who maintains a cheap old car

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Fri 22 Jul 2016 23:12
who maintains a cheap old car - Michael Sammon
Okay so the words "old" and "cheap" are relative but I have a van that is 8 years old and a car that is 13 years old. I am getting insulting comments about both of them with garages telling me they might not be worth repairing and friends saying it is time I got new ones.
I find this annoying, just because most people are financed up to their eye balls?
They even try make me feel guilty by saying the car may not be safe (NCAP 4 star rated) and looks great to me! Trading vehicles in every 3-5 years is up to you but not economical? What's wrong with buying one to last 10+ years?
car is worth about 700 quid but I would probably spend up to that on a repair if I had to as don't think I would find a better one for that price plus the risk of buying something you don't know. Or if I couldn't get the part anywhere.
Anybody else getting this?
What would make you finally let go of it?
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Fri 22 Jul 2016 23:29
who maintains a cheap old car - RobJP

"Garages tell me it might not be worth repairing" = People wanting to get a sale out of you.

"friends telling you it's time you got a new one" ... Hmmm. Whilst we have a couple of nice cars (fully owned, no finance, but we're in the fortunate position to afford to), plenty of our friends have 7-14 year old cars, all of which are reliable and in good condition. Only one of our friends runs what can be described as a heap, and that's because he lives a mile up a dirt track that will destroy any car in a matter of months.

I'd never dream of telling a friend it was time to get a new car, unless I thought it was genuinely dangerous.

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Fri 22 Jul 2016 23:35
who maintains a cheap old car - Michael Sammon
Thanks, yes, they don't even look bad and are clean. I shouldn't care what people think but it's not nice to hear. I know some people believe one on lease with warranty is a better deal. When I can I would love to have a better car as I love all things engineering.
I suppose I was wondering if they are a lot more prone to breaking down at an older age. Guess I'll wait and see, none of them have ever broke down so bad that I couldn't start it or get home!
Even when buying the car which was still under a grand at the time people were like "that's a disaster waiting to happen, get a new one on lease".
Just a bit annoying.

Edited by Michael Sammon on 22/07/2016 at 23:37

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Fri 22 Jul 2016 23:42
who maintains a cheap old car - Ethan Edwards
Perhaps you do need a trade in. Trade in your friends for some better ones. Running your car into the ground is far more eco than buying a new one every few years. So keep on saving the planet etc.
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Fri 22 Jul 2016 23:48
who maintains a cheap old car - Michael Sammon
exactly! I'm a heating engineer, so many are sold new boilers when they don't need it. It is almost always more economical to maintain. I wait until they ask me for a new boiler!
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Sat 23 Jul 2016 13:23
who maintains a cheap old car - Engineer Andy
Yep - you got it! As a Building Services Mechanical Engineer, I also despair at the idiot so-called 'experts' (including many Utility firms) who recommend changing a perfectly reliable & serviceable 10 y.o. boiler (say 80% efficient) for an 'amazing' 90% efficient one which will 'save you money', when the cost of the boiler & installation will be £2k - £3k, and the annual savings maybe £50 - £100 if the new boiler can work in condensing mode to achieve its 'rated' efficiency (which it won't most of the year).

Same goes for cars - buy a reliable motor, keep it in good nick and the occasional wash 'n' vac and it'll go for 10-15 years. Its the Joneses who want to keep changing every 2-3 for new ones so they can show off to the neighbours. Dealerships love them, throwing £1000s down the drain in depreciation (even with 'premium' German cars). I've owned two cars in 18 years, both of which I have ran/intend to run until they become unreliable or have sufficiently serious corrosion that its time to say bye bye.

Its their money - I'd rather keep it and spend it on something more worthwhile, like a better home, nicer holiday or better still, not having any debts (except a small mortgage) or towards my retirement. Not 'sexy', but I think slowly but surely attitudes are changing in this direction.
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Sat 23 Jul 2016 19:13
who maintains a cheap old car - John F
exactly! I'm a heating engineer, so many are sold new boilers when they don't need it. It is almost always more economical to maintain.

Absolutely. I maintained a Wilson wallflame oilburner for over 30 yrs - it was there when we bought the house and there when we left. I even managed to get a new bearing for it after been told it was u/s. All it needed was an occasional sweep and check the flame tune.

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Fri 22 Jul 2016 23:47
who maintains a cheap old car - galileo
From my first car in 1961 until I retired in 2003 every car I had was secondhand and in the earlier years many years old and had had many owners.
I learnt a great deal about bangernomics (how to run a car on a limited budget.) Most of my friends were in a similar position so nobody played the 'latest registration' game, priorities were paying the mortgage, feeding and clothing the family etc.

