Bangernomics: I fail
Discussion
Purchased a Volvo 850 (using the "straight/legal/starts" buying checklist) with the intention of carefree, bangernomics motoring. The car itself is...OK. Tatty, as any 130,000 mile, 13 y/o workhorse would be, but drives nice enough and came with a 3" thick history file, inc. EVERY receipt from new. Hell, it even had the original import/PDI paperwork.
The only real "task" it had was to get me and my mates to France for a bike holiday. After that, I didn't care. Minimal fuss, even less expenditure. It it breaks, call the scrappy and recoup a sizeable chunk of the purchase price.
Or at least that was the plan: I've fallen for the damn thing
130k, three owners, £800 runabout stuff, yet still running beautifully, continually impressing me with its practicality/versatility, cosseting me with its big comfy seats and its barge-like ride. Handles amusingly well for a big fat thing, too. So, here I am, £200 lighter than I was this morning with said Volvo freshly serviced, staring out the window at it whilst on the cusp of splashing out for a new stereo and four winter boots. Hell, I don't think I've even been so taken by a car.
I'm too damn soft.
The only real "task" it had was to get me and my mates to France for a bike holiday. After that, I didn't care. Minimal fuss, even less expenditure. It it breaks, call the scrappy and recoup a sizeable chunk of the purchase price.
Or at least that was the plan: I've fallen for the damn thing
130k, three owners, £800 runabout stuff, yet still running beautifully, continually impressing me with its practicality/versatility, cosseting me with its big comfy seats and its barge-like ride. Handles amusingly well for a big fat thing, too. So, here I am, £200 lighter than I was this morning with said Volvo freshly serviced, staring out the window at it whilst on the cusp of splashing out for a new stereo and four winter boots. Hell, I don't think I've even been so taken by a car.I'm too damn soft.
I also love my £800 banger Astra.
Even came close to selling my MX5 earlier this year and just going banger only but couldn't quite do it.
There's something hugely enjoyable driving a car without a care in the world about minor imperfections, where you're going to park it, or the next sting from a main dealer.
Even came close to selling my MX5 earlier this year and just going banger only but couldn't quite do it.
There's something hugely enjoyable driving a car without a care in the world about minor imperfections, where you're going to park it, or the next sting from a main dealer.
Running a car into the ground just means being left stranded and taking time off/wasting money trucking around for the next car to kill. Thats makes no sense in the long run.
An old Volvo is well worthing keeping in good nick, they're built to last and no doubt will prove way more reliable that a new s
tbox peugeot on finance.
Bought a Merc 190e five years ago for 600 quid, XXXXX miles later and having passed through a few members of the family its still chugging around nicely. Many many cars have been and gone since!
An old Volvo is well worthing keeping in good nick, they're built to last and no doubt will prove way more reliable that a new s
tbox peugeot on finance. Bought a Merc 190e five years ago for 600 quid, XXXXX miles later and having passed through a few members of the family its still chugging around nicely. Many many cars have been and gone since!
v8will said:
Why is this titled 'I fail'?
Keep that old bus serviced well enough and it'll do another 13 years. My interpretation of bangernomics is getting the best out of an old car with little spends rather than needing a new one every 6 weeks because it's fallen apart through neglect.
To me bangernomics is spending the minimum possible. So £50 for a DIY service (or none at all if you're that way inclined) instead of £200, and just leave it on normal tyres. Bangernomics should be about money rather than cars. Spending £200 to keep an £800 car running (even though it's fine as is) seems a bit silly from a financial viewpoint.Keep that old bus serviced well enough and it'll do another 13 years. My interpretation of bangernomics is getting the best out of an old car with little spends rather than needing a new one every 6 weeks because it's fallen apart through neglect.
v8will said:
Why is this titled 'I fail'?
Keep that old bus serviced well enough and it'll do another 13 years. My interpretation of bangernomics is getting the best out of an old car with little spends rather than needing a new one every 6 weeks because it's fallen apart through neglect.
I say "fail" as I've failed to achieve what I originally set out to do i.e. buy a car and spend NOTHING on it bar the legals and whatever required to keep it safe. As said by someone else, I've spent £200 on an £800 car (when a Haynes manual and £40 would suffice): a bit silly, really. And I'm contemplating spending even more on stuff that whilst not strictly necessary, I feel she (yup, "she"...even given it a personality) is worth it. Curse me being an utter softie. I should be manly. Uncaring. Grrrr...and then I look at her Keep that old bus serviced well enough and it'll do another 13 years. My interpretation of bangernomics is getting the best out of an old car with little spends rather than needing a new one every 6 weeks because it's fallen apart through neglect.
Easily done, but yeah you've failed at bangernomics.
Should be <£500 with plenty of ticket and good tyres. Service = chuck some oil in only when the pressure light flickers, as it burns/leaks away. Never wash it, never look back at it, never give it a name.
No, I'd be crap at it too.
