Reliability question to all of you who own expensive cars...

[LamboM]

I keep seeing and posting about ferraris and lamborghinis audis ETC...
about how fast they are bla bla bla..
But I keep wondring what's it really like to live with all of those machines?
In terms of expense,Reliability, constant maintenance and so on....
What's it like?
Did you ever feel like you wanted to get rid of them?

[Leadfoot]

I can only speak for all things German but all the Audis, BMWs and Porsches that have been through my family have been perfectly reliable. Years gone by Italian cars always were known to be bad for electrical problems but I don't know if this is still the case. One thing for sure they are very expensive to maintain so make sure you can not only afford to buy the things but to maintain them as well.

[nene]

Reliable or not, maintenance on cars very much.
Honda oil change: $60 (approx.)
RS6 oil change: $220 (at dealer)
Ferrari oil change: $2K (as told by a friend who owns one).

The more expensive the car, possibly the less you will use it, and more likely you will take better care when using it. You can get lucky and unlucky in any vehicle.

I love the RS6, and it would have to be extremely unreliable to have it parted from my dead cold hands.

[Audihead]

I have just had minor problems, no serious mechanical failures. Service is a bit high for some things with BMW's, Land Rover, and Audi, but the prices seem to be in line with what the car costs to begin with. I have had no Italian cars up to this point to be of any use to this conversation.

[Lateknight]

Have a look at the ownership story of the Lambo Murcielago belonging to Simon George, who contributes in EVO magazine.

The latest can be found here

http://evo.co.uk/carreviews/evolongtermtests/206864/lamborghini_murcielago.html

Follow the links at the bottom of the page (work from the bottom up if you want it in sequential order)
Its an interesting insight into supercar ownership.

[LamboM]

Holly ****
maintaining a supercar/expensive cars is expensive isn't it?
I still need more information not only about expenses
But also how are they to live with for exsample how do the rest of the family treat somethng as impractical as a supercar And so on and so on....

(and I don't mean just italian supercars but also other expencive cars)

I need more info..!!!!

And the murcielago test is one case I want to hear more opinions not just from reviews of magazines but from you guys.

[LamboM]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Benman]

Reliable or not, maintenance on cars very much.
Honda oil change: $60 (approx.)
RS6 oil change: $220 (at dealer)
Ferrari oil change: $2K (as told by a friend who owns one).



LamboM,

Unless you're planning on actually getting a supercar in the very near future, the above quote says it all.

Ben:addict:

[Leadfoot]

Car maintenance in similar to having a wife.

Ugly wife = cheap clothes, meals at home, little make-up, cheap hair cut (£10)

Nice looking wife = high street clothes, restaurant meals at weekends, better make-up, hair cut + colour (£50)

Stunning looking wife = designer clothes, eating out all the time, the best of make-up (more than they need), hair cut by the top stylists (£275)

Remember the above LamboM because if you ever get to the stage where you can just about afford your Lamborghini, it's not only the maintenance of the car you have to be concerned about but the trapping that go along with it. :D

[tazsura]

Car maintenance in similar to having a wife.

Ugly wife = cheap clothes, meals at home, little make-up, cheap hair cut (£10)

Nice looking wife = high street clothes, restaurant meals at weekends, better make-up, hair cut + colour (£50)

Stunning looking wife = designer clothes, eating out all the time, the best of make-up (more than they need), hair cut by the top stylists (£275)

Remember the above LamboM because if you ever get to the stage where you can just about afford your Lamborghini, it's not only the maintenance of the car you have to be concerned about but the trapping that go along with it. :D

Leadie, you speak the truth my friend! :asian:

LamboM, like most things in life, the more expensive things in life are so for a reason. They have been engineered to higher degrees and usually push boundaries that little further. Great when they work, however, when things go Tits-up, be warned! :rolleyes:

The cost on these exotica are naturally going to be higher. Simple example - Tyres. 18" inch tyre circa £120...19" inch tyre £200? Bigger brakes = more expensive. Use more fuel. Insurance. Servicing. All higher. High maintenance, just like women.

But damn, they're worth it! (Cars and Women) :lovl:

On Italian cars like Alfa's and Masers they still suffer from glitches and gremlins far more than ze Germans, i'm afraid. But I still would get one!

Taz :thumb:

[PeterJohn]

A big problem is that these cars don't get used very often. The owner has multiple cars, and especially the real supercars are handicapped for daily use for several reasons.

When a car is left standing, things start happening. The oil succomes to gravity, and starts collecting in the oil pan. There it hardens and flakes.
Meanwhile, the mechanical parts are no longer separated from each other with an oil film, and so start bonding. You might say they are rusting to each other.
Elastic material also tends to harden and crack when it's not used. Say for instance rubber seals. And the electronics can also start acting funny.

The cold start up is a traumatic moment for any motor. Oil is the blood of the engine, but at startup it not well distributed. It's cold so it can't perform its duties as it should. That's why you shouldn't rev a cold motor, but don't let it idle either, b/c then it takes too long for the oil to warm up.

That is why supercars are notoriously unreliable. If a car has been left standing for a long time, you should really rebuild its engine. If you start it up, it's almost like running with no oil at all. Even the most reliable car will start to deteriorate if you only use it once in a blue moon.
Recently though, supercars have gotten a lot more user friendly. As a result, they're more often used as daily drivers, and can rack up milage that wouldn't look bad on a delivery truck. Porsches in particular, are used as daily drivers, and famous for being perhaps the most reliable sportscar.

If you're in the market for a supercar then your best choice would be a high milage one. And thanks to the ignorance of the average consumer, these cars are also cheaper. But don't leave it rotting away behind a garage door.

[Benman]

A big problem is that these cars don't get used very often...


You know, an excellent point of view. I've honestly never really given that angle much thought!:0:

Ben:addict: