Bangernomics: Is this the cheapest possible motoring?

moggylover

anewman wrote: »

I currently have a Skoda Favorit Estate 1994 and have had it just over a year, probably worth less than £100 realistically. Just about to have an MOT retest but only failed on rear bearing adjustment (my fault as I replaced the bearings myself) and a corroded brake pipe. MOT's always seem to bring up brake pipes so I am considering getting myself a flaring kit, handful of unions and a roll of pipe.

This is the best approach to motoring IMO. I can't understand why people with financial difficulties won't go for anything under a few thousand and get expensive credit to add to the cost of motoring and their other debts. There seems to be some unreasonable assumption of old or high mileage = crap and not worth bothering with. Or just the choice to have something with a nice badge and the latest reg to show off to people and keep up with the Jones's.

Like Conor says, I would try take care of the cars, put them through the MOT and you might be suprised at how little it costs to get through the MOT. An N reg primera is definitely worth keeping a couple of years at least - I can't imagine the headgasket will go on it.

I personally think the absolute ultimate way is to make the next car the same as the last one and strip the old one of all the good bits before scrapping it, but that's of course more for the mechanically minded.

Well done!

Back in the 1990's I watched two of my friends loose their homes to re-possession because they did not pay the morgage but both paid the loans on their expensive NEW cars and their expensive NEW furniture! What on earth was the point of having a nice big new leather sofa if you only had your 6 month old super-dooper-whizy-mobeel to put it in?! But then, they looked good to their friends and neighbours UNTIL the house was re-possessed!

I still miss my Citroen GS, which I bought when I worked for them at about 6 months old and ran for 13 years!!! When asked for my registration number I STILL always want to say CJH 26V - even a good 14 years after she went to a Citroen enthusiast to add to his collection - and raised me £100 even then with blown suspension!

sarahemmm

Conor wrote: »

If you get a good reliable one, MOT it and keep using it until the MOT costs more than £250.
...
No need to get rid of them just because the MOT expires. If you want true bangernomics, MOT it and keep using it.

Just to let you know - it has just passed its MOT, requiring 3 bulbs and a split pin. Mind you, that still cost me 100 quid in total!

cyclonebri1

sarahemmm wrote: »

Just to let you know - it has just passed its MOT, requiring 3 bulbs and a split pin. Mind you, that still cost me 100 quid in total!

Now that really is where you're letting yourself down, you need a mechanical "mate", sorry not volunteering:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :money:

Thunderbird_2

sarahemmm wrote: »

Just to let you know - it has just passed its MOT, requiring 3 bulbs and a split pin. Mind you, that still cost me 100 quid in total!

Well done! :T

tomstickland

I'm a big fan of old cars. People like to justify buying new cars because old ones are "unreliable and inefficient", but that's only true for badly maintained old cars. My current 17 year old BMW manages 39mpg with some spirited driving and racked up 100,000 miles before my first breakdown, which was the fuel pump expiring. TBH I should have carried a spare round with me because it had been noisey for 2 years.

Shoshannah

New cars are overrated. :rotfl:

I've had my current car for three years now. She is 16 years old now. Bought her for £250 off Ebay. I've done 50,000 miles in her, so of course things need replacing. I've replaced the battery (7 years old by the time it failed), alternator, bushes and brakes but that's pretty much it. I service her myself, so only pay for parts.

Number of breakdowns? 0.

As tomstickland says, badly maintained old cars will break down. But if you look after them (and it doesn't take a lot of effort, no more than you should maintain any car really) they can be cheap, reliable motoring. Those who think older cars require too much maintenance probably do nothing to maintain their newer cars at all, and think that the annual MOT is enough. Some of my friends have three and four year old Clios etc that their dads bought for them - most of them don't even check their tyre pressures, let alone check the oil. And they think that servicing a car is topping up the windscreen wash. :rolleyes:

I recently travelled along the M25; the weather was wet and the traffic was slow moving. I counted a total of 12 broken down cars at the side of the road between junctions 23 and 12 and not a single one was older than my car. In fact, the majority looked less than five or six years old.

1971rr

Over the years I have been motoring I have come to the conclusion that if you cut out depreciation then you can afford many other things in life.I own 6 vehicles-2 are classics which appreciate in value.2 i use for work(volvo 240 estate and a v90) and an astra lxi estate.The last is a 1990 Mercedes 300e.

I get great pleasure in maintaining/going to car rallies with these cars and when using my 240 for work get annoyed if I see a car older!!On my daily commute almost every car I see is new and most probably on finance-running an old car certainly brings out the smug side in you.

All my spare money goes into my house rather than on depreciation.I am living in a 4 bed detached in a nice village.Nothing amuses me more than driving past small 2 bed terraces with new BMW's and their ilk squashed in on what used to be a front garden.

In my road almost everyone runs new cars but I know which I would rather have.My 6 classics or a new Focus-no contest!

sarahemmm

Well, he did fix the boot lock as well (I had it held shut with a bungee cord) and the MOT was £50.

Mind you, it will probably break severely now...

judosteffer

Never managed to get one for £200, but a bargain buy I had was a K-reg Nissan Sunny a few years back.

Paid £800 quid for it, changed the sparkplugs, oil and air filter myself and fitted 2 budget tyres.

Kept it for a year, and did over 10,000 miles of trouble free motoring.

Sold it for £600! So it only lost £200 in value, plus about £150 for parts, cost me about £350-400 quid plus petrol, tax and insurance for the year!

considering many new cars depreciate more than that EACH month, I think that was a bargain! wish I'd never sold it now!

anewman

I think it will be difficult to get cars for £200 now, given they easily fetch that in scrap metal value.