Problems with car

stephg20

But I don't want to keep spending money on it when the damage is already there.

AdrianC

stephg20 wrote: »

And I think the dealer probably paid about that much for it and then ripped me off.

You were perfectly happy to pay that amount, compared to other cars for sale at the time, right?

There's no need to have a such an attitude when someone is asking for advice btw. I don't know much about cars, thats why I asked on here. No need to patronise me.

I have not patronised you. You have bought an old car at the very bottom end of the market, albeit with low mileage, and you are now complaining about utterly predictable routine maintenance. Nothing you have said suggests any "damage has been done" by any previous owner. It's simply a dozen-plus-year-old car. Your choice is to do that maintenance, as and when required, or get shot of the car.

AdrianC

wgl2014 wrote: »

If its had spark plugs and a coil pack last year it would seem unlikely to need them replacing again unless they have been damaged by another problem.

Or they were poor quality cheap parts that have failed already.

iolanthe07

I would have thought that a 12 year old Corsa was well beyond its use by date, although of course any car can last for decades if it is maintained properly. At that age a high mileage is preferable to a low mileage, where the car has probably just been used for short runs from cold. IIRC something like 90% of wear to an engine occurs within the first few minutes of starting from cold.

stephg20

iolanthe07 wrote: »

I would have thought that a 12 year old Corsa was well beyond its use by date, although of course any car can last for decades if it is maintained properly. At that age a high mileage is preferable to a low mileage, where the car has probably just been used for short runs from cold. IIRC something like 90% of wear to an engine occurs within the first few minutes of starting from cold.

Thanks for that.

Can I just ask when I go and look for a new car, say if I get something around a 2008/2009 what sort of mileage should I be looking for then?

Aylesbury_Duck

stephg20 wrote: »

Thanks for that.

Can I just ask when I go and look for a new car, say if I get something around a 2008/2009 what sort of mileage should I be looking for then?

Sort of mileage is exactly what you're looking for rather than just the amount. There's a world of difference between a car that does 5,000 miles a year made up of a 100 mile motorway trip every week and a car that does 10,000 miles a year made up mainly of local trips in traffic.

stephg20

Aylesbury_Duck wrote: »

Sort of mileage is exactly what you're looking for rather than just the amount. There's a world of difference between a car that does 5,000 miles a year made up of a 100 mile motorway trip every week and a car that does 10,000 miles a year made up mainly of local trips in traffic.

Longer journeys are better? Would I just ask the previous owner or the garage if they know how the car was previously used? What if the car has had quite a few owners??

AdrianC

stephg20 wrote: »

Can I just ask when I go and look for a new car, say if I get something around a 2008/2009 what sort of mileage should I be looking for then?

2008-9 is still 8/9 years old now. Hardly in the first flush of youth - you will have many of the same maintenance requirements as you have now, with a car that's only a little older.

And stop focussing so heavily on mileage! It's largely irrelevant, and very easily lied about. Get any prospective car thoroughly inspected by somebody you trust, who knows what they're looking at.

stephg20

AdrianC wrote: »

2008-9 is still 8/9 years old now. Hardly in the first flush of youth - you will have many of the same maintenance requirements as you have now, with a car that's only a little older.

And stop focussing so heavily on mileage! It's largely irrelevant, and very easily lied about. Get any prospective car thoroughly inspected by somebody you trust, who knows what they're looking at.

Unfortunately I don't just have a couple of grand spare to buy a newish car.

I will get a new car inspected though, thanks.

AdrianC

stephg20 wrote: »

Unfortunately I don't just have a couple of grand spare to buy a newish car.

There is the option of entering into a lease or finance agreement, of course.

Apart from that, you are just going to have to accept that older cars cost money to keep healthy. It's always been the case, it will always be the case. There is an old adage that there is no such thing as a cheap car - and it's as true now as it's ever been.