Your Bangernomics successes

Arklight

Here's my go.

November 2008 - purchased one metallic blue S spec 2002 Nissan Almera from a dealer for either £2000 or £2500 (can't remember which ). 3 month warranty. Year's MOT and full service history. 55,000 miles on the clock. Reliable 41mpg.



In those 9.5 years it's needed:

• 2012 and 2014, 2 x replacement front brakes which began sticking (a common Almera fault) £650
• 2015, 4 new tyres £250
• 2015 - new battery £60
• 2016, Replacement exhaust: £150
• 2016, Something went Sprooooiiing underneath and the gearstick went floppy, £75 for new fixins at the indy garage.
• 2016 - Air con finally died, spent £55 pointlessly with Halfords trying to keep it going
• 2017, Some welding and other bits for the MOT - £200
• 2018 - 4 part worn tyres £100

From around 2014 it began using oil, which saved me a fortune in oil changes at the garage because I just kept topping it up and giving it new oil that way, rather than pay someone to drain it. Win.

9.5 years on, just part exchanged it for a lovely 3 year old Suzuki SUV with a part ex price of the princely sum of £350, with it's windscreen cracked vertically right along the middle. This was both a sad and happy day.The look on the dealer's face when I drove it in, was mostly sad.

Total maintenance costs:

£1540

Yearly maintenance cost:

£171 per year

Total cost of car purchase plus maintenance:

£3790

Yearly cost of car purchase and maintenance

£421 per year

Average monthly cost:

£35.09p

Frudd

Arklight wrote: »

From around 2014 it began using oil, which saved me a fortune in oil changes at the garage because I just kept topping it up and giving it new oil that way, rather than pay someone to drain it. Win.

haha! you are still supposed to change the filter!

[Deleted User]

Arklight wrote: »

Here's my go.

November 2008 - purchased one metallic blue S spec 2002 Nissan Almera from a dealer for either £2000 or £2500 (can't remember which ). 3 month warranty. Year's MOT and full service history. 55,000 miles on the clock. Reliable 41mpg.



In those 9.5 years it's needed:

• 2012 and 2014, 2 x replacement front brakes which began sticking (a common Almera fault) £650
• 2015, 4 new tyres £250
• 2015 - new battery £60
• 2016, Replacement exhaust: £150
• 2016, Something went Sprooooiiing underneath and the gearstick went floppy, £75 for new fixins at the indy garage.
• 2016 - Air con finally died, spent £55 pointlessly with Halfords trying to keep it going
• 2017, Some welding and other bits for the MOT - £200
• 2018 - 4 part worn tyres £100

From around 2014 it began using oil, which saved me a fortune in oil changes at the garage because I just kept topping it up and giving it new oil that way, rather than pay someone to drain it. Win.

9.5 years on, just part exchanged it for a lovely 3 year old Suzuki SUV with a part ex price of the princely sum of £350, with it's windscreen cracked vertically right along the middle. This was both a sad and happy day.The look on the dealer's face when I drove it in, was mostly sad.

Total maintenance costs:

£1540

Yearly maintenance cost:

£171 per year

Total cost of car purchase plus maintenance:

£3790

Yearly cost of car purchase and maintenance

£421 per year

Average monthly cost:

£35.09p

Bargain motoring!

Arklight

The Almera delivered.

Stoke

Yep, that Almera definitely did you a job on the bargain motoring. The only shame is that's an Almera. Not exactly lookers are they? What's the interior like on them? Any good?

As much as I love Japanese cars and I've driven a few, there's something a bit dry about the interiors usually. Lots of pop bottle plastic. That Mazda was genuinely the worst I've ever come across. The interior felt like it was made out of a recycled coke bottle.

Arklight

Stoke wrote: »

Yep, that Almera definitely did you a job on the bargain motoring. The only shame is that's an Almera. Not exactly lookers are they? What's the interior like on them? Any good?

As much as I love Japanese cars and I've driven a few, there's something a bit dry about the interiors usually. Lots of pop bottle plastic. That Mazda was genuinely the worst I've ever come across. The interior felt like it was made out of a recycled coke bottle.

I think you can choose two from - Reliable, Styling, Cheap - but not three, sadly.

After owning the car for almost ten years I realised while I was attempting to valet it and remove the smell of McDonalds and feet, before giving it to the dealer (to probably be turned into a cube) that I was unable to tell what the original interior colour was, and could no longer remember.

It think it was a sort of grey colour with swirly bits on the seats, or that may just have been baby vomit from when our son was born.

My wife described sitting in it as "like sinking into an old sofa", which can be both good and bad, depending on your point of view.

I couldn't open all the compartments due to a build up of gunge. But that's not really Nissan's fault.

GunJack

Stoke wrote: »

. The interior felt like it was made out of a recycled coke bottle.

Sounds exactly like a 2003 ford fusion :rotfl:

Stoke

Arklight wrote: »

I think you can choose two from - Reliable, Styling, Cheap - but not three, sadly.

After owning the car for almost ten years I realised while I was attempting to valet it and remove the smell of McDonalds and feet, before giving it to the dealer (to probably be turned into a cube) that I was unable to tell what the original interior colour was, and could no longer remember.

It think it was a sort of grey colour with swirly bits on the seats, or that may just have been baby vomit from when our son was born.

My wife described sitting in it as "like sinking into an old sofa", which can be both good and bad, depending on your point of view.

I couldn't open all the compartments due to a build up of gunge. But that's not really Nissan's fault.

Nissan ain't it? Great engines. Last forever. I know it's a cliche, but there is a reason why so many takeaways use those old Micra's. Cheap tax, cheap insurance, bullet proof engines, cam chain instead of a belt, can be serviced with nothing but a screwdriver and a spoon. Great cars really.

I very nearly went for a Primera MK2 (the kitted out one) instead of the 3 series. They're a surprisingly high spec'd Saloon and they go for pennies these days (Bangernomics). Then I found out they're not Nissan's. They're Renault's with a Nissan badge.... and there you have it, the reliability has just disappeared.

Stoke

GunJack wrote: »

Sounds exactly like a 2003 ford fusion :rotfl:

My ex had a Ka. Not the new one, the original one that rusted like crazy. Christ, that interior was horrendous. It was at one point praised for it's 'futuristic' interior.

Wow, just wow.

Arklight

Stoke wrote: »

My ex had a Ka. Not the new one, the original one that rusted like crazy. Christ, that interior was horrendous. It was at one point praised for it's 'futuristic' interior.

Wow, just wow.

I remember those appearing in London almost overnight, They looked like you could open them with a can opener, or pick up the corner with one hand and flip them over.