The most money spent on a single car part?

For a single component/assembly, it would have to be the MS3X EMS in the AE92 that cost something like $400 plus a used MS2 in a trade.

Edit: Or arguably the time I spent $750 on a rare Toyota C160 transaxle. Ended up not using it and selling it for less than that

$1500 for a Nissan close ratio gearbox.

Paid $1500 for a miata hardtop in a rare color about a decade ago

Also backed into my boxster with another car, fender replacement was not inexpensive

$3250 for a VW 02j trans with a 6 speed conversion and Quafe lsd. I sure hope I lose this contest.

Does buying a 'system' count? Like the Supercharger setup I bought for a miata back in the day? Or a set of wheels or tires? Or are we talking about a single part?

$2500 for the used transmission in the Avalanche back in 21. Or the half, $2000, towards the transmission in the Suburban the year prior.

Im sure I have more, I just have to think about it.... Someone bring the marshmallows.

ToManyProjects said:

Does buying a 'system' count? Like the Supercharger setup I bought for a miata back in the day? Or a set of wheels or tires? Or are we talking about a single part?

Single part, but I'll accept a "system" for the sake of the conversation.

Oooooh I got more...

$800 Bogart racing wheels in 01? They are easily 2500$ now for a complete set.

$1200 for a Vortech R-trim and sbf mounting bracket. Add in the other $400 for the other miscellaneous stuff back in 02? Eventually traded it all, plus a MSD digital 6 box,  for an 89? Fox body coupe with a crumpled pass rear quarter but completely drivable in 04-ish.

$4500 for a Jerico/Hightower transmission.  About $3500 more to get it working in my RX7.

Are we obligated to outdo the last post?

$4000 for a Jaguar F-Type headlight assembly.

To really escalate this, the battery pack on the top-of-the-line McLaren is supposedly around $120K...

Colin Wood said:

ToManyProjects said:

Does buying a 'system' count? Like the Supercharger setup I bought for a miata back in the day? Or a set of wheels or tires? Or are we talking about a single part?

Single part, but I'll accept a "system" for the sake of the conversation.

$3k for the Advan Wheels with center caps on the '23 BRZ. 

IIRC, the Dart's rear axle assembly that I still haven't swapped in was around $1000. A 8 3/4" Sure Grip with oversized brakes an Moser half shafts.

$4k Cayman exhaust.

Sounds amazing. Soul Performance out of Philly.

$7500 for the Jeep Supercharger, and it was a waste of money. Not counting that, $1700 for an Aston Martin tail light, after cracking it. 

The engine for the S60R.  Fairly cheap at something like $2000ish (I have deliberately forgotten).  Unfortunately it was the second one I bought and couldn't return the first one.  Prices have gone up quite a lot and my shop access has gone down quite a lot since then, so maybe its failure was a blessing?

Performance wise, the MS3Pro Evo half wired into the Mini holding down some jack stands in my garage

$2800 for a top of the line built 4L60e.

And....it currently sits on a moving dolly in my garage, having never been installed yet. 

$450 for an Oil Pressure relief valve for an 86 Porsche 944. 
 

Might not sound like much, but it's basically a bolt with a couple holes in it that come in a plastic bag with the word "Porsche" on it

$7k for an $2000 supercharger

$6.5k for a Mugen carbon top

Hoppps said:

$450 for an Oil Pressure relief valve for an 86 Porsche 944. 
 

Might not sound like much, but it's basically a bolt with a couple holes in it that come in a plastic bag with the word "Porsche" on it

I feel your pain. The P-car tax is real.

If a set of parts counts, I spent $3500ish for injectors on my 2005 Ram 3500.
Right now I'm trying to rationalize $1200 for a clutch kit for my Audi. 

Ranger50 said:

$2500 for the used transmission in the Avalanche back in 21. Or the half, $2000, towards the transmission in the Suburban the year prior.

Parts only? What's so special about Chevy transmissions? Or is that just current market prices :/

I was going to ask about the expensive head/taillights.. but I guess the answer is, "what are you going to do?" other than break out the packing tape.

I accidentally ended up with $1100 in coilovers. So yeah, that.

In reply to tremm :

6L80e's are not cheap. Rebuild kits are $300 plus, most of the sonnax kit parts start at $150/piece, front pumps are $400.... it adds up quick. Only differences between the two is labor and rebuilt vs used. I installed the used one myself as I documented in a thread here.

$14,500. + shipping.

A complete new body counts, right? It's all welded together... 

Pretty sure it's on a fully loaded set of Fortune Auto 510 coilovers. Could be the current Haltech ECU, though.

