The Cost to Own an Evo
Eh, you guys are making it sound much worse than it is. Let's assume the average person drives 15,000 miles a year.
Oil - 3 changes (5,000 mile intervals) x $50 a pop = $150
Trans/transfer case/rear diff fluid - 1 change x $100 = $100
Brake pads - 1 change x $150 = $150
Air filter - 1 change x $40 = $40
That's $440 for a year of maintenance. I wouldn't call that bad. That's without labor, of course, but any Evo owner/car guy should have no problem pulling off minor maintenance with the wealth of information on these forums. Oh, and that's assuming you need to do trans/transfer case/rear diff fluid every year. Some say 30,000 miles is fine. And my brake pads lasted me a lot longer than a year.
Now let's say you need a new set of tires every year (you don't). Add $800 and you're up to $1,200 for a year of maintenance.
Of course, the only tires that should go bad in 15,000 miles are the stock A046's and other super-high-performance summer tires. You don't NEED to run tires like that every day if you're concerned about maintenance costs. I have well over 15,000 miles on my Dunlop Winter Sport 3Ds and they look BRAND NEW. And because I don't drive like a douchebag on the street, I can honestly say I enjoy my car just as much on the way to work every day as I do on my RE-01Rs. If you need super-sticky tires for AutoX/road racing/whatever, it's not the car's fault. You gotta pay to play.
As for clutch, 40,000 miles here and it grips like the day she was new. My secret? Not launching every time the mood strikes me. Again, it's not the car's fault you need a new clutch because you like doing 6k launches regularly.
As for fuel, 20 mpg is pretty reasonable for the performance this car gives you. Don't like it? Drive something slower. Go ask guys with Cobras or Vettes how light fuel cost is on their wallets.
Finally, I have been daily driving my Evo for three years now. I drive it everywhere. It is parked outside day after day, night after night in Chicago weather. Every morning it has to endure a cold start, these days usually under a few inches of snow. It has been to the strip, autoX, done parking lot donuts, you name it. And in these three years, it has been absolutely bullet-prooof. I have not had to spend ONE PENNY on a repair that wasn't caused either by my own stupidity or that of another driver. So I take personal offense when some of you make the car sound like a money pit. It isn't.
Oil - 3 changes (5,000 mile intervals) x $50 a pop = $150
Trans/transfer case/rear diff fluid - 1 change x $100 = $100
Brake pads - 1 change x $150 = $150
Air filter - 1 change x $40 = $40
That's $440 for a year of maintenance. I wouldn't call that bad. That's without labor, of course, but any Evo owner/car guy should have no problem pulling off minor maintenance with the wealth of information on these forums. Oh, and that's assuming you need to do trans/transfer case/rear diff fluid every year. Some say 30,000 miles is fine. And my brake pads lasted me a lot longer than a year.
Now let's say you need a new set of tires every year (you don't). Add $800 and you're up to $1,200 for a year of maintenance.
Of course, the only tires that should go bad in 15,000 miles are the stock A046's and other super-high-performance summer tires. You don't NEED to run tires like that every day if you're concerned about maintenance costs. I have well over 15,000 miles on my Dunlop Winter Sport 3Ds and they look BRAND NEW. And because I don't drive like a douchebag on the street, I can honestly say I enjoy my car just as much on the way to work every day as I do on my RE-01Rs. If you need super-sticky tires for AutoX/road racing/whatever, it's not the car's fault. You gotta pay to play.
As for clutch, 40,000 miles here and it grips like the day she was new. My secret? Not launching every time the mood strikes me. Again, it's not the car's fault you need a new clutch because you like doing 6k launches regularly.
As for fuel, 20 mpg is pretty reasonable for the performance this car gives you. Don't like it? Drive something slower. Go ask guys with Cobras or Vettes how light fuel cost is on their wallets.
Finally, I have been daily driving my Evo for three years now. I drive it everywhere. It is parked outside day after day, night after night in Chicago weather. Every morning it has to endure a cold start, these days usually under a few inches of snow. It has been to the strip, autoX, done parking lot donuts, you name it. And in these three years, it has been absolutely bullet-prooof. I have not had to spend ONE PENNY on a repair that wasn't caused either by my own stupidity or that of another driver. So I take personal offense when some of you make the car sound like a money pit. It isn't.
