Nissan GT-R - real world running costs......
Discussion
The PH search function doesn't appear to be working and I've gone back though quite a few pages on here but haven't found anything really conclusive.
I am thinking of treating myself in 12-18 months from now and have eyed up either a 3.6 TDV8 Range Rover Vogue or a Nissan GT-R (completely different I know).
The running costs of the Range Rover don't appear to be that bad, I work in the motor trade and can source consumables etc relatively cheaply myself.
However, as spectacular as the GT-R is, some running costs stories have frightened me; mandatory services every 6 months irrespective of mileage, warranty voided if LC is used (why advertise it in the first place then???), ridiculously expensive brake discs, pads etc.
Are they a money pit? I've been looking on Classified and noticed that many people don't keep them for long; is there a reason behind that? Are the running costs that bad? Or am I being paranoid?
I know there is popular mantra on here "If you have to ask, you can't afford it", that is silly, If I don't know, I'll never know if I can or can't afford to run such a car.
I am thinking of treating myself in 12-18 months from now and have eyed up either a 3.6 TDV8 Range Rover Vogue or a Nissan GT-R (completely different I know).
The running costs of the Range Rover don't appear to be that bad, I work in the motor trade and can source consumables etc relatively cheaply myself.
However, as spectacular as the GT-R is, some running costs stories have frightened me; mandatory services every 6 months irrespective of mileage, warranty voided if LC is used (why advertise it in the first place then???), ridiculously expensive brake discs, pads etc.
Are they a money pit? I've been looking on Classified and noticed that many people don't keep them for long; is there a reason behind that? Are the running costs that bad? Or am I being paranoid?
I know there is popular mantra on here "If you have to ask, you can't afford it", that is silly, If I don't know, I'll never know if I can or can't afford to run such a car.
Try www.gtr.co.uk/forum for a load of info on prices and running costs for the GTR.
I love the beast!
I love the beast!
I've had mine for 20 months now, with 13.5 k road miles and 7 trackdays.
I generally drive the car at about 85% of it's potential. Drive the car hard and you will be facing higher costs than I have below
£1450 on Routine maintenance
£750 on Non-routine maintenance ( front pads and brake fluid )
£1300 on one set of tyres ( due to change again around now)
£1200 pa insurance ( on street in London )
You can manage down running costs by getting it serviced at an independent and using aftermarket parts; I use Nissan dealers and OEM parts.
20-25mpg on the motorway, lowish teens otherwise
I've never had to change the tranny fluid because I've never seen high temps on track ( I rarely track in summer or on faster, longer tracks though)
I've never cracked my pads and they are fine despite extensive track use.
Insurance premiums are not reflecting high repair or parts cost; my premium was down this year
Engine and tranny are proving to be robust, with those very isolated failures being dealt with it would appear under warranty
I generally drive the car at about 85% of it's potential. Drive the car hard and you will be facing higher costs than I have below
£1450 on Routine maintenance
£750 on Non-routine maintenance ( front pads and brake fluid )
£1300 on one set of tyres ( due to change again around now)
£1200 pa insurance ( on street in London )
You can manage down running costs by getting it serviced at an independent and using aftermarket parts; I use Nissan dealers and OEM parts.
20-25mpg on the motorway, lowish teens otherwise
I've never had to change the tranny fluid because I've never seen high temps on track ( I rarely track in summer or on faster, longer tracks though)
I've never cracked my pads and they are fine despite extensive track use.
Insurance premiums are not reflecting high repair or parts cost; my premium was down this year
Engine and tranny are proving to be robust, with those very isolated failures being dealt with it would appear under warranty
Yes, there is basically a vast difference in running costs depending on whether you use the dealers or a respected independent like Litchfield Imports for maintenance. Also, how many miles you do will play a huge part. If we base it on 7k miles per year and no track usage I would say that *over 5 years* you should probably budget around £2500-3000 per year if using Nissan HPC's for maintenance - incl tyres but excl fuel/insurance/tax. If you use a renowned independent like Litchfield Imports (I do, despite the 220 mile roundtrip) you can decrease this by some 40% I would say.
The above assumes also that you use Bridgestone RE070 tyres at around 1350 every 2 years, rather than the Dealer only Dunlops at £2250 a set every 2 years.
All IMHO, DYOR
The above assumes also that you use Bridgestone RE070 tyres at around 1350 every 2 years, rather than the Dealer only Dunlops at £2250 a set every 2 years.
