How can I know if repairs are going to end?
Discussion
I bought a civic vti 99 year and a half ago or so. It had some 5 owners at 165k miles with no service history. However car was running fine for first few weeks.
Suddenly a wheel comes off the hub and I spend near a grand restoring the damage. Previous owner was obviously diy. Since then I had to do a number of suspension parts. I also have some outstanding oil leaks and water leaks and exhaust leaks to repair. Cabin also smells of something which needs to get cleaned out. Needed various other repairs too. Car kept running intermittently , i couldn’t be asked so I parked it up for about 5 months until I later returned found it was the ignition switch and I fixed it. On the same day I fixed it I went for a drive and within the same day now the clutch has gone all soft.
Now I’m not asking about wat the cause of a soft clutch is rather I’m wondering if these repairs are Ever going to end?
When buying anything at 150k+ miles should you expect to have ongoing repairs or is more to do with whether previous owners were repairing as they went. Then again my repairs came up as I had the car, a Previous owner couldn’t know these were needed.
I might get an Impreza gc8 next but if I get high mileage one how can I expect this not to happen again??
Suddenly a wheel comes off the hub and I spend near a grand restoring the damage. Previous owner was obviously diy. Since then I had to do a number of suspension parts. I also have some outstanding oil leaks and water leaks and exhaust leaks to repair. Cabin also smells of something which needs to get cleaned out. Needed various other repairs too. Car kept running intermittently , i couldn’t be asked so I parked it up for about 5 months until I later returned found it was the ignition switch and I fixed it. On the same day I fixed it I went for a drive and within the same day now the clutch has gone all soft.
Now I’m not asking about wat the cause of a soft clutch is rather I’m wondering if these repairs are Ever going to end?
When buying anything at 150k+ miles should you expect to have ongoing repairs or is more to do with whether previous owners were repairing as they went. Then again my repairs came up as I had the car, a Previous owner couldn’t know these were needed.
I might get an Impreza gc8 next but if I get high mileage one how can I expect this not to happen again??
Edited by SpeedySpeedBoy on Wednesday 21st August 19:34
Edited by SpeedySpeedBoy on Wednesday 21st August 19:35
What is the design life of a car? 10-15 years? 100-150k miles?
I would suggest that this range covers it- and your car has exceeded it.
Obviously you can extend a cars service life pretty much indefinitely if the will exists. However it can feel like an uphill struggle at times- ask any classic car enthusiast.
I would suggest that this range covers it- and your car has exceeded it.
Obviously you can extend a cars service life pretty much indefinitely if the will exists. However it can feel like an uphill struggle at times- ask any classic car enthusiast.
Saleen836 said:
You spent best part of a grand to fix a car that was worth less than the repair cost??
Well I wouldn’t say it was worth less than the repair cost at the time. I bought it for 1500 wheel related damage was 900. I figured I’ll just fix it rather than sell it for peanuts and try drive it for a few months.Let's see, a twenty year old car that has likely for the last decade been owned by people that didn't have much money to spend on maintaining it?
I'll go with never, there will always be something that needs fixing.
Assuming you don't do a bare metal strip and rebuild, which might do the job,for a few years at least.
I'm not saying allold cars are going to be a problem. We have a seventeen year old car and it has been pretty reliable, but it has done half the mileage and we've owned it from four years old.
I'll go with never, there will always be something that needs fixing.
Assuming you don't do a bare metal strip and rebuild, which might do the job,for a few years at least.
I'm not saying allold cars are going to be a problem. We have a seventeen year old car and it has been pretty reliable, but it has done half the mileage and we've owned it from four years old.
Edited by Toltec on Wednesday 21st August 20:26
Buying a high mileage car for that money is plain bonkers. a 19 year old car with 165k and no history for £1500 ?
It's probably had a very hard life and at that mileage probably near the end of it. At this point you're just throwing good money at bad. there's 2 types of "repairs" or maintenance, necessary and preventative. Your car is needing the former which is often the most expensive in the long run on a high mileage motor.
Bin the car, if you need one then go out and spend £800 or so on a half decent secondhand shed like Focus that'll make more sense and be cheaper to fix when it does go wrong.
Imprezas are fine if it's got a decent history, but GC8's are long in the tooth now so you'll either get a right pig or pay top whack for a well cared for example. Go for a secondhand blob or bug eye WRX with decent SH, as long as it's been regularly serviced and had the belts done on time, it'll be fine. Buy on condition and history and you won't go far wrong.
It's probably had a very hard life and at that mileage probably near the end of it. At this point you're just throwing good money at bad. there's 2 types of "repairs" or maintenance, necessary and preventative. Your car is needing the former which is often the most expensive in the long run on a high mileage motor.
Bin the car, if you need one then go out and spend £800 or so on a half decent secondhand shed like Focus that'll make more sense and be cheaper to fix when it does go wrong.
Imprezas are fine if it's got a decent history, but GC8's are long in the tooth now so you'll either get a right pig or pay top whack for a well cared for example. Go for a secondhand blob or bug eye WRX with decent SH, as long as it's been regularly serviced and had the belts done on time, it'll be fine. Buy on condition and history and you won't go far wrong.
texaxile said:
Buying a high mileage car for that money is plain bonkers. a 19 year old car with 165k and no history for £1500
Bin the car, if you need one then go out and spend £800 or so on a half decent secondhand shed like Focus that'll make sense.
Well I wouldn’t say it’s bonkers or a lot to pay, 90s jap sports cars are appreciating now and people are willing to pay 1500 just to experience these one more time. It seems to me the high mileage ones go for around this mark. The same people are not on The market for a 800 focus.Bin the car, if you need one then go out and spend £800 or so on a half decent secondhand shed like Focus that'll make sense.
SpeedySpeedBoy said:
What makes you say a few years? What sort of problems might introduce after that?
He bases it on absolutely nothing. It's a 165k mile car, ontop of that it has no service history. it can go one of two wayson one extreme you've probably done most of the stuff that's wrong with the car and maybe won't have anymore big bigs.
on the other extreme you will probably have plenty more things and it could be a money pit.
It's impossible to know. At this point do preventative work. service it. Give the car a good clean and look over, you'll see if anything is starting to perish.
SpeedySpeedBoy said:
Well I’m asking more about is there a way to know when one should let go of a car? A mechanic send to me when u spend so much in the first month et. that’s how u know u should let it go, I didn’t listen because I didn’t agree with his logic. But it was one approach.
Mate. Seriously. Please use the word ‘you’ rather than ‘u’Toltec said:
I was wondering what a GC8 was, when did it swap from 'classic' and manufacturing year?
I'm not 100% sure, I'm under the impression it changed when they introduced the "bug eye" in 2000, then the old shape were called "classics" and bug eyes onwards called "newage" and designated "GD" (I think 
)SpeedySpeedBoy said:
Well I wouldn’t say it’s bonkers or a lot to pay, 90s jap sports cars are appreciating now and people are willing to pay 1500 just to experience these one more time. It seems to me the high mileage ones go for around this mark. The same people are not on The market for a 800 focus.
If the experience is paying almost double the cost of the car in repairs and not being able to drive it, then that doesn't sound like much of an experience I'd be willing to spunk 1500 sovs on.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff