Big bill for my car!
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Wow you guys don't have a clue how bad it is in other parts of the world. To start with I paid equivalent to $13000 pounds to buy my car and then the first service was 6200 GBP's !!!! So life in 'Neighbours' -land is sunny but not everything's greener.[
] So be thankful my friends.
] So be thankful my friends.
kevinshally
New member
2k is a nice whack to get all at once. I'm in Dublin so in Euro I reckon in the past 4 years of ownership, I have spent around 10-12k euro on the car.
With the weather the way it is at the moment it's not the best for taking it out from under the cover, getting the roof down and speeding around.
I think I've had about 2 invoices for around 2k and when I got the new windscreen and re-painted it was €3500.
I just had the clutch done and the cv joints and a full service. That was around 1500.
Currently the parts are being brought in for the timing belt and water pump and when thats done I'll think it's all finished and then I'm sure there will be something else.
Weird that I've spent all this time and money on the car and the car is on the market. Damn my new sense of sensibility.
Kev.
With the weather the way it is at the moment it's not the best for taking it out from under the cover, getting the roof down and speeding around.
I think I've had about 2 invoices for around 2k and when I got the new windscreen and re-painted it was €3500.
I just had the clutch done and the cv joints and a full service. That was around 1500.
Currently the parts are being brought in for the timing belt and water pump and when thats done I'll think it's all finished and then I'm sure there will be something else.
Weird that I've spent all this time and money on the car and the car is on the market. Damn my new sense of sensibility.
Kev.
£2k is a lot. I'm sorry to hear it.
FWIW, I've had my S2 about 14 months and had a bill of £700 for belts and a wheel bearing, and just spent around £600 on some new suspension. Oh, and a casual £200 on some CV's which probably weren't necessary. Which seems like a huge amount for a car that cost just over £4k. (Particularly when you come from a Mk2 Golf on which nothing cost more than £60, and provided practically free motoring for 3 years.)
BUT, the 'depreciation will cost a boatload more if you buy a new car' argument is a good one, as is the fact that a 944 is a damn good car, and will reward in terms of driving pleasure - far more than some things costing 10 times as much. I'm with John in not finding anything new that appealing.
There is quite a good car cost calculator on www.pistonheads.com, which can factor in depreciation as well as running costs. Worth a look. Mine is here:
http://pistonheads.com/members/showServiceHistory.asp?carId=35695
Oli.
FWIW, I've had my S2 about 14 months and had a bill of £700 for belts and a wheel bearing, and just spent around £600 on some new suspension. Oh, and a casual £200 on some CV's which probably weren't necessary. Which seems like a huge amount for a car that cost just over £4k. (Particularly when you come from a Mk2 Golf on which nothing cost more than £60, and provided practically free motoring for 3 years.)
BUT, the 'depreciation will cost a boatload more if you buy a new car' argument is a good one, as is the fact that a 944 is a damn good car, and will reward in terms of driving pleasure - far more than some things costing 10 times as much. I'm with John in not finding anything new that appealing.
There is quite a good car cost calculator on www.pistonheads.com, which can factor in depreciation as well as running costs. Worth a look. Mine is here:
http://pistonheads.com/members/showServiceHistory.asp?carId=35695
Oli.
ORIGINAL: John Sims
But with an enlarging small boy and similarly expanding dog I need a 2+2. That said I don't know how Mostyn would like the back of a DB7. Perhaps Belinda and Peter will have to go in the back and Mostyn can sit in the front. [
Good point well made. I did also consider a DB7 but really the badge excited me and the car did not, so I moved on. It was the kit-car interior that put me off the Noble but I only need 2 seats, hence ultimately buying a full-size estate car [&:]
So you finally arrived at an Audi estate, having also considered a DB7 and a Noble M12?
Without being rude, I'd have liked to see the original list of 'must haves' which all thse cars could have fulfilled* - this sounds worse than Mrs Zcacogp in a clothes shop!
Oli.
* - Probably something eminently sensible but hard to pin down, like 'must make the flames of desire burn within me.' I guess I can associate with this.
