Would you ever want to own an exotic

[Alan]

Originally Posted by Josh (PA)

What's the ownership costs on your R8 and nix been like?
Are they considered different enough from f cars and lambs to change the cost of ownership?

I'd like to own a 3 pedal open top Italian car some day, but that desire has waned as I have gotten older.

The car I've been thinking about most recently is a Z8. They are pretty in lemans over cream.

I've only had to replace tire's, had an alignment done and an oil change so the costs have been the normal costs of any car, some costly issues can be the clutch which I think runs around $6k and there is an issue with some R8's that experience leaking magnesium shocks which costs an insane $10k to replace (this one worries me) it would suck to have to pay $10k just for shocks.

My cars been to the dealer a few times for some issues but I purchased a warranty from the dealer so everything has been covered.

One strange thing with the R8 is when they work on the car it isn't unusual for them to have to remove the rear bumper to do work on it so this adds to the labor charge plus I'm always worried they are going to scratch up the bumper.

The only other costs I know of is every 2 years you need to change the brake fluid which btw is the same requirement the 911 has ... I haven't really checked into anything else so there might be more requirements.

If anything the 911 is more costly because the dealer prices at Porsche are ridiculous, I spent $700 recently on an oil change and brake fluid change.

[lupinsea]

While I'm not going to say I'd never want to own an exotic I'll say that it's extremely hard to imagine getting one.

1) we're not in the income bracket where it would be comfortable owning one

and

2) by the time we get there we'll probably be "too grown up" to want one anyways.

My wife and I do alright income wise but we're probably at the low end of the spectrum for the board here. And our ownership of the BMW made me realize that while we can stretch to get into something like a used ZHP (~$27k as CPO at the time) it wasn't always a comfortable situation. Higher maintenance costs started to get to us after a while as well as always worrying about the car. It was a great car to have for a few years but we were glad to see it go when it was time for it to go.

I've felt a lot more relaxed as we've stepped down on our cars with the last two purchases (me: ZHP ---> Miata, her: Volvo V50 ---> Forester).

And as I look to replace my Miata in the months ahead I'm really not comfortable trying to squeak into a higher end car (let alone anything remotely considered an exotic). Higher maintenance and repair costs associated with the higher end cars are a turn off.

And this is similar to my thoughts on an exotic. The maintenance and up keeps seem like they'd be a nightmare cost and hassle wise.

[3LOU5]

Originally Posted by AF

.... I spent $700 recently on an oil change and brake fluid change.

Wow. That's friggen insane.

I think the recent oil change and brake fluid change for my BMW was 1/10 of that.

No wonder I don't own a Porsche....

[equ]

Rather strangely, I've owned more bmw & porsches than I can count. None of them were exotic. My first porsche a 996 aerokit back in '04 got some attention, and now the GT4 gets tremendous attention, good and bad.

Much like an R8, the GT4 is an exotic with a warranty and regular car maintenance (though tires & brakes & oil will cost more). It also needs two car width driveways and entries and exits. It's more than enough exotic for me, actually too much. I've never hit a bad pothole with it, nor scraped beyond a slight touch, but it means taking extreme care and having less fun. The attention is the worst though, especially wannabe racers and tailgaters.

People have seriously stopped owning cars around here, especially those under 35 so it does stick out. (Strangely enough Travis Okulski from Jalopnik and now Road & Track lives a block away).

I'm with Plaz, JV and Clyde here. The image of the exotic owner is not something I'd like to project. You might say 'image' be damned, but it does affect things, how other cars treat you, how cops treat you, etc. etc. Old exotics don't have that image, but I don't have the mechanical skills to back that up.

If/when I get out of the GT4, a Carrera, Cayman or Boxster S will do just fine. I have zero interest in ever owning a ferrari. I have a 400hp mid-engine aerokitted beast Stuttgart so I - roughly - know how it will feel. I've also had two nice Ducatis and one nice Moto Guzzi as well as rental Alfas.

I'm not sure I have the Aston v8 out of my system quite. But reason will take over and I'll end up with a 911 if I go in that direction.

Originally Posted by Plaz

That's scary, in addition to just the daily unwanted attention and amplified paranoia about door dings, valets, etc.

I might feel differently if I still lived in L.A. or the CA central coast or something.

Originally Posted by John V

Zero desire to own a Lambo. I used to want a Ferrari (desire peaked around the 458 era), but realized a few years ago that I doubt I would ever use it. My interests lean towards the "you build it" variety these days.

Originally Posted by clyde

Current exotics don't do anything positive for me. The cars themselves leave me cold and their ridiculously obscene cost makes me think negative thoughts of their owners.

If circumstances were to line up, I'd buy a Pantera.


When they were more current, I didn't care for the Ferrarii 308/328. In recent years I've begun to appreciate them.

[clyde]

Originally Posted by equ

I have a 400hp mid-engine aerokitted beast Stuttgart so I - roughly - know how it will feel.

That's the other part I neglected to mention. 400hp is easily and cheaply available today. The performance capability you pay extra for in exotics is something you can't use in the real world. So, unless you're going to track it, why?

[equ]

Well, 400hp in a finely tuned, perfectly braking, riding, coming-together-as-a-whole machine is very different from a cheaper I-stuck-a-v8/turbo-boost/nitrous-in-some-platform. Perhaps a pro or a near-pro can extract almost the same speed from the cheap and the expensive 400hp, but for a normal person that coming-together of the whole car makes it much more accessible and pleasurable. The gt4 is a cut or two above other boxsters & caymans, basically in the same class as a Carrera S. It feels a tiny bit faster in a straight line, a good bit more urgent in general response and brakes much better. But it's smaller inside. A 991S with the right options (sports PASM) drives beautifully. It turns better than it has a right to with a great cabin and good visibility. These are $100k cars, and you feel the difference from a $70k car in the first mile.

[bren]

I'd love a barn full of exotics. But I'd need to start playing the lottery first.

[robg]

I've had a chance to drive some exotics including the Gallardo. The Gallardo left me feeling a bit cold - it just wasn't much fun to drive other than the exhaust note. I think part of the issue is the width of most exotics - we are talking 7 series girth.

That being said, I have an irrational attraction to the Maserati gran turismo. Yeah it's too big, an automatic and I hear the interior plastic actually melts. Would probably compete with lighting hundred dollar bills on fire for the fastest way to lose money. Would also love a front engine v12 Ferrari.

Otoh, I've enjoyed all of the 911s I've driven including a base 991. So that would have to be my choice.




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[Pinecone]

Originally Posted by kognito

I have lusted over many cars over the length of my lifetime, but I think the car I have lusted over longest is the M1




I could never afford one, and where would you even have it serviced?

But what a beauty

I should have bought one instead of the E46 M3. IN 01/02, M1s were going for the mid 60s.

[Pinecone]

Originally Posted by clyde

Current exotics don't do anything positive for me. The cars themselves leave me cold and their ridiculously obscene cost makes me think negative thoughts of their owners.

If circumstances were to line up, I'd buy a Pantera.

Lotus Esprits have been catching my eye lately and they are stupidly cheap (which makes me think one would probably have to be stupid to buy one, so I don't look deeply).

When they were more current, I didn't care for the Ferrarii 308/328. In recent years I've begun to appreciate them.

Beyond that, meh. Some have been beautiful, some have hit performance numbers. Mostly, they're not real. Though, so fuck them.

Pantera would be high on my list.

First time I was in South Africa, they were selling VERY cheap. I actually checked into how much to ship one home.

Loti are fun, fast, and cheap.