Heather558

The last couple weeks I got hit with some unexpected bills – nothing major by any means but it really made me take a hard look at my finances, including my 08 ISF. I can’t help but wonder how much rotors, brake pads, tires, etc. will cost me in the near future. It doesn’t help that I just paid my 6 month insurance premium either. Last time I was at the dealer they told me I needed some filter (the one through or near the glove compartment that eliminates the rotten egg smell when you floor it) – it was around $300 if I recall correctly. I know high performance cars aren’t cheap but I’m to the point where I’m asking myself “is it worth it”…

Any thoughts?

My car has almost 50,000 miles on it. I replaced the brake pads a while back but I’m sure the rotors will need to be replaced soon too. Any thought on the cost of them?

My background – I bought the car from my parents (who sold it to me very cheap – I certainly could not have afforded it new). I only owe about 10,000 and my $300 car payment is fine to pay. I worry about tires and other expenses. Oh yeah, my $800 personal property tax bill almost killed me last year too. I’ll be paying that again this year, but I’m sure it will go down $50 bucks!

I love the car. It’s beautiful and fun to drive but at the end of the day, when it comes to money, I just don’t know if I can warrant the cost of ownership. I’m sure some of you make a lot more money so money may not be an issue for some. But I have to believe, there are some others out there (like myself) who also ask themselves the same questions…

Thank you in advance.

kauaian

iTrader: (18)

Maintenance cost should always be considered when purchasing a vehicle as well as unexpected expenses. The cabin doesn't cost $300!!! It's a $10-20 filter that can changed yourself in about 1min .

OEM Rotors are around $500-600 depends where you get them from and there are cheaper options. Brakes are not hard to do at all. If you're some what mechanically inclinded watch some YouTube videos and have a friend help you on the first try. You will save a lot by doing your own work and there is always this forum to help.

It just sounds like you're a little stressed out about your finances right now.

Gymkata

You can do the cabin air filter change yourself for cheap...less than $20 if I recall. I have almost 50k miles on my ISF and the rotors are okay...they aren't that expensive to replace though, less than $100 per pair (+ installation if you don't have anybody who can help you). Tires will definitely cost you some money. If you want to save money, you could probably find a lot of stock sized tires with almost new tread from owners here who have upgraded to wider tires. If you are on a budget DIY and help from mechanically savvy friends will go a long way versus taking it to the dealership and getting robbed.

Heather558

Thank you both. I feel better. I just called my local dealership and they quoted me $84 for the cabin filter (including labor) - I think I got the $300 figure a while back because I had my oil changed that day and it was around $200 so add the filter and in my mind that's about $300.

My family is a bunch of car freaks so luckily I can have them do the labor on the filters and rotors.

The tires are probably the biggest expense but I knew that going in with this car after having a M3 with 19" rim.

kauaian - I think you said it perfectly - I'm just stressed about finances.. I'm sure if I sold the car I'd be crying in two weeks.

bnizzle87

The cabin air filter doesn't cost nearly as much, but if you do it yourself and it's not in recirculation mode prior, that's a huge pain to deal with.

The car itself will go through normal wear and tear for a performance oriented vehicle. It's not too heavy in terms of what you really need, but it is something to consider long term. It's just a tricky time right now. Taxes have been filed, potential tax returns coming, insurance premiums are due, property tax is also due....I've always said April is probably the worst month to make any sort of decisions finance-wise. So much gets settled after taxes. Keep your head afloat and continue enjoying your F.

But certainly you have to think of yourself. Yes, the IS F is a great all around car, but if it becomes too much of a priority and takes away from your daily budget with upkeep and maintenance, I don't think anyone would argue that you shouldn't keep a car just because it's a great car. If it's financially feasible to continue owning it, keep the car and continue enjoying it.

ISFpat

iTrader: (10)

If you can't afford the brakes, you can't afford the car. Just saying. If something sudden happens that will be a few hundred dollars and you can't afford it then the risk is not worth the reward.