Although I could afford to buy a new car for cash, I see no reason to exchange my 7 year old one as it works perfectly and the new model is, I believe encumbered with DRLs, TPMs and all kinds of other gadgets I don't want.

Badge or number plate snobbery is the car salesman's best friend, it helps him (or her) get punters to sign up to finance/PCP deals that cost them dearly.

I'm happy to drive an old but well maintained vehicle that is 100% paid for.
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Fri 22 Jul 2016 23:50
who maintains a cheap old car - Michael Sammon
Yes I think the garage's win on these lease deals. I would only do it if I really wanted a car I couldn't afford, that is why they are so popular! They can't afford the parts either a lot of the time so have to keep trading in with a warranty.
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Sat 23 Jul 2016 00:06
who maintains a cheap old car - bathtub tom
Many of my second cars were 'old bangers'. My speciality was picking them up for fifty quid.

An old Fiat 850 I had for several years was despised by one of my daughter's friends, when they realised I'd only paid fifty quid for it.

Had a fifty quid KIA Pride for six years that I used for off-road competition whilst being road legal (don't tell the missus what it cost in between).
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Sat 23 Jul 2016 01:26
who maintains a cheap old car - Wackyracer
Personally I don't give a monkeys what people think about my cars, all of them are old. 2 at 15 years ish and 1 at 9 years.

I like to keep them in good fettle and looking smart, there is no reason why a well looked after car should be unreliable or problematic if it was chosen well. If you can DIY servicing and repairs it can cost very little to keep them going.

On the flip side, I have a friend with a 3 year old Ford who changes them every 3 year for fear of having to buy new tyres , an exhaust or a battery. This is likely to cost him £7000 to trade in for a new one. You could buy an awful lot of tyres, exhausts and batteries for that.

Edited by Wackyracer on 23/07/2016 at 01:30

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Sat 23 Jul 2016 01:36
who maintains a cheap old car - Ian_SW
Is the garage making those comments a main dealer? They are probably just upset that they have to charge the same (extortionate) rate to do awkward jobs on your car as they do to change oil on a new car.
A good independent garage usually enjoys the challenge of trying to fix the more difficult problems as long as you don't expect miracles.
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Sat 23 Jul 2016 09:40
who maintains a cheap old car - DirtyDieselDogg
Strangely enough I am happier in a car with the patina of age about it, and 100,000 odd on the clock, no need to be obsessive compulisive about using it, supermarket knocks etc, bird droppings, unless interior ones, never mind the dog-sick/wet-dog smell.
Parked outside a new-built 4000sq ft house set in an 8 acre field/garden, with another 100 acres out behind.
Beside the dog rough 1984 David Brown 1490, with expensive new 520mm34R/420mm24F wide tyres on, for me to play in the Moss.
Ah hate to conform to sterotypes.
m
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Sat 23 Jul 2016 10:17
who maintains a cheap old car - elekie&a/c doctor
I run a 15 year old Focus Ghia ,that I bought for £400 ,2 years ago,just as a cheapo runabout.Bit of rust on the doors but drives fine.Had a coolant hose blow last month,but £20 later for a new one and she was back on the road.Not bad for 150k miles.One other thing,the a/c blows freezing cold.
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Sat 23 Jul 2016 11:06
who maintains a cheap old car - mss1tw
I run a 15 year old Focus Ghia ,that I bought for £400 ,2 years ago,just as a cheapo runabout.Bit of rust on the doors but drives fine.Had a coolant hose blow last month,but £20 later for a new one and she was back on the road.Not bad for 150k miles.One other thing,the a/c blows freezing cold.


Off-topic question here but out of curiosity as you work in the trade, what vehicles do you see the most of where you know they have air-con, but yet the driver has the window down? (I.e. the A.C. is knackered!)

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Sat 23 Jul 2016 11:09
who maintains a cheap old car - mss1tw
Okay so the words "old" and "cheap" are relative but I have a van that is 8 years old and a car that is 13 years old. I am getting insulting comments about both of them with garages telling me they might not be worth repairing and friends saying it is time I got new ones. I find this annoying, just because most people are financed up to their eye balls? They even try make me feel guilty by saying the car may not be safe (NCAP 4 star rated) and looks great to me! Trading vehicles in every 3-5 years is up to you but not economical? What's wrong with buying one to last 10+ years? car is worth about 700 quid but I would probably spend up to that on a repair if I had to as don't think I would find a better one for that price plus the risk of buying something you don't know. Or if I couldn't get the part anywhere. Anybody else getting this? What would make you finally let go of it?

