The life cycle of the average car as intended

[Morgan84]

When you think about it,cars have a interesting life .... Let me explain my ponderings

 

The car is being created : All the decisions to be made,such as colour,engine,trim configurations etc = arguments over why it should be a blue one and not green

 

The grand day : A shiney new car has been taken delivery of,and is beautifully presented,and sparkling

 

The grand voyage : The family members go out for a pointless drive in the new car,just to get used to it,and see what it can do = no food in the new car

 

The car then settles into daily living routine,getting a lot of pampering to begin with - washed and polished ,and kept spotless,and is the pride and joy of the contented owner until ....

 

The first scratch/dent : This is a great moment of sadness/anger,which will most likely lead to a argument.One of two things will happen - fixed asap and forgotten about,or left as a reminder.If option 2 was selected,this means more damage is on its way,and the more it gets,the less it is loved,and pampered.The polishing stops,and the once sparkling new car is now looking well used,and a shadow of the car which once sat sparkling on the driveway the day it was delivered.

 

The car carrys on its daily routine,and age starts to take its toll,and gets replaced. Family A repeat the above stages,however for Family B

 

A replacement used car has arrived,and its been given a face lift ! New floor mats,a bit of a polish up,and its looking pretty good again,although still showing some battle scars,is looking pretty nice,and is the familys pride and joy to go on happy journeys with.

 

Our car is getting old now,and interest is reduced,and the battle against wear and tear is warming up again;cars not looking or sounding so good these days.Time for replacement

 

Family C want a old banger to run about in,and just want something no frills to get about in,and don't care how it looks,as its the runabout.Car isn't given the spit and polish treatment this time,and is driven,and occasionally serviced, or driven until it stops.Usually,a MOT failure will kill off our once prescious motor car,and it is now time to lay the car to rest after many years of faithfull service.

 

Car is now in a scrap yard,and either will suffer one of the following

1) Robbed for bits

2)Put through the crusher straight away

3) A Autoshite hero will come along,and resurrect the once brand new car,and give it a happy second life,and spend hours putting back the life the car once had

 

 

Sorry if that bored anyone,but thats how my mind works !

[beko1987]

That made alot of sense! I normally come in around the 'Family C' time, although my aim is to keep it running longer than 1 MOT, by cheap fixes.

[Albert Ross]

The suggested lifespan of a vehicle is between 7 and 12 years...... Volvo and Land Rover utilities differ of course. By me running mine, (42 years old this month) I have prevented three from being built, therefore I am doing the environment a great favour, as we all know the most emissions produced during a car's life are when it was built. I also recycle bits from other cars. Making me an Environmental warrior! Just don't call me Spider.

[Shep Shepherd]

^

In 1990, the year that The Volvo was built, the Swedish Consumers' Association (Sveriges Konsumenter) stated that the average Volvo 700 would have a life expectancy of 21.7 years if driven and maintained in accordance with Volvo's requirements.

 

The Volvo is now 22.5 years old and shows no sign of imminent expiration

[Micrashed]

In 1990, the year that The Volvo was built, the Swedish Consumers' Association (Sveriges Konsumenter) stated that the average Volvo 700 would have a life expectancy of 21.7 years if driven and maintained in accordance with Volvo's requirements.

Citroen on the other hand state that the average car should have a lifespan of 21.7 hours if driven and serviced according to Citroens requirements.

[uk_senator]

^

In 1990, the year that The Volvo was built, the Swedish Consumers' Association (Sveriges Konsumenter) stated that the average Volvo 700 would have a life expectancy of 21.7 years if driven and maintained in accordance with Volvo's requirements.

 

The Volvo is now 22.5 years old and shows no sign of imminent expiration

 

And this is the possible rub.. The car, if given basic home servicing could quite easily hit the 20 year mark, but at the 10 year point (usually 6-7 years on most cars) dealer servicing goes out the window, as its not financially viable.

 

My Tempra, when in my parents & later my hands, was always maintained by me from new, it cost bugger all to service in those 16 years, maybe £50 a year in total, but still put in virtually faultless service (apart from a illusive starting problem that turned out to be a dizzy pick up wire earthing) .

