Do PHers still practice bangernomics?

Do PHers still practice bangernomics?

Author
Discussion

Justin Case

2,195 posts

133 months

Saturday 23rd December 2017
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Is there a name for what I can only describe as bangernomics + ie something more than a £500 shed and also good to drive. I have been looking for a weekend toy recently, and now we are in the depths of winter, it is the obvious time to look for a convertible smile So far examples of Mercedes CLK, Saab 9-3 and Volvo C70 (with hood) have come up on my radar, all with reasonable mileage (less than 100k) in good condition, long MOT, with service history and sometimes with a guarantee (for what it's worth on a fifteen year old car) and all priced at under £3k. There are cheaper money pits of all these around, but the better ones seem to stand a reasonable chance of not needing too much spent on them in the foreseeable future.

Of course, there are decent cars that will cost a lot less to run, but the prospect of running the sort of car I could only dream of running when new or nearly new is very tempting

M1C

1,832 posts

110 months

Sunday 24th December 2017
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Always used bangernomics.

There is no cheaper way to own a car! (or cars!) There just isn't.

I'd agree with this from a previous poster (with an exception)

"I know someone who takes it to the other extreme. The most he's ever spent on a car in the 20 years I've known him is £500. Picks a random snotter with a year's MOT for £400-£500. And just drives it until it breaks, or fails an MOT expensively. Zero maintenance, cleaning, care etc. All noises, warning lights etc get completely ignored. A decision on whether to deal with an MOT or mechanical failure is based purely on the cost of rectification vs the cost of another MOT'd snotter. He is completely emotionally detached from the things. Properly insured and taxed, but otherwise zero fecks given.

He has a habit of getting 2-3 years out of a £400 car spending virtually nothing on it until something catastrophic fails (or MOT man condemns it), before picking up the next one and doing the same again. "

My difference is, i do get attached to the cars. I really like all kinds of cars, old and new. I appreciate (and have owned) cars that many would sneer at!

I think it's the mark of a true car enthusiast! To be able to enjoy and appreciate like...all kinds of cars!

Like...last year, i got a 2002 Megane 1.4 for £200...and it's brilliant! Yes it's quite old, green and ..well...a megane! (shape before big bum) but it's great! My SIL has it now and it's still going strong.

I've owned approx...26 cars over the last 17 or so years...and i'd say....22 of them have been well under £1...and many have been well under £500!

My current car would be classed as a Shed by PH (as it was £1500) but it's far from a shed to me!

I still actually look forward to getting my next £500 (or less) car! Ther'e's something incredibly satisfying (to me) about using a car that cost less than a monthly payment for people with newer cars.

I've never had any major disasters with any of them so perhaps i've been VERY lucky all this time.

Stuart12

72 posts

109 months

Sunday 24th December 2017
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having always been a “car snob” running reasonably expensive cars and changing them every few years costing loads in depreciation I am becoming a convert.

We decided we needed a 2nd family car for local driving for my wife, school runs etc while I am at work (in my £500 a month car!!) and bought a 15 year old Toyota Corrola eatate, the thing looks truly hideous but has now taken over as our main family car as we can fit 3 kids in it easier, they can eat in it and make a mess without annoying me, it does 45 mpg everywhere and costs buttons to run (£45 in the last 8,000 miles). Its been all over the country on family cmaping trips and has proved faultless.

it can be left anywhere and I dont have to park at the furthest point of every car park to avoid parking dents.

As soon as the PCP is up on the expensive car ill replace it with a nice but older daily barge for me (under £5k) and hopefully save a fortune over the years.

RoverP6B

4,338 posts

127 months

Friday 19th January 2018
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My three E39s have cost me a grand total of £6,085 in acquisition costs in the last nine years. £3990 for my 520i Touring, £595 for my 535i and £1500 for my 540i Touring. None has been perfect, but reliability overall has been fairly good, and expenditure on repairs minimal (other than when the 520i developed engine problems and it was cheaper to swap in another M54B22 from a scrapper E46 320i than fix the old one, and the gearbox rebuild the 535i now needs after 34 months' dirt-cheap V8 barging). Neither of the V8s has ever left me stranded at the roadside - the 520i's clutch blew up half a mile from home, but that was a clutch I'd had installed as a replacement for the original, so not really BMW's fault. I've done the whole finance thing (E46 318i Touring, 2 years old, BMW Approved Used, about £18k back in early 2002) - never again! Why would you? Today's dirt-cheap youngtimer classics are far better-built than those of 15-20 years ago, and if they've been looked after, should carry on for years to come.

mikeyr

3,118 posts

192 months

Friday 19th January 2018
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M1C said:
Lots of good stuff plus...