I agree...68k on the car now and changed my brakes at 45k miles and there was still some meat left, clutch at 35k and still going storng with the ACT at 68k, 2 sets of tires gettin 32k+ on each set and do oil changes myself with Mobil 1 (stock up when its on sale at AutoZone, $29.95 for oil and filter). I did upgrade my transfercase but thats why i get for racing at the track. Other than that she sits outside 24/7 and driven 50+ miles a day commuting with 400hp to the wheels and drives like the day i got it. Im pretty impressed at how low the maintenance cost is actually.
Thread Starter
Evolving Member
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From: Conshohocken, PA
Eh, you guys are making it sound much worse than it is. Let's assume the average person drives 15,000 miles a year.
Oil - 3 changes (5,000 mile intervals) x $50 a pop = $150
Trans/transfer case/rear diff fluid - 1 change x $100 = $100
Brake pads - 1 change x $150 = $150
Air filter - 1 change x $40 = $40
That's $440 for a year of maintenance. I wouldn't call that bad. That's without labor, of course, but any Evo owner/car guy should have no problem pulling off minor maintenance with the wealth of information on these forums. Oh, and that's assuming you need to do trans/transfer case/rear diff fluid every year. Some say 30,000 miles is fine. And my brake pads lasted me a lot longer than a year.
Now let's say you need a new set of tires every year (you don't). Add $800 and you're up to $1,200 for a year of maintenance.
Of course, the only tires that should go bad in 15,000 miles are the stock A046's and other super-high-performance summer tires. You don't NEED to run tires like that every day if you're concerned about maintenance costs. I have well over 15,000 miles on my Dunlop Winter Sport 3Ds and they look BRAND NEW. And because I don't drive like a douchebag on the street, I can honestly say I enjoy my car just as much on the way to work every day as I do on my RE-01Rs. If you need super-sticky tires for AutoX/road racing/whatever, it's not the car's fault. You gotta pay to play.
As for clutch, 40,000 miles here and it grips like the day she was new. My secret? Not launching every time the mood strikes me. Again, it's not the car's fault you need a new clutch because you like doing 6k launches regularly.
As for fuel, 20 mpg is pretty reasonable for the performance this car gives you. Don't like it? Drive something slower. Go ask guys with Cobras or Vettes how light fuel cost is on their wallets.
Finally, I have been daily driving my Evo for three years now. I drive it everywhere. It is parked outside day after day, night after night in Chicago weather. Every morning it has to endure a cold start, these days usually under a few inches of snow. It has been to the strip, autoX, done parking lot donuts, you name it. And in these three years, it has been absolutely bullet-prooof. I have not had to spend ONE PENNY on a repair that wasn't caused either by my own stupidity or that of another driver. So I take personal offense when some of you make the car sound like a money pit. It isn't.
Oil - 3 changes (5,000 mile intervals) x $50 a pop = $150
Trans/transfer case/rear diff fluid - 1 change x $100 = $100
Brake pads - 1 change x $150 = $150
Air filter - 1 change x $40 = $40
That's $440 for a year of maintenance. I wouldn't call that bad. That's without labor, of course, but any Evo owner/car guy should have no problem pulling off minor maintenance with the wealth of information on these forums. Oh, and that's assuming you need to do trans/transfer case/rear diff fluid every year. Some say 30,000 miles is fine. And my brake pads lasted me a lot longer than a year.
Now let's say you need a new set of tires every year (you don't). Add $800 and you're up to $1,200 for a year of maintenance.
Of course, the only tires that should go bad in 15,000 miles are the stock A046's and other super-high-performance summer tires. You don't NEED to run tires like that every day if you're concerned about maintenance costs. I have well over 15,000 miles on my Dunlop Winter Sport 3Ds and they look BRAND NEW. And because I don't drive like a douchebag on the street, I can honestly say I enjoy my car just as much on the way to work every day as I do on my RE-01Rs. If you need super-sticky tires for AutoX/road racing/whatever, it's not the car's fault. You gotta pay to play.
As for clutch, 40,000 miles here and it grips like the day she was new. My secret? Not launching every time the mood strikes me. Again, it's not the car's fault you need a new clutch because you like doing 6k launches regularly.