I paid at least $3,000 on maintenance on top of the mods for my car which was ~$10,000 and it didn't really make a dent in my wallet. In your case, $3,000 in maintenance would probably leave you stranded.

I would sell it if I were you.

Heather558

Thanks for the honest input. If I got hit with $3000 right now for the car (on top of everything else that's popping up) I would be close to stranded for sure, but it's nothing that I couldn't handle if needed (it would just take me a couple of extra months to catch up). I don't know what to do. I guess only time will tell.

darbs242

iTrader: (5)

If maintenance on vehicle is stressing you out your prob driving a car out of your budget... Buying a car is the inexpensive part, keeping up with it as you use the car is where the dollars come in... I blow threw a few grand in mine like nothing... Get your F on the track and watch the brake pads, rotors tires brake fluid $$$$s go, I spend that a summer like nothing on basic maintances

SSxblazer

Best advice to you;


IF you do NOT have a factory warranty (as in dealer takes care of everything) find a really good independent shop that won't charge you that much.


I bought my cabin filters from the dealer for my LS430 (it has about 4 I think?) and spent less than 150$ and I installed them myself.

Or find someone here who lives near you who can help you with some of the work (the simple things).

MYISF

I am an accountant and help people with personal budgets...and my advise would be to sit down and start planning for your expenses and start setting aside money every month to be prepared for when things need maintenance.

Sounds simple enough but at this point if u look at your monthly income versus your monthly expenses and u have nothing to set aside or u cannot set aside enough to cover these expected maintenace cost over time...then u have one of two options as follows:

1) Sell the car and buy somehting cheaper to maintain

2) Take a realistic look at your expenses and see if there is anything u can do without so that u can keep your ISF

#2 is what I would do as I love my ISF...but to each his own...Good luck and I hope this made sense...

Meraki Autoworks

iTrader: (8)

I went through all 4 rotors & pads and my car only has 278xx miles. I got it all for $500 so Im not really complaining. Stoptech parts so its not some terrible cheap quality stuff. Tires on the other hand are expensive.. Car needs performance tires and those are also expensive. Oil change & common maintance are cheap if you perform them yourself, but if your navi or something big goes bad. GLUCK!

Evil Teo

iTrader: (13)

if u paid 200 for oil change u paid way too much IMO...

pheonix72

iTrader: (6)

Great advises! You need to sit down and do a budget to see where you are financially. It might not make sense to sell the ISF since you know the car well (maintenance/service histories) plus you (and ur parents) already taken a large portion of the depreciation.
On the side notes, I have the IS350 as my DD and a Z4M Coupe as my fun car (very high maintenance;-). I set aside about $1500-$2000/year for services/repair; the funds keep piling up if there weren't major expense for the year. That way I dont get stressed out about fixing my cars. I also DIY on most of the services so it helps a lot.
I hope you make the right decision.

bacardi11

iTrader: (1)

heather
in N.J. just my tax bill each year is 14,000 a year in property tax. just normal mait. is cheap if you do it yourself. brake not bad do it yourself. oil change local shop not dealership. enjoy your car don't stress out. i'm 70 and still do some of work you talk about. do a budget like phoenix said.

Heather558

Thank you all for the responses. I feel a lot better now. While my recent unexpected debt (that doesn't involve my car) is stressing me out, I'm telling myself, just because I get hit with a bill, doesn't mean I go sell something. With that said, I'm going to see how the next 2-3 months go and reevaluate everything (as in finances). I did start a savings account finally and got about 2000 grand. My goal is to hit 10,000saved by the end of the year so once I get my savings up and can comfortably take money in and out then I doubt I'll freak when someone tells me four tires are $1600...

MyISF/mr. Accountant, thank you for the advice. You are correct- I just need to sit down and look at my finances. I'm actually very careful about paying bills on time and keeping everything current so I just need to pay my monthly bills and start putting away money each month (for unexpected expenses). If I'd quit shopping at C&B and pottery barn I'd probably be fine