My difference is, i do get attached to the cars. I really like all kinds of cars, old and new. I appreciate (and have owned) cars that many would sneer at!

I think it's the mark of a true car enthusiast! To be able to enjoy and appreciate like...all kinds of cars!
I've owned approx...26 cars over the last 17 or so years...and i'd say....22 of them have been well under £1...and many have

Like...last year, i got a 2002 Megane 1.4 for £200...and it's brilliant! Yes it's quite old, green and ..well...a megane! (shape before big bum) but it's great! My SIL has it now and it's still going strong.
been well under £500!
Agree totally, for example I became very fond of my Nissan Tino, even though by PH standards it was st.

M1C

1,832 posts

110 months

Friday 19th January 2018
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mikeyr said:
M1C said:
Lots of good stuff plus...

My difference is, i do get attached to the cars. I really like all kinds of cars, old and new. I appreciate (and have owned) cars that many would sneer at!

I think it's the mark of a true car enthusiast! To be able to enjoy and appreciate like...all kinds of cars!
I've owned approx...26 cars over the last 17 or so years...and i'd say....22 of them have been well under £1...and many have

Like...last year, i got a 2002 Megane 1.4 for £200...and it's brilliant! Yes it's quite old, green and ..well...a megane! (shape before big bum) but it's great! My SIL has it now and it's still going strong.
been well under £500!
Agree totally, for example I became very fond of my Nissan Tino, even though by PH standards it was st.
Good man! Here's to all bangernomicists out there!

Lordglenmorangie

3,053 posts

204 months

Friday 19th January 2018
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Bought a Skoda fabia VRS a couple of years ago 56 plate at £3500 worth a grand now so banger territory. Just bloody love it 70 to gallon loads of torque leave anywhere wash once a flood has saved going on for 30,000 miles going on my 997 Turbo so win win. Will keep until it’s not viable to repair. Dam shame they don’t make the 1.9 diesel anymore .

hooblah

539 posts

86 months

Friday 19th January 2018
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Been running around in a £250 e class estate for almost a year. It's the biggest pile of st in the world but it's brilliant because I don't give a fk about it lol. I haven't seen another car on the road that's in as bad a condition as this thing. It's hilarious! It has so many faults but it drives, and until the day comes that I can't fix it anymore, it's staying.

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 19th January 2018
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400 quid 1.5dci Megane with leather interior bought from scrappy. Did a service, 30 road tax and spent nothing else in 8 months except diesel. Does 55mpg all day, engine sounds like bad of ste but still keeps going.

slk 32

1,486 posts

192 months

Friday 19th January 2018
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Lordglenmorangie said:
Bought a Skoda fabia VRS a couple of years ago 56 plate at £3500 worth a grand now so banger territory. Just bloody love it 70 to gallon loads of torque leave anywhere wash once a flood has saved going on for 30,000 miles going on my 997 Turbo so win win. Will keep until it’s not viable to repair. Dam shame they don’t make the 1.9 diesel anymore .
Exactly this

I bought a 118k 2008 polo bluemotion in Dec 2014 as a snotter to avoid using my slk55 in the winter ( a mistake I made with the 32 which dissolved like an aspirin)

To date I've done 24k in it and love it. Torquey turbo diesel, michelin tyres £50 a pop, Zero road tax, free parking permit from the council and 70 + mpg too. Not only that but I bought one with a few battlescars and trolley dings so I wouldn't be as precious about it as I would if it was immaculate.

The sense of liberation is incredible..no worrying about parking and it gets washed once a year.

Mechanically it gets whatever it needs..I just put a new turbo on (£1850 all in with an oil change). Given it's the same value as the car I did consider getting something else but it's great to drive and realistically the new turbo will outlast the car, plus if I amortise it over the time I've owned the car it will be peanuts.

I'll refresh the shocks next month (circa £350 fitted ) then it should be good for at least another 100k

sim72

4,945 posts

133 months

Saturday 20th January 2018
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2005 Mk5 Golf TDI, bought a year ago for £750-odd which included a new cambelt - it was cheap as it had 202K on the clock. It now has 219K. It's cost a set of tyres, a set of rear pads and an oil change so far, so it pretty much owes me nothing already. Just coming up for its first MOT, if it passes that cheaply (don't see why it shouldn't) I'll keep it for another year. Completely reliable (so far), 50-55mpg, decent enough to drive.

