When to retire a middle-aged car

When to retire a middle-aged car

Author
Discussion

Twilkes

Original Poster:

478 posts

138 months

Thursday 23rd October 2014
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2002 Honda Jazz, about 110,000 on the clock, average 9000 miles per year, runs well, has generally cost £100-£400 per year in maintenance/MOT fixes over the last 3-4 years, depending on whether anything major needs replacing.

At what point should we ditch it and get something younger? Ditch it when the service costs increase, or drive it into the ground?

This was bought in 2009 for around £4k, and would likely buy a similarly aged/priced car next time.

sebhaque

6,402 posts

180 months

Thursday 23rd October 2014
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I'd just drive it into the ground. It'll last for a good few years yet, given your good attitude to car maintenance. A new car may not have been as looked after as yours - realistically your '02 Jazz isn't going to return you much more than around £1000-1500. Spend £3k on depreciation? I'd just keep it for a few more years, run it until it dies, and enjoy it.

davepoth

29,395 posts

198 months

Friday 24th October 2014
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As he said, if you aren't really interested in having something newer, you'll do well to hold on to it since you've been good with servicing. Check out the used prices for one, if you get a repair that's going to cost more than the car is worth, bin it. If the repair is less than the car then you might as well keep going - there's always an element of the unknown with a "new" car.

RobinBanks

17,540 posts

178 months

Friday 24th October 2014
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Keep going with it until a bill comes which is more than it's worth. They're solid, economical cars.

Crosswise

410 posts

185 months

Friday 24th October 2014
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My daily is from 1971 and built by BL, it's regularly serviced and well maintained and it is not anywhere near being retired so I'd say your Honda should be good for another 30 years at least!

TheRealFingers99

1,996 posts

127 months

Friday 24th October 2014
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Run it into the ground (regular servicing is permitted). If you DIY servicing/maintenance and can weld a little, there's unlikely to ever be a point where it's actually cheaper to buy a new car.

BL Fanboy

339 posts

141 months

Friday 24th October 2014
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Crosswise said:
My daily is from 1971 and built by BL, it's regularly serviced and well maintained and it is not anywhere near being retired so I'd say your Honda should be good for another 30 years at least!
And what a superb fleet you have sir. Every single one.

A.J.M

7,893 posts

185 months

Friday 24th October 2014
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I'm with other posters.

Unless you really fancy a change, keep it and run it into the ground.
You have taken care of it so far with servicing and general repairs so you know the car, you know what's been replaced due to wear and tear.

It's a good, cheap practical well built car. Unless something is terminal, it will last a few more years.

Crosswise

410 posts

185 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
BL Fanboy said:
Crosswise said:
My daily is from 1971 and built by BL, it's regularly serviced and well maintained and it is not anywhere near being retired so I'd say your Honda should be good for another 30 years at least!
And what a superb fleet you have sir. Every single one.
Thank you for saying so. I do try and run interesting cars for my own enjoyment, but it's always nice when someone appreciates them.

HorneyMX5

5,308 posts

149 months

Friday 24th October 2014
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This topic reminded me a friend recently stated they needed to change his wife's car as it was due a cambelt and expensive service soon. The car in question? A 2011 21,000 mile Polo. Insane!

skyrover

12,668 posts

203 months

Friday 24th October 2014
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Run it into the ground... it's got years left in it

Matt UK

17,649 posts

199 months

Friday 24th October 2014
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Retire it when you look at it at 5am on a December morning and you don't 100% trust it. Until then, keep going.

Twilkes

Original Poster:

478 posts

138 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Thanks - although reports of our careful servicing have been greatly exaggerated, it's more like 'enforced' maintenance. smile

So I can get an idea of costs, if anyone has a 5-6 year old car, how much would you expect to pay in servicing/maintenance in an average year? Anyone had a few clear MOTs with no maintenance costs at all?

TwistingMyMelon

6,385 posts

204 months

Friday 24th October 2014
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If its anything like my Honda, it will run forever, never underestimate how "stress free" those cars are. One of the last great Jap cars, where everything is simple and straightforward. Cars now, even Hondas are a different beast, obviously a lot "better" and more advanced, but so much more to go wrong!

I would just forever, unless you "want" a new car, but for no hassles keep on

I have a 04 Civic at the moment, it was left standing for 3 years before I got it last year. I replaced the battery, changed the oil, changed the front tyres and done 10K this year having just had to replace a Indicator relay and even then the part gave me a weeks notice it was going to fail!!! The best and worst car I have ever had. The worst, as it is very dull and looks like a pensioners wagon, the best as it is no nonsense, no hassles, when everything else in life goes wrong, I know the car wont!

I need to replace it really, but I love the stress free year it has given me! Even the other day my step daughter slammed the door open on a granite wall. In my classic merc, I would have gone mental and been gutted, with the Civic, its just a car to get from A-B. It didnt even do any damage, as it has huge door protector trims!