I spent something like $2600 on a Jasper 4L60E for my truck after the old one popped. Beyond that, the used fuel cell I bought last fall for $375 is the most expensive single thing I can think of off the top of my head.

Does a crate engine count as a single "part"?  It's got a single part number.

I haven't spent it yet, but I've been considering a crate engine for the FD (66K miles and the compression is a bit marginal).  Current price is $5500.

Back in the 1980s I was fixing up a Datsun Roadster. Parts were mostly still available at the time, but the grill insert was around $200 in 1980s money - I had to pass. Wonder what they are now...

Does 7k on a new engine count? If so, the solid roller/indy head engine in my duster in 2005. 

A friend that owned a classic Lamborghini had to shell out $8K for a bare head to replace a badly damaged one on his engine.....

big "single" expenditures....

$2k+ on FJO management, wiring, etc.

$1500+ On LEEN J160 conversion

and the 5V-EU is going to run $8000

I put out roughly $2400 CAD for *just* the Holley Dominator (it literally comes with nothing else) and I still have never turned it on. 

Aside from that, the racing seat / mount for the drift car was $1300 CAD after tax and freight

wspohn said:

A friend that owned a classic Lamborghini had to shell out $8K for a bare head to replace a badly damaged one on his engine.....

EEEEEEEEEEEEE.

earlybroncoguy1 said:

$14,500. + shipping.

A complete new body counts, right? It's all welded together... 

Absolutely - one part number, right?

When I wrecked my Porsche 911 decades ago the body shop got it totalled by telling the adjuster it only needed one part: a new tub, at $16,000.

I forget about the Anderson Ford Motorsport PMS system I got off a buddy for $750 including the low impedance injector driver box, data acquation, and last tune for a snf 306, tfs twisted wedge heads, stock cam, and vortech s-trim...

Odd question...

Clearly a transmission or an engine is not a single part, but it's definitely a single part number. 
 

$8K for an engine.  $2600 for a transmission. 
 

I almost never buy a truly single part. SET of tires, ASSEMBLED engine, SET of coilovers, etc...

Price per pound might be the blank "smart" key for $500 , and then you needed to drag the car to the Dealership to get it programmed !

5.x thousand for an LS3 and 4L60 (been sitting the garage for two years now...).

I think I'm at almost 3k in ChillOut System's fancy cool shirt.

~2k for Miata suspension

None of these are truly a "single part" though. If pinned down that'd probably be 1600 on a diff.

wspohn said:

A friend that owned a classic Lamborghini had to shell out $8K for a bare head to replace a badly damaged one on his engine.....

That doesn't sound that crazy high.  I mean, that's a lot for a bare casting and all.  But in the double context of "Lamborghini" and "classic", I'm surprised it's not 3x that.

On the off chance that my wife finds this thread someday, I will not be participating in this game!

kb58 said:

Back in the 1980s I was fixing up a Datsun Roadster. Parts were mostly still available at the time, but the grill insert was around $200 in 1980s money - I had to pass. Wonder what they are now...

Cheaper because they are making reproductions in Vietnam. The side trim that was $$$ is also reproduced. 

This guy has us all beat, buying a "cheap" flood-damaged McLaren P1. "Damaged" doesn't start to tell the story, and he's going to be buying many $$$$ (or $$$$$, or even $$$$$$) components to gradually restore it.

Wasn't my car, but I sold an oil pump under warranty for a NSX.

MSRP, $21762.28 part number 15100-58G-A01

Nobody's bought a set of $1500 triple Weber carbs for a Datsun Z yet?  I'm surprised.  

Personal: $1500 for an STI 6 speed (if you pull out the $150 or so for pedals, MC's and stock flywheel that I purchased with it).

Not personal, but went on my credit card: bought a $12,000 crate engine for my FIL, that was after my discount. 

Datsun310Guy said:

Nobody's bought a set of $1500 triple Weber carbs for a Datsun Z yet?  I'm surprised.  

That's chump change compared to Datsun 2000 Solexes. They're in the $7k range now!

It's been a while but $4000 ish on a set of 16x8/10s in 930 fitment for my old 911. I never ran them but I had to have them. 
 

Datsun310Guy said:

Nobody's bought a set of $1500 triple Weber carbs for a Datsun Z yet?  I'm surprised.  

I did but nowhere close to the most expensive single part unfortunately. Lol

Datsun310Guy said:

Nobody's bought a set of $1500 triple Weber carbs for a Datsun Z yet?  I'm surprised.  

I bought an original Ford FE Tri-Power setup once. It needed to be rebuilt and it cost me $750 in 2003. I resold it years later (having never used it) for $1500. 