I ran a humble 2004 Berlingo for 4 years and 50,000 miles (Up to 156,000) and have recently 'upgraded' to a 2003 CR-V with only 65,000!

Buying cars is a mugs game at best (It's not an investment) and the cheapest vehicle is generally the one you own.

In my case changing and chopping all the time would cost me money as I like the give them a 'deep' service ASAP after buying so the CR-V has already had new coolant, PAS fluid, engine oil, gearbox oil, rear diff oil, and the valve clearances checked. So an initial 'sunk cost' that I can only hope pays off.

I think finally letting go would be either due to corrosion, a major fault, or an unsolvable fault.

Routine parts changes are needed on any car - big bodywork and fault-finding bills are not.

Edited by mss1tw on 23/07/2016 at 11:12

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Sat 23 Jul 2016 12:25
who maintains a cheap old car - elekie&a/c doctor
As an off-topic answer,I run 4 cars,the newest is 10 years old.They all have ac that works.As for mr average on the street,running a car with working ac seems to be coming more difficult as newer cars are more difficult and expensive to fix.Most appear to fail just beyond the warranty period.The other problem ,is that in the Uk,it is not hot enough for long enough for drivers to invest in fixing their ac.How can a compressor for a 5 year old Astra be £1100?? .Then ,of course,there are owners who are not bothered about ac ,and quite happy to drive without it. Expensive or cheap cars.The ac systems fail on all.
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Sat 23 Jul 2016 13:21
who maintains a cheap old car - Wackyracer
How can a compressor for a 5 year old Astra be £1100?? .

Wow! I paid about £200 for a new AC compressor and fitting on my Astra G about 8 years ago. Recently it wasn't working so well but, A re-gas has it working again. Which brings me to the question, how often should a system need re-gassing? They did a leak test and said everything was fine.
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Sat 23 Jul 2016 14:50
who maintains a cheap old car - expat
A re-gas has it working again. Which brings me to the question, how often should a system need re-gassing? They did a leak test and said everything was fine.

If you are going to get it regassed then change the hoses at the same time. Nothing worse than putting in new gas only to blow a hose. Also you should run the a/c for at least 10 minutes every week to keep the seals on the compressor lubricated. Use it or lose it. As far as keeping cars is concerned we buy them about 18 month old at auction, service them by the book and keep them till the wheels fall off. I have had my current Ford station wagon for 10 years now and it is going fine. I had the previous car for 25 years and only sold it because because I wanted an auto with power steering and air con. It is now owned by a collector and still going well.
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Sat 23 Jul 2016 19:30
who maintains a cheap old car - John F
Okay so the words "old" and "cheap" are relative but I have a van that is 8 years old and a car that is 13 years old. I am getting insulting comments about both of them with garages telling me they might not be worth repairing and friends saying it is time I got new ones.

Garages would, wouldn't they. Tell them all to bog off. If you service boilers then basic car maintenance will be childs' play for you. Hang on to them and save yourself a fortune in depreciation/finance costs. Your 'friends' are probably just seeking supportive concurrence for their expensive style of motoring.

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Sat 23 Jul 2016 20:22
who maintains a cheap old car - gordonbennet
Whats that some people do, borrow money they can't afford to buy things they don't need to impress people they don't like?

I'm an older car user, ours are 14, 16 and 20, all are in good repair, well maintained and as reliable as most cars that could be bought new now, i'm not into bangernomics as such, i believe in buying carefully chosen reasonably well cared for vehicles, and maintaining them for a long trouble free life.

Haven't the foggiest idea what NCAP scores ours have, we had a 70 series Landcruiser a few years ago, no airbags no ABS no crumple zones, SWMBO took out a set of railings complete with concrete foundations @ roughly 50mph, went straight through the lot battering ram style, she restarted it shoved it in 4WD and backed out through the debris, not even a bruise, give me a decently made vehicle and we'll take our chances ta.

Depreciation? what's that..:-)

Edited by gordonbennet on 23/07/2016 at 20:23

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Sat 23 Jul 2016 21:32
who maintains a cheap old car - Steveieb
I too am an older driver and having tried the new generation of VW diesels in a Mk 6 Golf I have reverted to a 13 year old Audi 1.9 Tdi 130.

