We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.
This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Your Bangernomics successes
Comments
-
I may have solved my missing locking wheel nut dilemma, one of these bad boys is bound to fit-
0 -
sabretoothtigger wrote: »Biggest reason not to own old cars is the rip off factor from garages. Somehow people prefer the depreciation on newer metal, so yea you got to know the tricks.
Theres nothing wrong with part worn tyres for example, no need to spend 300 quid. If you ride in a taxi, those guys use part worns
Im rubbish at mechinical stuff mostly but apparently some are even worse. Its a no brainer if you are great at it, an earner even
Finding a good garage is key. I've been ripped of twice with diagnostics over last couple of weeks from a garage that was meant to be good. Too many garages about these days that are great for fitting tyres and exhausts and stuff. But soon as you have a real problem they haven't got a clue.0 -
Hi Guys,
Thought I'd share my bangernomics story here.
Been doing a 70 mile commute for the last four years - as well as some working on the continent, which has also seen me take my own car all over France, Germany etc etc.
I started with a relatively new Citroen C2 1.1i. Not very bangernomics. Bought in 2009 with 12k miles, intermittently parked up for long periods of time whilst using company cars, but still managed to cover 77k miles in four years.
I flipped last July and lost my temper with the Citroen. A series of electrical issues had my patience tried and I finally lost the plot, as well as a lot of days at work.
I set myself out to buy a cheap, reliable banger.
I saw this Honda Accord advertised in West Yorks for £600. 111k miles, full service history, no tax and a part ex to clear at a Jap car specialist. I paid £400.
Over a year forward, the Honda has now got 138k miles. It's cost me for a replacement exhaust (most embarrassing!) and a starter motor over and above the standard servicing.
I absolutely love it, much more comfortable and pleasurable to drive than the Citroen, which I sold as is and it more than covered the purchase price of the Honda and all subsequent bills.
It's a bit thirstier on petrol (35mpg vs 42), but I can handle that as my job has moved three miles from home
Bangernomics bargains are definitely still available!
Final shot: The two together
Hopefully this will provide me a few years service, in the mean time, I'll be saving for a new(er) Honda Accord. I've had a lot of cars over the last seven years since I passed my test, and none of them have done so much, so well.0 -
Lifelong bangernomic! - here's my story
2001 - Bought Cavalier 2.0Li - £110 from a "friend's" brother, he was selling it to buy a beemer and the water pump had gone. Bought it and replaced pump and belt. Only other things wrong with it at the time was slight rust on the wheelarches and usual scrapes but nothing bad. I had the car for 7 years and put about 80k on it.
In that time changed tank, welded the floors, sills, fixed back arches, and usual service items, put alloys on it - the cavalier 2000 gsi ones, and tyres lasted me over 5 years!
Got to 2008 and the car was looking really tatty around the chassis and underbody joins were all starting to rust so decided to scrap it, and I had seen another cavvy for sale. Stripped all the good bits off it and the guy came to take it away - was pretty cut up as apart from the underbody it was a really fast economical and reliable car. got £50 from scrappy so car only really depreciated £60 wing wangs!
2008 - After that I had bought the new cavvy, a 1.8 single point injection auto. I went from about one of the fastest cavvys to one of the slowest, although body was good, hadn't been welded etc. Have since done a wee spot of welding on the back sill and inner wheel housing at the front and back, apart from that it ok. Also changed slushbox to manual from a scrapped car.In hindsight I could have taken my old box out but hey ho.
My cars previous to the cavvys was a rover 216 - good we car that made a great roar when you floored it, apart from that it was a complete rust trap.
Ford Granada 2.8 auto - I currently have one of these being restored - the old cortina style one, but had one as a daily driver years ago, couldn't really afford the gas at the time, was unemployed!
Ford Cortina 2.0 crusader - got this for £100 and it was mint, but required a bit of welding in boot and bulkhead as had been sitting for a while, otherwise a great car I hated getting rid off. Really had tons of low down torque, used to rip all the boy racers in their escorts and novas!!0 -
I'm off to buy a part worn tyre for the nearside front on Monday now that I have the misfire fixed. Whole outside edge of the tread is flat smooth
but the middle is still 2-3mm so not sure if illegal yet. It was an uber budget tyre and has lasted 2 and a half years 16K miles so not bad at all. 0 -
broke me aeriel....young son complained..bought replacement off ebay....now all I need is a half-decent car to fix it to................No, I don't think all other drivers are idiots......but some are determined to change my mind.......0
-
1991 Audi 90 Quattro 20v Sport. Quite a rare car (£21k new!), picked up from a breaker as it had a dented bootlid (a fist sized dent), cracked rear light and a broken steering lock for £200. New rear light unit, £10 ebay. Steering lock £25 from Audi. Total outlay is now £235 and it sailed through the MoT - whilst it was up on the ramps, the tester remarked it had had all new brakes front to back, a full new Audi exhaust, and new front shocks. Not cheap!
Drove it around in the snow for 6 months - great fun, plus never failed to get anywhere. Sold the car for £650 and the stereo separately for £100 when the snow went, profit.
VW Polo Mk3. Picked up for £100 as it needed a new engine. Asked on Polo forums, someone had a 1272cc engine going spare so chucked a mate £20 to help me go pick it up, spent a weekend putting the engine in, sold for £275.
Seat Leon - although I didn't profit on this, when the big end bearing went it was easy enough to find an engine online for £500, and the technology was old enough to mean that two of us, with an engine crane, did the swap in a day.
Ford Focus 2009. Bought for over £8k, a year later it needs a dual-mass flywheel and the DPF filter sorting at close on a grand, all the while it's depreciating too.
ANYONE who says new cars are cheaper to run are misguided! Older cars can be run on engine oil from Tesco and repaired using a ten quid tool kit. New cars often need specific oils and are designed to be repaired by dealers only - even if I refill my DPF fluid chamber in the Focus, I still need to take it back to the dealer to pay £45 for them to reset the counter.0 -
It doesn't start out as bangernomics but it's ended up that way
I paid £2500 for this about 5 or so years ago, 85000 miles ish & modified to around 290 bhp.
In that time I've added 60000 miles, changed it's oil every 6 thou without fail with a service every 12 thou. It's failed one mot on front suspension bushes out of the four it's had & has only broken down once.... failed plastic pulley (why plastic??) which shredded the serpentine belt.
Plus points:
It goes like the wind.
The comfiest seats I've ever sat in.
Apart from the above, it's totally reliable.
No rust.
It's quirky & different.
Negatives:
Averages around 26mpg, low 30's on a run. Much less if I cain it.
Road tax is £225.
Eats front tyres.
Starting to show some niggles/wear & tear.
Still on original (modified) clutch so it's likely to need replacing soon.
It's a W (2000) model so it's probably worth £600 tops (qualifies as a banger I think) but I intend keeping it until something expensive happens.... clutch might do it
Always try to be at least half the person your dog thinks you are!0 -
-
'T' reg VW Passat 1.8 Auto estate. Paid £75, with 4 months tax and 2 months test.
76000mi, everything worked except the rear passenger window/electric sunroof. Put 4500mi on it in 2 weeks, gave to young family who couldn't afford a car with full test (passed with flying colours)
This was 2 months ago, and as far as I'm aware, it's still going. Tell me that wasn't cheaper than a rental for the time!
CK💙💛 💔0
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply
Categories
- All Categories
- 352.2K Banking & Borrowing
- 253.6K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 454.3K Spending & Discounts
- 245.2K Work, Benefits & Business
- 600.9K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 177.5K Life & Family
- 259K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.7K Read-Only Boards