chris6878

Check all the brake and rotor threads. you can get pads and rotors for half the cost at the shop. The car really is not expensive to own, you just need to sit down and actually price the stuff out. As for tires, all the various tire websites generally have great deals. YOu got the car cheap and you owe 10k now. IMO you would be nuts to sell it.

Oh and you came from a M#.....what was the maintenance like on that.....terrible i bet

Blkisf12

Hi Heather

I know this is way late but look at tirerack.com for michelin tire prices and figure 250 plus to get them on the car..... I live in canada and you would not want to know what lexus dealers charge up here! Enjoy your car hope you still have it.

Heather558

Thanks for the input.

I did decide to keep the car. I would only sell if I hit hard financial times and needed the cash.

I got the car with around 32k miles & new tires and it's at about 52-53k now and the tires still have some tread so I just keep telling myself, even though the tires are expensive, once I buy them I should be good for a couple of years. I only put about 8,000 miles a year on the car since I live 3 miles from work.

I did have a tire sensor go out and Lexus fixed it at no cost since I have the after market warranty. Otherwise it would have been around $250 if I recall the cost correctly.

Swacer

You are debating to sell a car because you don't want to replace WEARABLE parts? I'm not sure whether to laugh or feel pity....

When buying a car, you have to factor in the costs of ownership.

For example, I plan to order a ZL1 next year, every 8,000 miles I"m going to be dumping anywhere between $1500 to $2200 on tires. Just part of owning the car. Brakes are $1500 a full set swap unless you have the ability to do it yourself (which I do). If I couldn't afford that, I wouldn't be buying the car, even if I could afford the up front cost of purchase.

A few considerations here:

1. Tires - Look at a set of all seasons with 400+ wearlife. Your performance will go to hell, but your longevity will be here.

2. Brakes and rotors - part of life. Find a forum sponsor that can give you a good deal on parts. Most vendors will give you discounts.

3. Your dealer is talking about a cabin air filter. Go to autozone, pick one up for $45 or less, and install it yourself. You should only need to pull your glove box and put it in.

4. I also hope you're counting in fluid swaps and changes. Those are $300-400 unless you can do it yourself at home.

Overall, if you have to count dimes to keep a car in the garage, its time ot get rid of it and buy something economical. You can sell the car for $40k, pay off the loan, and have $30k to find something else to get.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

lot of regular maintenance on this car can easily be done without going to a shop.

Lexura1414

iTrader: (6)

Wait, are you married or do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? Husband/boyfriend/girlfriend am sure can lend a hand. :-) Sorry for being too nosy..

cpcc

If I can ask, where in MO are you getting your car serviced?
I'm in St Louis and those prices seem rather steep.

786

i've owned a lot of 'performance' cars and the IS-F is by far the cheapest to maintain. i recently did all four rotors, stop tech pads, and a flush for under $500. it's the perfect dd imo.

that being said, if the performance is not what you're after, sell it and buy something cheap to run like a civic or something.

Stuno1

No car is worth stress. It is a depreciating asset and being the car it is, it is never cheap to fix any issues although issues are rare on these cars.

If I were you I would sell, buy something cheaper and buy something outright with cash when you can afford it. Life is too short.

Stu

pc1990

While being reliable, it's certainly not the cheapest car to maintain. By 50,000 miles I had changed rotors and pads twice, and tires three times. I had worn the oem tires by 10k miles on the odo haha. And no I wasn't ripped off by my the dealer. I drive the car the way it was meant to be driven, and the low profile tires and brake pads will wear out quick. Rotors do last longer, but unless if you drive like a grandma you should of had a rotor change by 50k miles, but again that depends on use.

Now you see why buying a Ferrari is out of the realm for many, even though it only costs as much as a small house. It doesn't seem that out of the realm of possibility until you factor in maintenance. Maintenance is a big part of a car purchase, which I too realized after purchasing the IS-F! By the second tire change I learned to use tirerack and other websites for parts because you are right, it does get expensive.

It seems like you love the car, but you are not in a position yet to maintain it as needed, and thats ok. Your proper tax bill goes down every year? Our property tax bills rise every year here. If I were you I would sell the car and get some thing else for the time being. Preferably a car that comes with a maintenance plan included. Even Toyota is doing the first two years of maintenance at no cost to you which is plus. I just brought an FR-S which includes the same maintenance plan. You will definitely miss the power, but at least your mind will be at ease. You can save up and purchase the new IS-F or RC-F a few years down the road when you are more stable.

Good luck and drive safe.

Paul,

pc1990

Under $500? Are these oem parts, close to oem, or worse?

Treat your F right man.

Do share where you're getting these parts at these prices? I'm sure many will appreciate it

Swacer

I think he installed the parts himself. Brakes and rotors are easy to swap.

pc1990

In that case, they are probably raybestos rotors I had them and they will get you by, but they are not good enough, but you get what you pay for. I don't know about stoptech pads, but I used carbotech and project mu pads, they too did not measure up to OEM. Again you get what you pay for.

I'm not trying to attack 786, but telling the OP you can maintain OEM performance with these cheap alternatives is not right. An experienced driver can feel the difference in a heartbeat.

But then Again, OP may not push the car and these parts might be perfectly fine for her.

You'll be surprised the amount of people that buy a performance car and never push it or utilize 10% of its capability.

Man, now I'm ranting and sound like the grinch or something. Thats why I prefer to abstain from logging in and lurking instead.

Paul,

DaLurker

Which pads dust less but have equal stopping power?

786

don't get your panties in a twist paul, my F is well taken care of. i've had the same mechanic for 15 years, he built all three of my supras, he recommended the raybestos rotors. you do realize brembo makes these for raybestos? how were they not good enough for you lol?

the F is extremely cheap to maintain compared to some of the other cars i've owned and performance cars in general. there are also alternatives to oem that save some money without sacrificing quality, you just need to stop drinking the 'oem is always best' kool-aid. my mechanic knows i don't care about cost when it comes to maintaining my cars, these are the parts he recommended and i trust his recommendation. the brakes feel fantastic, just as they did before.