@@KTOMbI road tax is usually a very small percentage of teh total value of the vehicle. for example i bought a 64 plate 320d efficient dynamics and the road tax is about £30 per year
We have had a 1995 Mercedes E320 since 2011 and just did a very good service for its 30th birthday. Was born on Oct. 94’. In addition bought another 95’ E320 Wagon because I loved the creamy engine and very torque rich while being quite economical. This and a 84’ Porsche 928 and 99’ SL500 will see me out. I’m 45 now. 😂 No electric ⚡️ blob microwave ovens with a cheap laptop 💻 plopped in the center of the car for me ever:)
@@jasonknight5863 Just be aware of the electronics - Engine Control Module and throttle body. There are issues finding spare parts and rebuilt units. Otherwise these cars are the BEST!!!!!
@@jamesdonald7485 yes that's the problem as they are getting older, new parts are hard to get, the gearbox went in mine last year and I had a real struggle to get it rebuilt, the gearbox people said they had got hold of the last batch of parts to rebuild it
@@fredjames9867 I dont think most of them are still using old cars just out of the desire to save the planet rather due to the inability to afford expensive new cars. Otherwise, who would want to drive a 20 year old car with no useful entertainment or extra features when he could go for a car which literally almost drives itself completely.
This - once, maybe 15 years ago now, I got into a fist fight with some ecomentalist that was all in my face about my then 20 year old Hyundai Stellar and how badly it polluted (it had the cat installed and I maintained it well, even changed the valve stem seals to prevent smoke on start - Mitsubishi engines lol) and how I absolutely needed to crush it and buy a Prius, like him. After explaining the carbon footprint of destroying a perfectly good car and then the other carbon footprint of the Prius (I got pretty passionate about it lol) the dickwad swung at me. He got a quick beat down, and we both got kicked out of the party. I won because I was allowed to go back in to fetch my beers and phone - the other guy wasn't, so I grabbed his beer too. That'll teach him :P
@@hisownman i have a 24 year old Jeep out of choice, can easily afford to buy into corporate mumbo jumbo and have my movements data tracked if I wanted. It turns heads, kids through to old folks think it’s cool af and i have state of the art infotainment because upgrading it doesn’t require me to reprogram the can-bus and do a whole load of fascia improv. It cost me £1200 9 years ago, spent about £4k total on it (not including my own time which i enjoy) and it’s easily appreciated to a worth north of £5k today.
My car is 20 years old. It has done 60,000 miles, and it's in excellent condition. I drive no more than 2,000 miles yearly, so I intend to keep using the car for a few more decades!
@@Gene1969 We generally drive fewer miles in the UK than you do in the US. The average yearly mileage here is only 5000-8000 miles, rather than the 14000ish miles in the US. Which incidentally is pretty much what I do also, which makes me someone who drives a lot in the UK lol.
Majority of people have realised that the average new cars are not well made, uninspiring and boring. Cost of living skyrocketed while salaries have practically remained the same the last 10 years.
If your annual mileage is very low, keeping an old car going has got to be less damaging environmentally than buying a new car every 3 years, electric or otherwise.
I bought a bike and started cycling to work. My annual milage dropped to about 4000. Now the price of petrol doesn't really bother me, I'm a lot fitter, and more environmentally friendly.
Sometimes even if it costs slightly more its worth it if you know how reliable a vehicle is then its worth spending a few extra quid. Maintain it and service it and it will last
@wideyxyz2271 my last 2 cars a 2008 focus and a 2011 mondeo haven't filled me with confidence. My 2002 focus mk1.5 I probably trusted. So I probably wouldn't repair them. I will have to see when the time comes. When the focus needed a spring a wheel bearing and a clutch. I just put it on E-bay for someone else to have a go with it.
Over here in the states, it is cheaper for me to keep five 1980's full size Ford cars and light trucks on the road than what most people pay for a monthly note on a new one. Be patient in sourcing parts, do what you can in house, limit your miles and take care of them. $1,000 a year is still way cheaper than a new or used car note, especially with an overpriced market.
For me a 14 year old car is still new. I prefer older cars as they are more simple and reliable. And prettier. I like the pre-2000 cars. I daily a 2001 VW. Last thing I want to be is an interest slave.
I would add, that at least for small to lower middle class cars, older cars also tend to be more comfortable. They have more comfortable suspension setup and more comfortable seats. As long as they are well maintained (preemptive maintenance can make an old car easily more reliable than a new one) they are generally better long distance cars Since every car needs to have huge rims and very low tires nowadays, and every car needs to be sporty and be optimized for the Nürburgring, cars have been getting noticably stiffer. For premium and upper class cars, things are different, because with air suspension, active dampers and electronic controls you can indeed create VERY comfortable suspensions nowadays. But for those of us that drive compact or middle class cars, that's typically not available, and then older cars without racetrack ambitions are much more comfortable.
@grizzly8810 have to go back a long way for comfortable suspension. I remember a mk1 focus was not bad. A Peugeot 406 was good. They soon started getting sporty it my have been when 5th gear and top gear started putting them around a track for comparisons
@@chrishart8548 Yes, Clarkson and cohorts have done a lot to make cars better for a few enthusiasts, and at the same time they have managed to make them quite a bit worse for the average guy. I enjoyed Top Gear, but in hindsight.... The mk1 Renault Twingo that I still drive as a winter/city car is much more comfortable than any new car in its class and in 75hp guise is actually a relatively decent long-distance car. The contrast is especially sharp if you compare it to the current Twingo (Smart in disguise), which is is not a car I enjoyed driving on the Autobahn. I don't have any personal experience in the 406, but in general, french cars seems to have lasted longer before they succumbed to the pressure of Top Gear and started stiffening up. The Focus mk1 I did occasionally drive as a rental, and I remember it as already a bit less comfortably sprung than the late model Sierra I used to own at the time. But for its time it had excellent suspension, yes.
It's quite liberating driving around in a 20 year old Vauxhall Astra when most other people seem to be in a 3 years old or less premium brand lease car. Lots of people give way on narrow country lanes and I can leave it unlocked in a car park and know it will still be there when I get back.
@@roybatty2030 German or Japanese as good mechanics normally advise. . . Thumbs up, mine's a 19 yr old Merc SLK sports, 90k on clock - reliable and I have no intentions of changing.
Keeping your car for as long as you can is the greenest thing you can do. Just keep up the maintenance as well. My last car was 15 years with me, this one is on 8 years and I will drive it as long as it works.
Too much technology that can go wrong, keep it simple ,who needs all the bells and whistles just after reliability, My car is 15 years old and plan to keep it till it till it dies.
Why recycle when you don't need to throw it away in the first place. I didn't really dwell on the "green angle" in this video but that is an interesting debate, I must crunch some numbers.
My first car was 20 years old when I bought it. Drove it for 10 years and sold it to the next owner in good condition. I got myself another 20 year old car that I plan to keep as long as possible.
@@PhiyedoughI have my ideal car already-it's a 1970 Land Rover Series 2A,much modified with a Japanese engine. Absolutely brilliant bit of kit. Oh,and when the tinworm finally wins,I'll fit a new galvanised chassis and it will then be good for another 50 years plus😇
I am living in Pennsylvania in the United States, and my "new" car is a 2008. The ownership costs of old cars is going to vary wildly based on the maintenance history but also the brand and the model. I daily drive a 2000 Toyota Camry. This car has over 197,000 miles on it and it is very good on fuel. On highway trips it gets nearly 40 mpg (US gallons) and around town it does mid to upper20s (once again, US gallons). This car is also extremely easy to work on, and parts are readily available. My wife's 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid has over 250,000 miles and is also (mostly) very easy to service and repair myself in my driveway. For both cars, all they have required is routine maintenance, brakes, struts and front control arms, all of which I was able to accomplish in a few hours on a Saturday. In the US, older Toyotas, older Hondas, older Mazdas, and a select few Ford and GM models are reliable and easy to maintain and repair. The reality is that, despite loving cars, we have to admit that cars are a scam. They are enormously expensive to own and maintain, even the "good" ones. I am minimizing the hit to my finances by owning well built, reliable older cars. They cost me less than $1000 a year in repairs (on average), deliver great fuel economy for their size, cost much less to insure, and have no car payments. If I could get around without having a car then we'd only own one instead of two. But public transportation in the United States outside of New York City is a joke, and is very inconvenient and unreliable.
Whole-life emissions should be considered, for example, the energy/materiel consumption of building more complete new cars against the emissions 9:52 on a well maintained old car.
I couldn’t agree more. I’ve always kept my cars for a long time. I buy second hand and I like not having monthly payments. The scrapage scheme was definitely the thin end of the wedge.
@@jdgreen214 that also entails indirect costs such as more frequent road maintenance but it'll be easily counterbalanced by less cars for plebs and less mileage according to some sinister minister or its minions... 😏👆
Also the environmental cost in recycling a car, especially EVs with their batteries. Also EVs have to have their battery packs replaced after some years and those dead batteries must also be recycled. Meanwhile an ICE is just a hunk of metal which is very easy and safe to recycle.
Both of my 22 year old vehicles reject the notion that they are elderly. They are beautiful and well maintained by yours truly, because 90's and early 2000's cars are so straightforward to DIY on!
In Australia. Have two 21 yo vehicles. One is Ford Falcon LPG (Barra green top). 375,000km and still purring. No rust. Cheap parts, cheap fuel and almost indestructible. Other is Nissan N16 Pulsar Hatch (built in the UK!). 215,000km and still happy bopping around the 'burbs. Repair bills are creeping up, but nothing outrageous yet. But I acknowledge there will come a time to replace. At last visit to mechanics there was a Porsche Cayenne with half it's front off. Repair bill was up to $19,500 at that stage. 'Nuff said.
14 years, a very old car, try 46 years and still has another 20 at least. The older pre 2000s cars were definitely more well built, easier to maintain and just will last longer. Rust is their biggest killer. The pollution thing doesn't come into it, by 2000 all cars were pretty clean. If pollution and saving the world is your goal don't have a car, or heat your house, or use electricity, or wear clothes, or eat.
I was especially enjoying this comment - car is 23yrs old and will keep it another 5 ish I should think. And then when you said to stop eating I laughed in front of quiet train people!
I know this may sound like a random unrelated question, but why is it that I stopped seeing loads of black exhaust soot stains on multistorey car park walls after 2004? I mean, back in the early 90s and early to mid 2000s, there were LOADS of round black marks on white multistorey car park walls, but now there's hardly any at all.
@richard29415 I don't know, maybe they clean the walls more often? Maybe the newer cars do produce less carbon particles (soot). But soot is not a contributor to global warming. It is heavy and settles out quickly (like on walls of parking areas). It is CO2 that is the main bogey man. In fact if you have free carbon (soot) there will be less carbon dioxide as the soot has not combined with oxygen. Bottom line is, there is no such thing as a free lunch, if you want the economy to function and modern life to continue you have to also put up with some things. There is only so much blood that can be squeezed from a stone. By 2000 cars have had about as much blood squeezed out of them that you can get.
I have a 306 Rallye 1999, 135k miles absolutely mint, I only average 4800 miles a year, no ac, electrics, windup windows..some parts are getting harder to find, but driving experience is still incredible compared to a lot of newer motors
My wife's 03 Fiesta diesel has nearly 300,000 miles (av 60mpg) and my 03 Trafic has over 200,000 miles (av 35mpg) don't top up oil between services and NEVER broken down in over 20 years! Keep 'em going for the planet 🐝
"Upgrade"? That is the problem. Buying a current model car is not an upgrade. It is a downgrade. Why swap a more reliable, durable car for something overpriced and overcomplicated that is likely to be plagued with expensive problems?
I notice a lot of manufacturers now have plastics where metal used to be (manifolds, covers, pipe junctions etc) even the Japanese OEMs embrittlement and cracking are a feature - who would have thought...
I live in the Czech Republic. I think the average age of a car here is 14 years. My Golf 1.6 petrol is 25 years old. I've no intention of getting rid of it. My neighbour has twice asked to buy it off me as it's more reliable than his 3 year old car. On average, annual servicing is about 120 quid, repairs over the last 9 years average at about 200 quid. It's reliable, easy to fix and solid. No brainer.
