So I've been frustrated because I'm getting ready to take the car into the shop for the third time this year and without belaboring all the details, will probably spend more in maintenance this year (again) than the car is actually worth.

I make decent money, and I've got two very young kinds so time's always at a premium, and I tend to break things so I'm not a particularly good candidate to do my own maintenance, which I used to think I like to do, but I really don't.

I keep thinking that I'll finally get caught up with almost everything (or at least the big ticket stuff) and should be entitled to several worry-free years of driving before another parts/labor financial disaster. And I should really be on the cusp....really.

Nevertheless, I have been fantasizing about what a replacement car might look like...and that has been a bit of a wake up call:

1. Aston Martin - A used Vanquish is still $150k +, and I can't imagine it will be any more reliable and holy cow how much are parts? And is it an uptick? I'm putting out over 500 chp, and 420 to the rear wheels.

2. Ferrari - A used 360 is still $125k+ and I can't imagine it will be any more reliable and holy cow how much are parts? And is it an uptick? I'm putting out over 500 chp, and 420 to the rear wheels, and the 360 only has something like 400 horses.

3. Mercedes - They're putting the supercharged V8 into almost anything you want, and it's probably a comparable (or slightly stronger) engine than what I've got now. The twin-turbo V-12 has a ****load more torque, but weighs 300 more lbs than the V8. So it's not exactly going to be a race car. And a 2003 used CL55 is still more than $50k.

Now, the Aston and the Ferrari would definitely have more cachet. The Mercedes would have usable back seats. So there are pros and cons to each.

But I guess in the end, if the replacement car is going to:

a) depreciate from a much higher starting value,
b) need to be fixed just as often or maybe more, with
c ) parts/labor just as expensive and probably more complicated, and
d) not going to offer any meaningful performance increase, then

I guess I shouldn't be as frustrated as I've felt, because quite frankly, there aren't many cars offering superior performance above a supercharged 928 currently available at any price.

But I do feel like a bit of a dope for continuing to pump comparatively ridiculous amounts of car that isn't worth anything.

 

Since you say how much the car is worth, not what you paid, is it fair to say you are paying over $10K for maintenance? I'm guessing one year was the SC, which if somebody else is doing the work I could see setting you back most of this for that year, but seriously, what are you doing? Is this in honest-to-goodness repairs, or repairs and improvements?

 

I did the same thing the first two years I had my car though it was in great shape so it was worth the investment. I have had three easy years maintenance wise until this year when everything was due to be serviced again. Fellow 928ers have helped me out and allowed me to keep my car because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to pay for the maintenance. What I am getting at is you will get to that point where everything will be caught up and you will just need to do the little things once in a while.

 

Who's your mechanic? BC davis? (sorry BC)

Is your shark a lemon? I ask because mine doesn't need a thing and runs perfect. When you say yours is not worth anything, that implies resale. The 928 is imo the best ride out there and a good 928 is priceless.

Just think for a moment, new wheels like RDS, a new champagne leather interior, paint if you need it and for modest dough you have something better than anything in a showroom. On one of my last rides of the season I stepped on the pedal a little and was impressed again with how capable this car is, its amazing.

The vanquish is the closest car to a 928 on the market today. As for something else comparable, i would say M6 or CLS 55. You are still paying 100K. The other exotics are very cramped and very pricey. You will take a depreciation hit and have what, a car that can do just about what the 928 can do, but does not look as good or have the uniqueness and history that is the 928.

I could see any of the above as an addition to my shark. You could always stay in the family with a 997 TT.

 

Well what can one say. An Aston well boys dreams are made of that before they see the 928, so what else, looking at the price you can have a Aston and a 928 just for the sevice charge on the Aston if you do 20% of the work yourself and what a great time that is, I am not being sarcastic bit I really love the hours spent under or over my shark, and lets not be shy even the Aston sorry folks its only a DB5 Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

 

Unless you are looking at a new(er) Aston Martin, any other car will be a step down.

My father is a former 928 owner who is now shopping for a baby V8 Vantage.

 

Do the Ferrarii still require 3000 miles maintenance that costs more than 2 swaybar upgrade kits?
Pondered a Ferrari 400i till I envisioned steam coming out of the hood when stuck in NYC summer traffic with AC on full blast.

