Surprise Z costs

kenchan · 02-01-2012, 02:37 PM

oh wait... there was a 500 'surprise' cost i incurred 2 months ago... but never mind.

6MT · 02-01-2012, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by awkwardturtle

I'm just trying to make sure I 100% understand the realities of paying for this car if I do decide to actually jump into one.

I've looked into the money-related stuff that I can see upfront (monthly payments, insurance, gas), all of which I'm ok with and could comfortably be paid. I keep noticing little things that I find are absurdly expensive for a car of this price, though (Granted, I've never owned a real sports car, so I have no idea what the norm is).

Right now I pay $30 for quality oil/filter to change my oil.. I see an oil change on this car is about $120. I'm assuming, although I admittedly haven't looked into it yet, that tires are outrageously expensive for this car and go quickly. What really caught my eye today, though, was someone mentioning replacing an O2 sensor at a cost of $500 for the sensor

(Recently replaced O2 sensor on my car = $120). It's seeming to me like OEM parts for this car (so far) are 4-5x more than what I pay for my car now. If that's the case, I'm not entirely sure I should be buying a car of this caliber right now.

So, just out of pure curiosity, have any of you guys had any mind-boggling maintenance/repairs on this car that you weren't expecting? I remember a while back seeing a nice used M3 at a local dealer and finding out that the owner traded it in for a cheap Honda because he couldn't afford the maintenance.. I don't want to be that guy!

Thanks

IMHO, stay away from the Z. Sounds like you can't afford it.

m4a1mustang · 02-01-2012, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 6MT

IMHO, stay away from the Z. Sounds like you can't afford it.

There are some more economical cars out there like the Civic, Elantra, Focus, etc. Super cheap to keep on the road.

Red__Zed · 02-01-2012, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m4a1mustang

There are some more economical cars out there like the Civic, Elantra, Focus, etc. Super cheap to keep on the road.

And great subsidies available on some of those other options.

kenchan · 02-01-2012, 03:18 PM

red_zed- do you own a house?

Lug · 02-01-2012, 03:27 PM

Best bang for the buck tires are the Sumitomo HTR Z III's. Great tires and typically under $200 a piece. Make sure it's the III's, they are totally different than the older II's.

kenchan · 02-01-2012, 03:50 PM

i agree that the HTR Z's are good tires... but do they come in our sizes?

Red__Zed · 02-01-2012, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan

red_zed- do you own a house?

kenchan · 02-01-2012, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red__Zed

you make bold statements so just checking your credibility.

DarkJak · 02-01-2012, 04:11 PM

Biggest difference to me was the insurance cost of the Z. It cost significantly more than our G37, which was much more expensive, except with 4 doors.

The only unexpected cost was a hatch issue, which cost 2 cents.

onzedge · 02-01-2012, 04:25 PM

Do Koni Yellows count as a surprise cost?

kenchan · 02-01-2012, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onzedge

Do Koni Yellows count as a surprise cost?

m4a1mustang · 02-01-2012, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan

you make bold statements so just checking your credibility.

Since when does owning a house make someone credible?

UNKNOWN_370 · 02-01-2012, 05:02 PM

For the caliber of car and performance cabability, this car is pretty cheap to maintain. You can get a Mobil1 oil change at around $50 and other high quality oils for up to $120. 120 would be the nissan ester ehich you can probably negotiate down to $90.
Tires will hit hardest. To preserve performance of the car while on a budget, Hankook Ventus series provides great bargain performance. But with those tires you have to break them in somewhere between 300 and 500 miles before they are ready for aggressive performance. Hankooks will run you between $800-950.
Gas is the hardest constant... with a premium only engine and eratic gas prices, you can pay $50 one day and 90 the next.

kenchan · 02-01-2012, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m4a1mustang

Since when does owning a house make someone credible?

aha! that's right, you live at your parent's place.

02-01-2012, 03:27 PM	#21 (permalink)
Lug A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 1,926 Drives: 2006 350Z Rep Power: 20	Best bang for the buck tires are the Sumitomo HTR Z III's. Great tires and typically under $200 a piece. Make sure it's the III's, they are totally different than the older II's. __________________ keep Chubbs in your pocket - Chubbs

02-01-2012, 04:25 PM	#26 (permalink)
onzedge A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Battle Lake MN Age: 64 Posts: 183,964 Drives: 370Z 240Z Rep Power: 2684736	Do Koni Yellows count as a surprise cost? __________________ Koni\|Swift\|Michelin\|Motordyne\|Berk\|RJM Performance\|Gates\|SPL\|Motul\|Technafit\|Ate Super Blue\|Hawk Tommy Kaira\|Momo\|Optima\|Hella\|Hotchkis\|Red Line\|ZSpeed\|Stillen\|B&M\|H&R

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02-01-2012, 02:37 PM	#16 (permalink)
kenchan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: N/A Posts: 76,801 Drives: N/A Rep Power: 141521	oh wait... there was a 500 'surprise' cost i incurred 2 months ago... but never mind.

02-01-2012, 03:18 PM	#20 (permalink)
kenchan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: N/A Posts: 76,801 Drives: N/A Rep Power: 141521	red_zed- do you own a house?

02-01-2012, 03:50 PM	#22 (permalink)
kenchan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: N/A Posts: 76,801 Drives: N/A Rep Power: 141521	i agree that the HTR Z's are good tires... but do they come in our sizes?

02-01-2012, 04:11 PM	#25 (permalink)
DarkJak A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 1,397 Drives: 2009 370Z Rep Power: 16804	Biggest difference to me was the insurance cost of the Z. It cost significantly more than our G37, which was much more expensive, except with 4 doors. The only unexpected cost was a hatch issue, which cost 2 cents.

02-01-2012, 05:02 PM	#29 (permalink)
UNKNOWN_370 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: ny'r livn in tx Posts: 8,687 Drives: well over 130m.p.h. Rep Power: 14858	For the caliber of car and performance cabability, this car is pretty cheap to maintain. You can get a Mobil1 oil change at around $50 and other high quality oils for up to $120. 120 would be the nissan ester ehich you can probably negotiate down to $90. Tires will hit hardest. To preserve performance of the car while on a budget, Hankook Ventus series provides great bargain performance. But with those tires you have to break them in somewhere between 300 and 500 miles before they are ready for aggressive performance. Hankooks will run you between $800-950. Gas is the hardest constant... with a premium only engine and eratic gas prices, you can pay $50 one day and 90 the next.