'afraid that is not my experience with 2 golfs! But your economics, binky, makes a lot of sense!
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What about rust, here in Uk no car unless loved to death makes it past about 16 years as road salt destroys underneath and too much to repair for yearly inspection. If it fails on rust it's likely destination is the scrap man.
And rust can creep up on you. My 18 year old car has just developed a hole in one of the sills. It seems to have come through from the inside of the section. I suspect that water may be getting in to the inside of the panels from somewhere around the windscreen or engine bay. Very difficult to work out what is going on without dismantling the car. Also if the rust has penetrated a structural part of the car it is likely a terminal problem as it will be uneconomic to fix.
@@martinrichardhorrocks9869 I think the issue was more that older cars do have a limited practical lifespan if you use them as a main car (as opposed to a weekend car etc). Much as I love my old girl she is becoming a money pit.
Keep old cars. Keep local mechanics in a job. The older the car and still financially repairable. No need to replace. You dont need to worry about the few scratches or even keeping it shiny
My vw is 11 years old. Last year my timing belt went - top end rebuild was €1600. This year my oil pump failed - bottom end rebuild was €3700. Need repairs to my gearbox - another €1000 next month. Buying a new car here in Italy costs €1500 on top of the cost of the car, so I keep repairing this one in the hope I will get another few years from it!
@ggmgoodgamingmichael7706 Yeah I do mine every 6 months or 5000 miles,plus I have been using Ravennol 0W 30 and it's awesome oil,Diesel filter every other year....Just love that 5 cylinder Diesel 🙏
The p2 and p3 v70’s still look really good after so many years. I’ve got a p2 xc90 and it feels like new at 15 years old, and I prefer it to our much newer MINI clubman. I’ve got VIDA, and it’s actually a joy to work on, so not sure what it would take to replace it…
Everyone mentions environmental impact of an older car. Their emissions may be indeed worse than a newer car but when you think about all the waste that it creates when scrapped it does not look that good anymore. By buying new cars we're producing more toxic waste. Many old cars end up in Africa in countries where their approach to emsissions is a bit more relaxed and they just cut off DPfs, blank out EGRs and continue to use these cars for many more years. From the environment point of view - It makes much more sense to keep cars on the roads as long as possible but from the business point of view - buy more new ones. Same goes for all the computers, phones, appliances. By buying more - we're producing more waste.
That theory is excellent but unless car manufacturers don't make new cars they go bust and technically every new car built today will be an old car one day. I mean your old car was once new and many cars were scrapped to make your car. So it's just a revolving door. All my cars are old and new cars don't interest me at all.
Economy does not go hand in hand with ecology. We do need to buy new cars but we don't need to do it every three years. We cannot eliminate our impact on our environment but we can reduce it.
I drive a 32 year old landrover defender , it’s heavily modified , has no electronics and is easy and cheap enough to repair myself , wouldn’t change it for anything new .. much prefer older cars
Love the comments here, real drivers driving real cars. There is more pleasure to use an old car that covers the same journey a new car would cover, without all the stress of living in fear of knocking £100’s off the value of your new car due to someone carelessly opening their door in a car park. The only problem I am finding with my ‘08 car is the shortage of spares as identical models are now hard to find in scrap yards as most have been crushed and gone forever. Couldn’t even buy new wiper arms, but one pair available on eBay saved the day. I would never buy a hybrid as the sheer mechanical complexity and the seamless transition from battery to ICE is totally reliant on software. A recipe for becoming uneconomic to repair years earlier than older simpler cars.
Yes for parts you have to pick a winner as far as the manufacturer goes. I have always owned Subarus and there is a big enthusiast and big aftermarket parts choice.
There is a niche industry of aftermarket equipment to repair hybrid batteries & keep them going instead of replacing. I'm driving a 17 year old hybrid on it's 2nd battery. The first was replaced under warranty the second battery I bought equipment for less than $1k to recondition it and it works.
16 yr old ford fiesta 90k miles and apart from the 200 quid a year to tax it returns 350 miles to a 40L tank and gets me from A-B, has 5 seats 4 doors, hatch style boot and doesn't cost an arm and a leg to replace when spare parts are abundant and cheap. Insurance is the only thing ive been battered with and that's personal to each individual I'm happy to stick with it till I'm forced to change. Manchester UK
@@jonathandavies6862 No servicing costs, oil, filters etc? If you don’t at least change the oil regularly it won’t make it to 100k miles. Oil isn’t cheap these days either.
Driving a 12 year old Fiesta 1.4 diesel myself, its not luxury at all and sometimes i hate it when i compare it against or see these flash modern cars, but its been affordable.
@@jonathandavies6862 I loved my 2006 fiesta. But it was getting a bit long in the tooth, so I traded it in for a Kuga in 2019. After five years I’ve had a few issues only in the last three months. DPF is all I’m going to say. 🤯 it’s cost me more this last three months than the last five years. You bet im keeping it! It owes me. 😆
@@wizzyno1566That wasn’t my point, the OP didn’t even mention oil while bragging about how cheap their car was to run. Some cars need 6 or 7 litres and others need 3 or 4 litres. I do my own oil changes so that’s a factor. I know people that simply don’t bother changing the oil. One guy I used to work with needed a new turbo on his old Golf TD. I asked him how often he changed his oil he said about once every 5 years as he only did 3k miles a year and the change interval mileage was 18k miles. 😂
My daily drive is 64 years old, it’s simple and reliable. No computery crap to go wrong, it has 2 fuses (1 for lights, horn, wipers, trafficators etc and 1 for the ignition). It’ll certainly outlive me and probably my son as well. I paid £10 for it many years ago, it’s tax and mot exempt and fully comp insurance is under £100. If you have an older car it’s well worth keeping, just keep up with the maintenance and all is good. 😊
I had a 1960 Riley 1.5 and would love to get another (sadly it was destroyed by fire). I bought it in Coventry and drove it 500 miles home to northern Scotland.
Me and my VW beetle 1600 are 54 this year. I wouldn't try using it for long motorway trips, for this I have a 2007 Lexus IS but for everything else it is a fine shoestring motoring.
My car is 13 years old. Back then I had a choice between Accord, Mondeo, Mazda 6, Passat and I liked all of them. This days not a single car ticks all the boxes. And yes, I do think cars of today are not as reliable, cheaply made, and overpriced.
I've got a 13 year old mondeo. So far everything is still working. It's been garaged since 2014. So the condition is good. It won't be rust that kills it.
@@chrishart8548 To keep your car as long as possible if it doesn't require major repairs/costs makes financial sense, especially considering for something equivalent you have to pay nearly twice the price of what you have paid 13 years ago.
@artpan4376 try 3x the price I bought at 2 years looked up what it cost to get the same model at 2 years old again it's literally 3x. £29k last time I checked.
I drive a 2001 Rover 45, drives smooth, no rattles or creaks etc. Yes, it does need some parts relacing at times. Just recently had the CV joint replaced. I love it, no major computor / electrical sensors to worry about, pretty basic really. Easy to maintain and reasonably cheap....certainly much cheaper than buying a newer car.
My car, a Toyota IQ, is 15 years old as well. Great car, no problems with it at all in 3 years ownership. Only 42k miles, I'm planning to keep it for as long as possible.
I own a 27 year old e36 bmw with just over 59,000 miles on it,so extremely low for its age,owned for 9 years ,no computers,no touch screens,simple and reliable,makes no sense to get rid of it,I definitely have no plans to buy a new car ever:)
Same here, but with an E39. It’s modern enough to do everything I need it to do while being much simpler to repair compared to the new stuff (and so much better looking too). This was when BMW was at its peak!
@@Tomcat115 yes 💯 agree,I like e39s such a great car better than the e36 really,but mine has such low milage I just can’t see the point in selling,even if I had to spend a few grand on it,it’s still cheaper than buying a newer car.
My first car was a 6 year old Mk1 VW golf 1100N. It was a T reg, so 1979 for the youngsters on this thread. Back then, VW were the only cars amongst its contemporaries which had an anti corrosion warranty. So compared to the equivalent fiesta it was like a new car. No rust. Now, cara don’t fall apart like they used to. But what’s underneath let’s them down. Cheap parts and environmental ‘improvements’ are making them almost disposable. And let’s face it, that’s what they want. A decade or so ago, the scar page scheme was well publicised. And at the time, I remember thinking that there would be lots of sound cars being scrapped, when they shouldn’t have been. And now we have Ulez and DPF filters on diesel cars. Diesels which were once promoted, are now dirty and polluting without the expensive filter, which is controlled by sensors and parts that go wrong. And when they do, are expensive to replace. Now I’m not a conspiracy theorist. But one can’t help thinking the long term plan is to make cars unreliable and too expensive for the masses to own. And the ones who can afford them will have to pay handsomely for the privilege. This is a slap in the face, when power stations like Drax are shipping in wood from All over the world, predominantly Canada, is this green energy? And counties like China are pumping out pollution with impunity. There I’ve had my rant. Pity I don’t feel any better. 😔
You're not alone. Planned obsolecense really is a thing. Manufacturers intentionally develop their products with a certain lifespan in mind. Gone are the days of the Mercedes W123 where a 200D could easily rack up half a million miles when maintained properly - instead we now have wet belts and a multitude of gadgets waiting to fail. And electronics are like the new rust for cars, so instead of corroding to pieces it now fails in a very expensive way whilst still looking great on the outside.
I am a Brit living in Thailand. Here there are many old cars and Pick up trucks, 10 to 20 years old. Any parts required are available "off the shelf " some PATTERN , the same as UK. Big differene is NO ROAD SALT is ever needed here so cars do not ROT AWAY !! Repairs and Servicing in UK are very high also Insurance just keeps rising for no reason.
My newest car is an 09 plate ... Having just returned a 23 plate hire car (used for work) I much prefer my car - I can't see why touch screens are legal, so hard to use when driving!
@@paulphillips7308 It’s not the same thing though. When you change the climate control you just change the climate control and forget about it. Some cars have voice commands as well. When drivers use the phone it’s throughout the whole journey. You consistently changing the climate control as weathers maintains more or less the same temperature for most journeys.
The whole car industry is based around people buying new cars on short leases. Cars are no longer built to last, but built to just get through the warranty period with minimal servicing, after which they turn into money pits.
That reminds me of the depreciation research I did a while back, it is one of the biggest hidden motoring cost. ua-cam.com/video/tRAd9kzX80o/v-deo.html
1st car - 15 year old Mazda 6 I bought new, have no plan on replacing it, never had issues. 2nd car - 32 year old Jeep Cherokee, bought recently, so far so good. Both bought for cash, no payments or credit. Keeping your old stuff working is SAVING the planet MORE than getting the "latest and greatest" gadget packed disposable car.
My daily is a 2002 XKR Jaguar. A beautiful car that costs peanuts to keep on the road because Ford era Jags are so well built. It will have deprecated by about five grand over the ten years I have owned it.
@witsend236 Annual rustproofing and buy up a load of strategic spares to guard against obsolescence and you have perpetual motoring. 1980s Mercedes, Volvo and pre GM Saabs seem a good place to be.
Big problem with new cars is when they do go wrong, even the main dealer struggles to understand them. The customer ends up paying for a trial and error fix it system. Keep putting on new bits until the problem goes away, usually an electrical problem!
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But you don't have to replace it with a new car, just a newer car.
My brother and I have cars that are 20 years old and 19 years old. We got them cheap off family and or friends. The parts are cheap for them and they are easy to work on if they need fixing. We just service them every year and slap a bit of fuel additives in the tank once in a while and maybe even some Cataclean. Both cars still going strong! (it also helps that we don't live in places with clean air zones and stuff either).
I have a 1999 BMW 520i. Very reliable, driving well after 150.000 miles, never needs 300-400 pounds/month for repairs, as the video suggests….😊! I don’t like the current “computers on wheels”, with sensors everywhere, no dipstick, downsized 3-cilinder engines etc. etc.
