Longevity - Lack of
Discussion
OldGermanHeaps said:
I know what does contribute to this among certain people though, my gran told me she was going to get rid of her 7 year old punto with only 28k miles as the clutch pedal sank to the floor and the garage told her they had to take the gearbox off to change the master cylinder, and since they were doing that they should really change the flywheel and clutch at the same time. £620.
The maser cylinder bolts onto the top of the gearbox, 3 bolts, 1 hose, no seized fastners, very easy access. It took me 10 minutes to change and 5 minutes to bleed, but about 20 minutes to convince her that was it fixed properly for £22.
Thats a busy wee garage as well, if they pull that s
t all the time with ignorant punters its easy to see why so many people take the option of getting fleased
Works well with an older shopping trolley, but less well with anything a bit more interesting or different. You can always save on the labour costs, but if the part costs X, even from a third party, it isn't going to be a cheap fix.The maser cylinder bolts onto the top of the gearbox, 3 bolts, 1 hose, no seized fastners, very easy access. It took me 10 minutes to change and 5 minutes to bleed, but about 20 minutes to convince her that was it fixed properly for £22.
Thats a busy wee garage as well, if they pull that s
t all the time with ignorant punters its easy to see why so many people take the option of getting fleased Sometimes it just makes sense. My old runabout had done over 200k and needed a service, brakes, tyres, air-con fixing, a bit of an exhaust remedy, some bodywork and so on. It was also still on clutch No1 (never had to change one).
Even you and your mech daughter wouldn't have made a killing, extended the life beyond what it already was or made it any better.
The time was right to move on
. However, still miss bits of it, like the cheap and dirty (in a good way) sound, for one.98elise said:
Bill said:
'Twas always thus. 12-15 year old cars with 150+k on them aren't worth much. And then a clutch goes...
Yup...a clutch can be many hundreds, especially if the have a DFM.I was quoted 1k by ford for a mondeo couch change.
I remember seeing this article a few years ago https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motoring/ten-%C... Well I now live in France and you'd be lucky to get a working diesel Clio with 300,000km on it for £1500 over here, never mind a V6 Golf or an A8...!
I think the age related number plates in the UK drive a lot of new car sales. I don't know of any countries in europe where the number plate relates directly to the age of the car.
Edited by jon_273 on Sunday 14th January 02:40
Edited by jon_273 on Sunday 14th January 02:40
Ireland would be one of them but I don't think there is any other country though.
The used car prices in the UK are low because there is a limited market for Right hand drive cars. In Europe they keep their value a lot more because the wheel is on the other side and every country drives on the right.
The used car prices in the UK are low because there is a limited market for Right hand drive cars. In Europe they keep their value a lot more because the wheel is on the other side and every country drives on the right.
It clearly depends on what the car is, my TVR is 36 years old, my Ferrari 19 years old, but there both in better condition in a typical 2 or 3 year old car. Then my last hack was a 2009 Avensis, it had done near 250k miles, in good condition but essentially worthless, and that was over a year ago!
Chris.
Chris.
It clearly depends on what the car is, my TVR is 36 years old, my Ferrari 19 years old, but there both in better condition in a typical 2 or 3 year old car. Then my last hack was a 2009 Avensis, it had done near 250k miles, in good condition but essentially worthless, and that was over a year ago!
Chris.
Chris.
Justin Case said:
A 53 reg car will be about 14 years old, which I believe is the average life of a car today. I wouldn't be surprised if that is more than only a few years ago when terminal rust was more of a problem.
Eh? I’m driving a 53 plate Mondeo ST220 at the minute and despite being the oldest I have owned it’s been the most reliable. The leather looks like it’s never been sat on, it only had 73k miles on when I purchased it, everything works perfectly even the air con is ice cold, everything is spot on gearbox, clutch, suspension bodywork etc and it’s never failed an MOT in all its 14 years! It passed its recent Mot last month with 0 advisory’s. I have had it 12 months and put 10k miles on it and it’s cost me absolutely nothing to run apart from it’s new Mot. I could sell it right now and it would only owe me £300 in depreciation for a years worth of driving
Edited by ST Ford on Sunday 14th January 15:18
loskie said:
kylos27 said:
But does anyone know "WHY" used cars are so cheap in the uk vs other countries?
. My reason would be the British climate combined with salted roads and Rhd format . That limits the export market .
Over to you ....
Possibly because people in the UK are generally so materialistic, shallow and vein. Add to that finance and a lack of the consumer's understanding of the real cost and debt they will be in.. My reason would be the British climate combined with salted roads and Rhd format . That limits the export market .
Over to you ....