£501-1000 is a shed not a banger: OK to cosset a shed a bit and you really need to tackle any work on it yourself
Should be <£500 with plenty of ticket and good tyres. Service = chuck some oil in only when the pressure light flickers, as it burns/leaks away. Never wash it, never look back at it, never give it a name.
No, I'd be crap at it too.
£501-1000 is a shed not a banger: OK to cosset a shed a bit and you really need to tackle any work on it yourself
richardxjr said:
Service = chuck some oil in only when the pressure light flickers
I've never understood why people think cars suddenly stop needing to be maintained when they get older. If a car is going to be reliable, it needs servicing or you can't swear at it with any justification when it blows up and strands you in the middle of nowhere. However, that doesn't mean you have to pay £40/hr so somebody's apprentice can skip half the items on a factory checklist before plastering the door shuts in white grease from an aerosol - oil and filters plus an hour or two fiddling about is what old heaps like!
I paid £275 for an X reg Escort estate, it's slow and hateful to drive, but it has working A/C, just flown through an MOT and starts everytime.
It takes crap to the tip, the kids muddy bike, dog and the Mrs has crashed it into a wall and fence post twice, but it just carrys on regardless.
If anything breaks it will get fixed (by me) for next to no cost.
It will need a new clutch soon probably, but never mind, I'll chuck a new one in and off we go again..........
I'll probably keep it until it snaps in half
It takes crap to the tip, the kids muddy bike, dog and the Mrs has crashed it into a wall and fence post twice, but it just carrys on regardless.
If anything breaks it will get fixed (by me) for next to no cost.
It will need a new clutch soon probably, but never mind, I'll chuck a new one in and off we go again..........
I'll probably keep it until it snaps in half
"Bangernomics PLUS".
Taking a Bangernomics candidate and maintaining it instead of running it into the ground with minimal/no servicing etc. Main saving on keeping-up-with-the-Joneses is Depreciation - hell, even the OP's £200 dealer service cost less than a month's finance on a new 'un . We all have to pay for fuel, insurance, road tax, MoTs... Depreciation is avoidable .
His winter tyres will probably cost the equivalent of a month's finance - and with an MoT needing a few bits-n-pieces his overall outlay might equal a couple of months' finance --> the other 9 or 10 months are 'free' in that there are no finance payments or depreciation to pay.
I don't begrudge my 309 the £31 spent on new brake pads and discs for its MoT last month, plus the couple of hours spent faffing around fitting them - it's the first expenditure in 6 months (an oil and filter change), and before that was a new exhaust downpipe a year ago (£60).
My MG Maestro is similarly cheap to maintain - £35 for new rear shoes plus oil and filter in April, fitted in an hour myself. The previous expenditure was £50 for welding in March - tht was after a year without any costs at all. Oh, I had to fork out £15 for some chemical metal and Barrs leak after a metal coolant pipe pinholed in August - but all is good now.
It's all a lot better than having a car run into the ground fail at an inconvenient moment (as someone else posted upthread).
"Bangernomics PLUS." The way forward in these straitened times???
Taking a Bangernomics candidate and maintaining it instead of running it into the ground with minimal/no servicing etc. Main saving on keeping-up-with-the-Joneses is Depreciation - hell, even the OP's £200 dealer service cost less than a month's finance on a new 'un
. We all have to pay for fuel, insurance, road tax, MoTs... Depreciation is avoidable . His winter tyres will probably cost the equivalent of a month's finance - and with an MoT needing a few bits-n-pieces his overall outlay might equal a couple of months' finance --> the other 9 or 10 months are 'free' in that there are no finance payments or depreciation to pay.
I don't begrudge my 309 the £31 spent on new brake pads and discs for its MoT last month, plus the couple of hours spent faffing around fitting them - it's the first expenditure in 6 months (an oil and filter change), and before that was a new exhaust downpipe a year ago (£60).
My MG Maestro is similarly cheap to maintain - £35 for new rear shoes plus oil and filter in April, fitted in an hour myself. The previous expenditure was £50 for welding in March - tht was after a year without any costs at all. Oh, I had to fork out £15 for some chemical metal and Barrs leak after a metal coolant pipe pinholed in August - but all is good now.
It's all a lot better than having a car run into the ground fail at an inconvenient moment (as someone else posted upthread).
"Bangernomics PLUS." The way forward in these straitened times???
I had the same idea with my E39, buy it and run it on the cheap.
So far I've replaced Vanos seals, oil, sparks, filters, autobox oil, straightened one of the alloys, bought winter wheels, fitted new ARB bushes and replaced both front control arms to improve the handling.
On the to do list is welding and respray on the sills, as well as upgraded audio and maybe a new windscreen.
The damn thing is just TOO good!
So far I've replaced Vanos seals, oil, sparks, filters, autobox oil, straightened one of the alloys, bought winter wheels, fitted new ARB bushes and replaced both front control arms to improve the handling.
On the to do list is welding and respray on the sills, as well as upgraded audio and maybe a new windscreen.
The damn thing is just TOO good!
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