 

It would have cost, lets say, an average of £400 per year to service within the Fiat network (including an additional £500 every 5 years or so for brake & suspension rebuilds/timing belt etc), thats the price of a new Panda in 16 years, but being `home maintained` didnt cause it any distress or shorten its life.

 

But the Tempra, contrary to popular belief, was an exceptionally well built car, as well made as an old skool Volvo, so much so I do wonder if it would have lasted as long even with no servicing at all..

[fotorabia]

Melbourne is awash with old Mercedes..i generally see another W123 everyday...plus usually the odd W116 or SLC..pile all the Volvos and Saabs on top of that...disposable incomes that create auto -waste is really quite negligent in a certain way...i always watch brand new Merc's closely whilst Im in traffic..just to say Im in one too mate...but mine was a weeks wages,,,and its 35 years old..

[brickwall]

The Govt. want us to go out and spent money on new "efficient" cars and all that. I reckon by using the older cars we are doing the same by buying bits and pieces, usually from small businesses in the after market. It amounts to the same thing, but without all the resources involved in a buying a shiny.

 

Motor manufacturers only want a car to last so long for obvious reasons and only have to support a car model for 10 years, I think. Manufacturers, I assume, would be designing and building cars that will wear out after defined period. However, half of manufacturers profit comes from parts( servicing, spares and after damage parts etc)

[chaseracer]

 

 

In 1990, the year that The Volvo was built, the Swedish Consumers' Association (Sveriges Konsumenter) stated that the average Volvo 700 would have a life expectancy of 21.7 years if driven and maintained in accordance with Volvo's requirements.

Citroen on the other hand state that the average car should have a lifespan of 21.7 hours if driven and serviced according to Citroens requirements.

 

Speaking as a Francophile representative of families B & C, the Blingo (bought at two years old) is still going strong after nine.

The Dyane hit 30 earlier this year...

[retrogeezer]

yeh, my old Picasso that my brother now has is 11 years old with 120k on the clock and still going strong. Just an exhaust and both front CV joints needing a change other than general servicing.

 

My mums C4 Grand Picasso did 3 years good service on her motability plan and we had a ZX in the family for over 10 years. I really don't get the french bashing, or maybe we've just been lucky.

[chaseracer]

...I really don't get the french bashing, or maybe we've just been lucky.

Because we don't have one of these...

 

 

 

[Station]

I usually come in at about buyer L or M.

 

I think the government just want the roads full of new cars as it looks better.

They should also bring in free tax/parking/etc to cars below 1000cc sort of like they do with Kei cars in Japan.

[Pete-M]

Renault reckon that the life cycle of the 2.2 Espace dci is five years or 100,000 miles.

 

Which is pretty fucking disgraceful for a car with a list price of £30k

[Micrashed]

I have run Citroens for about 15 years now. The C8 is 6 years old this year (Family

 

I know what Im talking about with regards reliability (mostly electrical) and things dropping off unexpectedly.

 

 

I didnt say I didnt like them.

[fordperv]

That makes perfect sense, I love my old character full motors, I also love the conversations with the people who dont understand the allure of shite

[Junkman]

When you think about it,cars have a interesting life .... Let me explain my ponderings

 

The car is being created : All the decisions to be made,such as colour,engine,trim configurations etc = arguments over why it should be a blue one and not green

 

The grand day : A shiney new car has been taken delivery of,and is beautifully presented,and sparkling

 

The grand voyage : The family members go out for a pointless drive in the new car,just to get used to it,and see what it can do = no food in the new car

 

The car then settles into daily living routine,getting a lot of pampering to begin with - washed and polished ,and kept spotless,and is the pride and joy of the contented owner until ....

 

The first scratch/dent : This is a great moment of sadness/anger,which will most likely lead to a argument.One of two things will happen - fixed asap and forgotten about,or left as a reminder.If option 2 was selected,this means more damage is on its way,and the more it gets,the less it is loved,and pampered.The polishing stops,and the once sparkling new car is now looking well used,and a shadow of the car which once sat sparkling on the driveway the day it was delivered.