After all you and I can't see their debt but we can see their shiny new white Merc , BMW or Audi so we "must" be impressed with how well they are doing!
Just look at all the pouting selfies on facebook that pretty sums up what I am talking about. They all want peer validation. "twit twoo missus looking good" a post following a fat munters selfie.
So that reduces the desire for used cars.
Me I have a healthy bank balance, house no mortgage currently driving my 52 plate Forester
You don't think people are people in other countries? The Italians aren't image obsessed?
Naa, it's that we're all stupid and vain in this country. Apart from you.
skyrover said:
Just spend £700 on replacing the clutch and dual mass on a 2001 volvo V70 Petrol N/A with 140,000 miles on the clock.
The car is worth £700 at best.
Was it worth it?
Absolutely.
Thats the spirit, as long as the rest is ok you are effectively paying £600 to keep it going, as you could scrap it for say £100, then have to buy something else anyway, which could then spit its dummy out anyway.The car is worth £700 at best.
Was it worth it?
Absolutely.
So many are now addicted to having new cars, it is like suggesting something improper to some if you say why not consider an older car, and so many people are completely inept at anything other that wielding the wonderful fix it all tool called a credit card, the horror that some display when suggesting perhaps having a look yourself, a mixture of cluelesness and an opinion that perhaps it is a bit beneath them, yet are still living hand to mouth.
I think leasing and PCP on new stuff does work, not against it but it does end up a fairly big cost, albeit generally a fixed one.
We moan over here but cars are cheap, you wont get a road worthy S class in Europe for a grand for example.
OP doesn’t mention what make and model the cars are.
That could have something to do with it.
The cars are from 2002-2005. We are now in 2018. Years of British climate, likely lack of care from owners as the cars aged, likely skipped services. All it takes is one big fault and it’s gone.
Be it mechanical or electrical.
That and cars do have a lifespan.
Some are longer than others but at some point, most cars will have their date with the scrapyard.
This is where “Car Nuts”’ survival thread was good, it showed different classes of car and when the numbers started to drop as they aged and when the death spiral took hold.
That could have something to do with it.
The cars are from 2002-2005. We are now in 2018. Years of British climate, likely lack of care from owners as the cars aged, likely skipped services. All it takes is one big fault and it’s gone.
Be it mechanical or electrical.
That and cars do have a lifespan.
Some are longer than others but at some point, most cars will have their date with the scrapyard.
This is where “Car Nuts”’ survival thread was good, it showed different classes of car and when the numbers started to drop as they aged and when the death spiral took hold.
GroundEffect said:
Oh check you out. You're clearly much better than everyone else.
You don't think people are people in other countries? The Italians aren't image obsessed?
Naa, it's that we're all stupid and vain in this country. Apart from you.
Never let facts get in the way of a good rant You don't think people are people in other countries? The Italians aren't image obsessed?
Naa, it's that we're all stupid and vain in this country. Apart from you.
In the UK the buying habits of the "must have it now" generation have increased personal debt well above that in Italy, and we drive cars that are on average 3 years newer than the Italians do.
If loskie isn't loading himself with debt to drive a newer car, then yes he is "better"* than an awful lot of people in the UK, when it comes to financial responsibility anyway.
loskie said:
kylos27 said:
But does anyone know "WHY" used cars are so cheap in the uk vs other countries?
. My reason would be the British climate combined with salted roads and Rhd format . That limits the export market .
Over to you ....
Possibly because people in the UK are generally so materialistic, shallow and vein. Add to that finance and a lack of the consumer's understanding of the real cost and debt they will be in.. My reason would be the British climate combined with salted roads and Rhd format . That limits the export market .
Over to you ....
After all you and I can't see their debt but we can see their shiny new white Merc , BMW or Audi so we "must" be impressed with how well they are doing!
Just look at all the pouting selfies on facebook that pretty sums up what I am talking about. They all want peer validation. "twit twoo missus looking good" a post following a fat munters selfie.
So that reduces the desire for used cars.
Me I have a healthy bank balance, house no mortgage currently driving my 52 plate Forester
I paid £150 for an 03 fiesta with 72k - no MOT, would have got pretty close to that from a scrap man if they shopped around.
It needed a new window runner and a rear tyre, I've also rebuilt the petrol flap lock and put some better working seats in it, dare say if i didn't buy it it would have been scrapped.