All IMHO, DYOR
p.s.
take a look at this:
http://www.litchfieldimports.co.uk/GTR_Servicing_p...
This gives you the maintenance schedule and what it costs at Litchfields, and you should maybe budget for almost double the cost here at NPC's although some dealers are now doing deals I hear......not in the south though. This does not include things like brake discs and pads for exanple.
take a look at this:
http://www.litchfieldimports.co.uk/GTR_Servicing_p...
This gives you the maintenance schedule and what it costs at Litchfields, and you should maybe budget for almost double the cost here at NPC's although some dealers are now doing deals I hear......not in the south though. This does not include things like brake discs and pads for exanple.
Wow, £750 for brake pads and fluid change? OUCH. Is that from a main dealer or independant?
I sold some EBC GT-R brake pads recently for £300 + VAT recently (red stuff if I recall correctly) along with DOT4 brake fluid. Customer uses me regularly (for bits for other cars) and hasn't complained about them. Granted, his car is an import but don't think that would matter?
I sold some EBC GT-R brake pads recently for £300 + VAT recently (red stuff if I recall correctly) along with DOT4 brake fluid. Customer uses me regularly (for bits for other cars) and hasn't complained about them. Granted, his car is an import but don't think that would matter?
The temptation with the GTR is to push on and explore its capability. This temptation does not exist with the RR. For this simple reason the GTR running costs will be significantly higher. Petrol usage is similar but parts, as already noted, are more expensive on the GTR.
But, still get the GTR. A hugely capable machine. I miss mine, sold 6 weeks ago.
Chris.
But, still get the GTR. A hugely capable machine. I miss mine, sold 6 weeks ago.
Chris.
CRB1 said:
The temptation with the GTR is to push on and explore its capability. This temptation does not exist with the RR. For this simple reason the GTR running costs will be significantly higher. Petrol usage is similar but parts, as already noted, are more expensive on the GTR.
But, still get the GTR. A hugely capable machine. I miss mine, sold 6 weeks ago.
Chris.
Hows the GT3 Chris ? But, still get the GTR. A hugely capable machine. I miss mine, sold 6 weeks ago.
Chris.
Schermerhorn said:
One year on and I haven't been able to buy a GT-R. However, my finances are significantly better, I'm relatively debt free which should make me closer to purchasing one.
However, would the new 2012 GT-R be better bet?
It depends whether you are going to modify it or not. The differences between a sat nav 2009 and a 2012 car may amount to a nicer interior although not significantly and different wheels and front/rear aprons. Thats not a lot for £35000 difference in price.However, would the new 2012 GT-R be better bet?
Everything else that the 2012 offers can be duplicated on an earlier car and some aspects can be improved upon.
550hp is available for £600 and 5mins with a remap, significant upgrades on the suspension that may improve the ride somewhat, better brakes , cooling, sound.
Issue is the warranty and the 6 mth service schedules but a 2010 car is where I'd start.
Get on to the GTR register forum for all the information you'll ever need.
Depending on your intended annual mileage, the option exists to buy a 2009 GTR after it drops out of warranty later this summer and use Litchfield to service it just once a year. If you're covering less than 6000 miles pa and no track use then 1 service and engine optimisation per year should be sufficient. Use Litchfield for brakes at around £500 per corner for discs and pads and wait to see if the new Mitchelin Cup tyres will be a sensible price to save money on decent rubber. It's never going to be cheap to run but this is my plan in a few months.
Interest point: Litchfield may soon have their own warranty. If this allows annual servicing on lesser used cars, it would be a great option.
Interest point: Litchfield may soon have their own warranty. If this allows annual servicing on lesser used cars, it would be a great option.
HowlerMonkey said:
I can ruin the brakes on a GT-R (or any other car) in two laps of the average road course.
I'd be keen to know exactly how you think you could do that? Having run a tuned MY10 GT-R & having tracked it many times, i can confirm that pushed to & beyond the limits you can't ruin the brakes in 2 laps of any track, unless they're defective.I killed my discs at VMAX last year, but somewhat extreme to be doing repeated hard stops from 195mph+ to 30mph.
HowlerMonkey said:
I can ruin the brakes on a GT-R (or any other car) in two laps of the average road course.
Not sure what you mean by a road course but i did repeated 160 to 30 mph hard braking for a full day on an airfield track 8 months plus a track day 3 months ago and my pads and discs are fine.Gassing Station | Japanese Chat | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff