Your champagne analogy is a good one GB. I never buy champagne but instead buy an almost identical product marked as “Méthode Traditionnelle”. Its made in exactly the same way as champagne but not in the Champagne Region of France. The key point though it is only around 25% of the the cost of an average bottle of champagne and tastes just as good, in my opinion.

In the car world it equates to the difference between the premium German brands and most of those that are made elsewhere.

People buy champagne and premium brand cars because traditionally they had a good reputation and people with a certain wealth bought them giving them a perceived image status. Unfortunately though tradition is just that, something that people have always done, it does not mean that tradition applies in the modern and current world. Virtually all modern cars are reliable, but paying twice the price does not give you twice the reliability. As long as people continue to be influenced by tradition and image then this will continue.

Personally I’d rather sit comfortably in my non premium brand car knowing that the person sat next to me in their Germanic Image machine has less money to spend on other things whilst being no more sure of reliability than me.

I suppose the only exception is doing what GB has done - buy an older 'quality' car like his Mercedes and look after it properly and keep it indefinitely.

It takes a lot of work and constant care and maintenance and means lots of DIY to make it economically viable, careful selection of the right vehicle to begin with, bearing in mind what the make specialist indy and handy little indy bodyshop situation is your area, best engines with leather usually get lots of other accessories, which will eventually go wrong, less is best.

Its also a problem finding cars of certain types that haven't fallen into the wrong hands as they become bangers.

Its not the right choice for everyone, but the benefits of running really nice (to the owner) cars, if you like that sort of thing, with zero depreciation, can make it worthwhile.

We recently bought an 02 H6 Outback, for peanuts.

On returning home with it and after doing my full evaluation i found its in remarkable condition, so that too i have gone to town on, all fluids changed, disc and pads all renewed, full brake service, am part way through full **rustproofing etc, had it LPG converted too for good measure, so its costing about the same to run as a Diesel 2WD of similar size.

So this car is now a keeper as well with a view to making it last as long as possible.

Part of this is our dislike of modern cars, and especially the ''you will have an electric parking brake and satans gearbox and a DPF but no spare wheel and it will sit on elastic band tyres and concrete springs and you'll lump it'' mentality of modern cars makers...no we jolly well won't matey, there's always another and often cheaper way to skin a cat.

**for the first time i've moved away from Waxoyl and used Bilt Hamber rustproofing products, wonderful, yes more expensive but far easier to use and infinitely less messy, and appear to be a very good quality product.

Edited by gordonbennet on 19/05/2014 at 13:15