Car Choice

[Jammy007]

Sorry I haven't been on here for a while but I'm struggling to find a group of people I can rely on to give me a hopefully unbiased view on which car to go for after the trusted zed. Had it for about 6 years and it's never missed a beat.

So.... Choice is currently between:

Porsche 981 Cayman (2013) but waiting for the right spec in Grey.

Ford Mustang (mainly because it's got 4 seats)

Or...

At the budgets I'm looking at, I'm wondering whether to stretch to a GT-R.

 

I'm a little concerned what the running costs will be like (servicing, brakes plus other bits as they go wrong as I'd be looking at an 09/10 plate).

 

Can someone point me in the right direction as to why the GT-R makes sense from a cost perspective (other than its a beast, has 4 seats etc). Looking for positive arguments on servicing, reliability, problems that need fixed etc. I'm also guessing depreciation won't be as harsh as the Porsche and I'm expecting the backside to fall out of the mustang market.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance,

Jamie

 

[Luke0549]

GT-R.

 

Just spent two weeks in California and i must have seen over 700 Mustangs. They're everywhere, they look and sound good. But as someone pointed out - Its under 40k for a BRAND NEW car. Which sounds great - but you have to question what corners they cut in order to get it to under 40k. i believe it is going to plummet in value in the next few years. Whilst the GT-R is holding firm/rising slightly.

 

Cayman is nice - But thats it - Doesn't really 'WOW' me. If i was spending a lot of money on a car - i would want to be like a little kid at christmas everytime i was going for a drive - and the GT-R for me - seems like the car to be able to do that.

 

Its got 4 seats, a boot - and very easy to get more power out of if thats what you want.

[Ekona]

981 Cayman is the best car to drive out of that lot. Pure NA flat six, you simply won't get one like that again so is going to hold value extremely well in the future.

 

Buy the GTR if you want batshit mental speed. Cars at £40K do not appear to be going anywhere fast.

 

Buy the Mustang if you want the sound. Or if you want a brand new car in warranty.

 

 

However, that's not what you asked. In terms of running costs, you'll find that they're all much of a muchness. GTR is extremely expensive on brakes and tyres, but there's a healthy aftermarket support for them. The 981 will cost the same to run as your 350 (my 997 was identical to my 350, so speaking from experience and the 981 has better fuel economy). The Mustang I have little data on, however you can expect it to be a thirsty beast when on it (GTR level easy) although servicing costs are likely to be cheap as you'll prob just stick with Ford. Warranty on one will cover you for three years straight away, so zero cost there unlike the GTR (I'm not aware of an extended warranty programme for these) or the 981 (although you'll get 2 years OPC warranty if you buy from them, or you can buy in for £1K a year which is cheap considering the comprehensive nature of it).

 

The long and short of it is that all three are going to cost you roughly the same. We may be talking £500 a year in it on the odd occasion, but that's nothing in the overall cost of ownership.

[Rock_Steady]

Practicality wise, it's got to be the GT-R. Simply because it has 4 seats and i'd assume is roomier than the mustang. I'd've thought the Cayman would be for just pure driving enjoyment over practicality.

[Ekona]

Mustang is MUCH roomier than the GTR. I suspect the Cayman may have marginally more storage room, due to having two boots.

 

EDIT: I checked, GTR has 315L, Cayman has 405L and Mustang 408L. Very close between the Ford and Porker!

[Rock_Steady]

Wow! That surprises me Dan. I suppose thinking about it now you've mentioned it, i hadn't factored in that the mustang is an American muscle car thus a lot bigger than euro/jap equivalents.

Edited September 14, 2016 by Rock_Steady

[Scooby67]

I'm in the same boat at the moment, however I've only had my Nismo a year and I'm already thinking about changing, I get bored very quickly lol. I've been looking at both the mustang and the GT-R but as mentioned I can see the Mustang prices dropping very quickly and I don't think I will like he handling on the Mustang compared to how good the Nismo is. To me the GT-R is something very special, I've always wanted one so maybe next year I will look at changing.

[rabbitstew]

I think it depends on how much you need 4 seats. If I didnt need 4 seats then id be going for the 981. As I did need 4 seats I went for a 911 instead over the other options you mention.

[Jammy007]

Thanks for the feed back guys, especially Dan. You're right it's the cost of ownership that I'm considering. I'd love to say money isn't an issue, I can certainly afford to run the car with ease regardless of the cost but I don't want to be forking out thousands in servicing or repairs when things go wrong (touch wood the zed has just been wear and tear parts - brakes, tyres etc).

 

I've used Litchfield imports to get servicing prices for the GT-R, which whilst aren't cheap are at least a known entity at this point in time. Do these cars really need serviced every 6 months if Pre-2011?

 

Litchfield also offer warranties on the engine and drive train and I've seen people offer cars for sale on autotrader and on here with that as a positive selling point. These warranties range from £1k upwards. Now I know its a "pays your money, takes your chances" world but in reality what is the chance of an engine or drive train failure on a GT-R in comparison to any other car or even Porsche, Zed etc.

 

I think if I can purchase with a Litchfield warranty then this would give me a bit more peace of mind, but I'm wondering if it's actually worth keeping it going in the long run? I guess it's really just another form of insurance really?