I know this is outside your ask area but I believe it’s relevant to the conversation. I’m in California in the US. In 2002 I bought a top of the line truck for $35k. It still runs fine but if I were to replace it with a similar model today, I’d have to pay near $100k. My income hasn’t risen significantly against inflation since my purchase. I can maintain the old truck on my own. Any professional work it does need is relatively inexpensive. I don’t have to deal with software updates or end of service notices, etc. On a new truck, I can’t maintain it myself. Repairs are very costly. The tech is great but life-limited to the amount of time the brand chooses to maintain it. New cars often come with selling my data, paying for use of installed features and other challenges that will inevitably lead to scraping what would otherwise be a viable vehicle for the service life of the mechanical parts and not the latest software availability. For example Fisker just shuttered in the US and owners have cars with problems with no way to get needed software updates, effectively making them $200k e-waste. In brief, new cars are too expensive, invasive and designed to fail when the manufacturer wants to sell you another. They are no longer viable for most people, so I, like many of my friends and family will continue to maintain our old cars as long as possible.
@@sirhcmi3 I totally agree with you on this. Cars have become subject to computer tech the same way phones have. I haven't driven a car with a screen and don't want to. Just turning over a music cassette was a distraction too far for me. Taking my eyes off the road/mirrors to read a screen seems like the definition of insanity.
I sold my Mondeo back in June. It was a 2011 model, and I'd owned it for three years. But, the biggest problem I have with modern cars, is that I have to take them to a mechanic, because of all the unnecessary garbage they bolt onto them today. In the 1980s, and 90s, I drove Cortinas and Capris, there wasn't a single job that required me to pay a garage to do the job. I was able to strip engines, replace clutches, suspension and steering parts, for very little outlay. Now my local garage wants £55 just to plug it in fto see what's wrong. I'm never buying another diesel, in fact, I need to win the lottery so I can get another Cortina 2.0 GXL, that I had in 1982.
Service my own car . Buy at 3 years old and keep 10 years. Very high mileage. Cars Nisan Micra A reg . Citron ax 1.4D skoda 1.9D and now VW golf 1.6D I am 64 years old.
@@cjmac2786 my Nisan Micra had 270000 but needed new piston rings and valve guides this can be done with engine in situ as piston's can be pulled out through sump. Ax had 230.00 the Skoda was the best at 450000. VW only has 75000. So far and egr needed changing. Time will tell if engine can make the hi mileage.
I use to repair old classic cars . What dream to work on . Simple basic. New cars. Mobile computers that will play up no end . . I'll stick with the classics thank you
My super reliable 2008 Peugeot 107 1.0l 3 cylinder still averages 68 mpg after 100,000 miles in mixed driving & has only £20/year road tax But £2,000 spent in 4 years on rust repairs, apart from usual battery brakes, clutch, wheel bearings, etc.
2015 Octavia with a 2.0TDI. The car is paid off. It costs £20 a year to tax. I get 55mpg back and fore work and 68mpg on a long motorway run. Why the hell would I get rid of it? Government killed the golden goose when they introduced the "premium car tax" and played around with the road tax IMO. Will keep my car until it dies or I do. Generally a lot of cars in may area are becoming older. Noticing work colleagues holding onto cars when they have finished their payments when previously they would part ex and take out a new loan.
Old cars are much more reliable and less complex to maintain. I have 3 cars, 2 from a local car brand in india, and a toyota corolla. They are 18/19/13 in age.177000/53000/148000 kms run. No problems and very reliable.
Similar generation Octavia bought without finance years ago. 85,000 miles is nothing for these, and taxi companies usually run these for a reason. Skoda are one of the few manufacturers who still make sensible cars. I will never buy an ugly lumbering two-ton SUV.
@@richardbradley2641 these were the VED rates based on CO2 prior to 2017, my 2015 Honda Civic diesel is also £20pa to tax. We are also keeping that car for as long as possible, it’s been owned for 7 years so far, while our 2005 Subaru Legacy has been owned for 15 years.
Well done I’m impressed, to keep that car going for as long as possible just keep up those regular oil changes, probably twice per year, only £50 per time if you do it yourself.
We run a 22 year old Mazda, 19 year old BMW and 57 year old Mini. I maintain them myself and they cost almost nothing to run. They are in good condition and emissions are low. However, a new electric car must be built which has a huge impact on the environment. The batteries are harmful. And generating all that electricity is also using fossil fuels. People need to see the bigger picture....
Please make a video looking at the whole costs, financially as well as environmentally, of keeping an older car vs buying a replacement. Like me, many of those commenting believe holding on to a well maintained car for 15 years is far better for the environment ( and your pocket) than replacing it with 3 new EVs every 5.
Interesting to hear you discuss a trend I've noticed over the decades. In 1970 my hard-up father ran a 1954 Austin Somerset. At that time it was considered a very old (and old-fashionned) car. He certainly had to be mechanically proficient to keep it going. Today I run a reliable Mk2 Focus and it really doesn't seem old to me, certainly not old-fashionned. Yet it is now older than that Somerset!
In my experience newer cars are far more expensive to repair and service, have a shorter lifespan and there parts are lower quality. 2000-2005 is IMO the sweet spot for a good balance of longevity, economy, power and cost of maintenance
@@chrishart8548 It really depends on the make and model - Mini's, fast Ford's and VW scene cars/buses all have big followings and tonnes of aftermarket parts.
@BluejuiceT4 that was one of the best engines ever made the 2ltr that came after was garbage. Pd was good for over 400k the newer one barely makes it past 100k
@@chrishart8548Try Series Land Rovers-parts are plentiful and are likely to remain that way as it's a brilliant cult vehicle and loads of aftermarket firms cater for them. I have one so I know!🤣
I had a 1998 Mercedes C220cdi auto. Managed to do 450k miles in it and engine and gearbox were still going. Unfortunately the body work corroded over the years and wasn’t viable to repair in the end. Best car I have ever owned.
I currently own an Audi TT (1999) and a BMW M3 (1994) They are fantastic to own, so much fun for so little cost with simplisticity. I even recently owned a little Ford KA (2007 - relatively new). It hardly ever broke and needed fixing. I'm definitely saving the planet with my choice of cars while having a lot more fun driving at the same time 👍
I purchased a one year old diesel Kango in 2008. it’s now covered 125,000 miles. It’s still going. Not costing a lot to run. I haven’t ever perched a new car.
My daily car is a 2007 520d, 215k miles on it and recently passed its MOT with no advisorys, use it for my 73mile commute 4 days a week, cruises comfortably at 70mph and still returns 50mpg! And my second car is my little toy, 2003 clio sport cup 172, one of the best little hot hatches ever made, only 60k on it and really clean. Bought them both for the combined amount of £5.5k
I'm driving a 24 year old VW Passat B5 with the TDI 1.9 Engine. I bought it off my parents and I intend on driving it as long as I can maintain it. Currently 320.000 miles on the clock. Just did an oil change, next up is the timing belt and that's it. I have AC, a 105 horses, 220NMs of torque and I average at 6.8 Liters of Diesel per 100kms. Plenty of room and the car is comfy and fun to drive. Why would I get rid of it?
I drive a "very old car" by that standard. 22 years old with 362,000 MILES (not km). And I've put over 250,000 of those miles on it since I bought it 14 years ago. The maintenance/minor repair cost is way less than what monthly payments on an equivalent vehicle would be, and that's not factoring in depreciation either. The absolute best cars to have were mid 90s - the legislation that came in dictating minimum service life, computer lifespan modelling wasn't really a thing at this point so you might say things were over engineered. But general public weren't really aware and let them go. The main problems with newer cars are the rush to market, design for false economy and the prohibitive cost of ADAS repair. Rush to market in terms of software, that's the biggest complaint across all brands. Next is engineering for false economy. Ingenium, ecoboom, wet belt engines in general. These achieve very good figures in the mpg/co2 standardised tests but will cost you far more in the long run than anything you've saved on fuel. ADAS. The stuff nobody really wanted but are increasingly being forced to have. If a front radar fails, your bill is going to be about £2500. Most won't let you pair a used one to the vehicle and even if you could, it still has to go to a specialist with the correct calibration equipment. That one component alone could be more than the car is worth. And one last thing...Privacy and tracking. All new cars have an LTE (4G) mobile connection as standard which is constantly recording your driving data and sending it to some server somewhere. If this car fails spectacularly, I bought another similar car of same age "for spares" last year...£200. But turned out it was too good to break for parts. 57,000 miles on it. 4 brand new decent tyres. Full tank of fuel I spent a few quid on a starter motor and a rocker cover gasket and sent it for MOT. There are bargains out there.
Someone GOT IT. yes the "ADAS. The stuff nobody really wanted but are increasingly being forced to have." I just received a training about ADAS 2 weeks ago, and I was , nope. I don't want it, and the funny thing, the new owners with those ADAS in cars each time they turn on the motor, they start to turn off all the ADAS features. my understanding well next year the manufactures by law must sell new cars with ADAS ? no thanks. I will keep my old car. by the way, which car / model you have on 362k miles.? How frequently you change the motor oil.?
Lots of reasons people are keeping cars longer. Covid temporarily stopped car purchase but, before it could restart, EVs had become a credible option, creating the fear that any new ICE car might be hard to sell in 3/4 years and so cost more in depreciation. Problems were surfacing with many new cars - VW DSG gearboxes, Dieselgate, Ford "wet cam belt" failures etc. In times of uncertainty people have realised that running a slightly older car is not the end of the world and meanwhile they were saving money.
We didn't pay our mortgage 11years early by buying a new car every 3years. My car is 17 years old and durable as anything. And we are immigrants who came to the UK in 1998 with less than £2000.
My car is nearly 17 years old..no dpf...its got a manual handbrake..still going really well. .regular oil changes at 5-6 k...No PCP...No car loan payments....it does have some electronic modules but nothing like the new cars that take alot of control away from the driver.. eventually they will issue speeding fines to the driver i reckon for any indiscretions.. ...stick with older cars i say..
My 1967 Mini is a fair example - 35 mpg, cheap parts, no MOT needed (although I choose to get one) zero road tax, very low emissions, very cheap insurance - everybody loves it - I am effectively being paid to own this car as its value rises more every year than it costs me to own it - it is cheaper than walking!
I'm driving an 57 plate Hyundai Getz 1.4 litre Automatic. It has 43454 miles on the clock. I'm on my third set of tyres, due to the lack of use it's had since 2018, because to health issues and Covid. I replaced the tyres seven years ago, but they hardened and were showing signs of perishing, so I bought new tyres before this year's MOT. Despite being 17 years old next month, my local dealership says they can't find anything wrong with it and their experience is, that it could last another 10 years. Apart from Annual Service and MOT, the biggest expence is having the Cambelt changed every five years. Last time, 2 years ago, cost me £500, which in theory, isn't economically viable, but as I'm a 76 year-old Pensioner on a Basic Government Pension, I can't justify the cost of buying a new car, given the low annual mileage and cost of a replacement. Additionally, the car is very comfortable for me to drive, as I have a neck injury, which doesn't like most cars, because of the laid back driving positions. The Getz gives me a very upright driving position and I still have plenty of Headroom. The bodywork is a very good condition, with just very minor dings in the paintwork, caused by road dirt and gravel. Foggy headlights are the only real problem, but I have access to a local breakers yard and hope to be able to find a replacement pair, but if I have to buy a new pair, it's still a lot cheaper than a new car. I'll probably give up driving, before I need to get another car. The other problem I have, is that I live in a block of Council Flats and there is nowhere for me to charge an EV, so I'm stuck with an ICE vehicle. Russ. Havant, Hants.
In 2008 i bought a 10 yr old civic for £800 then sold it for £500 in 2012 and it cost very little maintenance. in 2018 i had to pay £2,500 for a 15 yr old crv, But 6 years later i still have it, it cost me £10k so far to run that includes purchase of the car, insurance, tax, mot, repairs, everything except the fuel. A 15 year old crv today is way more than £2,500 though!
14 years old!!!! That's a spring chicken in my world. I drive a 2002 Honda CRV 2.0 Petrol with 130k on the clock (just under 6k per year average over its lifespan, so far). Yes, if something major goes on it (clutch or something in the engine) then it will likely be beyond economic repair, but while it keeps going, it keeps going and I've no intention of getting rid of it.
i've got a 2002 renault trafic. done 170k. only do about 3 or 4k a year now. got a new clutch and reconditioned gearbox about 10 years ago. wasn't too dear either, far cheaper than getting another van. yes i took a chance with the used gearbox but still going strong a decade later and hopefully for another decade at least.
