260 daily driver running costs?

[hst125]

Posted over on the two-sixties but I thought maybe ask here too ;-)

I am very close to taking the plunge and going V8. The most practical way of funding and maintaining the car would be to sell off my Alfa 155, 2001 Saab Convertible, and my rusty MGB GT. This would raise something around 40% of the cost of a 260.
Our main family car is a VW TDi so no probs there, we also have a petrol T4 camper. I only do about 3000 miles a year I my own car, so the petrol is not a big issue, nor tyres, nor insurance. I just wondered what the annual servicing and maintenance costs might be?
I am attached to all of my cars but time, space, age and timing make it ripe for fleet reduction! The 155 is a low mileage, recently belted 96 Sportpack 2.0 16V, but now out of mot, only through lack of time, the Saab is low mileage too, a blast and very nice to have, and I'm even now looking at an £85 remap for +70bhp! The MGB GT is a '75 Rubber, but sadly probably a brave restoration now, but with a1 mechanicals, a perfect Britax vinyl sunroof...
Mad or what?

[Mr bountyfull]

I don't find the running exorbitant for a v8. I supply my local garage will all the lubrication - engine, diff - spark plugs and use a K&N utilising information freely available to two sixties members. I do around 5k a year and servicing is not too frightening £200-£400 a year.

That all said I will probably need new rear disks before the cars next MOT. The rear discs are the single most expensive service item coming in around £700. That said my car is driven spiritedly and is a Dreadnought car and this is the first change after 7 years in my ownership (40k) and 50k all in.

Hope this is near where you need to be. I am in Newbury although the 260 is tucked up until April up in Shap. I like the idea of a 155 so I may be interested if its the right car for me.

Steve

[woolleysox]

The 260s still have stock of rear discs for a lot less than that. If they have been sold I can give you a contact but it's a 6 week lead time to make them again a lot less the £700

[VMax1000]

Originally Posted by woolleysox

The 260s still have stock of rear discs for a lot less than that. If they have been sold I can give you a contact but it's a 6 week lead time to make them again a lot less the £700

Were there's a will there's a way

And to be fair, the 260s put a lot of effort in to keep the cars going.

• rear brake discs
• heater valve
• heater hose
• advice
• etc

Makes it worth being a member..........

And as the shop keep and mod I can pick and choose so be careful

[Greeners]

I'm lucky with LPG at 59p per litre, I manage 17 miles per gallon on it....on pertol about 22....

servicing is pretty much in line with a FWD car....

K&N Air filter
OEM from the states for about £1.50 each



Only real price part is rear discs....

[slickster]

A lot of this is finger in the air unless specifics are given. The biggest of which will be 'how many miles would it do as a daily driver?'. There will be, relatively speaking, a large difference in overall cost of running if you do 5,000 miles compared to 10,000 miles.

Taking the above then 10k miles would mean you need to service the car twice in a year (but prices for routine services are usually not massively more than say a R75/MG ZT 2.5). Similarly you may wear out tyres quicker if you drive enthusiastically when doing more miles. But the biggest cost in difference depending on mileage would be the fuel...

Driving it as you should then an average 15mpg might be what you see. for 10,000 miles this would be ~3,000 litres (so £3k at todays' £1 a litre prices, but over £4k at petrol prices of a year ago). Whereas 10,000 miles of driving in a V6 would likely give you say 25mpg (maybe more maybe less?) but that equates to ~1,800 litres, so about £1200 less in petrol than the V8 (more at last years prices which would have seen a £1700 difference in fuel costs).

So running it for 5,000 miles and you obviously could half the fuel costs, service costs etc and thus 'the difference' when compared to running a V6, or another car becomes smaller.

[yakohairy]

I do about 12000 a year in mine and must is on duel carriageway. Im getting 24 mpg if I behave. 2 services a year. Done the diff and gearbox. And a full set of tyres in 2 years. But I had the 160 1.8 before. The costs over all don't seem over the top for the speed sound and smile ability of owning one. And you can bully boy races. In there chav chariots. Might sell mine next year. As im saving up for the new mustang.

[stevestrat]

If it wasn't for not wanting to rack up the miles I'd quite happily use mine as a daily driver. I haven't calculated what mpg I get around the doors (don't know if I want to!) but I was pleasantly surprised when she returned a fraction under 28mpg bring it home from Leeds.

As Marcus says, the grin factor driving one far outweighs the cost

[yakohairy]

Originally Posted by stevestrat

If it wasn't for not wanting to rack up the miles I'd quite happily use mine as a daily driver. I haven't calculated what mpg I get around the doors (don't know if I want to!) but I was pleasantly surprised when she returned a fraction under 28mpg bring it home from Leeds.

As Marcus says, the grin factor driving one far outweighs the cost

28. That's unheard of. Good man. Can I borrow your fairy feet. My hob nails are expensive

[stevestrat]

Yeah, fraction under 28mpg. Filled up locally before leaving, stopped at Berwick to stretch my legs and topped the tank up. Did the calculation when I got home.