How long can I keep my car?

coffeehound

ratrace said:

I would keep it untill its uneconomical to repair

How do you define that, though?  Think that is what the OP is asking.  I heard one guy say he got rid of a car when a bill came in that was 10% of the residual value.

BOWFER

coffeehound said:

ratrace said:

I would keep it untill its uneconomical to repair

How do you define that, though?  Think that is what the OP is asking.  I heard one guy say he got rid of a car when a bill came in that was 10% of the residual value.

That seems a bit excessive, that would mean my dear old ma getting rid of her old (but reliable) Micra when it needed new wipers...
She easily spends 50% of what it's worth every year on a service and MOT and some other rip off repair that the garage she likes dreams up.

ratrace

coffeehound said:

ratrace said:

I would keep it untill its uneconomical to repair

How do you define that, though?  Think that is what the OP is asking.  I heard one guy say he got rid of a car when a bill came in that was 10% of the residual value.

For me it depnds on the value of the car, its history and any major works that have been carried out before the current repair needs to be done

for exmaple my current car a golf mk5 gt tdi 160k miles has had

(2017) refurb turbo cost me £250

(2018) clutch and flywheel £550

(2020) cambelt kit £250

the car is only worth £1500 but if it needed a repair this year of lets say £1000 i would still spend the money due to how well its been looked after, and still get a few years out of it.

had the above not been done it then yes i would scrap it so it all comes down to each car its history etc... so you cant really put a % on it as each car is diffrent

jimjames

coffeehound said:

ratrace said:

I would keep it untill its uneconomical to repair

How do you define that, though?  Think that is what the OP is asking.  I heard one guy say he got rid of a car when a bill came in that was 10% of the residual value.

To me if the car is reliable and no impending items that could wreck that like serious corrosion then I'd repair it. The previous comment about new turbo, clutch etc are all items I would get done. My previous car had 200k miles but I still paid out to get new turbo, new clutch & DMF, it then did me for a couple more years before I was given a replacement by family member after which I sold it. Checking MOT history it's still going strong.

MovingForwards

I usually buy cars 15+ years old and keep them going until no longer viable, provided the wheels keep turning and the engine starts I'm happy to pay the repair bills. 

Admittedly my current car has cost me more than all my others,  but there's not much left to replace 😉 

Tax, insurance, repairs and MOT comes in at under £1k a year, which I won't complain about.

Better the devil you know.

motorguy

Two of mine are 15 years old and going strong.  Many years life in them yet.

I think if either of them needed even an engine or a gearbox i'd get it fitted.  Probably the biggest bill i'm likely to see on them.

dipsomaniac

coffeehound said:

ratrace said:

I would keep it untill its uneconomical to repair

How do you define that, though?  Think that is what the OP is asking.  I heard one guy say he got rid of a car when a bill came in that was 10% of the residual value.

That's the £46m question. As someone else has said 'better the devil you know' has a value.  People change their cars far too often imo often for vanity reasons

Amateurd

WeBuyAnyCar says my car is worth £650.

AutoTrader average value is about £2K for the same age / mileage car.

This year it has cost £20 in tax, £126 in tyres, a £13 boot catch replacement and will need a service and MOT.

It is worth more than £650 to me - I figure if an unexpected repair came in above £400 I'd think about whether it was time to call it a day.

dipsomaniac

Crazy. £400 could be service items

Herzlos

coffeehound said:

ratrace said:

I would keep it untill its uneconomical to repair

How do you define that, though?  Think that is what the OP is asking.  I heard one guy say he got rid of a car when a bill came in that was 10% of the residual value.

"Will this cost more to repair than to replace the whole car? How reliable will it be if repaired?"

If you're looking at scrapping it rather than repair, then the value of the car is irrelevant, so it just comes down to whether you are better spending the money on getting a replacement than the repair. The only exception is if the car is otherwise really reliable and a replacement would be a big unknown.