Edited by TwistingMyMelon on Friday 24th October 10:12

TwistingMyMelon

6,385 posts

204 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Twilkes said:
Thanks - although reports of our careful servicing have been greatly exaggerated, it's more like 'enforced' maintenance. smile

So I can get an idea of costs, if anyone has a 5-6 year old car, how much would you expect to pay in servicing/maintenance in an average year? Anyone had a few clear MOTs with no maintenance costs at all?
Ive had some jap cars with very minimal MOT costs, then I had a 2006 Mazda that never failed an mot in its life, then the rear suspension arms needed doing for the MOT and the parts were pricey @ £500 for the job

But whilst on an older car you might get MOT costs , the depreciation curve has bottomed out, what puts me off modern cars, is whilst maintenance might be cheaper, the depreciation can be a killer

friggs

41 posts

139 months

Friday 24th October 2014
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Run it til it dies, you'll wont lose much!

Dad had a c2 GT, paid 1700 for it, ran it for a year (without any maintenance - maybe 1 tyre) and someone rear ended him, insurance paid £1500 for us to fix it ourselves (new back bumper, boot, rear panel) He ran it for 2 months before we could even think about fixing it but the engine decided to lose compression - scrapped for £300 and his replacement C3, 1 year newer and 40k less miles was bought for £605

I'm in a similar thought process at the minute, wife wants a car towards the end of next year, currently some crap Renault is what she wants but I'm thinking 2015 focus. Both our cars are 2006, she's had her current focus since 09 with 55k on (103k now), Ive had my 06 vectra for 2 years, The idea has always been to trade her focus in but my DMF has started to get a bit noisey, I'm 6k over a service and, well its a bloody vauxhall. Im happy to swap the center box on the focus, swap the discs and run that for a few more years whilst we trade my vectra in, yes Ill lose air con, cruise control and a big boot but I don't want to pay 50% of the cars value repairing it, aslong as the DMF holds out for a year or so (Sep 2015)

I have said that the new car will be mine when it hits 3 years old and she can take the new car again, but I'm going to be very specific about what car she buys this time around!

Fastdruid

8,623 posts

151 months

Friday 24th October 2014
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I ran a 1998 Mk2 Mondeo from ~96k to 174k in ~6 years, I bought it at 9 years old and in that time the most expensive bill I had a year was for £450, one MOT it passed with no issues, another it only needed a new bulb in one of the number plate lights. Most of the time it would run about £100-£150 per year in fixing costs plus servicing and MOT.

I would have kept it until it died apart from I got a new job with a car allowance and a 15 year old Mondeo didn't quite cut it.

A newer car will cost you a lot more and unless you are buying brand new will have almost the same chances of things failing. Stick what you would have paid for a new car in a saving fund and keep it for a rainy day. It'll give you a fund for if things go wrong and if the engine blows up and the chassis falls in half it'll give you at least the deposit on a replacement.

greggy50

6,161 posts

190 months

Friday 24th October 2014
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It's a Honda it will probably outlive you if you service it regularly

The Jazz is pretty bulletproof pretty simple car and a simple reliable engine I would say it could do 250,000 miles with ease if give it a service every year. Only thing that may go is possibly a clutch/suspension bushes (maybe shocks) just through age apart from that would be routine maintenance I would say.

JakeThePeg

4,076 posts

121 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Twilkes said:
Thanks - although reports of our careful servicing have been greatly exaggerated, it's more like 'enforced' maintenance. smile

So I can get an idea of costs, if anyone has a 5-6 year old car, how much would you expect to pay in servicing/maintenance in an average year? Anyone had a few clear MOTs with no maintenance costs at all?
Mine's a Fiat on a 58 plate (so 6 years old) and other than previous owner negligence it owes me nothing except 2 tyres a soon a new clutch. In the time I've had the only things I've repaired/replaced have been cosmetic (again to due previous abuse) Cost me £50 for an MOT so far. Due a service in march though, but I'm gonna do it myself.

SteveSteveson

3,209 posts

162 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Twilkes said:
Thanks - although reports of our careful servicing have been greatly exaggerated, it's more like 'enforced' maintenance. smile

So I can get an idea of costs, if anyone has a 5-6 year old car, how much would you expect to pay in servicing/maintenance in an average year? Anyone had a few clear MOTs with no maintenance costs at all?
My now 7 year old MX5:

Front drop links (£180 in total. Know to go and seen as a wearable part)
Some sealant on the windscreen. Water was leaking in due to a poor seal on a replacement screen by the previous owner. Done free by Mazda.
1 new wheel and 2 tyres due to my hitting a sodding great pot hole and busting a wheel.
1 headlight bulb.

So the only issue in 2 ish years and has been one set of drop links and a headlight bulb.

Other than that, yearly servicing, 2 clean MOT's, I'm fully expecting a third, and 3 wheel alignments (I'm quite anal about that is it does make a big different to an MX5 and the very hard suspension knocks it out, but one was when I got the car and one was when I broke the wheel).

A modern car should not have any major problems at 6 year old unless it is very high miles or been abused.