Considerations went something like this (starting in April this year)
"Gee, the sun is out, I've just had my 964 C4 at the 'Ring and it felt like a barge - I'd like a nice cabrio that could replace the C4 and the 530d and would be lovely to drive with the roof down after work in the warm evenings as it is supposed to be the hottest summer on record (HA!)"
From that point the list went something like:
M3 cab
M3 CSL
M3 cab
M3 CSL (iterate several more times round this loop)
A4 cab
SL320
VW Eos
M3 cab
M3 CSL
Z3 M Roadster
M3 cab
Alpina Roadster S
M3 cab
Alpina Roadster S (decision made, then I discover Alpinas under 20 years old can't be registered in NZ without crashing one for their amusement first)
M3 cab
Z4 M Roadster
M3 cab
Z4 M Roadster (then someone tells me Z4s don't sell in NZ, which seems to be backed up by lack of examples for sale anywhere there)
M3 cab (by now it's raining every day - do I need a cab? And I've been looking at M3s for so long I'm bored with them without even owning one)
S4 cab
(get back from holiday in 530d which has carried all our gear and bikes on the roof and been really practical - do I want a cab?)
535d Touring
M12 GTO (well, if I'm going to have a roof I can have a coupe)
M3 CSL
DB7 (probably a cab TBH)
XKR cab
S4 cab
RS4 avant
TVR of some sort
VXR 220 (plus a sensible car)
Touareg V10 TDI
Cayenne Turbo
535d touring
RS4 avant
RS6 avant
S4 cab
RS6 avant (suddenly the 350bhp options are looking gutless on paper, and surely the 535d can barely turn right across a cambered road? At this point the entire BMW range was ruled out for being underpowered (as the M5 and M6 were out of budget))
E55 AMG estate (but they don't put the power down with only 2wd)
RS6 avant
"Must haves" were: German, RWD (though FWD also is OK), plenty of "go". A few cars were briefly considered that didn't fit, but not for long.
"Gee, the sun is out, I've just had my 964 C4 at the 'Ring and it felt like a barge - I'd like a nice cabrio that could replace the C4 and the 530d and would be lovely to drive with the roof down after work in the warm evenings as it is supposed to be the hottest summer on record (HA!)"
From that point the list went something like:
M3 cab
M3 CSL
M3 cab
M3 CSL (iterate several more times round this loop)
A4 cab
SL320
VW Eos
M3 cab
M3 CSL
Z3 M Roadster
M3 cab
Alpina Roadster S
M3 cab
Alpina Roadster S (decision made, then I discover Alpinas under 20 years old can't be registered in NZ without crashing one for their amusement first)
M3 cab
Z4 M Roadster
M3 cab
Z4 M Roadster (then someone tells me Z4s don't sell in NZ, which seems to be backed up by lack of examples for sale anywhere there)
M3 cab (by now it's raining every day - do I need a cab? And I've been looking at M3s for so long I'm bored with them without even owning one)
S4 cab
(get back from holiday in 530d which has carried all our gear and bikes on the roof and been really practical - do I want a cab?)
535d Touring
M12 GTO (well, if I'm going to have a roof I can have a coupe)
M3 CSL
DB7 (probably a cab TBH)
XKR cab
S4 cab
RS4 avant
TVR of some sort
VXR 220 (plus a sensible car)
Touareg V10 TDI
Cayenne Turbo
535d touring
RS4 avant
RS6 avant
S4 cab
RS6 avant (suddenly the 350bhp options are looking gutless on paper, and surely the 535d can barely turn right across a cambered road? At this point the entire BMW range was ruled out for being underpowered (as the M5 and M6 were out of budget))
E55 AMG estate (but they don't put the power down with only 2wd)
RS6 avant
"Must haves" were: German, RWD (though FWD also is OK), plenty of "go". A few cars were briefly considered that didn't fit, but not for long.
Neil Haughey
New member
I could do a similar list but with " = can't afford it" cut and paste next to each one.
OK I could afford a flash motor if I just drove the thing around and didn't mod anything, change any parts slightly worn or generally drive it like it really was somebody elses.
Having an S2 as my fastest car is probably the one thing that has kept me out of prison/hospital/grave etc.
