It all adds up !! % of value

[wingco]

Just been creating a list of expenditure on my 89 S2 for the year 2007. I can't really beleive how all the little things add up and then combined with a large bill or two for service etc the total seriously starts to climb.
So what I did was work out what percentage of the value of the car I have spent this year on maintenance and general improvements ( excluding insurance ).
ie if my car was worth £5000 and I have so far spent £2500 then the percentage would be 50%.
Mine worked out at 56%. Just wondered what others might be and what this might compare with our other/normal cars. Mine is a Rav 4 and so far the percentage for that is only 6%.
Made the mistake of telling the better half about this, dont do the same as the grief really wont be worth it!! Rest assured we wont be having 2 Rav's.

Simon

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Interesting way of viewing it, Simon, but I think it's a flawed way to look at it.

Even a cost-per-mile basis is a bit dubious depending on the use the car gets - mine would not be great as it doesn't go far.

I only look at mine with the attitude that to own a Porsche, even as a weekend toy, is not bad value at around 1k per year excluding fuel. Trouble is that as a percentage that's probably about 50%, which sounds a lot worse than £20 a week! []

If I was comparing it to a daily driver the costs would probably hit £2k per year with the additional mileage. This is still less than the depreciation alone on a modern hatchback, let alone a modern sports car like, say, an RX8 or 350Z.

Good value then, I'd say! [8|]

 

[Diver944]

I think I'll be well over 100% []

I'm not playing this game, taking my ball home too [X(]

 

[Diver944]

Actually that was last year so doesn't count in this game []

This year it's probably 70% (so far [])

 

[andymorris]

Now you've made me think of it 120 % and rising [8|]

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Shall we end this thread before it depresses everyone? [][][][][][]

 

[TK2015]

Comparing a toy with a modern car used for every day transport isn't comparing apples with apples. For most people, the 944 is a hobby and should be looked at in that context, i.e. how much budget do you have for your hobbies in a year and does the cost of running/repairing/modifying/tracking the 944 fit within that?

If you want to compare to a modern car you need to look at whole life cost. So, for example my VW R32 cost £29k new, will be worth £18k after 3 years & 36,000 miles and would have cost about £1000 in services and repairs plus £1800 in tyres over the same distance. Cost = 38.3p per mile excluding petrol. My 944 cost £41k in 1989 and is worth about £7k now. It has covered 106,000 miles and assuming an annual service at £300 plus tyres every 15,000 miles, the running costs are about £8,200. If we add some repairs and mods, say £5k we get 44.5p per mile excluding petrol. Not that different to a new Golf!

(See, you can talk yourself into anything [8D] )

 

[Peter Empson]

Well over 200%...
I'm with Paul on this one

ORIGINAL: Diver944
I'm not playing this game, taking my ball home too [X(]

 

[sawood12]

But when you factor the purchase price of the cars in the first place the 944 looks like a bargain. My example is that I was looking to spend £16k - £18k on one of the then hot hatches (previous model Golf GTi, Leon Cupra R, Civic Type R) but in the end I spent £6800 on my 944T. Factoring in all the mods and repairs i've carried out over the years I reckon I've maybe spent £11k - £12k in total on the car, then factor in the fact that the £16k+servicing car that I would have bought would only be worth about £8k now and my 944T is probably still worth around what I bought it for then the 944 is looking more and more like a very sensible purchase indeed.

 

[George Elliott]

Wingco, you have a comparison with the daddy of reliability, bad luck - can I suggest a Rover perhaps to replace the RAV?[8|]

I can run a 944T very economically with some DIY which I enjoy. Promax and Brian Woodward are good with questions I have had.

May not be fair as a comparison, but I dont like paying £40? per hour (+Gordy'sAT) to fill washer bottles and pretend to oil the door hinges with some useless white spray grease. I did my 5000 mile Engine Oil / Filter in an hour last Saturday and it cost me £5 for a (MAN) Filter and £20 for Oil. Airfilter (K&N) and Plugs are about £60 but Brake pads are steeper at £90 Orig Equip (front). You do need good tools and garage space.

