Well after my first clutch bill and knowing my first brake bill will be in addition to my upcoming yearly service I figured I’d try to at least figure out what it actually costs me every time I hop in the car. I’m not complaining of the cost, I knew what I was getting myself into, but I was simply curious – and it certainly won’t deter me from enjoying my toy

I know everyone’s numbers will be different based on insurance rate, clutch life, etc. but I figured this number out for me and thought I’d share. I think my numbers are right, but any advice on correcting it or making it more accurate is welcome.

Fixed Costs

>Yearly Service $1,543 (based off first yearly service price)
Estimated 10,000 miles per year = $.154 per mile
>Yearly Insurance $4, 793 (I’m under <25 so I’m sure this is high compared to most)
Estimated 10,000 miles per year = $.479 per mile

Variable Costs

>Tires $1,388 (rear set $648, front set $620, install $121)
Changed at 15,000 miles = $.092 per mile
>Clutch $5,150
Changed at 17,000 miles = $.302 per mile
Sport shift – kind of upset it only lasted this long, was at least expecting 20,000 miles based off what I’ve researched
>Brakes $3,275 (rear set $1,650, front set $1,625)
Estimated to be changed at 20,000 miles = $.163 per mile
I did an estimated change at 20,000 miles because my dealer said they are almost worn so I will be getting them changed at my next annual service (my 2nd one) - so I figured I’d keep the mileage consistent with the fixed costs.
>Fuel – I realize this is highly volatile, but it’s still a big cost. 2010 Vantage gets 12 mpg city/19 mpg highway … so let’s say 15 mpg and take an estimated gas price of $3.75 per gallon. So $.25 per mile

So if I drive 10,000 miles a year my estimated cost per mile is $1.44 (.154 + .479 + .092 + .302 + .163 + .25).

 

That's interesting.

You've left off depreciation, which is another biggie.

$4800 a year for insurance! Wow. Mine is under $1000, but I'm 48, have a multicar discount, and $1000 deductibles. My annual service and brakes have been a lot cheaper (at an independent), and the clutches on manual transmission cars seem to last longer--I'm at 21K on the original clutch, with no signs of problems.

All in all, my cost (excluding depreciation) is probably about half of yours.

 

Elephant in the room?

Depreciation far outweighs other costs per mile for most people's Astons since they generally don't drive very much. 10K miles per year is a lot on most Astons.

If the car depreciates $10K to $15K per year @ 5K miles per year, that's anywhere between $2 and $3 per mile. And that's probably being generous.

The 1st owner of my DB9 put 7k miles on the car and lost $80K in depreciation, or $11/mile.

 

Wow...

I don't think I want to delve into this analysis any further

 

Similar story here. 1st owner put just under 2,000 miles on mine, and lost at least $80k as well.

 

Don't know why you think fuel is a big cost - the stuff is almost free over there, you even spend less on fuel per mile than you do on clutch wear. The cheapest price for petrol (gas) in Europe is about $9.33 per gallon.

But agree with other posters, depreciation is the major cost, everything else is just incidentals

 

I can not think about this. I do not want to consider how much it costs. I average just 3500 miles a year and then it sits, with its trickle charger plugged in to its backside, elevated on jackstands, from Thanksgiving to Easter, waiting for the salt to be washed away by the spring rain. It has got to be god awful expensive. I do not care to examine the numbers. Wife keeps the books at my house, never complain, never explain.

 

All the cost you list are pretty much applicable for any sports car. Tires and brakes only last if you don't use them hard.

 

Damn...$4800 for insurance. Mine is only $950 annually. The other costs seem reasonable for this exotic. You got to do something about that insurance if you can.

 

Was looking at today's posts and saw this one and couldn't resist a comment. Ownership of exotic automobiles requires the ability to totally ignore the cost in order to fully enjoy them. Start thinking about how much it cost you, even in a casual way, and you're running the risk of not enjoying the car anymore. As the costs mount up, as they always do with expensive toys, you enjoy it less and less. Slippery slope indeed.

 

I ran a TVR once, and realised that for every tankful of petrol, I had to set aside £30 for tyres.

That thought made me proud, it showed that I was driving the car the way it was meant to be driven.

 

While I agree you cannot stress yourself looking at numbers like these if it ruins your exotic ownership experience, I find the analysis interesting and worthwhile (and fortunately it doesn't ruin exotic ownership for me ). I've done the same for a number of cars, including more recently a Ferrari F430 ownership cost: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=314607

There are some things you left out in the OP:

1. You definately do need to consider depreciation in the above calculation as it's a major item.

2. Sales tax - can be huge, five figure bill. Average it out per year of ownership. Also, does your state have annual use tax on cars?

3. Cost of capital or financing - This can really hurt to think about. If you have a loan, what is the interest expense, but even without a loan, what income opportunities are you giving up by tying up six figures into exotic cars that do not produce income streams.

4. Average repair - this is a crapshoot, but exotics are destined to have four or five figure repair bills if you own and drive the car for awhile. If you figure $10k total over 5 years, then average that out per year.

5. Voluntary modifications - lets just say I hope you don't get the mod bug and start getting interested in $3k exhausts and $1.2k carbon fiber trim pieces and $1.5k ECU tunes and $3k wheels, ect. Some serious wallet damage can be done here! (A huge tip, if you are into modifications/customizations, is to try to find a car with a lot of these mods already done, as the resale value added by mod's is perhaps as crappy as 10-15%).

If you include all these things, I think you'll be shocked how much the REAL cost of ownership is. Ignoring opportunity cost and repairs on my F430 calculation, it was $4.25 a mile, but adding those in and it could easily be $7 per mile, and this is for 4,000 miles driven per year on a used $130k car which may hold value much better than newer exotics and otherwise is reasonably comparable to Astons. With a overall $7 a mile cost of ownership, even if you are actually driving and enjoying your car full time, that means a 30 mile round trip to dinner in your exotic will cost $210, before you even pay for your dinner bill.

 

On another note, I use pretty similar numbers to OP's Vantage cost of ownership for my Ferrari 360 including $5,500 for clutch every 17.5-20k miles (F1, done at Indy), similar tires/brakes/gas/ect. I do like that 360's have essentially flat lined in depreciation though, and that is not true for the Vantages, especially the 4.7L newer models that have a long way to fall (look at where the Vanquish or DB9 is now relative to it's sticker in the first MY). Being under 25 will get you for insurance for sure, hopefully that drops off dramatically when you turn 25.