Haddock82

498 posts

137 months

Saturday 20th January 2018
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I love shedding!

My current daily cost as follows:


Car: £650 - 2004 Mondeo, 98k, FSH (Literally so many stamps in the book!) Garaged 2 owners
Service: £24 (Oil filter, Air Filter, Pollen Filter, Plugs. Fuel Filter) already had oil
Reverse Switch: £7
Insurance: £207 - £50 cashback coming through quidco too
MOT £40
Floor Mats: £11
Wiper Blades: £5

Total outlay: £894 for a fully insured MOT'd car

Road tax is £21 a month

Total 12 month outlay will be £1146

Other Sheds i've had:
Fiesta - £65 (It was rubbish but i sold it for £75!)

Rover 25 - £75 - gave it to my sister for nothing as she needed a run around and its still going.


Saxo VTR - Free - Did cost about £400 of DIY repairs to get it MOT'd - Sold for £800

MK1 Clio Auto - Free - Sold for £75 when MOT ran out

MK4 Escort - £150 - Sold for £50 as MOT had run out and needed welding


VW Scirocco - £400 - Still got it in the garage - Spent quite a lot over the years but insurance value now £6k

MGF - Free - Scrapped it and donated cash to charity (www.giveacar.co.uk) when the clutch went

MGF - £600 - It was mint! Sold it to a mate for £500 and he killed it

MG ZT - £800 - Was the petrol turbo version - had a HUGE pile of receipts for work, comfy and only problem i had was the cooling fan resistor went - £150 and back up and running - sold for £650 after 18 months


Scirocco GT - Bought for £300 - MOT'd with no issues and sold for £600 a year later


MG Midget 1978 - £500 - Bought off my uncle as it had been sat in his garage for 12 years! Re-commissioned it and got it MOT'd - Probably cost me about £800 in parts and welding - Sold it for just over £1k - Needed more welding and re-spray and it wasn't really ideal as a daily...!



There are bargains out there if you are not fussy and search hard

Get the best history you can and go with your eyes open, there will be niggles and problems. For me I like to spanner and will inevitably spend a few quid fixing them myself over time.

JakeT

5,406 posts

119 months

Saturday 20th January 2018
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My banger is still doing me well. New rear boots on Tuesday and I've got oil and sparks to do tomorrow.


curlie467

7,650 posts

200 months

Saturday 20th January 2018
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slk 32 said:
Exactly this

I bought a 118k 2008 polo bluemotion in Dec 2014 as a snotter to avoid using my slk55 in the winter ( a mistake I made with the 32 which dissolved like an aspirin)

To date I've done 24k in it and love it. Torquey turbo diesel, michelin tyres £50 a pop, Zero road tax, free parking permit from the council and 70 + mpg too. Not only that but I bought one with a few battlescars and trolley dings so I wouldn't be as precious about it as I would if it was immaculate.

The sense of liberation is incredible..no worrying about parking and it gets washed once a year.

Mechanically it gets whatever it needs..I just put a new turbo on (£1850 all in with an oil change). Given it's the same value as the car I did consider getting something else but it's great to drive and realistically the new turbo will outlast the car, plus if I amortise it over the time I've owned the car it will be peanuts.

I'll refresh the shocks next month (circa £350 fitted ) then it should be good for at least another 100k
redcard

Nope, not a banger.

Jaguar steve

9,232 posts

209 months

Sunday 21st January 2018
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JakeT said:
My banger is still doing me well. New rear boots on Tuesday and I've got oil and sparks to do tomorrow.

That is not a banger. That is bloody lovely.

Maximum possible extra PH points for having a number plate worth way more than the car too. smile

JD66

159 posts

122 months

Monday 22nd January 2018
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Can't beat a bit of bangernomics. My personal best are:

04 plate VW Bora TDI 130 Sport. 150k miles fsh and cambelt done at 140k Paid £200 for it in 2014 when it wasn't even 10 years old, as it had a weeks MOT and a noisy gearbox and flywheel and a dented wing and scruffy interior. Interior bits cost me a tenner, wing cost me £50, only needed 2 new tyres for £100 for the MOT and it cost me £800 to get the gearbox, clutch and flywheel replaced about 3 months after I bought it. Ran it for 2 years sold it to a mate with over 200k on the clock for £300 when it broke down. He replaced the injector loom for £50 and got another 30k out of it.

