Ever kept a car until its 'died'?

lynnemcf

DH kept his until it died, since at that time there was a second hand car dealer a few hundred yards away from where we lived. When his Primera wouldnt start one morning, he left it on the drive and walked to the dealership and chose another car, which happened to be another Primera, just a bit younger. Then the dealer sent his mate to get our original car running and drove it back to his lot. Happy days!

Tobster86

jimjames wrote: »

I'd suggest that most cars can be made everlasting and cheaper than buying new if you can do some maintenance yourself.

Absolutely, but there are also cars out there that utterly refuse to die. M52-engined BMWs being some of them.

colino

Sadly, even the mighty M52 can be wrecked remarkably quickly by an uncaring owner. Their cooling system is not to be ignored in its middle age.

[Deleted User]

End of 2013 my 12 year old 206 failed MOT badly needing £400+ to fix. This was shorty after spending £100+ fixing a misfire. I was debating on getting it through the MOT and running it for another year but between the MOT and getting various quotes, the head gasket went. Coupled with that and it being a due a cambelt change I decided to cut my losses and sell it on for scrap money.

I now run a £400 Megane which I've had for 16 months and still going strong.

aeroblade

Reading some of the above posts, what quite doesn't make financially sense to me is why would you buy banger cars and then keep them for a year or 2, spending several hundred quid getting them up to scratch and repeat the same process? It's playing a game of fire, and over a 10 year period you can bet that statistically you would have ended up paying more than getting a used car (few years old) from the start and keeping that.


I mean you will always end up driving old banger cars, just look at the list so far on here, 206, Megane, Citreon and Rover..all pretty sh*t cars even when new!


Personally I'd buy a nice luxurious car that's 10 years old, one in good condition for several thousand pounds and just keep that.

[Deleted User]

aeroblade wrote: »

Reading some of the above posts, what quite doesn't make financially sense to me is why would you buy banger cars and then keep them for a year or 2, spending several hundred quid getting them up to scratch and repeat the same process? It's playing a game of fire, and over a 10 year period you can bet that statistically you would have ended up paying more than getting a used car (few years old) from the start and keeping that.


I mean you will always end up driving old banger cars, just look at the list so far on here, 206, Megane, Citreon and Rover..all pretty sh*t cars even when new!


Personally I'd buy a nice luxurious car that's 10 years old, one in good condition for several thousand pounds and just keep that.

I owned the 206 in my above post for 6 years since it was 6 years old. Still cost me every years in various stuff but still worked out cheaper than owning a new car on lease/finance.

What is your luxo car, don't tell me, a Audi or a BMW?

SeduLOUs

aeroblade wrote: »

Reading some of the above posts, what quite doesn't make financially sense to me is why would you buy banger cars and then keep them for a year or 2, spending several hundred quid getting them up to scratch and repeat the same process? It's playing a game of fire, and over a 10 year period you can bet that statistically you would have ended up paying more than getting a used car (few years old) from the start and keeping that.

I bought a 'banger' 206 and didn't spend a penny on it for two years because I was stone broke. It needed a lot of work at MOT time because I'd ignored warning signs, and I had no option but to scrap it and got £150. Didn't have it very long, but it saw me through a rough patch and £50 cost over two years seemed like a fair deal to me.

I'm on my third year with my £300 Mondeo and so far have only spent £400 on repairs for it. I've changed a few tyres on top of that and paid for MOT tests and basic service, but you'd spend that with any car.

I have friends who spend £400 a MONTH on finance cars and they still occasionally get huge shock repair bills that they complain they can't afford. I think they are the ones who are bonkers. My purchase/repairs costs over the last 5 years are less than they spend in two months...

thistledome

aeroblade wrote: »

Reading some of the above posts, what quite doesn't make financially sense to me is why would you buy banger cars and then keep them for a year or 2, spending several hundred quid getting them up to scratch and repeat the same process? It's playing a game of fire, and over a 10 year period you can bet that statistically you would have ended up paying more than getting a used car (few years old) from the start and keeping that.

Your post doesn't make sense to me. Unless I'm missing the point?

I'm sure my car has cost me less in the 3 years that I've had it than it would have cost to purchase a newer used model. That's including the initial purchase price of mine and running costs.

Several hundred pounds on a "banger" is still cheaper than several thousand on a newer used car. You still have to pay the same insurance, tax, fuel, MOT's and servicing for the more modern car as you do for the oldie. For what?

Maybe I've misunderstood your post. I'm going to add up exactly what my banger has cost me in the last 3 years and report back. I'd bet good money that it's still less than the purchase price of a "decent" used motor.

I could be wrong though, we'll see.......

Gloomendoom

Tobster86 wrote: »

It would be useful if people would state what make and model their amazing, everlasting cars are.

All mine have been Rover or Austin Rover products.

I'm running a 60 year old car at the moment of indeterminate mileage, made by Rover.

thistledome

This is what my 26 yr old motor has cost me for the last 3 and a half years (btw, I CBA to go back and see how much Insurance and car tax used to cost so I've used this years figures and multiplied by 3, so it's actually a bit cheaper for those).

Needed an MOT 2 months after purchase so I've had 4 MOT's.

Purchase price: £700
Servicing: 780
MOT'S: 220
Insurance: 720
Tax: 690
Petrol: 1,800
Repairs*: 760

TOTAL: £5,670

*Items that needed replacement outwith of service items:
Exhaust
2 coil springs
2 Tyres
A driveshaft

I'll admit it's more than I thought but it can be done much cheaper if you do your own servicing etc. I use a garage.

Plus, my car's a bit of a gas guzzler but I do fewer miles than most, so that evens out the cost IMO.

I still think it's way cheaper than buying a more modern used car for several thousand and still having to pay out for the same running costs.