Annual maintenance costs

[prwdmd]

My beloved 2001 4.4i has 117k miles. I just calculated that the maintenance has been costing me around $4-6k / year. Some repairs I have done at the dealer and some at the indy. Nevertheless, doesn't this figure seem really really high? I am questioning whether it's worth keeping considering what the car is worth. I've changed so much stuff it's practically a new car, but then something else goes wrong with it. What is everyone else spending on annual maintenance?

[Helmuth]

Hi, I have a 3.0d 2002. How many miles do you drive per year? To be honest I do not expect to have that cost.

Best Regards, H

[FSETH]

My annual cost have been about half of yours. I have an 02 4.4i sport package. Bought it with 60,000 miles and now have about 120,000. Actually, this years costs are probably close to your low end ($4k) estimate if I decide to take care of a leaky a/c evaporator that costs about $2,000 to replace.

[motordavid]

By maintenance I assume you mean oil/filter, tires, brakes, and repairs?

Seems very high to me; our '01 3.0, with ~79k miles has had the following
out of warranty: 1 set tires, rear brakes, pulley dampers, front turn signal
relay, Insp II/"tune up" at an Indy, brake fluid, man trans, diff fluid replaced,
and an annual oil change, sometimes DIY, sometimes by the Indy.

I didn't go down to the garage and add up all my receipts, but I'm thinking
way less than $1000 year, and more like $400 yr, on average over the 5 years
its been out of warranty. It could go Boom! tomorrow, so I knock on wood...
GL, mD

[StanF18]

To the OP: Don't feel bad, I'm somewhere around that annual number also on a 4.4i with 105k miles. Although I easily drive 25k-30k per year, so there's a fair amount of wear and tear annually. Of course the annual repair cost is not something I like to advertise on here because then all the other guys make you feel bad for getting ripped off on your repairs and consumables. But seeing as I am mechanically DE-clined (i.e. opposite of inclined), I am not about to start replacing rotors or thrust rod bushings on my own. Both of which I have had to take care of in the past year. I did hardwire my own V1, and I always do an awesome job of changing windshield washer fluid! But anything beyond that I leave to the mechanics. At some point we all need to decide whether it's better to part ways and move on to the next vehicle. I may be getting close to that point.

[prwdmd]

Yeah... from what I've read, the 3.0's have always been more realiable... so that makes sense. I'm putting about 10-15k miles/year on it. Also no interest in any DIY... about as far as I'll go is changing the engine and cabin air filters. I was just wondering if my maintenance costs were typical. In any case... I'm seriously thinking about switching to a Lexus GX.

[Zulu95]

This year our '01 3.0L has had new boots, new vacuum hoses for the secondary air system, new plugs and coils and I just came back from our local indy after having the second part of the "half way" oil service (Twice every cycle of the oil lights.) and a tranny fluid dump/filter change. She now has Royal Purple coursing through her veins. (Well tranny fluid oil ways and pipelines and engine.)
I expect to change the tranny fluid/filter again in 30K. I picked the tranny fluid filter up on fleabay. A guy sold his X before doing the change and I got the filter/gasket and bolts for $1 plus S&H!
I put another set of Yokohama Geolander tires on as the last set performed so well. I went with the more aggressive tread pattern H/S models this time as we now live 1.5 miles up a dirt road and it gets a little off-roadish during the winter months. I also expect to do brakes and rotors sometime in the near future.
On the whole this has been an expensive year but I skated reasonably free for the previous two years since we moved to MO.

[motordavid]

To the OP,
I was not bragging of how "inexpensive" our ol' X has been; but the out of pocket
maintenance/repair costs have been very reasonable, imo. I suspect we have just
been lucky, the car is driven carefully and not as a daily driver, etc.

I know in my "maintenance heart" that it will need some thing(s), this year or,
next, but I plan on keeping it, because as a retired bum. new car purchases are
a bite in the ol' portfolio...and, theCEO got a new car this year, so the '01 X5
and my '02 Vette have to keep on going.

Add in insurance, depreciation, gas, usual repairs, etc. and cars are nearly a
"50 Cts" a mile deal, in my rough calcs, especially post-warranty. But, drive
whatcha like!
GL, mD

[StanF18]

Originally Posted by prwdmd

I'm seriously thinking about switching to a Lexus GX.

Yikes! I mean, I feel your pain and all, but there's no need for drastic measures. Unless you've been having some insomnia problems, in which case the GX should help you fall asleep fast. At the wheel.

j/k...GX is a fine vehicle.

[J.Belknap]

FWIW, attached is my continually "evolving" Excel file (in .pdf format) for the X5's 100K "refreshing".

A friend and I turn wrenches ourselves (the price is right), about $6.5K was spent at Tischer (Best OEM parts pricing I've found), and $1.2K at Vortech. Annual costs should be very low for the next 6-7 years, but after that time, I expect another ~$8K to be spent for a refresh.