03 plate focus 2.0 Ghia, paid £600 for it in May 2016 off Gumtree, later found out the person I bought it off was a work colleague of my mums. Had 100k, full MOT, FSH and had just been serviced. The cambelt was done at 90k. I used to work at the garage it was MOTd and serviced at and my former work colleague said it was mechanically sound when I rang him. It only costs me £30 to service it myself. It had a new fuel pump and coolant hose in July 2016. Other than that its had a bit of welding on the exhaust, front discs and pads and tyres. I also replaced the clutch in in September last year which cost £400. Id have probably scrapped it but the clutch went completely outside my mates garage so I ended up paying him to fix it. Its now on just under 140k. The steering wheels pretty minging, theres a hole rusted through on the front wing and the cat is making an awful racket but reckon I'll replace the cat MOT time and it should be good for a while yet, especially as when I was looking for its replacement when the clutch was on its way out, used car prices seem to have gone through the roof and there doesnt seem to be as much decent stuff about at the bottom of the market.

My other shed which I still have is a V plate Alfa 166 3.0 v6 which I paid £200 for in October 2016. It had done 80k with fsh and a new clutch at 75k and I knew the previous owner whod had it since 2007. It had only done 10k since then so needed a full service including cambelt and a fair bit of work for the MOT. Once back on the road I had a fair few electrical problems that are now all sorted. Got a decent car for about £1700. Only issues are the fuse has gone on the ICS unit which is cheap to replace but the unit has to come out so is a pain to do. The passenger window doesnt work which doesnt bother me as Im usually driving it, theres a bit of flaking on the bumpers and the wheels could do with a refurb as well and the clutch cable squeaks. It also has squeaky bushes and the MOT runs out next month but I plan on keeping that for a while as well as it only got to £800 when I put it on ebay in November.

Only problem is like some others on here I buy them cheap but can't help spending money on them. I suppose I just tend to buy older cars as I'm a bit disillusioned with newer cars which seem a bit characterless and 2003/2004 doesnt seem as long ago to me as it actually is so the cars dont feel as old to me as they actually are.

Edited by JD66 on Monday 22 January 00:54


Edited by JD66 on Monday 22 January 00:54


Edited by JD66 on Monday 22 January 00:57

slk 32

1,486 posts

192 months

Monday 22nd January 2018
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JD66 said:
Can't beat a bit of bangernomics.

Only problem is like some others on here I buy them cheap but can't help spending money on them. I suppose I just tend to buy older cars as I'm a bit disillusioned with newer cars which seem a bit characterless and 2003/2004 doesnt seem as long ago to me as it actually is so the cars dont feel as old to me as they actually are.

Edited by JD66 on Monday 22 January 00:54


Edited by JD66 on Monday 22 January 00:54


Edited by JD66 on Monday 22 January 00:57
Probably like me you are happy to run an older car but it needs to be reliable - hence need for regular maintenance expenditure.

I am happy to spend a few quid with the upside that I'm not suffering horrendous depreciation

JD66

159 posts

122 months

Monday 22nd January 2018
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Just reading the thread through and realised that I already posted a few months ago so apologies for the repetition.

Edited by JD66 on Monday 22 January 01:30

JD66

159 posts

122 months

Monday 22nd January 2018
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slk 32 said:
Probably like me you are happy to run an older car but it needs to be reliable - hence need for regular maintenance expenditure.

I am happy to spend a few quid with the upside that I'm not suffering horrendous depreciation
Thats pretty much it. I hate to think what a new or even nearly new focus titanium or decent spec Giulia would cost in finance. I dont mind the latest focus or Giulia but Ive heard about the latest focus having head gasket problems. I also had a mk2 focus 2.0 titanium between the bora and 03 plate focus and it only lasted 3 months before the piston rings went at 100k. My dads mk2 focus titanium had the same thing happen but lasted till 140k and he got about 4 years out of it but hes fastidious on maintenance. My dad now has the mk3 1.6 ecoboost so I think Ill see how reliable they are first hand as I dont know if that engines as bad as the 1.0. At least with an old car as well any common faults are well documented so you know what youre letting yourself in for.

Edited by JD66 on Monday 22 January 01:26

rossub

4,400 posts

189 months

Monday 22nd January 2018
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Jaguar steve said:
JakeT said:
My banger is still doing me well. New rear boots on Tuesday and I've got oil and sparks to do tomorrow.

That is not a banger. That is bloody lovely.

Maximum possible extra PH points for having a number plate worth way more than the car too. smile
This happens every time he posts that picture. The other numbers on the reg have been blanked out on photoshop or whatever.