Upkeep Costs
 

Ever since I bought my svx people have been complaining about how expensive they are to fix up and upkeep... All I have to say is try driving a VR4 around for a while and having things break on it, you will be thankful for the svx and while some things I will admit are more expensive than the 3000gt (glass for example) most of the other parts are relatively cheap. A friend of mine works at autozone and just for fun we looked up a ton of parts for the svx, some things were special order (but still available) and other things looked like they were dealer only. A lot of parts are going to be dealer only on (foreign) sports cars of the mid 90's. The 2nd and 3rd gen RX-7, 3000gt Vr-4, 300ZX twin turbo, Toyota supra, MR2, Celica All-Trac, and of course the svx. In my opinion all of these cars I mentioned are in a class of their own and can't really be found by import makers of today.. Sure you have the WRX and the EVO...But nothing has really been in production for a while. And let's not even get into volvo, benz, and BMW... Although I've never owned one, I can imagine the parts being difficult to track down as well. All I'm saying is that we all drive a unique vehicle (if you have an svx) And of course that is going to come with a price. But come on, do you really just want to be another 'face' in the crowd? I personally don't.

Also to keep this post informational I am listing the costs of a few parts I investigated on while at autozone.
Knock sensor 39.99 -Special order (2 days ship time)
Timing belt 92.99- Special Order (2 days ship time)
Starter-92.99 -In stock
Alternator 189.99- In stock
Ignition Coil(we have 6) - 83.99 (each) Special Order (2 days ship time)
CV Halfshaft -79.99 -In Stock
Rear Wheel Bearing- 51.99 (each) In Stock
Throttle Position Sensor- 169.99 -Special Order (2 days ship time)
EGR Valve- 124.99 -Special Order (2 Days Ship time)
Water Pump- 139.99 - Special Order (2 days ship time)

Thats all I looked up the other day, It is possible that the store you go to may have some of these items in stock, but it's good to know that autozone-wide you can order all this stuff if they dont have it in stock. The parts I listed are all things I've heard of breaking on this car and things that normally wear out fast.... In short as you can see, it's not THAT bad to replace things on this car, and a lot of the parts you buy have a lifetime warranty...So I can't really see what the big fuss is on how 'expensive' it is to own one of these beauties... Thoughts, comments, and parts prices add-ons are encouraged.

-Daniel

Hey Daniel...thanks for the info...and I do agree with you with what you said...these cars are in a class of their own and will have a cost associated with keeping them up no doubt.

For the autozone parts...can you list part numbers please?
That would be great.

Thanks

I get a lot of my parts from there. But most of the time they have to order them because they don't have them in the store. Too bad they don't have a teal fender for you Daniel ;)

That's what I'm afraid of....I would go there and there would be nothing in stock when I need it right away..I wonder if we could order autozone parts online if we know the SVX's autozone part number.

I think the question is, how good are these part really? I personally use the Autozone knock sensors and Oxygen sensors, but I also happen to know that the alternators die very quickly (within a few month). So how good are these other non OEM parts? Things like the starter and wheel bearings are probably ok, but I dont know if I would trust a non OEM water pump, throttle position sensor, or ignition coil.

I've been driving for over 30 years, old cars almost exclusively, and I never opt for OEM parts when there's a cheaper aftermarket equivalent available. And I don't do much walking. A '68 Mustang was my daily driver for many years, clocked over 200,000 miles, and I'm trying to remember if I ever bought a Ford part for that thing.

As to what's in inventory, these days, retail outlets keep supplies lean because they know most anything not on their shelf can be in-hand by this time tomorrow. I'd say next-day service for many SVX parts is pretty good.

My teal SVX is approaching 40,000 miles on an aftermarket water pump, timing belt and thermostat. One rear wheel bearing set came from Subaru, the other from NAPA, and the same guy installed both. Guess which one is beginning to chatter?

Parts, fluids, filters, whatever; people will argue brand superiority forevermore. Forget it. Driving and maintenance habits matter; the name on the label typically does not.

dcb

All,

I will go in to autozone tonight after work and get parts #'s for everything. Is there any other parts anyone wanted me to look up or anything else that breaks commonly on our SVX's?

Thanks
Daniel

I bought my alternator at Autozone over 6 months ago and I haven't had a problem. *knocks on wood*

Complete transmissions??:rolleyes: :p