f430 running costs thread

So I have seen a lot of posts with people asking about maintenance and running costs. I figured I would document my journey with a new to me f430 that I purchased back in December of 2023. This list will be 100% all inclusive with mandatory and discretionary spending. Also, I am pretty handy and unless noted, there is no labor cost since I did the work myself.

The Car:

• 2005 f430 with almost 35,000 miles on the clock.
• Black over Black with F1 transmission.
• Price paid $110,000, financed 100% at 7.5%.

Things I knew were done prior to purchase:

• 2 year service to include oil, brake fluid, serpentine belt, coolant, and gearbox oil in January of 2023.
• New Clutch and Throw Out Bearing January 2023.
• The car only had 700 miles on it since the clutch/bearing/2 year service
• Sticky buttons had been fixed at some point

Things I knew needed addressing prior to purchase

• Pads and rotors all around (steel)
• Still had original MK1 exhaust manifolds

Unknowns and Nominal prior to purchase

• Fuel pumps original or upgraded?
• Dash leather while still intact shows just the smallest amount of deformation around the defrost vents, will probably need to be addressed within 2-3 years.

I will make a new post for every month with a running total for what the car has cost me.


Prior to purchase

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Delivery Day!

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Costs for December 2023

• Delivery $700 - enclosed trailer with overnight delivery from Chicago to Maryland
• Headers (parts only) $2,600 - Used headers off of eBay. (not sure about naming brands so I will leave them off unless someone asks) It is one of the big manufacturers.
• Fuel $75
• Maryland State Inspection $125
• Pads x 4 (parts only) $400
• Rotors x 4 (parts only) $573
• Shop Manual $10.50 (the popular one from eBay)
• Punch for brake job $4
• Crows foot wrench for headers $7
• Header Blankets $1,800 - New, couldn't find any used ones.
• LED tag lights $20 - found one out during the inspection
• Header install kit (gaskets, studs, nuts, etc) $150

December Total - $6568
Total Cost - $6568

Brake Job Photos
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Costs for January 2024

• Handle for fuel door emergency release $20
• Tint removal to pass inspection $250

January Total $275
Total Cost to date - $6843

 

Costs for February 2024

• Header Install $1085. This one was so frustrating. I got the first one on no problem. ONE BOLT was seized on the second side which required me to take it to the shop to have it extracted after I rounded the head off! So 15 bolts were free. The 16th one cost me $1,000!
• Fuel $79
• New Wheel Center caps $126. The old ones were faded and cracking.
• Registration and Taxes $7,000 . . . Oof.
• Oil $124
• Oil Change Kit $60
• Oil Filter Wrench $8

February Total $8,482
Total Cost to Date (Three Months) $15,325

 

Costs for March 2024

• Fuel $68
• Headlight Restoration $325

March Total $393
Total Cost to Date (four months) $15,718

 

That place cracks me up. Million dollar super cars next to million mile Tractors. Lol.

 

LOL. I want no parts of this contest! I am hoping the major stuff is done . . . for now. After the headers and brakes, the rest of the stuff that it needed was pretty minor and discretionary. Good luck to you!

 

Costs for April 2024

• Fuel $72

April Total $72
Total Cost to Date (four months) $15,790

 

Yeah. The $15,000 number in 3 months sounds bad, but $7,000 was registration/taxes and $5,500 was the headers. Take that out and its pretty reasonable. The taxes are unavoidable, and the headers I was aware of when I purchased the car.

 

Costs for May 2024

• Emissions Testing $14
• Fuel $84
• New Head Unit to replace an old aftermarket one that doesn't work well $148
• *** I forgot to add the insurance premium back in February. $389

May Total $246
Total Cost to Date (5 Months) $16,425

 

I had thought about it, but I wanted to give a snapshot of what it costs to keep the car running in good condition. Everyone's financing situation is different so that cost will vary person to person. I am definitly tracking it on my personal document though.

Just as an FYI, the finance charge is about $650 per month.

Thanks!

 

Oh yeah, I went into this knowing it wasn't going to be cheap. Thanks!

 

And now that I think about it, maybe I should back out the taxes from my total, since that varies for everyone too.

 

Costs for June 2024

• Labor for Head Unit Install $268
• Window Switch Repair Kit $90
• Fuel $80

JuneTotal $438

Total Cost Breakdown to Date
Total Spent $27,897 - Includes Principal paydown, Interest, Taxes, Registration, Cost of insurance, maintenance and fuel
Maintenance costs to date - $8194

 

I used a local company called Headlight Doctor. It was exterior only. Wet sanded, polished and recoated them. There is a company called Clear Corners that you can ship them to. They will open, clean, reseal and restore them. That process is much more expensive than the $300 or so I spent.

 

Lol. It’s not that bad. The finance charge is about $600 per month. The car “should” be near the bottom of the depreciation curve so the way I look at it, I’m renting the car for $600 a month until I sell it. Give or take a little depreciation.

 

Costs for July 2024

A pretty boring month. Loan payment and some extra principle, that's all.

• Loan payment of $4000 - $685 interest and $3315 principle reduction

July Total $4000

Total Cost Breakdown to Date
Total Spent $31,897 - Includes Principal paydown, Interest, Taxes, Registration, Cost of insurance, maintenance and fuel
Maintenance costs to date - $8194