I'd like to purchase an expensive car, but when?

Penelopa.Pitstop

GSDMum said:

Love it when people realise a dream! If you're comfortable with splashing out, then go for it. 
I'm looking at the practicality though, could you leave the car in an airport or station car park while you caught a plane or train? Where would you leave it while you went out for a meal, or visited a shopping centre? Would you feel the need to buy a common or garden runabout as well?

My £60K car spent quite some time at Heathrow and Gatwick and other car parks and did well. I think, once, I left it for weeks at Premier Inn T5 car park when I decided to extend my trip. It was very dirty when I came back. It's just a car and you just park it, as any cheaper or more expensive one.

lordmountararat

Hell, if I could afford to own and run a Maserati I wouldn't hesitate. You're dead for a long time.

Biggus_Dickus

lordmountararat said:

Hell, if I could afford to own and run a Maserati I wouldn't hesitate. You're dead for a long time.

...and sooner than you might think if you don’t drive that sort of car sensibly. 😁

Mickey666

AdrianC said:

With something like a Maserati, the real costs are not in the purchasing, they're in the maintenance.

If you're stretching to buy it, it is going to leave you weeping in VERY short order...

Also - I can't help feeling you're being optimistic on the lack of depreciation.
Just look at the values of other middle-aged Masers to see which way they may head... Vanilla GranTurismos are getting close to £20k already, while slightly older sibs are even cheaper to buy - lower-end 3200GTs are down into four figures. That's awfully close to "cut-your-losses-and-break-for-parts-at-the-first-scary-bill" territory.

A near neighbour where I used to live had an Aston Martin something-or-other.  One winter morning I encountered him in the middle of a flooded section of one of the country lanes on my way to work.  The flooding was only about 4-5 inches deep but it was enough to stall his engine and it wouldn't restart.  I gave him a lift to the nearest train station while he called his garage (where he bought it) to collect the stranded vehicle and sort it out.

The following day he dropped round a bottle of wine as a thank you and I asked if the car was ok.  He explained that the air intake was fairly low and must have taken in enough water to cause the engine to stall, but it was all ok because according to the garage the air filter had stopped any water getting into the actual engine and they had thoroughly checked everything, replaced the air filter and given the car a clean bill of health before delivering it back to his home.  Excellent service, I suppose, but then so should it be given that the bill was a little under £2500!  For driving through water that any normal car would take in its stride!

So yes, I'd agree.  Prestige cars need deep pockets when it comes to maintenance.  I've heard similar horror stories about brake disc replacements on a Ferrari - if you need to ask how much it costs then you probably can't really afford it!

AdrianC

Mickey666 said:

AdrianC said:

With something like a Maserati, the real costs are not in the purchasing, they're in the maintenance.

If you're stretching to buy it, it is going to leave you weeping in VERY short order...

Also - I can't help feeling you're being optimistic on the lack of depreciation.
Just look at the values of other middle-aged Masers to see which way they may head... Vanilla GranTurismos are getting close to £20k already, while slightly older sibs are even cheaper to buy - lower-end 3200GTs are down into four figures. That's awfully close to "cut-your-losses-and-break-for-parts-at-the-first-scary-bill" territory.

A near neighbour where I used to live had an Aston Martin something-or-other.  One winter morning I encountered him in the middle of a flooded section of one of the country lanes on my way to work.  The flooding was only about 4-5 inches deep but it was enough to stall his engine and it wouldn't restart.  I gave him a lift to the nearest train station while he called his garage (where he bought it) to collect the stranded vehicle and sort it out.

The following day he dropped round a bottle of wine as a thank you and I asked if the car was ok.  He explained that the air intake was fairly low and must have taken in enough water to cause the engine to stall, but it was all ok because according to the garage the air filter had stopped any water getting into the actual engine and they had thoroughly checked everything, replaced the air filter and given the car a clean bill of health before delivering it back to his home.  Excellent service, I suppose, but then so should it be given that the bill was a little under £2500!  For driving through water that any normal car would take in its stride!

So yes, I'd agree.  Prestige cars need deep pockets when it comes to maintenance.  I've heard similar horror stories about brake disc replacements on a Ferrari - if you need to ask how much it costs then you probably can't really afford it!

Yep, a friend where we used to live treated himself to a v12 DB7. We had a very well-regarded Aston specialist nearby, far far cheaper than a dealer... It had a bit of an oil leak. Parts? A 50p seal. But engine out to get to it. The bill was VERY deep into four digits, and this was probably nearer 15 years ago than 10.

And that's before things go properly wrong. The guy who ran the firm opposite my office had a Maser - the GranTur's predecessor. Well, most of the time he had one. The rest of the time he was in courtesy cars. It left their car park courtesy of a big yellow taxi a few times that I saw.

Herzlos

I wouldn't get it on the basis that you're talking about keeping another car too as a daily driver. Try and find something that's nice AND you can use daily, because it'll save you the hassle of 2 lots of maintenance, insurance (only one can have your NCD) and so on. It's not as if an Audi TT is going to be any more practical anyway.
Beyond that, if you're comfortable that you can afford to run it (how much is a standard dealer service? How much are the tyres?) then go for it.

AdrianC

Herzlos said:

It's not as if an Audi TT is going to be any more practical anyway.

A TT is just a Golf in drag. Sure, the packaging may be a tad cramped - but the OP knows it works for him as a daily.

Far more practical and reliable than even a cooking Maser, let alone one at the more highly-strung end of the range.