Trade in regularly or run into the ground. Opinions please?

System

EdGasketTheSecond wrote: »

Ah but the 'undoubtedly relatively minor problem' is a new cat and header (manifold) that costs more than the car is worth so probably won't bother with that. Cataclean and a good Italian tune up pre-MoT usually works.

So a new cat and manifold is going to be around £400 or so. How much depreciation in the first year of your replacement car ownership? How much interest on the finance?

forgotmyname

Just checked a car i sold in 2009 with 150,000 miles on the clock a petrol car and its passed yet another MOT last year with no advisories and 184,000 miles on the clock.

Passed every MOT all clear except one about 2 years back for a nail in a tyre.

If you look after them they will last. And it was certainly pampered in my ownership.

JP1978

I have been in a similar quandry on a 'newer' car.

No issues with the car mechanically, has 85,000 miles on it (Skoda Yeti 4WD 2.0L CR Diesel, manual gearbox). However, the car has suffered from a common issue known as zinc inclusions - so the paint is lifting in small bubbles from under the paint. I have already had Skoda look at it and as there are tiny (invisible to the naked eye) 'chips' on the top, their response is that they are stone chips and so the paint / corrosion warranty will not pay. I am concerned that at some point, these will start to rust and will end up with 20 or 30 or more rust spots over the car that will massively reduce any value in it.

So, I think to myself, do I trade in now while they are not obvious and a dealer wouldn't see them or just keep the car and hope that they don't become too obvious. I believe that a proper remedy to them is a full strip of the paint back to bare metal which wouldn't be cheap!

Nothing that I know of wrong with the car other than a front shock is leaking slightly so will probably fail at the next MOT (December) - car is serviced at a good indy every 18,000 miles. Its had the cambelt done and water pump (under warranty a while ago) so will be good for another few years yet. Rear disks and pads also done at last service.

Thoughts?

jobdone1

Why waste more money on metal or fibre glass. Keep what you have and wait for the bang ! Job-done

Apodemus

bouicca21 wrote: »

I'll maybe spend some of the money I save by not trading the car in on a Haynes manual...

I wouldn't bother. Although I have always had a Haynes manual for each car I have owned, I've not really used one at all recently. You get much better info from various vehicle forum sites or from YouTube videos. The Haynes manuals are now also noticeably thinner at the same time as the number of variants of each car model have got greater. I'm afraid that Haynes is one of these things whose time has passed.

Marvel1

I keep a car until no longer worth repairing. My last car I bought brand new 2004, had it until 2016 - written off by a third party parked outside my home. Got another 2012 reg and will keep until no longer worth it or I pray not wrote off.

System

JP1978 wrote: »

However, the car has suffered from a common issue known as zinc inclusions - so the paint is lifting in small bubbles from under the paint.

Do they look like a lot of little pimples? Just had that come through on a small section of the wheel arch on my MX5 I had ground back to clean metal and resprayed last year.

JP1978

Tarambor wrote: »

Do they look like a lot of little pimples? Just had that come through on a small section of the wheel arch on my MX5 I had ground back to clean metal and resprayed last year.

Yes they do - although they are a known issue on a few VW group cars, cant say ive heard anything re mazda.