Any 2002 Honda may need a thorough inspection underneath for rust by now. If you find any rust spots, treat them ASAP and it will look after you for much longer still.
My current car is a 2008 Audi S5 V8. Self-maintained well beyond Audi's recommendations and is in excellent condition. 6 speed manual so 'relatively' simple compared to the latest cars. Depreciation costs are low and it's huge fun to drive. A bit thirsty but is ULEZ compliant.
If governments keep pushing for a ban on new diesel and petrol sales we'll end up like Cuba and keep our old cars going for decades longer because they can't be replaced and will retain value, so making sense to keep repairing and restoring them.
My car is 13 years old. No significant rust. 40,000 miles on the clock, regularly serviced by me. Ulez compliant, 4 cylinders, petrol, 128 bhp, automatic, air-con and very comfortable. I'm retired... why should I change? Unless the car is stolen or crashed I'm keeping it.
My car is now 21 years old. I have had it for around 7 years and it has been one of the most reliable car I have owned. 30 mpg on a run, about 25 mpg round the houses. What is it? You may well ask. It is a Lexus RX300 auto. Everything appears to work including Aircon, however the insurance has doubled due to my age, now 80 years of age, so I am going the Motability route and the Lexus is going up for sale. Maintenance has been oil changes at 10,000 miles, oil in auto box and back axle changed. Matching Avon tyres. One very small dent at rear, a supermarket job with no details left. No apparent rust. Mileage is just under 160,000.
Keeping cars. Several reasons. 1. Don’t like the new designs. 2. Don’t like the hybridisation. 3. Tax incentives for maintenances is beneficial vs selling and replacing.
Buy a car you like and keep it. People chase the latest number plate or an ideology that new cars are somehow better, but if you maintain your car it should last. The manufacturers even provide a service book detailing when things should be replaced / serviced. Genius!
I’ve just bought a 2010 Mercedes cls grand edition from a dealer for just over 4k. The car has a full Mercedes service history and just turned 100k miles. I only do about 3k miles per year so to me it was a no brainer. Driving it home after I picked it up I couldn’t believe how quiet, smooth and powerful it was. No squeaks or rattles, no annoying issues that made me regret the purchase. If something goes wrong with it then I’ll pay the cost and at the same time know I’ve got a cracking car. I think if you know what you like and take your time older cars are the answer
My Mazda 6 Diesel is eighteen years old, had it last seven of those years, it stands me in at around four grand including maintenance over that time, still performs like new. The value of a car is what its worth is to the owner, not some mythical number.
I drive a 1994 car every day, doing about 10k miles a year. Probably spend about £500 a year on it on servicing and repairs. It's fun to drive, it is actually appreciating in value and I get to be part of the classic car community going to shows and having fun. Honestly wouldn't get a new car if you paid me.
My car is 14 years old and my age of 77, I want to keep it until I stop driving in a few years' time. It's a basic Nissan Micra petrol car, simple to drive, and I have it regularly MOT'd and tested and because it's small, I can park it easily in spaces which bigger cars would find difficult. I really don't want a brand-new, complicated car at my time of life.
Unfortunately I need at least one more car until I finish driving. Twenty years ago used cars were cheap as chips and fairly reliable. Thanks to our elite staying mobile and productive is increasingly difficult.
The rust proofing on modern cars has improved compared to those 70’s and 80’s cars shown in the thumbnail. Rust killed those off. People choose to scrap a modern car when it becomes more expensive to fix than it’s worth. Structurally they are still sound normally.
Got a 21 year old VW Passat 2,00 ltr petrol and it drives perfectly and better than a lot of new vehicles. Cost me £500 5 years ago,and most functions still work. Also got a 54 year old Volvo Amazon which i've had for 20 years,nearly rebuilt ,and will be on the road again next year. Old cars are more environmentally friendly ,even better than the pointless EVs.
I've been driving the same 1991 VW Jetta for 23 years. It was only until a few months ago that I upgraded and bought a 2016 Toyota Yaris that only had 16k miles on it. The VW served me well and still runs and drives fine after 350k+ miles. I'm hoping the Toyota Yaris will last me just as long as the VW has. By that time I'll be 71 years old.
I sincerely hope it does. Japanese seems to be the way to go now. VW group cars aren't what they once were. I was just about to comment on the 2004 Octavia SDI, I took to 250,000 miles and sold in a moment of madness.
@marianbiznesu1899 Yeah, I always have my cars undercoated every year with Fluid-film or New Hampshire Oil undercoating, but I never use the rubberized undercoating because they just hide rust and make repairs more difficult because you have to remove the rubber coating to remove a bolt or part. The oil type undercoatings don't have those problems.
@@ScooterSafetyThank you for your imformation. It is a great idea indeed. I will check and ask mechanik how it works in Poland climate (much more continental with longer and stronger winter).
In Australia there are people who live their locally built Holden Commodores, Ford Falcons and Mitsubishi Magnas /380s which are honest dependable cars. My Daily is a 2013 Holden VF Sv6 sportswagon. 213,000 flawless kms of service still on original brake discs just general maintenance . Still drives smoothly and quietly and has never let me down. My mechanic warned me not to be foolish and get rid of this car. Its a crime our government let our car industry go because our latter day cars especially are really good with all the trch to make them useful and safe and without the unnessary driver aids, drive train complications, etc an era that will never be repeated.😢
I have a Mercedes c200 automatic petrol. 189000 km. Its still looks almot new No rattles or other sound except the great engine. I will keep it. Had some repairs for about 2000 euros in the last 3 years, but she worth it!!
I recently sold a 6 year old insignia and replaced it with an 18 year old vectra. I find the vectra more reliable, more practical, and more economical. Parts for the vectra are cheaper and because my version is pre-dpf, its also easier to work on. £2.5k for a practical family car with 40k miles on the clock, has 150bhp and does 60mpg average was a freaking steal! I'm doing 30k miles per annum and plan to keep it for another 5 years depending on parts availability.
I'm doing 20k per annum on a 2008 Vectra C too, albeit mine is the even simpler 1.8VVT petrol, does (45/50mpg routinely), absolutely great simple machine this era Vectra's, very underrated, and if it breaks, just get another one for the price of a new iPhone :)
Ran my 06 Civic 2.2 diesel for 11 years. Sold it after putting 150k miles on it, 227k total. It's still going strong now. I replaced it with another 2.2 Civic and will do the same.
I have a 15 year old car with 205k on the clock, l will keep as long as i can, l was going to get a newer one but changed my mind rather spend the money on tavel, the dealer didn't help.
@@bwoo6223 And I will wait for the newer options to be available. A car that is constantly listening and tracking your every move is already old technology. I want an option capable of analysing fart and giving advice on which medication to buy.
Another thing to add, modern cars don't really offer much in terms of usability from 10 to 15 year old cars. A 2010 car is still as easy to drive and capable as something from 2024. And a lot of people dislike the electronic gubbins all new cars have which almost always goes wrong. I think we'll see 15 year old cars out living 2024 cars on the road.
Been in the car game for years and always say if you’ve looked after your car over the years and it’s in good nick then it’s worth paying to keep it going. I have a 18 year old Subaru 2.0r sport and owned it for 16 years. It’s in mint condition as it’s well looked after. Plus a fully serviced 2013 Alpha Romeo and in mint condition. Have had new cars but don’t need new anymore.
Spending £500 to fix an old car is s lot cheaper than replacing it.
@@bikeman123 how about road tax?
but it may still be a false economy.... it's all relative!
@@KTOMbI road tax is usually a very small percentage of teh total value of the vehicle. for example i bought a 64 plate 320d efficient dynamics and the road tax is about £30 per year
@@KTOMbI Still cheaper than depreciation on a new car. And new cars need tax too.
@@insightphoto 64 plate isn't so old.
I run a 30 year old Merc, properly built, no fancy electronics, runs brilliant, I love old classics
Me too - a 1993 W124 E320 in Colombia. This car will see me out as I am now 78 - may only be driving another 5 years or so.
@jamesdonald7485 cool, mine is a '93 w124 320ce and I drive it like I stole it 😂
We have had a 1995 Mercedes E320 since 2011 and just did a very good service for its 30th birthday. Was born on Oct. 94’.
In addition bought another 95’ E320 Wagon because I loved the creamy engine and very torque rich while being quite economical.
This and a 84’ Porsche 928 and 99’ SL500 will see me out. I’m 45 now. 😂
No electric ⚡️ blob microwave ovens with a cheap laptop 💻 plopped in the center of the car for me ever:)
@@jasonknight5863 Just be aware of the electronics - Engine Control Module and throttle body. There are issues finding spare parts and rebuilt units. Otherwise these cars are the BEST!!!!!
@@jamesdonald7485 yes that's the problem as they are getting older, new parts are hard to get, the gearbox went in mine last year and I had a real struggle to get it rebuilt, the gearbox people said they had got hold of the last batch of parts to rebuild it
People running old cars should be rewarded for saving the planet
@@fredjames9867 I dont think most of them are still using old cars just out of the desire to save the planet rather due to the inability to afford expensive new cars.
Otherwise, who would want to drive a 20 year old car with no useful entertainment or extra features when he could go for a car which literally almost drives itself completely.
This - once, maybe 15 years ago now, I got into a fist fight with some ecomentalist that was all in my face about my then 20 year old Hyundai Stellar and how badly it polluted (it had the cat installed and I maintained it well, even changed the valve stem seals to prevent smoke on start - Mitsubishi engines lol) and how I absolutely needed to crush it and buy a Prius, like him. After explaining the carbon footprint of destroying a perfectly good car and then the other carbon footprint of the Prius (I got pretty passionate about it lol) the dickwad swung at me. He got a quick beat down, and we both got kicked out of the party. I won because I was allowed to go back in to fetch my beers and phone - the other guy wasn't, so I grabbed his beer too.
That'll teach him :P
@@the_kombinator lolz. Kool 🥳😅
@@hisownman i have a 24 year old Jeep out of choice, can easily afford to buy into corporate mumbo jumbo and have my movements data tracked if I wanted. It turns heads, kids through to old folks think it’s cool af and i have state of the art infotainment because upgrading it doesn’t require me to reprogram the can-bus and do a whole load of fascia improv. It cost me £1200 9 years ago, spent about £4k total on it (not including my own time which i enjoy) and it’s easily appreciated to a worth north of £5k today.
Omdat die entertainment niet perse nodig is en ik liever zelf rijd .daarom liever een oude auto met betrouwbare techniek. Greetings frans @@hisownman
My car is 20 years old. It has done 60,000 miles, and it's in excellent condition. I drive no more than 2,000 miles yearly, so I intend to keep using the car for a few more decades!
it will outlast you for sure.
Me too exactly. My other one is 33years old 7 years to be tax exempt, By which time I might be tax exempt too!
Very wise decision.
Wow! That is amazing! How do you have such low miles? My 2011 Ranger has over 123,000 miles on it, and it hasn't even left the State.
@@Gene1969 We generally drive fewer miles in the UK than you do in the US. The average yearly mileage here is only 5000-8000 miles, rather than the 14000ish miles in the US. Which incidentally is pretty much what I do also, which makes me someone who drives a lot in the UK lol.
Majority of people have realised that the average new cars are not well made, uninspiring and boring. Cost of living skyrocketed while salaries have practically remained the same the last 10 years.
If your annual mileage is very low, keeping an old car going has got to be less damaging environmentally than buying a new car every 3 years, electric or otherwise.
Correct.
It is!
My thoughts exactly.
I bought a bike and started cycling to work. My annual milage dropped to about 4000. Now the price of petrol doesn't really bother me, I'm a lot fitter, and more environmentally friendly.
@@peterfenwick4662 yep. My annual mileage is about 4000 miles.
The only time I use my car really is when I go on holiday.
First rule of bangernomics, if it’s cheaper to fix it than replace it, keep it
That was always the big question. It was often cheaper to replace but then you just bought another set of problems.
Sometimes even if it costs slightly more its worth it if you know how reliable a vehicle is then its worth spending a few extra quid. Maintain it and service it and it will last
@wideyxyz2271 my last 2 cars a 2008 focus and a 2011 mondeo haven't filled me with confidence. My 2002 focus mk1.5 I probably trusted. So I probably wouldn't repair them. I will have to see when the time comes. When the focus needed a spring a wheel bearing and a clutch. I just put it on E-bay for someone else to have a go with it.
