Optimum age/mileage to get rid of a car?

Lum

^^ Unless it's one of the earlier ABS systems that kick in a fair bit earlier than necessary and actually reduce your braking effectiveness.

I think it's fair to say that most folk don't know how to cadence brake these days, and of those who do some will forget when an emergency arises and some are no-longer be physically capable of doing so. I know I'm generally happier to have ABS around.

worried_jim wrote: »

Lum- when you decide to sell let me know- I've seen the pics and it looks very interesting!

Barring some kind of financial catastrophe, I'm not going to be selling it.

It's in much better condition than my partner's car (which we're picking up from the engine builder tomorrow, yay!), and I have to accept that at some point my company car will probably go away (e.g. due to change of job or cost cutting). Probably going to LPG it this year.

Richard53

Risk homeostasis - the theory that human beings have a level of risk they are comfortable with (enough to stimulate the nervous system, not enough to flip into panic mode), and that any attempt to reduce the risk of an activity will result in riskier behaviour to return the risk level to some default setting. What about the old chestnut about the safest car being one with a metal spike in the middle of the steering wheel?

I know for a fact that I ride my motorcycle far more cautiously than I drive my car - two skinny tyres, no ABS, no crumple zones (unless you count my ribcage) and no airbags. I like to think I am a careful, competent and consderate driver/rider, but I can't deny that I relax far more in the car. Part of the calculation is that, regrettably, in the back of my mind is the knowledge that if I crash in the car, I am more likely to injure other people and walk away - on the bike it's the reverse.

Netwizard

Dont really understand the mentality of getting rid of cars at x years or x mileage. How reliable they are depends how they have been looked after and serviced in the past.

A car that is 3 years old and has only done 14,000 miles that has just been used to take doris to the shops a few times a week would probably be in worse nick than a BMW 320D thats been used up and down the motorway 7 days a week, which has done 150,000+ miles!

My current car is 16 years old and done 156,000 miles. Its got airbags, ABS, heated seats, heated mirrors and rear screen, aircon etc. All the mod cons.

Since I have had it, I have had it fully serviced and got the cambelt done as well (about £150 all in for the service and cambelt) and apart from the odd oil change at about £20 and some wiper blades, nothing has gone wrong.

I would always buy on condition, not look at the mileage or age on the reg plate

wba31

DominicH wrote: »

Basically, an 80,000+ mile or 8-year-old car is a ticking time bomb of repair/maintenance bills. A 60,000 mile/ 6-year car, not so much. That is why I think one should dispose of a car in that timeframe.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

3 years ago i bought a 2004 Honda Civic with 100k miles on the clock, it now has 140k miles on the clock and I've only had to replace brakes and tyres on it (£300 at most)!
My dad has bought it off me and will run it until it runs no more.

I just bought a 4 year old Civic with 100, 000 miles on the clock, and i chose it over one with 30, 000 miles on the clock. why? because the higher mileage one has spend 4 years on a motorway in 6th gear cruising, the 30k one has probably not seen a motorway and been pushed in and out of gears for 3 years so the clutch and gearbox could be in a worse state.
Modern engines are designed to do 300k miles or more...

wba31

DominicH wrote: »

You could easily pay £500 to £1000 a year more in maintenance for an older car (DMF, anyone?), and also there is value in having a newer car. Newer models tend to be better - more features, better refinement, better handling, etc. A mark 7 Golf is a significantly better than a new Golf of 10 years ago.

I disagree with this, the Golf released with w/x/y plates is the best Golf they made in my opinion. I had a Bora of that age and it was incredible. I have test driven the new golfs and Jetta and they do not feel as well put together...

andygb

I have the last of the MK2 Mondeos, so it is 12 years old (2001 "X" reg). I bought it in 2005 for £2350 - ex pool car, 24K miles, bit scruffy, everything worked. It now has 130K miles on it.
Apart from cambelts, tyres, brake parts, shocks, springs and a couple of CV joints, it has not cost me anything, and I could probably get over £1K (at least) for it now, so the annual depreciation is around £150.
It is an absolute joy to drive and is in all respects a "modern car".
If you buy a car new, and keep it for eight years, then you are still going to need a cambelt change, several sets of tyres, front discs and pads, front shocks and springs, and unless you are very lucky - a "surprise bill", for something you never envisaged - mechanical or electrical.
So you can take the depreciation of £1350 and add another £300 (at least) a year, which makes a total of £1650 x 8 = £13200 - which is a lot of money.

OddballJamie

wba31 wrote: »

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

3 years ago i bought a 2004 Honda Civic with 100k miles on the clock, it now has 140k miles on the clock and I've only had to replace brakes and tyres on it (£300 at most)!
My dad has bought it off me and will run it until it runs no more.

I just bought a 4 year old Civic with 100, 000 miles on the clock, and i chose it over one with 30, 000 miles on the clock. why? because the higher mileage one has spend 4 years on a motorway in 6th gear cruising, the 30k one has probably not seen a motorway and been pushed in and out of gears for 3 years so the clutch and gearbox could be in a worse state.
Modern engines are designed to do 300k miles or more...

In the main you are right, but a high mileage is no guarantee that the car has motorway miles only. My mates wife is a nurse/carer who does home visits and easily racks up 500 miles a week in her private car and rarely ventures on a motorway. Would I buy her car? heck no. Other examples are learner cars, tons of miles, loads on wear on the clutch, gearbox and suspension.

I suspect the huge difference in price helped make your decision easier

hewhoisnotintheknow

310 thousand on my peugeot

only major problem was the bosch lift pump failing about 40k ago

£35 replacement part from the breakers and 30 mins and its back on the road

i do look after it, so i say keep cars until they become too frustrating!

cardinalbiggles

Joe_Horner wrote: »

As for ABS, it undoubtedly makes driving safer for the less-than-competent but good driving should mean that you never, ever, find yourself triggering it. Allowing that, as you say, everyone makes mistakes, if you do trigger the ABS, you should be thinking about why it happened and how to avoid doing it again. The ABS then becomes redundant!

I have used it a few times through no fault of my own, once a deer jumped out in front of me and it was either brakes on and try and avoid it or deer through my windscreen and I know which I would prefer and the other was someone pulling out in front of me.

You can anticipate, but you cant always reliably anticipate for stupidity.

mattyprice4004

DominicH wrote: »

Depreciation is 15 - 20% per annum for regular, non-classic cars, depending on desirability. I'm talking averages; I know that people will come up with anecdotes of their old cars that don't need anything except brake pads. Forums are like that, but anecdotes are not data. Outliers like cars from the seventies don't have much bearing on real-life averages.

Let's use my 1998 Rover 600 to look at a set of data, then.

Got all history from new.

Work done (apart from servicing - brakes, tyres, oil etc)
- New exhaust in 2008 @ 80,000 miles, £190
- Rear brake caliper in 2007 @ 74,000 miles, £90
- Cambelt kit in 2007 @ 75,000 miles, £240

Also, cars don't depreciate at a linear rate, my car's value has been around £600 - £800 for the last 5 years or so. They don't lose 15-20% a year.

There's no given point at which a car suddenly costs more, it's more down to luck than anything it seems.