Marwood
Junior Member
- Messages
- 87
The GS is a fabulous car. And it eats money. That's just the way it is. Over 9 very happy years I very nearly spent as much on maintenance as I did on buying it...and during that time nothing major went wrong. Average bill per year = £2400. Went up above £4k a couple of times.
I also paid a London premium to rent a garage to keep it safe and dry....but it still rusted and rats took up residence in the engine compartment during lockdown. Shouldn't have bothered.
Add in tax and insurance and it cost just under £6k a year to run. Without fuel...
And the thing is, even knowing all this, I would have kept it. I never got bored of it. Did plenty of 700+ mile days around the UK and abroad and couldn't wait to get back in. I had friends thrash it, including a guy who built rally cars and another who was a top level downhill MTB racer (therefore insane) - they were all surprised how good it was to drive. It turned a self confessed car hater into a sub-Top Gear wannabe presenter babbling on about 'feel' and 'charisma'.
I parted with it because big bills were coming over the horizon: the rust really needed fixing, the rear windscreen was delaminating, it needed brakes and tyres and having done 9 years and 30k on the same clutch, that would be due sooner rather than later. Time to let someone else have fun but boy was I sad when it went. Dumb really, its just a car.
It did leave a useful legacy, however. Much as I'll miss the sound of the V8, the GS experience helped me pitch a certain small, light 300hp French sports car as being a cheap, sensible, family-friendly substitute. Taking one for the team never felt so good.
God speed all you GS pilots.
I also paid a London premium to rent a garage to keep it safe and dry....but it still rusted and rats took up residence in the engine compartment during lockdown. Shouldn't have bothered.
Add in tax and insurance and it cost just under £6k a year to run. Without fuel...
And the thing is, even knowing all this, I would have kept it. I never got bored of it. Did plenty of 700+ mile days around the UK and abroad and couldn't wait to get back in. I had friends thrash it, including a guy who built rally cars and another who was a top level downhill MTB racer (therefore insane) - they were all surprised how good it was to drive. It turned a self confessed car hater into a sub-Top Gear wannabe presenter babbling on about 'feel' and 'charisma'.
I parted with it because big bills were coming over the horizon: the rust really needed fixing, the rear windscreen was delaminating, it needed brakes and tyres and having done 9 years and 30k on the same clutch, that would be due sooner rather than later. Time to let someone else have fun but boy was I sad when it went. Dumb really, its just a car.
It did leave a useful legacy, however. Much as I'll miss the sound of the V8, the GS experience helped me pitch a certain small, light 300hp French sports car as being a cheap, sensible, family-friendly substitute. Taking one for the team never felt so good.
God speed all you GS pilots.