Squeezed middle motorists hold onto old bangers

Inexperienced Joined: Jan 20, 2012 Posts: 42

just read a telegraph article ( 4th sept) stating sqeezed middle classes holding onto there cars for longer due to stretched finances, an owner of a 22 year old passat quite happy with his motor still runs sweet with no depreciation does not have to contend with one eye on dash waiting for inevitable multi warning light popping on like a christmas tree (now mot fail) only to be told by garage not quite sure what problem is try this sensor. Yes my friends hold onto your old metal as the government and europe dream up more legislation you dont need a clock makers tool kit and hands nimble as a ten year old to work on the oily bits. we are also getting less new car for our money as manufacturers look to make there cars more frugal on juice,steel gets a few microns thinner , plastics more hollow i still love the reasuring thud as i close the door on my 20 year old audi.

Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 10:41 am

Agreed- although getting parts can start to be more "problematic" as they get older.
Some of the newer cars are GREAT (see my article on the latest A3)- BUT my "fear" is that when these start to age- say ten years plus, issues are going to be a NIGHTMARE to sort out- and plugging it into a laptop will not be enough (as many garages try to do now, and don't always know how to work with the information provided)
They aren't made like they used to; before things tended to be engineered to last; now they are engineered to get away with the bare minimum (metal thickness on panels, for example) for either weight or cost savings, and a threshold will be set for minimum quality requirements (how many operations a particular component will work for, for example) and these don't tend to be as long as previous.

A good example? Compare the A4 (not the first ones- a new model always has "issues") with a later Audi 80.... but then look at engine reliability in the later 80's (V6, S2, etc.) that require more and more sensors/ electronics to work, as opposed to "simpler" designs- there is a lot less to "go wrong" so easier to fix.

Enough waffle- basically I completely agree Cool

Bandwidth Buster Joined: Jun 14, 2008 Posts: 742

Andy,

I agree with you 100% new cars are now a nightmare when it comes to repairs.

A friend of mine has ditched his company car in favour of a cash replacement and only buys cars over 15 years old or older, he says they are more fun to drive and you do have to drive them, they cost peanuts, are easy to repair and parts although more costly now than they were when the car was originally sold are still a damn sight cheaper than new car parts.

He says his servicing costs have dropped dramatically, he runs them for around a year, sells them for the same price he paid and picks up another cheap oldie with low mileage, 2 little old lady owners and never been raced, rallied or rolled, job done! Okay it doesn't have heated seats, H.U.D, reversing cameras, a fancy 'Start' button on the dash etc. etc. etc but the smile he has on his face when he pulls on the drive in his old motor is a joy to see, he was a miserable sod normally....

I think I will follow his lead when my daily driver dies or becomes to uneconomical to use, why pay £8 to £10k when you can pick up a 10 to 15 yr old motor with under 40k on the clock for £1500 or less and sell it in a years time for the same amount, it's a no-brainer...

Gary

Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2012 10:35 pm

exactly. and the older cars you know (by now) their "issues"...so you can avoid them or do preventative maintenance...

Bandwidth Buster Joined: Jun 14, 2008 Posts: 742

Andy, you're right and something I found out, using an older car as a company car doesn't incur tax charges and there's no Benefit In Kind.

So, I will definately be going down that route next time.........