My preventative/maintenance/upkeep/upgrade monies go into keeping the 928 running strong. Not for adding the whatever resale value I might get.
Did the engine fuel hoses this year. Just upgraded to HID H3 fogs.
No flambe. And probably won't be able to outdrive the lights at night.

BD, you've already got the boooost. Plop in some HID lights and most current supercars will keep up with you. A few Lambos and Ferrarii and AMG might embarass the 20 year old chassis. But there's few out there that will touch the bang for the buck of the boosted928.

Maybe a used Audi RS4/6. But how abused will they be?
Car reviewers rave about the current M5. Not sure if the Bimmer will be pricey to upkeep like the last 7-series.
The 850i is one storming ride with a V-12.

Ernest (NYC)
Comfortable in my 928.

 

Hey Brian. I see you driving up Lomas with the Car all the time, and you seem to be enjoying it, although you do seem to just have an upbeat facial expression most of the time, so it could just be you're a happy guy. I bought the Honda S2000 to just enjoy a car without working on it, and most new cars will do that for at least a good few years. Remember also a new car comes with a Service plan, so you couldn't be out much to too long. BMW pays for 4 years of service. Get a new M3, or a nice 330 coupe, and have brakes, tires, wipers, oil, coolant all changed for 4 years at no cost to you. Just drive it and have fun.

 

BMW will pay for tires and brakes on a new M3 for 4 years? Really?

Thunderhill here I come!!!!

 

maybe a ultra rare, well not ultra rare but a rare 850csi, they imported them here in maybe 94-95 5.8L V-12 380HP, 6spd, some of them were finished on the BMW individual line and will have some nice color combos if not off the wall ones. They are 40-50K i want to say, but then its a BMW and the last one i owned has a similiar thing to what you describe, where in once you get one thing fixed, 2 other things break. That got really annoying. I personally wouldnt go for the CSI, if you like your shark, as someone mentioned maybe budget 10K, get some nice new leather stuff, some GTS rear flares, new paint, some other goodies. Of course you dont want to be on the fence about keeping it at that point. The cars you mentioned were all fairly 928ish, well except for the F360. Maybe a ice F456 or if you want to spend 100K get a damn 550 Maranello and never sell it. YEAH DO THAT! But please allow us all to drewl all over it from time to time.

 

Funny how timely this post is. My wife's 1989 928S4 just puked AC fluid through the drip tube from the evaporator/heater box last night. This means I've got to tear out the whole front cabin (again!) to replace the evaporator. This in the middle of my 5 speed conversion on my track car which means I've got to do the change out in my driveway since the garage is full. Word to the wise, always use a new evaporator if this ever happens to you. I used the one from my track car when I tore out the AC. Looked good at the time but about 4 years later here I am again.

So I started thinking long and hard about what other car we could get that would give us all that we have with the 928. I too thought it a bit foolish to spend money on a car that is not worth what we spend on it. The same cars came to mind almost exactly with the other additions being a Dodge Viper GTS and the 996 TT or C4S.

But could those cars carry the payload that we can in our 928 hatch back? No. Will they be more exclusive than our 928 that gets stares and thumbs up just about everytime we drive it? No. Will I owe money after the purchase of the other car? Yes, we don't owe anything now.

And I fall in love everytime I go for a drive and it always puts a big smile on my face. The same kind of smile I see on my wife's face when she pulls into the garage or when she tells me of a "kill" story with another car who thought they could keep up with her over the bridge.

So we will probably keep the car forever or as long as we can still get in and out of it under our own power. Maybe another addition or two, but nothing else out there that we can comfortably afford can match the 928 we have.

Cheers,
Constantine

 

I'm confused...

If you can afford to consider a $150K car like an AM, how could any service on the 928 constitute a "parts/labor financial disaster," as you put it?

 

i was thinking the same thing

 

if i could afford a 150K car i would have a $150,000 car

 

3 times to the shop in a season? It doesn't sound abnormal. Is some of the extra work SC related? I think somebody should try a 5 speed before going SC to see if they still want or need more. There is enough going on keeping our 20 year olds up to snuff before adding a supercharger and whatever that adds to the mix.
Just one opinion. I have had a/t 928s and enjoyed every minute of them.