...all requiring regular software updates like Windows 10 to fix problems caused by them being rushed out to get to market with the latest gizmo (that most people don't actually want or use much) before the competition.

I think I went through the whole of September last year without seeing a 68 reg car. The only 68 reg vehicle I remember seeing was a bin lorry!

Registration change on 1st Aug certainly seemed much more of an occasion to me in my youth. My father usually bought cars new, but we only ever drove around in a new registration letter car for a short time. He reckoned the best discounts to be had were in July ... I still remember him picking up a brand new H reg Volvo in late July from a dealership full to the rafters with J reg models lined up ready to go to their owners a few days later!

My other abiding memory of August 1st back in the 80s was seeing an absolutely brand new BMW 5 series with the new registration (E I think it was) being pulled from the sea by a tractor. The owners must have pretty much driven it from the dealership to the beach, parked it there and the tide came in.... The owners must have been devastated, but as a young boy I thought it quite funny.

I used to love it when my Dad got a new company car, even if it was a naff Ford Escort.

Pity the cars drove like pants (especially the last one Dad had - the horrible 1.4 petrol [lean burn] with all of 75bhp).

I had a new 1984 Escort 1.3L, 68bhp. It went very well. Weighing 810Kg. helped. 0-60 in 12s wasn't bad in 1984. And quicker to accelerate than a 2018 Focus 1.0 ecoboost with 85bhp, weighing an incredible 1247Kg.

The Escort was however slow compared with the Orion 1.6L I had in '87. What a rocket ship that was, even if it did fold like a paper bag when somebody rammed it up the chuff.

I digress. I have no doubt the bonkers registration changes, both annual and 6-monthly, has played a big part in the British obsession with new cars. Crackers really.

Like most experiences in life, their 'wow' factor tends to wane as you get older, wiser and probably more cynical. I still do enjoy picking up a new vehicle, new to me sometimes, sometimes brand new but the pleasure is always tempered by other factors too myriad to mention but relevant to you at the time. Like most on the forum I pick vehicles I like to drive but also with great consideration as to their use and cost. That will always dampen the fun.

C'est la vie ( for focused)

Cheers Concrete

I also wonder about the depreciation of iPhones, a market which works in a similar way but faster. It's not long since fanatics were rushing out to buy the latest model for a grand. What are they worth now, with the next model eagerly awaited?

Apple are discovering that people aren't upgrading like they used to and are losing sales. It had to happen at some point. Overpriced, and improvements over the previous model only slight, the Android phones have caught up and offering better value to boot. Plenty of help out there to change a battery in a 'sealed' phone too.

I think there are several causes for faster depreciation, which in itself just indicates how the market values each model. ......

One rarely mentioned cause are the tax rules which allow a 'write off' of 25% per annum against tax if the car is used solely for business. This means that after four years a £40,000 car is 'worth' only £12656. If you get any more than this for it, you or the company will have to forgo some of the tax relief! The result is lots of bargains for low mileage drivers like myself, e.g. my 1998 Audi A6 2.8SE tiptronic bought in 2003 at 77,000m for a mere £8000, lasted until 2014 and 133,000m - utterly reliable and always a pleasure to be in - still going strong when sold.

I always wonder why people have a problem with cars they don't own. No one knows, or cares come to that, whether you own your car or have it on a finance deal. I regularly drive hire cars for business. None of these are mine but I still enjoy driving them. Unless you are going to customise it as soon as you get it, what does it matter?

I always wonder why people have a problem with cars they don't own. No one knows, or cares come to that, whether you own your car or have it on a finance deal. I regularly drive hire cars for business. None of these are mine but I still enjoy driving them. Unless you are going to customise it as soon as you get it, what does it matter?

Doesn’t bother me whether others know my car is bought or leased but it does bother me that I know. I get pleasure from buying wisely and then cleaning and maintaining my car correctly then selling for the best price possible. Leasing it means it becomes white goods. There’s no need to care for it the same or any pleasure from buying or selling it right. You pick one you like, you pay a monthly fee and the warranty covers any repairs. Zzzzzz

Armchair on wheels. I thought we would've done away with running these on lease with the demise of Radio Rentals with home entertainment equipment - my parents used (only 5 years ago) to pay about £500pa for the 'priviledge' of owning a 26in SD CRT TV and VCR; the only other 'benefit' being that if it could be fixed, they'd get a replacement there are then for free.

They ended the agreement after I pointed out that they could buy a 32in 1080p LCD flatscreen TV, HD freeview PVR and very nice glass TV unit/stand for about £650 - £700 from John Lewis, and the TV came with a free 5yr warranty and free replacement if it can't be fixed on-site. I think it also helped that my flatscreen TV (still going strong today) was 7 years old at the time and no faults. I suspect they could buy the same sort of thing today for less than half that.

I can fully understand people not paying the RRP/sticker price on new cars (especially if they go via a broker or an unwanted new car via a supersite), but for a LONG term buy, then there's something to be said if it ticks all the boxes for a car that will be guaranteed to only be run and looked after by you and yours. Second hand buying is a craft to learn, and many people don't have the ability, time or patience to do so and to put in the effort when sourcing a decent older run-around that does the basic A to B job and nothing more.

A question of taste and mind-set I suppose.