I think we've all held onto a car for too long and it has turned into a money pit. ua-cam.com/video/g6KiCHnc1qc/v-deo.html
Over here in the states, it is cheaper for me to keep five 1980's full size Ford cars and light trucks on the road than what most people pay for a monthly note on a new one. Be patient in sourcing parts, do what you can in house, limit your miles and take care of them. $1,000 a year is still way cheaper than a new or used car note, especially with an overpriced market.
For me a 14 year old car is still new. I prefer older cars as they are more simple and reliable. And prettier. I like the pre-2000 cars. I daily a 2001 VW. Last thing I want to be is an interest slave.
I know what you mean but when stupid things start going wrong here there and everywhere it won't seem like a new car.
Totally agree. I think a lot of people underestimate the cost of depreciation and don't get me started on how stupid car loans are
I would add, that at least for small to lower middle class cars, older cars also tend to be more comfortable. They have more comfortable suspension setup and more comfortable seats. As long as they are well maintained (preemptive maintenance can make an old car easily more reliable than a new one) they are generally better long distance cars
Since every car needs to have huge rims and very low tires nowadays, and every car needs to be sporty and be optimized for the Nürburgring, cars have been getting noticably stiffer.
For premium and upper class cars, things are different, because with air suspension, active dampers and electronic controls you can indeed create VERY comfortable suspensions nowadays. But for those of us that drive compact or middle class cars, that's typically not available, and then older cars without racetrack ambitions are much more comfortable.
@grizzly8810 have to go back a long way for comfortable suspension. I remember a mk1 focus was not bad. A Peugeot 406 was good. They soon started getting sporty it my have been when 5th gear and top gear started putting them around a track for comparisons
@@chrishart8548 Yes, Clarkson and cohorts have done a lot to make cars better for a few enthusiasts, and at the same time they have managed to make them quite a bit worse for the average guy. I enjoyed Top Gear, but in hindsight....
The mk1 Renault Twingo that I still drive as a winter/city car is much more comfortable than any new car in its class and in 75hp guise is actually a relatively decent long-distance car. The contrast is especially sharp if you compare it to the current Twingo (Smart in disguise), which is is not a car I enjoyed driving on the Autobahn.
I don't have any personal experience in the 406, but in general, french cars seems to have lasted longer before they succumbed to the pressure of Top Gear and started stiffening up. The Focus mk1 I did occasionally drive as a rental, and I remember it as already a bit less comfortably sprung than the late model Sierra I used to own at the time. But for its time it had excellent suspension, yes.
It's quite liberating driving around in a 20 year old Vauxhall Astra when most other people seem to be in a 3 years old or less premium brand lease car. Lots of people give way on narrow country lanes and I can leave it unlocked in a car park and know it will still be there when I get back.
Lol, "I can leave it unlocked" Locks on my 98 Chevy S10 quit locking 3 years ago, perfectly fine with it.
@@jackbrown6788 Yeah, I only lock my car if I'm concerned that someone might steal stuff out of it. 😨
To be fair you could have left a Vauxhall Astra unlocked when it was brand new and it would still be there when you got back 🤣
Getting 200K miles out of my 15-year-old Audi A4 seems more aspirational to me than acquiring a shiny new status symbol.
Better built than newer cars too or vs a Corolla etc.
You will, I got a 2005 2.0 lt diesel VW caddy it's done 237,000 miles and doesn't smoke !
My car is 25y young, dead reliable, simple to repair and maintain at home. No intention of changing it, thanks.
what make and model is it?
Isuzu Trooper 3.0 diesel (2000) and Subaru Impreza STi (1999), spot the common factor!
@@roybatty2030 I thought as much! Thanks for confirming.
@@roybatty2030 Isuzu Trooper 3.0 engine is extremely problematic, 3.1 is simply and extremely good.
@@roybatty2030 German or Japanese as good mechanics normally advise. . . Thumbs up, mine's a 19 yr old Merc SLK sports, 90k on clock - reliable and I have no intentions of changing.
Keeping your car for as long as you can is the greenest thing you can do. Just keep up the maintenance as well. My last car was 15 years with me, this one is on 8 years and I will drive it as long as it works.
Sage advice. Regular services and maintenance is the key to longevity.
Too much technology that can go wrong, keep it simple ,who needs all the bells and whistles just after reliability, My car is 15 years old and plan to keep it till it till it dies.
Why recycle when you don't need to throw it away in the first place. I didn't really dwell on the "green angle" in this video but that is an interesting debate, I must crunch some numbers.
My first car was 20 years old when I bought it. Drove it for 10 years and sold it to the next owner in good condition. I got myself another 20 year old car that I plan to keep as long as possible.
My 1999 Volvo does 12.000 a year. 320K now. Old Volvos don't rot. Cheap and greener than swapping for a Prius every 3 years.
any car with no computer or electronics is a TREASURE.
My 1987 Hyundai Pony agrees :D
Yes, a Morris Minor is my ideal car.
@@PhiyedoughI have my ideal car already-it's a 1970 Land Rover Series 2A,much modified with a Japanese engine. Absolutely brilliant bit of kit. Oh,and when the tinworm finally wins,I'll fit a new galvanised chassis and it will then be good for another 50 years plus😇
Mitsubishi Colt 1.5 M
Most older cars have an Ecu which are usually reliable.
I am living in Pennsylvania in the United States, and my "new" car is a 2008. The ownership costs of old cars is going to vary wildly based on the maintenance history but also the brand and the model.
I daily drive a 2000 Toyota Camry. This car has over 197,000 miles on it and it is very good on fuel. On highway trips it gets nearly 40 mpg (US gallons) and around town it does mid to upper20s (once again, US gallons). This car is also extremely easy to work on, and parts are readily available. My wife's 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid has over 250,000 miles and is also (mostly) very easy to service and repair myself in my driveway.
For both cars, all they have required is routine maintenance, brakes, struts and front control arms, all of which I was able to accomplish in a few hours on a Saturday. In the US, older Toyotas, older Hondas, older Mazdas, and a select few Ford and GM models are reliable and easy to maintain and repair.
The reality is that, despite loving cars, we have to admit that cars are a scam. They are enormously expensive to own and maintain, even the "good" ones. I am minimizing the hit to my finances by owning well built, reliable older cars. They cost me less than $1000 a year in repairs (on average), deliver great fuel economy for their size, cost much less to insure, and have no car payments.
If I could get around without having a car then we'd only own one instead of two. But public transportation in the United States outside of New York City is a joke, and is very inconvenient and unreliable.
@@thatcarguy1UZ why do cars in the US have funny names?
‘99 Camry here. Totally agree with the ease of maintenance and reliability. Love my Camry!
Whole-life emissions should be considered, for example, the energy/materiel consumption of building more complete new cars against the emissions 9:52 on a well maintained old car.
I couldn’t agree more. I’ve always kept my cars for a long time. I buy second hand and I like not having monthly payments. The scrapage scheme was definitely the thin end of the wedge.
What about the disposal of EV batteries and the increase of having to replace tires more frequently due to the increased weight of the EV?
@@jdgreen214 that also entails indirect costs such as more frequent road maintenance but it'll be easily counterbalanced by less cars for plebs and less mileage according to some sinister minister or its minions... 😏👆
Also the environmental cost in recycling a car, especially EVs with their batteries. Also EVs have to have their battery packs replaced after some years and those dead batteries must also be recycled. Meanwhile an ICE is just a hunk of metal which is very easy and safe to recycle.
Both of my 22 year old vehicles reject the notion that they are elderly. They are beautiful and well maintained by yours truly, because 90's and early 2000's cars are so straightforward to DIY on!
I still have my 1996 suzuki baleno hatchback driving today in Jamaica
That's why I daily my '00' manual e46 330i 👌🏻
Same, I have two old VWs (over20 years old) which are in really good condition and maintained by myself.
In Australia. Have two 21 yo vehicles. One is Ford Falcon LPG (Barra green top). 375,000km and still purring. No rust. Cheap parts, cheap fuel and almost indestructible. Other is Nissan N16 Pulsar Hatch (built in the UK!). 215,000km and still happy bopping around the 'burbs. Repair bills are creeping up, but nothing outrageous yet. But I acknowledge there will come a time to replace. At last visit to mechanics there was a Porsche Cayenne with half it's front off. Repair bill was up to $19,500 at that stage. 'Nuff said.
My pick up truck is 53 years old! I use it 2-3 days a week, no fancy electronics or gadgets to go wrong.
Same here, 60 year old landy. A challenging drive, but way more enjoyable and I drive it in preference to my wifes new ford.
I though my car was old at 20 years😊
Bravo!!! 👏👏👏
14 years, a very old car, try 46 years and still has another 20 at least.
The older pre 2000s cars were definitely more well built, easier to maintain and just will last longer. Rust is their biggest killer. The pollution thing doesn't come into it, by 2000 all cars were pretty clean. If pollution and saving the world is your goal don't have a car, or heat your house, or use electricity, or wear clothes, or eat.
Or breathe
"If pollution and saving the world is your goal don't have a car, or heat your house, or use electricity, or wear clothes, or eat."
😅🤣😂
I was especially enjoying this comment - car is 23yrs old and will keep it another 5 ish I should think. And then when you said to stop eating I laughed in front of quiet train people!
I know this may sound like a random unrelated question, but why is it that I stopped seeing loads of black exhaust soot stains on multistorey car park walls after 2004?
I mean, back in the early 90s and early to mid 2000s, there were LOADS of round black marks on white multistorey car park walls, but now there's hardly any at all.
@richard29415 I don't know, maybe they clean the walls more often?
Maybe the newer cars do produce less carbon particles (soot). But soot is not a contributor to global warming. It is heavy and settles out quickly (like on walls of parking areas). It is CO2 that is the main bogey man. In fact if you have free carbon (soot) there will be less carbon dioxide as the soot has not combined with oxygen.
Bottom line is, there is no such thing as a free lunch, if you want the economy to function and modern life to continue you have to also put up with some things. There is only so much blood that can be squeezed from a stone. By 2000 cars have had about as much blood squeezed out of them that you can get.
I have a 306 Rallye 1999, 135k miles absolutely mint, I only average 4800 miles a year, no ac, electrics, windup windows..some parts are getting harder to find, but driving experience is still incredible compared to a lot of newer motors
My wife's 03 Fiesta diesel has nearly 300,000 miles (av 60mpg) and my 03 Trafic has over 200,000 miles (av 35mpg)
don't top up oil between services and NEVER broken down in over 20 years! Keep 'em going for the planet 🐝
"Upgrade"? That is the problem. Buying a current model car is not an upgrade. It is a downgrade. Why swap a more reliable, durable car for something overpriced and overcomplicated that is likely to be plagued with expensive problems?
I notice a lot of manufacturers now have plastics where metal used to be (manifolds, covers, pipe junctions etc) even the Japanese OEMs embrittlement and cracking are a feature - who would have thought...
The problem is that when you undo and remove these items, they tend to break and need replacing. Gone are the good old days eh?
For sure, I do not see the logic of calling a modern car an upgrade.
@@daveblack5109Bloody asinine design criteria to say the least!!!
It's like switch from Lexus to Maserati. Reliability is the priority.
I live in the Czech Republic. I think the average age of a car here is 14 years. My Golf 1.6 petrol is 25 years old. I've no intention of getting rid of it. My neighbour has twice asked to buy it off me as it's more reliable than his 3 year old car. On average, annual servicing is about 120 quid, repairs over the last 9 years average at about 200 quid. It's reliable, easy to fix and solid. No brainer.
'afraid that is not my experience with 2 golfs! But your economics, binky, makes a lot of sense!
What about rust, here in Uk no car unless loved to death makes it past about 16 years as road salt destroys underneath and too much to repair for yearly inspection. If it fails on rust it's likely destination is the scrap man.
And rust can creep up on you. My 18 year old car has just developed a hole in one of the sills. It seems to have come through from the inside of the section. I suspect that water may be getting in to the inside of the panels from somewhere around the windscreen or engine bay. Very difficult to work out what is going on without dismantling the car. Also if the rust has penetrated a structural part of the car it is likely a terminal problem as it will be uneconomic to fix.