So I mean it technically cost me -750 bucks...

crankwalk (Forum Supporter) said:

It's been a while but $4000 ish on a set of 16x8/10s in 930 fitment for my old 911. I never ran them but I had to have them. 
 

 

Yes, wheels.

edit: just scoured the web for pics

DPE I had built for the E55

And these kinesics supercups for the 986s

I just bought the supercups back two weekends ago from the guy I sold them to who never did anything to them. I probably have the original pics on a zip disc somewhere but don't have a Zip drive lol

So far? I think the audi v10 at 7k.

Noddaz said:

Wasn't my car, but I sold an oil pump under warranty for a NSX.

MSRP, $21762.28 part number 15100-58G-A01

I thought there had to be a decimal place error there, but nope

https://www.acurapartsworld.com/oem-parts/acura-pump-assembly-oil-1510058ga01

There is no reason for an oil pump to cost that much. I'm sure most purpose-built high-end race cars have dry sump oiling systems that don't cost that much.

Yeah I thought the same about that Acura oil pump. Like most exotics, it gives manufacturers license to move decimal points as they see fit. And yes, a complete dry sump system is $3-7K for everything including the pan. Even integral pan/pump assemblies from Daley are nowhere near that price.

Note on the Lamborghini stuff and prices.

The name carries cachet (that means that people see it as their excuse to rip you off for parts etc.)  Most parts were made in relatively small numbers - several hundred rather than thousand on the early stuff, so prices were elevated to suit. Take a part in to a subcontractor for work and expect a big bill if you tell them what it is for.

I was in a good position when I was recommissioning my Islero S I had years of working my way through university selling parts for old British cars and could recognize bits of them on the Islero - many brake and electic bits came from British stuff and if you could read a Lucas part number you could pay $60 for an Austin turn signal switch, or if you couldn't you just ordered the same thing from the dealer, it took 6 months and cost you $300.

When I had to do things like send out the huge auxiliary oil cooler for cleaning and testing, it went as an old Fiat. Half the parts I bought were 'old Jaguar'. The brakes were all Girling, the brake light switch was an Austin Healey, etc. etc.

No such luck on major pieces of engines though - the guy that needed a head paid going rate, probably plus a bit because he didn't know which heads fit which engine version and as taken advantage of.  And that high price probably wasn't bad considering the lack of alternate sources and that he didn't have a running car without it.

I had run-ins with Italian highwaymen who wanted to charge me ridiculous prices for things - I took the original part in once and the dealer swore there was no other source than paying him a couple of hundred for a slave cylinder kit - until I took a new PBR kit out of my pocket and showed him the same part numbers on it as were on his parts.

Having an old Italian car was like having a T shirt that said "I know nothing so you can fleece me for all the money you want"

I was a temporary hero in the old Lambo crowd for having figured out that the rear window latches (which were unavailable OEM) were the same ones made for the big Jensens (styled by the same Italian designer), and gave them a source in the UK for as many as they wanted at a price they couldn't believe.

In reply to wspohn :

I call that the "rich guy tax" effect. Certain cars signal to vendors that the buyer has extra cash to be fleeced of and parts prices have large sums gratuitously tacked on to suit. Look at the cost of aftermarket performance parts for an R35 for example, but make sure you're sitting down first.

It affects almost all kinds of cars to some extent. The "P-car tax" is a specific manifestation of "rich guy tax" and "Lotus tax" can be almost as bad (leading to owners getting their engine parts straight from Toyota, or installing DBA rotors of all things to save money vs. Lotus-sourced replacements). The only cars that are completely unaffected are older low-end sports cars and sport compacts that aren't considered classics like Civics, Corollas, Golfs, Mustangs (of certain generations), and perhaps until recently, older Miatas and MR2s. Even new low-end sports cars are affected to some extent - compare aftermarket performance parts for a newish Golf or a Toyobaru to similar ones for an older Golf or a Corolla/Altezza.

Datsun310Guy said:

Nobody's bought a set of $1500 triple Weber carbs for a Datsun Z yet?  I'm surprised.  

Get me a Z car and I will oblige 

That is only $500 per carb and you get the manifold and linkage for free!

GameboyRMH said:

Noddaz said:

Wasn't my car, but I sold an oil pump under warranty for a NSX.

MSRP, $21762.28 part number 15100-58G-A01

I thought there had to be a decimal place error there, but nope

https://www.acurapartsworld.com/oem-parts/acura-pump-assembly-oil-1510058ga01

There is no reason for an oil pump to cost that much. I'm sure most purpose-built high-end race cars have dry sump oiling systems that don't cost that much.