As for fuel, 20 mpg is pretty reasonable for the performance this car gives you. Don't like it? Drive something slower. Go ask guys with Cobras or Vettes how light fuel cost is on their wallets.
Finally, I have been daily driving my Evo for three years now. I drive it everywhere. It is parked outside day after day, night after night in Chicago weather. Every morning it has to endure a cold start, these days usually under a few inches of snow. It has been to the strip, autoX, done parking lot donuts, you name it. And in these three years, it has been absolutely bullet-prooof. I have not had to spend ONE PENNY on a repair that wasn't caused either by my own stupidity or that of another driver. So I take personal offense when some of you make the car sound like a money pit. It isn't.
My car has been ultra-reliable as well, except for when my transfer case went but that was my own fault from my track days. I did not spend all of this money on maintenance alone, and I'm not trying to say that Evos are unreliable at all.
Let me try and break down some of my spending so you can see the type of 'things' I continually buy for my car which makes it such a money pit.
Fuel 3151
Stage II Shep Transfer case 2500
Insurance 1800
2 Sets of Tires 1400
Tolls 350
Headlight I broke 300
Inspections / Registrations 160
2 Gear / 10 Motor oil changes 500
CV boot 50
2 Alignments 150
Valve Cover gasket / PCV Valve 80
Front Pads 90
Silicone hoses 40
Head Studs 95
IX BOV 100
Clutch Line 30
Vacuum hose 8
K&N Cleaner / MAF cleaner 25
Ported exhaust mani / Studs / Gasket 280
New Battery 80
Radar Detector cable hookup 30
Fuel Pump 90
Wiper blades / fluid 42
bunch of plug changes 60
Gauge pillar 68
Tru-boost 300
Wideband 220
Used Bilstien Shocks 400
Additional wideband O2 75
Shifter bushings 35
That comes to 12,509 - it adds up quick man.
My car has been ultra-reliable as well, except for when my transfer case went but that was my own fault from my track days. I did not spend all of this money on maintenance alone, and I'm not trying to say that Evos are unreliable at all.
Let me try and break down some of my spending so you can see the type of 'things' I continually buy for my car which makes it such a money pit.
Fuel 3151
Stage II Shep Transfer case 2500
Insurance 1800
2 Sets of Tires 1400
Tolls 350
Headlight I broke 300
Inspections / Registrations 160
2 Gear / 10 Motor oil changes 500
CV boot 50
2 Alignments 150
Valve Cover gasket / PCV Valve 80
Front Pads 90
Silicone hoses 40
Head Studs 95
IX BOV 100
Clutch Line 30
Vacuum hose 8
K&N Cleaner / MAF cleaner 25
Ported exhaust mani / Studs / Gasket 280
New Battery 80
Radar Detector cable hookup 30
Fuel Pump 90
Wiper blades / fluid 42
bunch of plug changes 60
Gauge pillar 68
Tru-boost 300
Wideband 220
Used Bilstien Shocks 400
Additional wideband O2 75
Shifter bushings 35
That comes to 12,509 - it adds up quick man.
Let me try and break down some of my spending so you can see the type of 'things' I continually buy for my car which makes it such a money pit.
Fuel 3151
Stage II Shep Transfer case 2500
Insurance 1800
2 Sets of Tires 1400
Tolls 350
Headlight I broke 300
Inspections / Registrations 160
2 Gear / 10 Motor oil changes 500
CV boot 50
2 Alignments 150
Valve Cover gasket / PCV Valve 80
Front Pads 90
Silicone hoses 40
Head Studs 95
IX BOV 100
Clutch Line 30
Vacuum hose 8
K&N Cleaner / MAF cleaner 25
Ported exhaust mani / Studs / Gasket 280
New Battery 80
Radar Detector cable hookup 30
Fuel Pump 90
Wiper blades / fluid 42
bunch of plug changes 60
Gauge pillar 68
Tru-boost 300
Wideband 220
Used Bilstien Shocks 400
Additional wideband O2 75
Shifter bushings 35
That comes to 12,509 - it adds up quick man.
You can't complain about the cost of owning an Evo when the vast majority of that cost is unnecessary modifications. Every car in the world could be considered a money pit were that the case.