 

May thanks again,

 

Jamie

[Ekona]

Engine failure on a stock GTR wouldn't bother me, but gearbox failure or a modified engine would. Sod's law, you know if you can't afford it then it's you that's going to have the issue.

 

On a 981 manual car I personally wouldn't worry about extended warranty, but if it had PDK I would. Again, highly unlikely you'll have an issue, but at £15K for a new 'box do you want to risk it? It terrified me when I ran my 911 for a year with no warranty purely on that basis

 

Mustang is irrelevant because OEM warranty.

 

 

You're right, it's just insurance. How you feel on that is down to the person, it's a bit like track day insurance in that regard. Millions of people run the cars with no issues, but cars are a complex piece of kit and nothing is infallible.

[Ricey]

Geezer I did a bit of work for had 2 brand new gtrs......Both blew the box

 

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

 

[docwra]

Slightly staggered that Mustang is being mentioned in the same breath as the Cayman and GTR.

 

Having looked at botht eh Cayman was a cheaper prospect to run but thats mainly down to comedy brake and tyre prices for the GTR.

[Richf]

The GTR has 4 seats but only the legroom for two !

[Jammy007]

Excluding petrol, road tax and insurance have I missed anything regarding running costs other than servicing, tyres and brakes?

 

Also are servicing intervals really every 6 months on a pre-2011 GT-R?

[jimboy2]

I wouldn't want to go far in the back of the mustang, it's the headroom more than anything. The noise is almost non existent unless you go aftermarket. I get around 20MPG but it's only a weekend car. But have seen 35 on a motorway.

The prices of brand new Mustangs are still rising. Not sure what that does to the second hand market but I think since I ordered it has increased by at least a grand, with an increase in the last couple of weeks.

 

Edit - there is still a 7 month waiting list if you order new, but the head of Ford UK said on the forum that there are 19 unsold cars around the country.

Edited September 14, 2016 by jimboy2

[Tinyflier]

Excluding petrol, road tax and insurance have I missed anything regarding running costs other than servicing, tyres and brakes?

 

Also are servicing intervals really every 6 months on a pre-2011 GT-R?

 

The 6 month service is simply an oil and filter change and a general check over. Many owners are ditching this (according to the forum), although I am sticking with it and had mine done at SVM recently for not many ££££. See their website for prices.

 

Litchfield will only warrant cars that have been 100% serviced by them or a Nissan HPC (they don't even accept Sly at Kaizer Motors as acceptable - which is bizarre as he is a master Nissan technician and supplies and fits Litchfield tuning kits!).

 

Autotorque (R35 trader) will warrant GTRs after giving them a healthcheck but you then need to use them for servicing. They quoted £1600 for my 4.25 tune level. Haven't heard bad words about them and their warranty cover looks good, I decided just to pocket the money and "self insure".

 

Transmissions on early models can be a tad problematic but not on ALL cars and even newer ones aren't 100% without trouble either.

 

ACSpeedtech in Warrington are top specialists - they rebuilt my transmission and upgraded all the points of failure for a shade under £5k (under warranty cover from dealer from initial purchase!), rarely heard of a rebuilt tranny failing.

 

Tyres aren't really that expensive for what you are relying on to transmit a lot of bhp through - can def renew all 4 (MPSS) for under 1k if you shop around.

 

Brakes - OEM are silly money - but plenty of reputable after market brands and traders around.

 

Pads - well yes a good pair will be perhaps £250 - £300 - again you are pulling (potentially a LOT of) speed off a big car and the wear rate is totally up to how hard you push the GO & STOP pedals!

 

Am totally biased towards the GTR so my opinion on whether to buy one of not is irrelevant, but they can be immense fun. You might find them somewhat clinical until you really push them and get the electronics working with you - you would be surprised how nimble - for an 1800 Kg car - they can be. I completed a CAT Driver Training day recently and that was money well spent - taught me a lot about how these cars behave..

 

The DO attract a LOT of attention - (not just from 14 yr old boys!) - all age ranges and both genders are drawn to them.

 

David

Edited September 15, 2016 by Tinyflier

[Jetpilot]

Is it just dealer thievery expecting cars to be service at yearly/two yearly intervals even if no miles have been covered?

[Ekona]

Not really, I'd argue it's even more important if the car hasn't been used.

[Wizza2000]

Anyone seen this Team Deranged GT-S 700 Mustang on streets yet , apparently made to order

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jp606]

That is hideous, goes to show money doesn't buy taste.

[jimboy2]

It was up for auction at a car show recently. Don't think it sold

[Wizza2000]

It was up for auction at a car show recently. Don't think it sold

on autotrader 75k 😂 Looks like they done what Honda did with new Type R and drove it through Halfords boy racer aisle and thought that be nice and that, that and that

[nissanman312]

Sorry if I missed it but is it to be used daily or as fun

[Jammy007]

Going to be using daily but really do think I've been swayed towards the GT-R now. Stretched the budget, looked at running costs and thought ***k it!

Going to post in the wanted but looking for a low mileage 2011 facelift in grey, white or blue if anyone knows

[Jetpilot]

I quite like that Mustang, especially the colour, I have seen a lot lot worse....but at 75k