 

Purpose built dry sumps probably have higher production volume.

Plus, they can and often do add 10% per year that the part is on the shelf, to cover storage and taxes on assets

I'm pretty sure I'm blocking something out. I think I'm having a lot of trouble adapting my notion of what cars and parts should cost and what I can afford after initially setting them circa 1993 when I was making six bucks an hour at the coffee shop.

I guess it's probably the new nose for the 2002? It was about $1150, shipped, I think. Maybe a set of wheels and tires, but that doesn't feel like the answer to this question.

It's just sort of hit me that the new shop's quite likely costing more than every car and car part I've ever bought all put together... The forum's limited emoji set doesn't cover whatever feeling that is.

GameboyRMH said:

Noddaz said:

Wasn't my car, but I sold an oil pump under warranty for a NSX.

MSRP, $21762.28 part number 15100-58G-A01

I thought there had to be a decimal place error there, but nope

https://www.acurapartsworld.com/oem-parts/acura-pump-assembly-oil-1510058ga01

There is no reason for an oil pump to cost that much. I'm sure most purpose-built high-end race cars have dry sump oiling systems that don't cost that much.

 

It's on sale for $4100 off!

codrus (Forum Supporter) said:

GameboyRMH said:

Noddaz said:

Wasn't my car, but I sold an oil pump under warranty for a NSX.

MSRP, $21762.28 part number 15100-58G-A01

I thought there had to be a decimal place error there, but nope

https://www.acurapartsworld.com/oem-parts/acura-pump-assembly-oil-1510058ga01

There is no reason for an oil pump to cost that much. I'm sure most purpose-built high-end race cars have dry sump oiling systems that don't cost that much.

 

It's on sale for $4100 off!

 

I guess I am a dinosaur, but I balk most times at paying $4100 for a car let alone get $4100 off.

At work we laughed about that oil pump for a long time.

On part/part number. 3000CAN for the intake manifold for my 2007 Audi S6.

$2400 for a never-installed T-9 conversion for a Triumph GT6.

Hearing how many folks shelled out a ton of money just to let the parts sit makes me feel much better about the megasquirt that's been sitting in a box for the last few years...

$5200 for the Rotrex supercharger kit from Track Dog Racing/ for my Miata. But, hot damn, was it worth it.

Second place would be $2250 for Xida Race coilovers with 800lb/in front and 500lb/in rear springs for the same Miata. Again, so worth it.

My emoji awaits a Strange Eng GForce 9" IRS assembly sitting in the grosh at the princely sum of $6799. With diff #4(OEM Getrag) howling for mercy enough was enough. Now to get with SVreX and talk a grosh like his with a two post lift....

I was thinking about this earlier. 

In recent memory the most expensive unit of parts I've bought was a rebuilt rear diff for the FJ which was about 900 bucks. I suspect I've paid more for parts, but I can't recall. 

I've been pretty fortunate that most of the vehicles I've owned have been very reliable. Or cheap enough that major repairs meant the whole car was replaced.

Now the Sunbeam is going to be a different story. Certain part, like the KPower kit to mount a K24 to my Getrag gearbox, are just pricey...So, is what it is. 
 

M5 vanos pump. Don't ask, wallet is still having nightmares. 

Noddaz said:

Wasn't my car, but I sold an oil pump under warranty for a NSX.

MSRP, $21762.28 part number 15100-58G-A01

That's... that's... I am not quite sure. How?

matthewmcl said:

Noddaz said:

Wasn't my car, but I sold an oil pump under warranty for a NSX.

MSRP, $21762.28 part number 15100-58G-A01

That's... that's... I am not quite sure. How?

It is a bespoke dry sump pump with 6 scavenge stages, 3 castings and a low production volume  of around 3,000 but still.

My truck needs a new turbocharger actuator so I may be about to set a personal record for the most ever spent on a single part.

Docwemple said:

M5 vanos pump. Don't ask, wallet is still having nightmares. 

Sorry, had to look... um... yeah

Not my money but I had to sell a customers extended warranty a $16000 supercharger for a $20 clutch bearing on a bmw e65 Alpina b7.

Good thing on that was there was not a core charge on the part so I pulled the clutch & replaced the bearing my self & sold the supercharger.  Bmw/Alpina finally came out with a clutch hub kit.

APEowner said:

matthewmcl said:

Noddaz said:

Wasn't my car, but I sold an oil pump under warranty for a NSX.

MSRP, $21762.28 part number 15100-58G-A01

That's... that's... I am not quite sure. How?

It is a bespoke dry sump pump with 6 scavenge stages, 3 castings and a low production volume  of around 3,000 but still.