Having the opportunity recently to try out various makes and models of new cars at Milbrook testing ground I was pleasantly surprised how my Audi compared with cars costing 20 times.

No Dpf to worry about and a brilliant engine which pulls from 1500 revs and gives such useful power just in the rev range you need for UK driving.

Such a difficult act to follow I will probably replace it with a 2004 A4 1.9 Avant.
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Mon 25 Jul 2016 09:30
who maintains a cheap old car - sandy56
Keep you car and think about your friends!
Seriously running and "old" car is a no brainer these days when car companies keep churning out old tat dressed as new.
Keep it well maintenained and wash it once a month - job done!
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Mon 25 Jul 2016 16:26
who maintains a cheap old car - Bladerrw
Safety considerations were one of the main factors that encouraged me to replace my aging cars.
I think it might be better to be in a modern hatchback rather than a nineties Landcruiser in the event of a big crash. However blase you are about it, crumple zones, air bags and other safety features bring science to saving you, rather than sheer bulk.
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Mon 25 Jul 2016 19:08
who maintains a cheap old car - madf

We have owned our 2003 Yaris d4d since 2005. I diy everything - basic maintenance and the odd ARB bushes are really all that is needed.. The heater resistor went 2 years ago: under £10 on ebay and 30 minutes..
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Tue 26 Jul 2016 00:26
who maintains a cheap old car - Bolt
We have owned our 2003 Yaris d4d since 2005. I diy everything - basic maintenance and the odd ARB bushes are really all that is needed.. The heater resistor went 2 years ago: under £10 on ebay and 30 minutes..

My fil has a 1.3 Yaris 54 plate 52k apart from servicing all its had replaced are the usual pads discs and a new battery which was replaced a month ago and there are times its not used for a few months, still runs sweet as when started He bought it new, though he was after an older car at the time, but was persuaded by the salesman to buy new, he was worried about a new car to start with due to the knocks cars get round his way but it was never touched luckily
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Tue 26 Jul 2016 07:40
who maintains a cheap old car - DirtyDieselDogg
According to webuyanycar,
I do,
since they valued the (bought new in 2010) Skoda at £3,600.00 no later than yesterday.
sigh
Ah well, another 6 years is only £600.00/Yr depreciation.
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Sat 30 Jul 2016 00:24
who maintains a cheap old car - Andrew-T
In the old days when I bought my first cars, it was often necessary to change them every 2 or 3 years before body corrosion got too bad. That hasn't been the case for over 20 years. So provided a used car is chosen with reasonable care, it should be possible to keep it running for many years.

Our 'duty' car is now 8 years old and has just needed its second set of new tyres. Apart from pads and discs and normal fluid changes it has required no other visits to the garage. The 'fun' car is now 25 and needs a bit more attention, but the only snag it has had was a bit of dirt in the carburettor (yes, it has one of those, and a choke too, of course).
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Wed 27 Jul 2016 15:01
who maintains a cheap old car - Warning
(1) Someone sold their mechanically reliable 9 year old car, because the central locking stopped working. Rather then repairing it, they spent £10k on a used car and another £900 on car warranty.

(2) There are people who are badge snobs. I had someone telling me their old ~10 year old shape BWM was better then my car, even though my car was newer at a time.

(3) Thre is an interesting video by Scotty Kilmer who compares an old 25 old BMW versus a 5 year old BMW. youtu.be/m5MhzNjYiSo














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Wed 27 Jul 2016 17:13
who maintains a cheap old car - mss1tw
Good vid. Plastic will eventually succumb to degradation, and even the best engineering designs can't stop or out-design the process. It's the nature of the material.
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Wed 27 Jul 2016 15:52
who maintains a cheap old car - V4 Heaven
You can tell the cars on finance when at the petrol station. They only ever put £10's worth of fuel in their cars as they can't afford to fill it up due to the crippling finance deal they're on.

This website has made me aware of much newer cars that have issues. Eg BMW 1 Series' needing new clutches after 20,000 miles. Whether a new clutch is being put in a 2 year old car or a 15 year old car, you will never get the cost of that clutch back on resale.
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Thu 28 Jul 2016 15:40
who maintains a cheap old car - tim89
I am driving around in a 2007 Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCI. Bought it around 3 years ago for cheap and now has 96,000 miles on the clock. So far it has been pretty reliable (except the master cylinder failing after about 2 months).