True. But the answer is not to change your financed car every 2 years@@person.X.
@@martinrichardhorrocks9869 I think the issue was more that older cars do have a limited practical lifespan if you use them as a main car (as opposed to a weekend car etc). Much as I love my old girl she is becoming a money pit.
Keep old cars. Keep local mechanics in a job. The older the car and still financially repairable. No need to replace. You dont need to worry about the few scratches or even keeping it shiny
My father passed away this year and left me his car; still got my 99 focus which I was daily driving, and am restoring it now.
My vw is 11 years old. Last year my timing belt went - top end rebuild was €1600. This year my oil pump failed - bottom end rebuild was €3700. Need repairs to my gearbox - another €1000 next month. Buying a new car here in Italy costs €1500 on top of the cost of the car, so I keep repairing this one in the hope I will get another few years from it!
Ouch, that sounds like a couple of rather expensive repairs. Kudos for sticking with your VW.
15 year old Volvo V70 2.4D,173,000 miles and runs perfect,no rattles or squeaks.....bloody brilliant 🙏
300k+ easy with engine and gearbox oil changes
@ggmgoodgamingmichael7706 Yeah I do mine every 6 months or 5000 miles,plus I have been using Ravennol 0W 30 and it's awesome oil,Diesel filter every other year....Just love that 5 cylinder Diesel 🙏
Yep my Lexus is 25 years old still good condition and mega reliable 200,000 miles 😊.
The p2 and p3 v70’s still look really good after so many years. I’ve got a p2 xc90 and it feels like new at 15 years old, and I prefer it to our much newer MINI clubman. I’ve got VIDA, and it’s actually a joy to work on, so not sure what it would take to replace it…
@@Enlightenedwarrior1 i am am Happy with my volvo s70 from 1998 and my wife drive a Honda logo from 99. Both Cars are very reliable
Everyone mentions environmental impact of an older car. Their emissions may be indeed worse than a newer car but when you think about all the waste that it creates when scrapped it does not look that good anymore. By buying new cars we're producing more toxic waste. Many old cars end up in Africa in countries where their approach to emsissions is a bit more relaxed and they just cut off DPfs, blank out EGRs and continue to use these cars for many more years.
From the environment point of view - It makes much more sense to keep cars on the roads as long as possible but from the business point of view - buy more new ones. Same goes for all the computers, phones, appliances. By buying more - we're producing more waste.
Also don't forget the carbon footprint just to build it, huge!
@@davids6194 add shipping them half way around the world!
Go green, go woke - go broke!
That theory is excellent but unless car manufacturers don't make new cars they go bust and technically every new car built today will be an old car one day. I mean your old car was once new and many cars were scrapped to make your car. So it's just a revolving door. All my cars are old and new cars don't interest me at all.
Economy does not go hand in hand with ecology. We do need to buy new cars but we don't need to do it every three years. We cannot eliminate our impact on our environment but we can reduce it.
I drive a 32 year old landrover defender , it’s heavily modified , has no electronics and is easy and cheap enough to repair myself , wouldn’t change it for anything new .. much prefer older cars
Love the comments here, real drivers driving real cars. There is more pleasure to use an old car that covers the same journey a new car would cover, without all the stress of living in fear of knocking £100’s off the value of your new car due to someone carelessly opening their door in a car park.
The only problem I am finding with my ‘08 car is the shortage of spares as identical models are now hard to find in scrap yards as most have been crushed and gone forever. Couldn’t even buy new wiper arms, but one pair available on eBay saved the day.
I would never buy a hybrid as the sheer mechanical complexity and the seamless transition from battery to ICE is totally reliant on software. A recipe for becoming uneconomic to repair years earlier than older simpler cars.
Yes for parts you have to pick a winner as far as the manufacturer goes. I have always owned Subarus and there is a big enthusiast and big aftermarket parts choice.
There is a niche industry of aftermarket equipment to repair hybrid batteries & keep them going instead of replacing. I'm driving a 17 year old hybrid on it's 2nd battery. The first was replaced under warranty the second battery I bought equipment for less than $1k to recondition it and it works.
16 yr old ford fiesta 90k miles and apart from the 200 quid a year to tax it returns 350 miles to a 40L tank and gets me from A-B, has 5 seats 4 doors, hatch style boot and doesn't cost an arm and a leg to replace when spare parts are abundant and cheap. Insurance is the only thing ive been battered with and that's personal to each individual I'm happy to stick with it till I'm forced to change. Manchester UK
@@jonathandavies6862 No servicing costs, oil, filters etc? If you don’t at least change the oil regularly it won’t make it to 100k miles. Oil isn’t cheap these days either.
Driving a 12 year old Fiesta 1.4 diesel myself, its not luxury at all and sometimes i hate it when i compare it against or see these flash modern cars, but its been affordable.
@@jonathandavies6862 I loved my 2006 fiesta. But it was getting a bit long in the tooth, so I traded it in for a Kuga in 2019. After five years I’ve had a few issues only in the last three months. DPF is all I’m going to say. 🤯 it’s cost me more this last three months than the last five years. You bet im keeping it! It owes me. 😆
@@st200oloil costs the same for old and new cars though, so it doesnt matter.
@@wizzyno1566That wasn’t my point, the OP didn’t even mention oil while bragging about how cheap their car was to run. Some cars need 6 or 7 litres and others need 3 or 4 litres. I do my own oil changes so that’s a factor. I know people that simply don’t bother changing the oil. One guy I used to work with needed a new turbo on his old Golf TD. I asked him how often he changed his oil he said about once every 5 years as he only did 3k miles a year and the change interval mileage was 18k miles. 😂
My car is 18, soon 19 years old, still going strong 315000 km.
Mine is only 14 but hoping to get there and passed it, they can keep there new ones plus the EVs and hybrids.
my car is 16, 350000km :D
Which brand / model ?
@@michau_12 tesla? 😷
@@realtan9026😂
My daily drive is 64 years old, it’s simple and reliable. No computery crap to go wrong, it has 2 fuses (1 for lights, horn, wipers, trafficators etc and 1 for the ignition). It’ll certainly outlive me and probably my son as well. I paid £10 for it many years ago, it’s tax and mot exempt and fully comp insurance is under £100. If you have an older car it’s well worth keeping, just keep up with the maintenance and all is good. 😊
😊 What car do you have . One of my cars is a 1970, 54 years old. 🎉
I had a 1960 Riley 1.5 and would love to get another (sadly it was destroyed by fire). I bought it in Coventry and drove it 500 miles home to northern Scotland.
Morris Minor? which I believe still came with trafficators up until the early 1960s?
Me and my VW beetle 1600 are 54 this year. I wouldn't try using it for long motorway trips, for this I have a 2007 Lexus IS but for everything else it is a fine shoestring motoring.
Sounds good to me. What is it, by the way?
My car is 13 years old. Back then I had a choice between Accord, Mondeo, Mazda 6, Passat and I liked all of them. This days not a single car ticks all the boxes. And yes, I do think cars of today are not as reliable, cheaply made, and overpriced.
I've got a 13 year old mondeo. So far everything is still working. It's been garaged since 2014. So the condition is good. It won't be rust that kills it.
@@chrishart8548 To keep your car as long as possible if it doesn't require major repairs/costs makes financial sense, especially considering for something equivalent you have to pay nearly twice the price of what you have paid 13 years ago.
@artpan4376 try 3x the price I bought at 2 years looked up what it cost to get the same model at 2 years old again it's literally 3x. £29k last time I checked.
Fully agree with your comment. My car is 25 and still in good condition. Mega reliable 200, 000 miles.😊
Yes, if I could buy exactly the same car as my old one but newer I would do so but that is impossible.
I drive a 2001 Rover 45, drives smooth, no rattles or creaks etc. Yes, it does need some parts relacing at times. Just recently had the CV joint replaced. I love it, no major computor / electrical sensors to worry about, pretty basic really. Easy to maintain and reasonably cheap....certainly much cheaper than buying a newer car.
You're spot on with pre 2000 cars. Basic controls. Less electric trickery. Just everything one needs.😊
My 14 year old is in excellent condition with just 62,000 miles on clock and planning on keeping it paying for repairs as necessary.
My car, a Toyota IQ, is 15 years old as well. Great car, no problems with it at all in 3 years ownership. Only 42k miles, I'm planning to keep it for as long as possible.
62k miles, it is entering to be a teenager. that is nothing. 👍
The worst environmental friendly move is actually to buy a new car.
Buy a private jet ?
I own a 27 year old e36 bmw with just over 59,000 miles on it,so extremely low for its age,owned for 9 years ,no computers,no touch screens,simple and reliable,makes no sense to get rid of it,I definitely have no plans to buy a new car ever:)
@@littlemisssunshine1727 Wouldn't it have electronic fuel injection? Possibly also an ABS module? So there is a hidden computer or two there.
Yeah it has ,so what,it’s nothing like new cars,i very much doubt new cars today would still be driving around in 30 years time
@littlemisssunshine1727 You're probably right about new cars not bring around in 30 years time!
Same here, but with an E39. It’s modern enough to do everything I need it to do while being much simpler to repair compared to the new stuff (and so much better looking too). This was when BMW was at its peak!
@@Tomcat115 yes 💯 agree,I like e39s such a great car better than the e36 really,but mine has such low milage I just can’t see the point in selling,even if I had to spend a few grand on it,it’s still cheaper than buying a newer car.
My first car was a 6 year old Mk1 VW golf 1100N. It was a T reg, so 1979 for the youngsters on this thread. Back then, VW were the only cars amongst its contemporaries which had an anti corrosion warranty. So compared to the equivalent fiesta it was like a new car. No rust. Now, cara don’t fall apart like they used to. But what’s underneath let’s them down. Cheap parts and environmental ‘improvements’ are making them almost disposable. And let’s face it, that’s what they want. A decade or so ago, the scar page scheme was well publicised. And at the time, I remember thinking that there would be lots of sound cars being scrapped, when they shouldn’t have been. And now we have Ulez and DPF filters on diesel cars. Diesels which were once promoted, are now dirty and polluting without the expensive filter, which is controlled by sensors and parts that go wrong. And when they do, are expensive to replace. Now I’m not a conspiracy theorist. But one can’t help thinking the long term plan is to make cars unreliable and too expensive for the masses to own. And the ones who can afford them will have to pay handsomely for the privilege. This is a slap in the face, when power stations like Drax are shipping in wood from All over the world, predominantly Canada, is this green energy? And counties like China are pumping out pollution with impunity. There I’ve had my rant. Pity I don’t feel any better. 😔
You're not alone. Planned obsolecense really is a thing. Manufacturers intentionally develop their products with a certain lifespan in mind. Gone are the days of the Mercedes W123 where a 200D could easily rack up half a million miles when maintained properly - instead we now have wet belts and a multitude of gadgets waiting to fail. And electronics are like the new rust for cars, so instead of corroding to pieces it now fails in a very expensive way whilst still looking great on the outside.
I am a Brit living in Thailand. Here there are many old cars and Pick up trucks, 10 to 20 years old. Any parts required are available "off the shelf " some PATTERN , the same as UK. Big differene is NO ROAD SALT is ever needed here so cars do not ROT AWAY !! Repairs and Servicing in UK are very high also Insurance just keeps rising for no reason.
I think we've definitely past the point of peak robustness and reliability in the automotive industry. Ill never buy a new car
My newest car is an 09 plate ...
Having just returned a 23 plate hire car (used for work) I much prefer my car - I can't see why touch screens are legal, so hard to use when driving!
Back in the eighties having a portable tv on your dashboard while you were driving would probably get you a prison sentence, now every car has them!!
That is very true,its an offence to use a mobile phone whilst driving yet deemed acceptable to change the climate control etc on a built in screen.
@@paulphillips7308 It’s not the same thing though. When you change the climate control you just change the climate control and forget about it. Some cars have voice commands as well. When drivers use the phone it’s throughout the whole journey. You consistently changing the climate control as weathers maintains more or less the same temperature for most journeys.
People are not encouraged to buy new cars people are FORCED to buy new cars
Exactly.
