotica that really hurts. I owned an Aston Martin DBS 6 Vantage for 3 years (the old one, not the current one!) so can speak from personal experience. IMHO, of course! I've always wanted to own a classic Aston Martin, just once, but I doubt it will happen. I was chatting with an acquaintance at the Goodwood Revival who owned a beautiful old AM as to what would be the best to get without paying silly money for the DB5 and DB6 etc. Interestingly, he said the DBS 6 was probably the most affordable....I think that's all relative, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain m Posted May 21, 2013 Author Share Posted May 21, 2013 There was a tread on here some months ago about the cost of running a TVR, the general opinion of most owners was allow £3k a year for maintenance plus servicing and service items. This is why we are Westie owners. My Westie was 6 years old, 4000 miles when I bought it, depreciation since is probably negligible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 I will not enter this conversation if we are adding costs of upgrades into the cost of ownership. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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