We're in a society of keeping up with the jones' and everybody caring too much. Personally don't care i used the fiesta for 2 months before putting my private plate on it (purely because I had it) whereas I suggested to the wife we get her a private reg a few years ago, 'But then nobody would know my car is new'
I actually love driving along and checking what age other cars are around me, I'm sitting at 15 years old, I was only 14 when my car was made, and the oldest cars I tend to see are 05 reg, there is a pretty nice Puma that parks in the same train station, one day I'll have to park my Puma beside it (when it gets MOT) That was dumped when it failed its MOT, 1 owner from new and it needed around £200 spending on it, it had 4 brand new tyres and just got sold off as an MOT fail, 7 years later I picked it up - throwaway society
It needed a new window runner and a rear tyre, I've also rebuilt the petrol flap lock and put some better working seats in it, dare say if i didn't buy it it would have been scrapped.
We're in a society of keeping up with the jones' and everybody caring too much. Personally don't care i used the fiesta for 2 months before putting my private plate on it (purely because I had it) whereas I suggested to the wife we get her a private reg a few years ago, 'But then nobody would know my car is new'
I actually love driving along and checking what age other cars are around me, I'm sitting at 15 years old, I was only 14 when my car was made, and the oldest cars I tend to see are 05 reg, there is a pretty nice Puma that parks in the same train station, one day I'll have to park my Puma beside it (when it gets MOT) That was dumped when it failed its MOT, 1 owner from new and it needed around £200 spending on it, it had 4 brand new tyres and just got sold off as an MOT fail, 7 years later I picked it up - throwaway society
strain said:
I paid £150 for an 03 fiesta with 72k - no MOT, would have got pretty close to that from a scrap man if they shopped around.
It needed a new window runner and a rear tyre, I've also rebuilt the petrol flap lock and put some better working seats in it, dare say if i didn't buy it it would have been scrapped.
We're in a society of keeping up with the jones' and everybody caring too much. Personally don't care i used the fiesta for 2 months before putting my private plate on it (purely because I had it) whereas I suggested to the wife we get her a private reg a few years ago, 'But then nobody would know my car is new'
I actually love driving along and checking what age other cars are around me, I'm sitting at 15 years old, I was only 14 when my car was made, and the oldest cars I tend to see are 05 reg, there is a pretty nice Puma that parks in the same train station, one day I'll have to park my Puma beside it (when it gets MOT) That was dumped when it failed its MOT, 1 owner from new and it needed around £200 spending on it, it had 4 brand new tyres and just got sold off as an MOT fail, 7 years later I picked it up - throwaway society
I have a private plate to stop people seeing it's not new :P If cars are looked after and you can't just stare at the reg most people have no clue how old something is as they expect anything 10 years old to be falling apart when it can look almost new without much attention.It needed a new window runner and a rear tyre, I've also rebuilt the petrol flap lock and put some better working seats in it, dare say if i didn't buy it it would have been scrapped.
We're in a society of keeping up with the jones' and everybody caring too much. Personally don't care i used the fiesta for 2 months before putting my private plate on it (purely because I had it) whereas I suggested to the wife we get her a private reg a few years ago, 'But then nobody would know my car is new'
I actually love driving along and checking what age other cars are around me, I'm sitting at 15 years old, I was only 14 when my car was made, and the oldest cars I tend to see are 05 reg, there is a pretty nice Puma that parks in the same train station, one day I'll have to park my Puma beside it (when it gets MOT) That was dumped when it failed its MOT, 1 owner from new and it needed around £200 spending on it, it had 4 brand new tyres and just got sold off as an MOT fail, 7 years later I picked it up - throwaway society
SkodaIan said:
Back in 1991, my dad replaced his ten year old W reg Volvo 240 with a new one. At the time ( I was 11 and just getting interested in cars), I remember thinking that it had done really well because there were very few W reg or older cars on the road.
These days there are loads of 07 and 57 reg cars around, and they don't even look that old or dated in most cases
said this many times on here, go back a bit, cars didn't do 100k miles, they'd rotted to bits well before then.These days there are loads of 07 and 57 reg cars around, and they don't even look that old or dated in most cases
funnily enough I was looking at some photo albums with my mother at the weekend.
Pics of me in about 77 next to my parents volvo 144 saloon. the rot/rust on it, wings, seems, arches was terrible !!
that car was a "K" plate, so 1971- I know they bought it maybe a yr old from Volvo.
they had a toyota estate too at the same time- my mother reckoned it was way ahead of any British stuff- but it rotted to bits before the engine failed.
If we are so image-obsessed why are we so crap at it? As a race we may have more PCP Audis than the Italians, but we don't look a fraction as stylish as them or eat such good food in such stylish restaurants. The same goes to a certain extent with the French, especially with eating out and music. Their cars may be older, but they are certainly more civilised than the average English person (the other nations of the UK don't seem to be as bad}
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