Near on all new cars are on lease
The whole car industry is based around people buying new cars on short leases. Cars are no longer built to last, but built to just get through the warranty period with minimal servicing, after which they turn into money pits.
They're not gonna force me to do sh!t.
That reminds me of the depreciation research I did a while back, it is one of the biggest hidden motoring cost. ua-cam.com/video/tRAd9kzX80o/v-deo.html
1st car - 15 year old Mazda 6 I bought new, have no plan on replacing it, never had issues.
2nd car - 32 year old Jeep Cherokee, bought recently, so far so good.
Both bought for cash, no payments or credit.
Keeping your old stuff working is SAVING the planet MORE than getting the "latest and greatest" gadget packed disposable car.
My daily is a 2002 XKR Jaguar. A beautiful car that costs peanuts to keep on the road because Ford era Jags are so well built. It will have deprecated by about five grand over the ten years I have owned it.
Hmmm! A new car costs 30 to 40k on average. An old car that needs new clutch, suspension, brakes etc would be a couple of thousand. No brainer.
@witsend236 Annual rustproofing and buy up a load of strategic spares to guard against obsolescence and you have perpetual motoring. 1980s Mercedes, Volvo and pre GM Saabs seem a good place to be.
Big problem with new cars is when they do go wrong, even the main dealer struggles to understand them. The customer ends up paying for a trial and error fix it system. Keep putting on new bits until the problem goes away, usually an electrical problem!
But you don't have to replace it with a new car, just a newer car.
@@witsend236 Exactly 👍
Just need to find a great engine rebuilder😊
14 years old cars are still babies to me. I've got 5 cars that are 30+ years old. I would not trade any of them for any new car.
My brother and I have cars that are 20 years old and 19 years old. We got them cheap off family and or friends. The parts are cheap for them and they are easy to work on if they need fixing. We just service them every year and slap a bit of fuel additives in the tank once in a while and maybe even some Cataclean. Both cars still going strong! (it also helps that we don't live in places with clean air zones and stuff either).
I have a 1999 BMW 520i. Very reliable, driving well after 150.000 miles, never needs 300-400 pounds/month for repairs, as the video suggests….😊! I don’t like the current “computers on wheels”, with sensors everywhere, no dipstick, downsized 3-cilinder engines etc. etc.
They do not make them like yours anymore!
I know this is outside your ask area but I believe it’s relevant to the conversation. I’m in California in the US. In 2002 I bought a top of the line truck for $35k. It still runs fine but if I were to replace it with a similar model today, I’d have to pay near $100k. My income hasn’t risen significantly against inflation since my purchase. I can maintain the old truck on my own. Any professional work it does need is relatively inexpensive. I don’t have to deal with software updates or end of service notices, etc. On a new truck, I can’t maintain it myself. Repairs are very costly. The tech is great but life-limited to the amount of time the brand chooses to maintain it. New cars often come with selling my data, paying for use of installed features and other challenges that will inevitably lead to scraping what would otherwise be a viable vehicle for the service life of the mechanical parts and not the latest software availability. For example Fisker just shuttered in the US and owners have cars with problems with no way to get needed software updates, effectively making them $200k e-waste.
In brief, new cars are too expensive, invasive and designed to fail when the manufacturer wants to sell you another. They are no longer viable for most people, so I, like many of my friends and family will continue to maintain our old cars as long as possible.
@@sirhcmi3 I totally agree with you on this. Cars have become subject to computer tech the same way phones have. I haven't driven a car with a screen and don't want to. Just turning over a music cassette was a distraction too far for me. Taking my eyes off the road/mirrors to read a screen seems like the definition of insanity.
I sold my Mondeo back in June. It was a 2011 model, and I'd owned it for three years. But, the biggest problem I have with modern cars, is that I have to take them to a mechanic, because of all the unnecessary garbage they bolt onto them today. In the 1980s, and 90s, I drove Cortinas and Capris, there wasn't a single job that required me to pay a garage to do the job. I was able to strip engines, replace clutches, suspension and steering parts, for very little outlay. Now my local garage wants £55 just to plug it in fto see what's wrong. I'm never buying another diesel, in fact, I need to win the lottery so I can get another Cortina 2.0 GXL, that I had in 1982.
Yes that's a nice car the good old Cortina 2ltr GXL.
PLenty of older cars are diesel and easy to fix like you mentioned. A diesel engine is not the issue.
Service my own car . Buy at 3 years old and keep 10 years. Very high mileage. Cars Nisan Micra A reg . Citron ax 1.4D skoda 1.9D and now VW golf 1.6D I am 64 years old.
its about oil changes at every 3k
Hi bud, how high, is very high mileage ??
@@cjmac2786 my Nisan Micra had 270000 but needed new piston rings and valve guides this can be done with engine in situ as piston's can be pulled out through sump. Ax had 230.00 the Skoda was the best at 450000. VW only has 75000. So far and egr needed changing. Time will tell if engine can make the hi mileage.
Impressive 👍
@@Ianf1x my previous 1997, a4 2.0 tdi B5 was on 670k, my current A4 2010, 220k.
I still drive my 19yo Subaru Forester with 143k km. Great cars! No rust!
Keep it, man. I replaced my 2004 Forester when I got scared of a possible future engine overhaul. Silly me.
Subaru Impreza 2003 246k km and still my favourite car 🚗
Subaru Outback 2006 330k km 🤞
I use to repair old classic cars . What dream to work on . Simple basic. New cars. Mobile computers that will play up no end . . I'll stick with the classics thank you
My super reliable 2008 Peugeot 107 1.0l 3 cylinder still averages 68 mpg after 100,000 miles in mixed driving & has only £20/year road tax
But £2,000 spent in 4 years on rust repairs, apart from usual battery brakes, clutch, wheel bearings, etc.
2015 Octavia with a 2.0TDI.
The car is paid off. It costs £20 a year to tax. I get 55mpg back and fore work and 68mpg on a long motorway run.
Why the hell would I get rid of it?
Government killed the golden goose when they introduced the "premium car tax" and played around with the road tax IMO.
Will keep my car until it dies or I do.
Generally a lot of cars in may area are becoming older. Noticing work colleagues holding onto cars when they have finished their payments when previously they would part ex and take out a new loan.
How does it cost only £20 a year to tax?????
Old cars are much more reliable and less complex to maintain. I have 3 cars, 2 from a local car brand in india, and a toyota corolla. They are 18/19/13 in age.177000/53000/148000 kms run. No problems and very reliable.
Similar generation Octavia bought without finance years ago. 85,000 miles is nothing for these, and taxi companies usually run these for a reason. Skoda are one of the few manufacturers who still make sensible cars. I will never buy an ugly lumbering two-ton SUV.
@@richardbradley2641 these were the VED rates based on CO2 prior to 2017, my 2015 Honda Civic diesel is also £20pa to tax. We are also keeping that car for as long as possible, it’s been owned for 7 years so far, while our 2005 Subaru Legacy has been owned for 15 years.
Well done I’m impressed, to keep that car going for as long as possible just keep up those regular oil changes, probably twice per year, only £50 per time if you do it yourself.
Owning an old car will never reach the spaceship like prices for a new car these days.
We run a 22 year old Mazda, 19 year old BMW and 57 year old Mini. I maintain them myself and they cost almost nothing to run. They are in good condition and emissions are low. However, a new electric car must be built which has a huge impact on the environment. The batteries are harmful. And generating all that electricity is also using fossil fuels. People need to see the bigger picture....
Please make a video looking at the whole costs, financially as well as environmentally, of keeping an older car vs buying a replacement. Like me, many of those commenting believe holding on to a well maintained car for 15 years is far better for the environment ( and your pocket) than replacing it with 3 new EVs every 5.
Interesting to hear you discuss a trend I've noticed over the decades.
In 1970 my hard-up father ran a 1954 Austin Somerset. At that time it was considered a very old (and old-fashionned) car. He certainly had to be mechanically proficient to keep it going. Today I run a reliable Mk2 Focus and it really doesn't seem old to me, certainly not old-fashionned. Yet it is now older than that Somerset!
In my experience newer cars are far more expensive to repair and service, have a shorter lifespan and there parts are lower quality. 2000-2005 is IMO the sweet spot for a good balance of longevity, economy, power and cost of maintenance
I don't think parts will be available for 20-25 year cars for much longer.
@@chrishart8548 It really depends on the make and model - Mini's, fast Ford's and VW scene cars/buses all have big followings and tonnes of aftermarket parts.
I love my 275k mile 2002 Vw Golf Pd130!
@BluejuiceT4 that was one of the best engines ever made the 2ltr that came after was garbage. Pd was good for over 400k the newer one barely makes it past 100k
@@chrishart8548Try Series Land Rovers-parts are plentiful and are likely to remain that way as it's a brilliant cult vehicle and loads of aftermarket firms cater for them. I have one so I know!🤣
I had a 1998 Mercedes C220cdi auto. Managed to do 450k miles in it and engine and gearbox were still going. Unfortunately the body work corroded over the years and wasn’t viable to repair in the end. Best car I have ever owned.
I currently own an Audi TT (1999) and a BMW M3 (1994) They are fantastic to own, so much fun for so little cost with simplisticity. I even recently owned a little Ford KA (2007 - relatively new). It hardly ever broke and needed fixing. I'm definitely saving the planet with my choice of cars while having a lot more fun driving at the same time 👍
I purchased a one year old diesel Kango in 2008. it’s now covered 125,000 miles. It’s still going. Not costing a lot to run. I haven’t ever perched a new car.
I'm holding onto my 2008 skoda until manufacturers fit cars with a full size spare wheel again! Not much to ask for one would think!
My daily car is a 2007 520d, 215k miles on it and recently passed its MOT with no advisorys, use it for my 73mile commute 4 days a week, cruises comfortably at 70mph and still returns 50mpg!
And my second car is my little toy, 2003 clio sport cup 172, one of the best little hot hatches ever made, only 60k on it and really clean.
Bought them both for the combined amount of £5.5k
I'm driving a 24 year old VW Passat B5 with the TDI 1.9 Engine. I bought it off my parents and I intend on driving it as long as I can maintain it. Currently 320.000 miles on the clock.
Just did an oil change, next up is the timing belt and that's it.
I have AC, a 105 horses, 220NMs of torque and I average at 6.8 Liters of Diesel per 100kms. Plenty of room and the car is comfy and fun to drive.
Why would I get rid of it?
I drive a "very old car" by that standard.
22 years old with 362,000 MILES (not km).
And I've put over 250,000 of those miles on it since I bought it 14 years ago.
The maintenance/minor repair cost is way less than what monthly payments on an equivalent vehicle would be, and that's not factoring in depreciation either.
The absolute best cars to have were mid 90s - the legislation that came in dictating minimum service life, computer lifespan modelling wasn't really a thing at this point so you might say things were over engineered.
But general public weren't really aware and let them go.
The main problems with newer cars are the rush to market, design for false economy and the prohibitive cost of ADAS repair.
Rush to market in terms of software, that's the biggest complaint across all brands.
Next is engineering for false economy.
Ingenium, ecoboom, wet belt engines in general.
These achieve very good figures in the mpg/co2 standardised tests but will cost you far more in the long run than anything you've saved on fuel.
ADAS. The stuff nobody really wanted but are increasingly being forced to have.
If a front radar fails, your bill is going to be about £2500.
Most won't let you pair a used one to the vehicle and even if you could, it still has to go to a specialist with the correct calibration equipment.
That one component alone could be more than the car is worth.
And one last thing...Privacy and tracking.
All new cars have an LTE (4G) mobile connection as standard which is constantly recording your driving data and sending it to some server somewhere.
If this car fails spectacularly, I bought another similar car of same age "for spares" last year...£200.
But turned out it was too good to break for parts.
57,000 miles on it.
4 brand new decent tyres.
Full tank of fuel
I spent a few quid on a starter motor and a rocker cover gasket and sent it for MOT.
There are bargains out there.
Someone GOT IT. yes the "ADAS. The stuff nobody really wanted but are increasingly being forced to have." I just received a training about ADAS 2 weeks ago, and I was , nope. I don't want it, and the funny thing, the new owners with those ADAS in cars each time they turn on the motor, they start to turn off all the ADAS features. my understanding well next year the manufactures by law must sell new cars with ADAS ? no thanks. I will keep my old car. by the way, which car / model you have on 362k miles.? How frequently you change the motor oil.?
