I guess you almost need a chauffer (?)

(or someone to wipe your a$$)

No...I guess not. For an enthusiast forum I'm also shocked at those who PAY to have everything done for them...No one is taking the time to learn the car. How many have a full service Manual downloaded? Few I'd guess. Heck, Most do not even read the owners manual. You guys must all be rolling in $$.

I've had a few cars, and I can tell you that I have fully paid for my Z with the money I've saved over the years by teaching myself, reading manuals, and spinning a few wrenches to maintain and mod my vehicles....

:iagree:
Me too. I fully paid cash for mine. I do all the maintenance (don't really trust anyone to do it). And I down-loaded the service manual 2 months before I got the car.

Well for starters here is a five page thread on the topic.

If you need any help using the search function let me know....

sounds familiar...but I downloaded it the week I got the car :)

having rebuilt engines in nearly all of my previous cars, along with building old cars with my dad, I can do pretty much anything on a car myself.

For the most part I agree. I understand paying for advanced installs or if you just don't have a place to do it yourself. But refusing to check your oil?! No way!

I change my oil on my own and do all mechanical work that I know or think I can do on my own. :tup:

I do it myself on all my cars. Started on my very first V6 Mustang. Just last week I changed the spark plugs on my mom's car. Most people will take it to a shop and pay $100+ for it!!!

Well I for one appreciate it...I've spent weeks poring over all of the readily available material on here, and I'm fully aware of what I'll be getting into when I go purchase my Z in the next few weeks.

Knowledge is power, and I like to be prepared. Whether its been fixed with the later built and shipped Zs or not, at least I know what I'm getting into. I've never changed my own oil but I certainly intend to learn how with this car, and nobody can say, if you spent any time at all looking at this site, that you didn't know what you were getting into.

Whether or not it should be an issue is irrelevant. It is an issue, and as the primary driver and (presumed) owner of the car, you now own its problems as well.

I have never seen an easier vehicle to change the oil on. Really, besides the 16 bolts and 3 fasteners for the cover, it is sooooo easy!!

You can get by with just 4 bolts and folding the tray along the crease! It's easier than my Civic! :icon18:

Sorry, I didn't send it off to blackstone. I know it could help, but we are just going to pull the long block and replace it. End of story. I will look tomorrow and see if we still have it lying around.

good luck with the new engine Fusz!

Well, to be fair, maintenance is a hassle, sorta. But the way I look at it, it's a hassle in the same way that exercising is a hassle. I get up at 4am at least 4 days a week to go work out. Is it a hassle getting up that early? Yep, absolutely. But I do it anyway because I want to take care of my body, keep the blood pressure low, the muscularity high, etc. The same thing applies to car maintenance -- it may be a hassle, but I do it willingly because I want to keep my car running in peak condition. To me, that's part of what it means to be enthusiastic about owning my car, just like working out is part of what it means to be enthusiastic about being alive.

The thing is, after you get used to doing it, you actually start to enjoy it. Well, I do at least. I actually enjoy lifting weights early in the morning now, I look forward to it. Likewise, I actually enjoy doing regular car maintenance.

Just my :twocents:

Another bonus of taking care of your car is the appreciation you will get from others. The only thing I'm really qualified to do is check fluids and belts and such, but even this gets me props from my neighbors and co-workers. When I get to work in the morning, I usually spend five minutes or so with the California Car Duster and sometimes pop the hood to check a few things, and I always throw a cover on top of the car (there's no parking garage, so it's out in the open); there have been at least ten people in my building whom I would otherwise never have talked to that have started off good conversations with "I love how you take care of your car!" or something similar.

Well I feel better about getting up at 5:00 AM to go to the gym now - 4:00 - ouch ;)

Its true in a sick sort of way I look forward to detailing my car every week. I actual miss it this week with the rain....

As much as I'd love to throw a cover over the car when I get it...I work downtown at a criminal justice center...still waiting on my parking garage permit and from the looks of things, it'll be a long time to go yet before its given to me. You'd think that working at the hub, and with officers coming and going left and right it'd be safe enough...but you'd be surprised how many cars have been broken into on the lot, in the garage, and on the street.

If I cover that car up, its just begging for someone to take a closer look. Best I can do is have a state of the art alarm system ready for install on purchase, and park next to a squad car whenever possible :shakes head:

On the plus side...the contacts you make with said officers really do benefit you on the street...cough cough cough.