Thread Starter
Evolving Member
iTrader: (9)
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 155
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From: Conshohocken, PA
I just call anything I dump money into without a positive return a money pit, even if it's by choice.
I think you misunderstood - I'm not complaining, or didn't mean to come off that way; I simply wanted to share what it has cost me to own my evo the way I want it over the past year and a half, and I wanted to hear what others spend.
I'm not sure how many people just do the standard oil/tire/brake jobs on their evo, and don't spend additional cash on items like I listed above. I guess my true maintenance cost not including fuel/insurance/tolls/fees or anything technically not required to run my car is only a couple thousand a year.
I think you misunderstood - I'm not complaining, or didn't mean to come off that way; I simply wanted to share what it has cost me to own my evo the way I want it over the past year and a half, and I wanted to hear what others spend.
I'm not sure how many people just do the standard oil/tire/brake jobs on their evo, and don't spend additional cash on items like I listed above. I guess my true maintenance cost not including fuel/insurance/tolls/fees or anything technically not required to run my car is only a couple thousand a year.
I just call anything I dump money into without a positive return a money pit, even if it's by choice.
I think you misunderstood - I'm not complaining, or didn't mean to come off that way; I simply wanted to share what it has cost me to own my evo the way I want it over the past year and a half, and I wanted to hear what others spend.
I'm not sure how many people just do the standard oil/tire/brake jobs on their evo, and don't spend additional cash on items like I listed above. I guess my true maintenance cost not including fuel/insurance/tolls/fees or anything technically not required to run my car is only a couple thousand a year.
I think you misunderstood - I'm not complaining, or didn't mean to come off that way; I simply wanted to share what it has cost me to own my evo the way I want it over the past year and a half, and I wanted to hear what others spend.
I'm not sure how many people just do the standard oil/tire/brake jobs on their evo, and don't spend additional cash on items like I listed above. I guess my true maintenance cost not including fuel/insurance/tolls/fees or anything technically not required to run my car is only a couple thousand a year.
I just wanted to make a counterpoint after two pages of people going "man the Evo is an expensive car to own", because I honestly don't think it is. It's definitely pricier to maintain than say a Camry, but that's not saying much. People shouldn't be dissuaded from getting an Evo because they think it requires Ferrari levels of care.
i just added all my accounts to mint.com and i'd like to bring back this thread as this is where i found out about it. and i'd like to advise everyone and anyone to make an account with mint.com asap. it really opens up your eyes to spending. and net worth is a great thing to look at as well.
Eddie
Eddie
that literally made me laugh out loud. I am actually finding out everything on my Evo costs more than I woulda ever thought it should. I am about to buy a fuggin O2 sensor for 230... I mean really, nothing special about this sensor other than the look on the guys face when he priced it to me.
With all that said, bring on the bills cuz I effing LOVE my car!!!
With all that said, bring on the bills cuz I effing LOVE my car!!!
actually my evo has been one of the most reliable cars i've had, I haven't spent that much at all. My sti on the otherhand was the most pos car ever, money pit. Always breaking down every other month.
I think the title to this thread is a bit misleading, and it has obviously caused a stir among veterans and people looking to buy their first Evo alike. It does not cost much to own this car. Regular maintenance is not that bad at all, and is easy to do on your own.
Even go-faster bits are not expensive for the return that you get on them; and of course these upgrades are not required to own the car. The real cost for this car comes when you abuse it, or as some would say, use it as it was intended. That cost goes up considerably the more you add go faster bits.
Personally I don't have the endless supply of money as some so while I have added a good deal to my car, I choose not to abuse it on the track or on the street. More power to those that are able to 'use it as it was intended.'
Even go-faster bits are not expensive for the return that you get on them; and of course these upgrades are not required to own the car. The real cost for this car comes when you abuse it, or as some would say, use it as it was intended. That cost goes up considerably the more you add go faster bits.
Personally I don't have the endless supply of money as some so while I have added a good deal to my car, I choose not to abuse it on the track or on the street. More power to those that are able to 'use it as it was intended.'
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta
I dunno why everyone is bashing the OP. Its not like he posted made up numbers. I appreciate things like this to keep cost of owning a performance car in perspective. I would think its perfectly fair for him to factor in cost of modding into ownership costs.
Oh, thanks for posting OP.
Oh, thanks for posting OP.