Therefore my expenditure on a daily driver 944 is modest, but it is all material not labour. I'd guess average £1500 per year incl mods over 4 year period to run 290bhp with 22 - 27mpg on Conti Sport Contacts. The car (£6k) is worth the same at the end.

So 25% + time (say 50 hrs per year max)

George

944T
964rs

 

[Peter Empson]

Would definately agree with the above, joking aside I didn't need to spend as much as I have this year (the headgasket and wishbone failure were undoubtedly accelerated by the hard track use my car gets, and naturally I couldn't replace anything with standard parts []).

So considering the use/abuse my car gets I think it's wonderfully reliable and actually quite affordable to run. I can't think of anything below £15 to £20K that I would consider as an alternative, and even if I could I'd never get rid of it []

 

[Fen]

I've spent less than nothing this year (I've sold some bits and boutght nothing). I'm probably running at about 500% over the life of the car though - and it still doesn't have an engine...

 

[Neil Haughey]

I think I am only just getting to the point where it is getting better again. I reckon I have spent about 12 grand over the last 7 years on repairs upgrades etc, the car cost me 8 grand, is maybe worth 5 grand + with a some paint work so she has cost me including depreciation 15 grand for 7 years and roughly 70K miles of driving. Even if you where to buy a new Honda Jazz every couple of years it would cost more in depreciation alone.

What annoyed me no end last year was that I spent more money on my daily driver and I only got that thing so I could look after the Porsche better,,,,arggghghjh.

 

[zcacogp]

I don't have figures for the last year to hand, but have been keeping an updated list of work done and costs on the Pistonheads site, here:

http://www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?carId=35695

It shows the cost of running my S2 as being 36p/mile since I bought it, including fuel but excluding tax and insurance. (I am hoping this is artificially high as I have changed the belts, CV's and suspension in this time. It's all the better for it, but it hasn't been cheap!) Working this out per month, it comes to about 39% of the cost of the car per year in maintenance alone ... eek!


Oli.

 

[TTM]

My S2 has consistently cost me £0.32 per mile since I bought it in May 2001. With 62k miles that makes a total of £20k, or 300%. Not bad considering it has never ever broken down in any even minor way in 6 years of all weather use.

The turbo so far has cost £0.37 per mile but most expenditures were rather unnecessary. Except perhaps a set of screwdrivers at a petrol station after a minor break down on the Autoroute as the hose to the intake went POP while I was at full throttle in fifth overtaking some lorries. 5 cent coins are worthless as screwdrivers, by the way.

 

[dixhuit]

ORIGINAL: Fen

I've spent less than nothing this year (I've sold some bits and boutght nothing). I'm probably running at about 500% over the life of the car though - and it still doesn't have an engine...

Well I am running at just over 400% and thats in 6 months. But its given me the best fun I have had with my clothes on for years. Compare that with my old 997 C2S which cost just over £8,000 in depreciation in the same period when I sold it. I am just approaching that figure for the track special and the car is still making me smile everytime I pick it up from my Specialist and take it on track.
I worked out that we run two 944's and one 3.2 Supersport for a year for what one 997 cost us in depreciation alone. Bargain ![]
Simon

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: TTM

My S2 has consistently cost me £0.2 per mile since I bought it in May 2001.

That must be excluding insurance, tax and petrol ... still a good figure.

If people on here are to be believed, regularly-used 944's throw up less problems than occasional-use ones, and hence the cost/mile must be much better. (Lower cost AND higher milage).

(My S2 certainly seems to run better since I started commuting in it. And it's a whole load better than the district line!)


Oli.

 

[TTM]

Not even, this is all inclusive, with parking place as well.

 

[zcacogp]

So you ran an S2 for 20p/mile, including fuel costs, insurance costs, road tax and maintenance, over a 60k mile time period?

That's pretty good going. In fact, very good going. I'm looking at 16-17p/mile in fuel alone!


Oli.

 

[TTM]

Now that you mention it it's actually £0.2 per km, so that's £0.32 per mile. I'm in France and fuel is less expensive than in the UK.

Just corrected my previous post.