How much for car maintenance?

[ASB]

I worked with a guy that ran an Audi S4


It did not handle or steer quite right. He foolishy took it to Audi who replaced bits of steering and suspension, bit by bit at £100+/hr

He spent £1000's on it and it still handled and steered like a piece of crap.

Moral of the story. Don't buy an Audi.

I ran a quattro for about 13 years and 250k. No real problems. But it was very sensitive to tracking and suspension bushes. If he still has it this guy used to be very good. http://www.amcarsquattro.co.uk/

[sasguru]

Hmmmmm

I was thinking of getting an A3 - 5 door 2L Diesel but on second thoughts ........

They're good cars, but on all Audis routine maintenance is expensive.

[FrankScribe]

A reel of gaffer tape is your friend...

Especially if the nice man from the AA puts it on the pipe for you...

Doh ....... why didn't I think of that? and I had three different flavours of gaffer tape in the boot.

Actually I didn't know what the problem was 'til I got home (misdiagnosed it at first) - accessibilty would have been a problem at the roadside, no tools either.

Anyway who expects things to start going wrong when there are only 172,000 miles on the clock?

[ladymuck]

Inclusive maintenance is a big profit area for the lease companies. All you're going to need over a two year lease is an oil and filter change twice unless you drive like a complete bell-end.

I have to say, a three and a half year lease seems to nullify some of the advantages of leasing a car, i.e. you don't have to worry about MOTs, expensive 60k mile services and so on.

Well a service at the dealers, which I have to get under the terms of the lease, is £200 plus parts, so the scheme pays for itself in the first year. Later services cost more, making it even more cost effective with age. Plus I get it MOT'd for (effectively) nothing.

Took a three and a half year term because the interest rate was half that of a three year term (special offer at the time) and the extra interest paid on those additional three months is negligable.

I didn't take the tyres option because I know that at the most I'll only need one set during the term of the lease and a half decent tyre isn't all that expensive.

[Spartacus]

Ah, you're talking lease purchase, not lease hire. I had it the wrong way around.

[VectraMan]

I drive a 250 bhp sports car, the first service was £140

Me too. £30 per day on petrol isn't so great though.

[DimPrawn]

Honda S2000 I bet.

[Churchill]

Just inherited an Arnage T, frighteningly expensive to insure and maintain, but hey, it pisses the MD off at my current client.

[VectraMan]

Honda S2000 I bet.

Trying to get another Vectra as a get me to work car though.

[Diestl]

I don't tend to get the car looked at until I have no choice i.e. it won't go or the brakes stop working or legal requirment ie MOT. I don't keep cars for long (2 yrs) not like like some old codgers who say things like "Change the oil everyday and your car will last 3 years longer than everyone elses"... SO?.