Is it worth keeping an old car going?

want2bmortgage3

I have an old 1996 golf gti 2 litre which has done 177k miles and shows no sign of giving up just yet.
The only downsides are it looks a bit dated, the air con blows hot, and the mpg is only 30 on average with town driving (does 45 on a run) and I usually do short journeys to work and back. Also the exhaust has started rattling and one rear window doesn't open.
Should I invest in a 20 year old car and fix the problems or get something newer and more economical?
I generally like the vw audi group cars and usually on my own so only need a small car.
Thanks for your opinions...

Silver-Surfer_2

Up to you really.

How much would you spend on a new one? If it ain't brand new you could be buying someone else's problems.

Keep it going til it cost too much or dies.

missbiggles1

want2bmortgage3 wrote: »

I have an old 1996 golf gti 2 litre which has done 177k miles and shows no sign of giving up just yet.
The only downsides are it looks a bit dated, the air con blows hot, and the mpg is only 30 on average with town driving (does 45 on a run) and I usually do short journeys to work and back. Also the exhaust has started rattling and one rear window doesn't open.
Should I invest in a 20 year old car and fix the problems or get something newer and more economical?
I generally like the vw audi group cars and usually on my own so only need a small car.
Thanks for your opinions...

Do you actually need to fix a rattling exhaust and the rear window?

BeenThroughItAll

As far as I can see, none of that list of 'faults' actually NEEDS addressing.

Don't look at the car.

Open a window.

Drive less in town, and walk/cycle to work.

Turn the radio up.

Don't open the rear windows.

Job done.

Richard53

want2bmortgage3 wrote: »

shows no sign of giving up just yet.

Here's your first clue.

want2bmortgage3 wrote: »

The only downsides are it looks a bit dated, the air con blows hot, and the mpg is only 30 on average with town driving (does 45 on a run) and I usually do short journeys to work and back. Also the exhaust has started rattling and one rear window doesn't open.

Looks dated. Can you live with that? I prefer the look of older cars, personally.


Aircon not working? Get a quote to get it fixed, or live with it. It won't fail an MoT or become unusable because of this.


30-45 mpg is about what I would expect. No issues there. A more modern car would be a bit more economical, but the payback period might be measured in centuries.


Exhaust and rear window - both probably an easy and cheap fix.


I'm a strong believer in keeping old cars going until they become uneconomic to repair. Yours sounds to have a lot of life in it yet. Perhaps a couple of hundred quid to make it good (and you have a car you know and can trust) or several £000 on an unknown quantity?

HappyMJ

want2bmortgage3 wrote: »

I have an old 1996 golf gti 2 litre which has done 177k miles and shows no sign of giving up just yet.
The only downsides are it looks a bit dated, the air con blows hot, and the mpg is only 30 on average with town driving (does 45 on a run) and I usually do short journeys to work and back. Also the exhaust has started rattling and one rear window doesn't open.
Should I invest in a 20 year old car and fix the problems or get something newer and more economical?
I generally like the vw audi group cars and usually on my own so only need a small car.
Thanks for your opinions...

If you're going to downsize then getting a new(er) car makes sense.

So based on your comment "only need a small car" you could downsize to a small 1.1 litre vehicle and save a lot of money in road tax and fuel and you would see a return on your new investment.

I'm a spreadsheet nut...I'd create a spreadsheet showing your current expected expenses and that of a new car calculating for depreciation and loss of interest on the money you're using to buy the car or using the interest you're paying if you're financing the purchase instead and see how long it will be before you start seeing a positive return.

New cars biggest cost is depreciation. An old car has already depreciated to zero.

Joe_Horner

Looks like I'm with the majority here.

It depends on how much "looks dated" matters to you - bear in mind that one year's "looks dated" is next years "interesting modern classic".

The rest of the list is nothing really to worry about. Exhaust rattle could be as simple as a £2 rubber hanger or, worst case, may be a new exhaust. But sooner or later you'll have to replace the exhaust on any car and once it's done it's done.

My current workhorse is a 1995 Pug 405 with 224k miles on the clock and still going strong - when things do need sorting (like a squeaky front brake this afternoon) parts for older stuff tend to be relatively cheap, plentiful, and easy to fit.

loskie

this age of VAG car is one of the last bomb proof ones before being built down to a cost. It's costing you nothing so keep it. It will only be worth peanuts but you know it and it will cost a lot to replace with an unknown quantity.

[Deleted User]

It will be a classic if you look after it. I reckon if you budget around £500 to £600 a year for MOT and servicing costs then it is well worth keeping.

bigjl

I don't think a 96 Golf will ever be a classic.

Though those issues seem minor to be honest

Joe_Horner

bigjl wrote: »

I don't think a 96 Golf will ever be a classic.

Though those issues seem minor to be honest

Depends on how you define a classic really. If you mean 1930s Studebakers and anything else is modern junk then no, it probably won't be (at least for another 80 years or so).

But if you mean a car that's remembered fondly enough for people with spare cash in their middle age to pay a premium because it was what they / their parents had when they were kids then it's got as good or better chance than many.

Mk V Mini City anyone? Or Maxi? Or even All-agros? They all change hands for far more than "old car" money but none deserve the "classic" label by some definitions.


eta: Personally I reckon an early rust free (if you can find one) Ford Ka would be a sound investment for the same reason