What car is that mate? My guess would be a Toyota avensis or an old BMW
Mine is 18 years old, still runs great. Doesn't cost much in maintenance.
Will run it for a long while yet.
Lots of reasons people are keeping cars longer. Covid temporarily stopped car purchase but, before it could restart, EVs had become a credible option, creating the fear that any new ICE car might be hard to sell in 3/4 years and so cost more in depreciation. Problems were surfacing with many new cars - VW DSG gearboxes, Dieselgate, Ford "wet cam belt" failures etc. In times of uncertainty people have realised that running a slightly older car is not the end of the world and meanwhile they were saving money.
We didn't pay our mortgage 11years early by buying a new car every 3years. My car is 17 years old and durable as anything. And we are immigrants who came to the UK in 1998 with less than £2000.
My car is nearly 17 years old..no dpf...its got a manual handbrake..still going really well. .regular oil changes at 5-6 k...No PCP...No car loan payments....it does have some electronic modules but nothing like the new cars that take alot of control away from the driver.. eventually they will issue speeding fines to the driver i reckon for any indiscretions.. ...stick with older cars i say..
My 1967 Mini is a fair example - 35 mpg, cheap parts, no MOT needed (although I choose to get one) zero road tax, very low emissions, very cheap insurance - everybody loves it - I am effectively being paid to own this car as its value rises more every year than it costs me to own it - it is cheaper than walking!
I'm driving an 57 plate Hyundai Getz 1.4 litre Automatic. It has 43454 miles on the clock. I'm on my third set of tyres, due to the lack of use it's had since 2018, because to health issues and Covid. I replaced the tyres seven years ago, but they hardened and were showing signs of perishing, so I bought new tyres before this year's MOT. Despite being 17 years old next month, my local dealership says they can't find anything wrong with it and their experience is, that it could last another 10 years. Apart from Annual Service and MOT, the biggest expence is having the Cambelt changed every five years. Last time, 2 years ago, cost me £500, which in theory, isn't economically viable, but as I'm a 76 year-old Pensioner on a Basic Government Pension, I can't justify the cost of buying a new car, given the low annual mileage and cost of a replacement. Additionally, the car is very comfortable for me to drive, as I have a neck injury, which doesn't like most cars, because of the laid back driving positions. The Getz gives me a very upright driving position and I still have plenty of Headroom. The bodywork is a very good condition, with just very minor dings in the paintwork, caused by road dirt and gravel. Foggy headlights are the only real problem, but I have access to a local breakers yard and hope to be able to find a replacement pair, but if I have to buy a new pair, it's still a lot cheaper than a new car. I'll probably give up driving, before I need to get another car. The other problem I have, is that I live in a block of Council Flats and there is nowhere for me to charge an EV, so I'm stuck with an ICE vehicle. Russ. Havant, Hants.
In 2008 i bought a 10 yr old civic for £800 then sold it for £500 in 2012 and it cost very little maintenance. in 2018 i had to pay £2,500 for a 15 yr old crv, But 6 years later i still have it, it cost me £10k so far to run that includes purchase of the car, insurance, tax, mot, repairs, everything except the fuel. A 15 year old crv today is way more than £2,500 though!
14 years old!!!! That's a spring chicken in my world. I drive a 2002 Honda CRV 2.0 Petrol with 130k on the clock (just under 6k per year average over its lifespan, so far). Yes, if something major goes on it (clutch or something in the engine) then it will likely be beyond economic repair, but while it keeps going, it keeps going and I've no intention of getting rid of it.
i've got a 2002 renault trafic. done 170k. only do about 3 or 4k a year now. got a new clutch and reconditioned gearbox about 10 years ago. wasn't too dear either, far cheaper than getting another van. yes i took a chance with the used gearbox but still going strong a decade later and hopefully for another decade at least.
Any 2002 Honda may need a thorough inspection underneath for rust by now. If you find any rust spots, treat them ASAP and it will look after you for much longer still.
My current car is a 2008 Audi S5 V8. Self-maintained well beyond Audi's recommendations and is in excellent condition. 6 speed manual so 'relatively' simple compared to the latest cars. Depreciation costs are low and it's huge fun to drive. A bit thirsty but is ULEZ compliant.
If governments keep pushing for a ban on new diesel and petrol sales we'll end up like Cuba and keep our old cars going for decades longer because they can't be replaced and will retain value, so making sense to keep repairing and restoring them.
My car is 13 years old. No significant rust. 40,000 miles on the clock, regularly serviced by me. Ulez compliant, 4 cylinders, petrol, 128 bhp, automatic, air-con and very comfortable. I'm retired... why should I change? Unless the car is stolen or crashed I'm keeping it.
My car is now 21 years old. I have had it for around 7 years and it has been one of the most reliable car I have owned. 30 mpg on a run, about 25 mpg round the houses. What is it? You may well ask. It is a Lexus RX300 auto. Everything appears to work including Aircon, however the insurance has doubled due to my age, now 80 years of age, so I am going the Motability route and the Lexus is going up for sale.
Maintenance has been oil changes at 10,000 miles, oil in auto box and back axle changed. Matching Avon tyres. One very small dent at rear, a supermarket job with no details left. No apparent rust. Mileage is just under 160,000.
My 2010 5 door Toyota Yaris is still going strong with loads of room in the back and very reliable
@@Tel-f7w I got rid of a 2001 Yaris a few years back and I miss that car all the time. A fun drive. I still see 2000 reg Yaris driving.
Keeping cars. Several reasons. 1. Don’t like the new designs. 2. Don’t like the hybridisation. 3. Tax incentives for maintenances is beneficial vs selling and replacing.
I only need one reason. I don't like spending money
VED should go down with age as the environmental impact of a car's manufacture are further amortised
@@neil1997 In UK, 40 year old cars are tax free (for now).
Buy a car you like and keep it. People chase the latest number plate or an ideology that new cars are somehow better, but if you maintain your car it should last. The manufacturers even provide a service book detailing when things should be replaced / serviced. Genius!
I’ve just bought a 2010 Mercedes cls grand edition from a dealer for just over 4k. The car has a full Mercedes service history and just turned 100k miles. I only do about 3k miles per year so to me it was a no brainer. Driving it home after I picked it up I couldn’t believe how quiet, smooth and powerful it was. No squeaks or rattles, no annoying issues that made me regret the purchase. If something goes wrong with it then I’ll pay the cost and at the same time know I’ve got a cracking car. I think if you know what you like and take your time older cars are the answer
Both of my cars are way older than 14yo! Both cars are daily drivers...my 2000 Opel Astra G and my 1986 Opel Kadett E.
My Mazda 6 Diesel is eighteen years old, had it last seven of those years, it stands me in at around four grand including maintenance over that time, still performs like new.
The value of a car is what its worth is to the owner, not some mythical number.
I drive a 1994 car every day, doing about 10k miles a year. Probably spend about £500 a year on it on servicing and repairs. It's fun to drive, it is actually appreciating in value and I get to be part of the classic car community going to shows and having fun. Honestly wouldn't get a new car if you paid me.
I have a Disco 1 1996 and pick up a 1994 Disco today, both road tax exempt herein Spain.
My car is 14 years old and my age of 77, I want to keep it until I stop driving in a few years' time. It's a basic Nissan Micra petrol car, simple to drive, and I have it regularly MOT'd and tested and because it's small, I can park it easily in spaces which bigger cars would find difficult. I really don't want a brand-new, complicated car at my time of life.
That is clever.
Don't sell yourself short I'm sure you have plenty more years driving in you
Unfortunately I need at least one more car until I finish driving. Twenty years ago used cars were cheap as chips and fairly reliable.
Thanks to our elite staying mobile and productive is increasingly difficult.
My insignia is nearing 7 years old and I have only spent money on services, mots, tyres and brakes 🤞. 61,000 miles in. Long may it continue.
The rust proofing on modern cars has improved compared to those 70’s and 80’s cars shown in the thumbnail. Rust killed those off. People choose to scrap a modern car when it becomes more expensive to fix than it’s worth. Structurally they are still sound normally.
Got a 21 year old VW Passat 2,00 ltr petrol and it drives perfectly and better than a lot of new vehicles.
Cost me £500 5 years ago,and most functions still work.
Also got a 54 year old Volvo Amazon which i've had for 20 years,nearly rebuilt ,and will be on the road again next year.
Old cars are more environmentally friendly ,even better than the pointless EVs.
I've been driving the same 1991 VW Jetta for 23 years. It was only until a few months ago that I upgraded and bought a 2016 Toyota Yaris that only had 16k miles on it. The VW served me well and still runs and drives fine after 350k+ miles. I'm hoping the Toyota Yaris will last me just as long as the VW has. By that time I'll be 71 years old.
I sincerely hope it does. Japanese seems to be the way to go now. VW group cars aren't what they once were. I was just about to comment on the 2004 Octavia SDI, I took to 250,000 miles and sold in a moment of madness.
91Jetta is nice!
Do anti rust protection in yaris, specially near the back wheels.
@marianbiznesu1899 Yeah, I always have my cars undercoated every year with Fluid-film or New Hampshire Oil undercoating, but I never use the rubberized undercoating because they just hide rust and make repairs more difficult because you have to remove the rubber coating to remove a bolt or part. The oil type undercoatings don't have those problems.
@@ScooterSafetyThank you for your imformation. It is a great idea indeed. I will check and ask mechanik how it works in Poland climate (much more continental with longer and stronger winter).
In Australia there are people who live their locally built Holden Commodores, Ford Falcons and Mitsubishi Magnas /380s which are honest dependable cars.
My Daily is a 2013 Holden VF Sv6 sportswagon. 213,000 flawless kms of service still on original brake discs just general maintenance . Still drives smoothly and quietly and has never let me down. My mechanic warned me not to be foolish and get rid of this car. Its a crime our government let our car industry go because our latter day cars especially are really good with all the trch to make them useful and safe and without the unnessary driver aids, drive train complications, etc an era that will never be repeated.😢
@@thomasclayton169 Australia too my 98 Corolla is still going strong.
I have a Mercedes c200 automatic petrol. 189000 km. Its still looks almot new
No rattles or other sound except the great engine. I will keep it.
Had some repairs for about 2000 euros in the last 3 years, but she worth it!!
I recently sold a 6 year old insignia and replaced it with an 18 year old vectra. I find the vectra more reliable, more practical, and more economical. Parts for the vectra are cheaper and because my version is pre-dpf, its also easier to work on. £2.5k for a practical family car with 40k miles on the clock, has 150bhp and does 60mpg average was a freaking steal! I'm doing 30k miles per annum and plan to keep it for another 5 years depending on parts availability.
I'm doing 20k per annum on a 2008 Vectra C too, albeit mine is the even simpler 1.8VVT petrol, does (45/50mpg routinely), absolutely great simple machine this era Vectra's, very underrated, and if it breaks, just get another one for the price of a new iPhone :)
Ran my 06 Civic 2.2 diesel for 11 years. Sold it after putting 150k miles on it, 227k total. It's still going strong now.
I replaced it with another 2.2 Civic and will do the same.
I have a 15 year old car with 205k on the clock, l will keep as long as i can, l was going to get a newer one but changed my mind rather spend the money on tavel, the dealer didn't help.
@@bwoo6223 And I will wait for the newer options to be available. A car that is constantly listening and tracking your every move is already old technology. I want an option capable of analysing fart and giving advice on which medication to buy.
Another thing to add, modern cars don't really offer much in terms of usability from 10 to 15 year old cars.
A 2010 car is still as easy to drive and capable as something from 2024. And a lot of people dislike the electronic gubbins all new cars have which almost always goes wrong. I think we'll see 15 year old cars out living 2024 cars on the road.
Sim cards
Very good review and articulately put
Been in the car game for years and always say if you’ve looked after your car over the years and it’s in good nick then it’s worth paying to keep it going. I have a 18 year old Subaru 2.0r sport and owned it for 16 years. It’s in mint condition as it’s well looked after. Plus a fully serviced 2013 Alpha Romeo and in mint condition. Have had new cars but don’t need new anymore.