I was thinking that wasn't really all that expensive and I wasn't sure what all the consternation was about.  It wasn't until this reply that I realized it was $21,762.28 not the $2,762.28 that I first thought.

Holy carp!

If I remember correctly, the leaf springs on my S10, that were about a grand for both sides, required a replacing of the pumpkin, at another $1500. So that $2500 repair in a $5k truck. 

wae said:

I was thinking that wasn't really all that expensive and I wasn't sure what all the consternation was about.  It wasn't until this reply that I realized it was $21,762.28 not the $2,762.28 that I first thought.

Holy carp!

My brain wouldn't let me see the full price at first either, but my eyes were already popping at what looked like $2.1k...

In reply to NickD :

Mine are almost the same. $1800 for the Xida GS with the 550/300 combo and the MSPNP3Pro for my MSM at $1300. Oh so worth it. 

When did they start making the Audi turbo V8?  They had sodium cooled exhaust valves and I saw an owner that had somehow managed to bend them all.   I think that his non-warranty repair cost was pretty high as it included 32 valves, half of which were in the hundreds of bucks each.

wspohn said:

When did they start making the Audi turbo V8?  They had sodium cooled exhaust valves and I saw an owner that had somehow managed to bend them all.   I think that his non-warranty repair cost was pretty high as it included 32 valves, half of which were in the hundreds of bucks each.

Should be the same as the valves in a 1.8t, or the 2.7t, or really anything - Audi stuck the sodium valves in pretty much everything.  The shared cylinder head geometries between the fours and fives and sixes and eights and tens means it probably is the same part.

IIRC they were $32 each in the mid 00s.

A set of 5 Method Race Wheels and General Grabber ATX tires for the Tahoe I used to have. $2700 but damn they looked good

$5,968.90 for the DIY 4x4 conversion kit on my ambulance. 
 

Second place is a replacement Subaru engine for a flip that was around $1,200 shipped. 

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

wspohn said:

When did they start making the Audi turbo V8?  They had sodium cooled exhaust valves and I saw an owner that had somehow managed to bend them all.   I think that his non-warranty repair cost was pretty high as it included 32 valves, half of which were in the hundreds of bucks each.

Should be the same as the valves in a 1.8t, or the 2.7t, or really anything - Audi stuck the sodium valves in pretty much everything.  The shared cylinder head geometries between the fours and fives and sixes and eights and tens means it probably is the same part.

 

IIRC they were $32 each in the mid 00s.

Aftermarket TRW sodium filled valves are under $10 a piece. I just replaced 4 intake valves on a 2.0t. 

This still hurts, because I'm not really sure where to start.

The AW11 MR2 community got together 5-6 years ago and begun the process of making what's called "The Hapers Hatch"- it's this neat engine hood cover that follows the rear B-pillar down to the trunk instead of the sudden termination, made to improve the aerodynamics of the AW11 and change the look to being more trapezoidal. I decided to put money down as I was routinely doing work on my AW11 then, to the tune of $700 and it was actively running- except I never got it, not because of anyone in the fandom but because I forgot to send shipping information to one person and just let it slide away. I can't even remember what I was busy with at the time! But somewhere in the UK there's a guy who has mine wrapped in plastic. Every once in awhile I think to reactivate my facebook in the groups to try and see if I can find it.

I think the part itself also matters.

$xxx for cool, new wheels? 

$xxx for a replacement power steering pump–that you replaced just a few years ago? 

I remember a friend bought a crate motor for a few grand after his wife explicitly told him not to. Pretty sure that cost him a divorce. Not saying it wasn't worth it, but It sure wasn't cheap.

ToManyProjects said:

I remember a friend bought a crate motor for a few grand after his wife explicitly told him not to. Pretty sure that cost him a divorce. Not saying it wasn't worth it, but It sure wasn't cheap.

Divorce isn't cheap, but expensive things are usually worth it. 

Tires, for me, like most folks are probably my single biggest average expenditure. Just under $1100 for 5 Pirelli Scorpion ATs for the FJ in Jan of 2020. But since tires are true wear items, I just don't think much about them. 

That said, my factory alloys are starting to show their age and I'm on the fence, do I powder coat them or buy some new wheels? 

In reply to WillG80 :

The intakes are not sodium filled, though.  The exhaust valves are the ones that have to live with 20-50psi of 1500F+ exhaust gases flowing past them when they are open, so they get all the cooling focus.

I bought Inconel valves for my Audi at $50 each about fifteen years ago...

A not-totally-turnkey V8 swap kit for my 944 from Renegade Hybrids. 

I paid $2600 for about $600 in parts.  Oh to be dumb and naive again...