OK I could afford a flash motor if I just drove the thing around and didn't mod anything, change any parts slightly worn or generally drive it like it really was somebody elses.
Having an S2 as my fastest car is probably the one thing that has kept me out of prison/hospital/grave etc.
Mate, that must have been a bad moment for you. Glad that you are more back to normal now. If this sort of thing afflicts you again, I'm sure that anyone on this forum will be more than happy to give you a good, stiff talking-to until normal service is resumed.
(Of course, given that you needed something Teutonic, RWD and with some 'Go', why does a good 944 not feature on that list?)
Oli.
Neil Haughey
New member
Have to say also that to my thinking a cab really needs to sound good. This is why off the wall ideas like a 964 cab would appeal to me because I am sure it could sound amazing, as might a mustang cab with a nice warbling V8. Basically I feel that cabs don't really have to handle that great or be that sporty since its more about the impression of speed and wind in the hair etc.
I agree on the cab front Neil, especially as I'm an acceleration junkie and not overly fussed about cornering on the outside rims and doorhandles on the road, hence I was happy to consider any cab that sounded fast on paper.
In the end I drove several cabs with circa 350bhp and decent torque and none of them actually felt fast. In fact the Z3 M Roadster for example felt pretty pedestrian even though it pulled 80+ in 2nd and didn't take long doing it.
The S54 BMW engine sounds nice (especially in the CSL as it happens) as does the V8 in the S4.
The Eos was an aberration. I didn't even look at one after a "what am I thinking" moment. They look nice and I like the idea of a glass sunroof in the folding hard top, but they are an ordinary car that would suit a "lady who lunches" which is not my thing at all [:'(]
In the end I drove several cabs with circa 350bhp and decent torque and none of them actually felt fast. In fact the Z3 M Roadster for example felt pretty pedestrian even though it pulled 80+ in 2nd and didn't take long doing it.
The S54 BMW engine sounds nice (especially in the CSL as it happens) as does the V8 in the S4.
The Eos was an aberration. I didn't even look at one after a "what am I thinking" moment. They look nice and I like the idea of a glass sunroof in the folding hard top, but they are an ordinary car that would suit a "lady who lunches" which is not my thing at all [:'(]
Based on the Passat, I think. With all the inherent problems (weight, FWD, not much go, poor handling), but without the associated useful features (i.e. has two doors, no back seat, no boot to speak of, bad fuel economy.)
Worst of both worlds. (Although they are pretty, I'll give you that.)
Oli.
Gordon Attar
New member
Well I'm sure I have one of those..... and saved 30% on your target
beavercraig
New member
I have a friend who has run a 3.2 911 as a third car for seven years. He reckons 2k a year to run it. The majority of that is spent on mechanicals and paintwork although he never does more than a few thousand miles in it.
Just think of it in lieu of depreciation. [8D]
I once lost £15k in 6 months on a Rangerover[&o] and 19k in a year on an Audi S4 a few years before[&o]
I'm not sure you do - John is not as big a 911 fan as I am and even I wouldn't buy a 993 Turbo. Sure there was a time I would have, but having owned a 964 C4 for a while I know what it needs to be a car I'd want isn't more power. I had thought Porsche engineered the "911" out of the 911 with the 996, but now I think they did it with the 964.
Perhaps a 930, but then that is nowhere near as capable and balanced a chassis as a 944 hence the 944 is a better car for trackdays (for example).
Gordon Attar
New member
Wasnt suggesting John wanted a 993TT but agreed with the sentiment, I also couldnt think of any other Porsche over £100k you could get for under £40k as the 996TT was £20k cheaper than the 993TT!!
Reference the 964 totally different experience to 944, weight feels like its behind you lots of low end grunt and go, lovely noise, the 944T is much more go kart like and evenly weighted though needs winding up to get going, which is the bit that I'm disappointed with even compared to the S2 and with an upgrade or two must be fantastic to track. Like wise the 993TT feels much more like the 944 in style of driving very sure footed but no lag, grunt at all speeds, weight distribution feels pretty even and happy at any speed in town or out, a completely different total supercar experience compared to the others , but in comparison to the 944 I know it isnt suited to be chucked round corners on a track.
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