Since the end of the 1990s, the world of sports cars has been constantly evolving and vehicle performance has increased tenfold. But what about their maintenance costs?
Today, most enthusiasts wishing to make their dream of buying their first sports car come true are not worried about the purchase of the vehicle but about the cost of maintenance (tyres, revisions, wear parts...). Their first reflex in 2016 was to get information on the Internet, looking for testimonies from owners. Be aware that in terms of sports car each model requires a specific maintenance, each model has qualities and defects and each model is unique. The cost of maintaining your vehicle will probably not be similar to other owners.
Choosing a specialist or in an official dealership
When buying your vehicle you should keep in mind that official dealerships are rare. Even if the Porsche centres are rather well established, it is not the same if you want to have a Ferrari, Aston Martin or Audi R8 serviced in a dealership (the nearest AUDI centre in Brittany capable of servicing you is Le Mans...). Be aware that an in-store maintenance will inflate the invoice but its stamp on your maintenance booklet will be a guarantee of quality and a plus when reselling your vehicle. Then the question arises of having your vehicle serviced by a specialist, prices can be up to half as expensive, so make sure that the services are of high quality.
What are the rates?
The cost of maintaining your car will depend greatly on how much you use it. A vehicle with a lot of circuitry will have a significant maintenance cost that will be difficult to estimate. At Porsche, the overhaul is recommended every 2 years or 30,000 km since 997 phase 2 and 2 years or 20,000 km. This revision costs between €390 and €600 depending on the garages and departments. Note that a major maintenance is to be carried out every 4 years or 60 000km and is charged between 1100€ and 2200€ excluding brake disc. The tires will have to be changed more or less often depending on the use. For normal use they will have a life span of 20,000km to 30,000km, a set of 4 new tyres will be charged between 900€ and 1200€ mounted. At Ferrari know that since 2011 all models released from Maranello have free 7-year maintenance, which is to be carried out every 20,000 km or 2 years. For modern Ferraris before 2011, the overhaul is to be done every year or 20,000 km. A small revision will be charged about 1000€ and the big revision to be done every two years will be about 2000€. However, keep in mind that these figures may vary greatly depending on the garage. The life span of the clutches of the sequential gearboxes can also vary greatly, they will generally have to be changed every 30,000km to 40,000km and will be charged 4500€. A set of 4 tires on an F430 will be charged between 1300€ and 1500€ and will have a lifetime of at least 20 000km. You should be aware that on models like the Scuderia tires can wear three times faster. It should be noted that some problems are known, in particular the F430 which have fragile collectors, the latter can crack as early as 20 000km, a replacement by stainless steel collectors will allow you to erase this problem and greatly reduce your maintenance costs.
If you have any questions about vehicle maintenance, do not hesitate to contact serious professionals who will be happy to inform you. It is very important to note that on a majority of recent Ferraris, unlike Porsche, it is a timing belt and not a chain, which results in a much higher cost compared to Porsche.