I really need to have it serviced (its not been done since 9000 miles!) but the idea of spending all that money on an 'older' car put me off. I also need to have the injector seals replaced as it is impossible to use the fans without being gassed! To be honest I don't particularly like the car, I find it noisy and uncomfortable to drive. I would much rather change to a nicer, newer and bigger car. But as always, money is always the issue. I think this thread has convinced me not to buy a car I can't afford!

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Thu 28 Jul 2016 16:07
who maintains a cheap old car - Avant
"....it's not been done since 9000 miles...."

Do you really mean that? For your sake and for anyone else on the road near you, I hope that's a typo!
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Thu 28 Jul 2016 16:16
who maintains a cheap old car - tim89
Ashamed to admit that was not a typo, at least according to the log book that came with the car anyway...

I have had basics such as oil etc changed, but never been for a proper service and so not had it stamped. Planning on getting it thoroughly checked over in the coming weeks. I barely drive it anymore since I work close to home (max 5 miles per day)
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Thu 28 Jul 2016 18:25
who maintains a cheap old car - concrete
As previously stated by many, nothing wrong with older cars. I have a Skoda Superb 1.9tdi PD130. It is 11 years old with over 200K miles on the clock. Owned from new. No significant repairs to date. It is still a very nice car to drive, returning over 50mpg on a run and hardly uses any oil between services. Recently, the purchase of a caravan prompted me to look at a replacement for towing. After some discussion with friends and on this forum, I had a towbar fitted and have just towed our caravan through the South Coast, Devon, Somerset and Cornwall. The car towed easily without any seemingly adverse effects. I maintian the car through a local indie, who is really good and now intend to keep it until it does fail. I shall now be towing every month to some location we wish to visit with Scotland lined up for Sept/Oct.
I don't suppose that anyone lissed me while I was away!!!!!!!
Cheers Concrete
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Thu 28 Jul 2016 20:14
who maintains a cheap old car - chewer1
Running an old car and servicing it myself are my first choice. I had a VW Vento Auto ex demonstrator I kept as my only car for 15 years . It was still in good nick at the end and I loved it but the Government offered me £2000 pounds for it ............and now feeling too old to lay on a garage floor anymore I succumbed and bought new.
I dislike having to deal with garages now but console myself with not having to lay on concrete any more !
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Fri 29 Jul 2016 01:07
who maintains a cheap old car - Avant
Understandably, Chewer1 above doesn't miss concrete, but Concrete, welcome back!

The above two posts are a fine demonstration of how to give a car a long and trouble-free life. Buy a good car in the first place; have it regularly maintained either by someone you trust or by yourself if you're able (the latter may be more and more difficult with all the electronics that cars have now); and drive it within its limits, as evidenced by Concrete's 50 mpg.

Is that the original clutch, Concrete? If so, it's doing well having taken up towing late in life!

Edited by Avant on 29/07/2016 at 01:08

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Fri 29 Jul 2016 10:18
who maintains a cheap old car - John F
The above two posts are a fine demonstration of how to give a car a long and trouble-free life. Buy a good car in the first place; have it regularly maintained either by someone you trust or by yourself if you're able

I agree. They are also a tribute to VW engineering. My records show we ran a nearly new Passat GL5 Est from 1984 - 1994 (we did 180,000m, 3.1p per mile capital/depreciation cost) and an ex-rental nearly new Passat 2.0GL Est from 1994-2004 (we did 237,000m, 5.5p per mile).

Current 'family' car (hulking offspring long since left home) 16yr old 1.6 Zetec Ford Focus Est doing many fewer miles. 84,000m with us, cost £7000, so 8.3p per mile so far, falling gradually as miles mount up, assuming current value zero.

They never had a garage 'service' apart from MoTs.

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Fri 29 Jul 2016 18:39
who maintains a cheap old car - concrete
Hello Avant, yes, the clutch is the original, as is most of the rest of the car. Exhaust, suspension etc etc. It tows very well, being a large car although the fuel consumption drops to about 35mpg. I don't expect the old bus to last too long now I am towing, but I will get as long as I can out of it. It is still lovely to drive. My case may not be the same as others however. The first 150K were 85% motorway or major road miles, in 5th at about 2k revs so the clutch has had a pretty easy time time compared to some. That was while I was still working. Now retired of course. My real difficulty is finding a replacement!
Cheers Concrete
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Fri 29 Jul 2016 21:17
who maintains a cheap old car - slowdown avenue
my daily driver is 17 years old. mot yesterday broken spring. back in 3 hours for free retest, all in £24.50
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