 

The car carrys on its daily routine,and age starts to take its toll,and gets replaced. Family A repeat the above stages,however for Family B

 

A replacement used car has arrived,and its been given a face lift ! New floor mats,a bit of a polish up,and its looking pretty good again,although still showing some battle scars,is looking pretty nice,and is the familys pride and joy to go on happy journeys with.

 

Our car is getting old now,and interest is reduced,and the battle against wear and tear is warming up again;cars not looking or sounding so good these days.Time for replacement

 

Family C want a old banger to run about in,and just want something no frills to get about in,and don't care how it looks,as its the runabout.Car isn't given the spit and polish treatment this time,and is driven,and occasionally serviced, or driven until it stops.Usually,a MOT failure will kill off our once prescious motor car,and it is now time to lay the car to rest after many years of faithfull service.

 

Car is now in a scrap yard,and either will suffer one of the following

1) Robbed for bits

2)Put through the crusher straight away

3) A Autoshite hero will come along,and resurrect the once brand new car,and give it a happy second life,and spend hours putting back the life the car once had

 

 

Sorry if that bored anyone,but thats how my mind works !

 

 

Bit of a romantic view.

Most people I know replace their car every three years simply because the leasing contract ran out. God knows what happens to the cars after they have been returned to the leasing company, my guess is they end up on the auction block.

 

Of the 300 people working in the office block I work, 3 are genuinely into old cars, i.e. they own some and don't only talk about getting into the old car hobby.

[Split_Pin]

My old car buggered up (fixable but baby on the way!) so I bought a brand new one to replace it as we needed a reliable car.

 

But I have stashed the old one and intend to return it to the road as well at some point in the future.

 

Hmmmmm....

[Justin Case]

Bit of a romantic view.

Most people I know replace their car every three years simply because just as they are about to finish paying for the car or the lease runs out, (surprise, surprise )some oily salesperson rings them up with news of a 'special' offer that just happens to co-incide with the last payment and they are soft enough to believe it.

 

EFA

 

Any car that wasn't built on a Friday afternoon in the middle of a tea-break should last at least five years without anything serious going wrong (in my experience about 7 or 8,) and even then repair is generally cheaper than replacing the car.

[Timewaster]

Life cycle as intended by the manufacturer:

 

1. Design and build a car that will last until the end of the warranty period.

2. Sell the car.

 

After number 2, not a single shit is given what happens to the car.

[Morgan84]

Ford had it planned back when the Fiesta 1.25 Zetec engine was launched - 10 years or 100000 miles cambelt. A lot of Ford's of that era such as the Escort were lucky to reach them goal posts. Cars are now getting more complex,that they are suffering early deaths through technological failure,and not the previous killer that was rust and mechanical failure

[Lacy]

Who was it that famously said 'People think Ford are in the business of making cars; they're not. They're in the business of making money. They just happen to do that by making cars'

 

I guess that goes for all the major manufacturers. Surely it's only the specialist marques that can claim to be in the business of making cars.....

[RedSparrow]

Life cycle as intended by the manufacturer:

 

1. Design and build a car that will last until the end of the warranty period.

2. Sell the car.

 

After number 2, not a single shit is given what happens to the car.

 

This. I still don't understand why anyone would buy new, apart from to show off to their neighbours. If you want something safe and reliable there are still thousands of 3/4 year old second hand cars. People in the UK are lucky - there is a huge choice of very reasonably priced second-hand motors.

[Morgan84]

If you saw the way some new cars are treated,especially lease cars,you certainly wouldnt want them !

[Partridge]

I often think about that sort of thing.

 

Our family motors have always been pampered from day one. My Dad’s cars are always parked miles away from the entrance to work/Tesco so no inconsiderate person dings it

“Skin heals, paint dosen’t†he would say as I opened the door near a wall, with my fingers wrapped around the door so I didn’t chip it.

Any scratches are sorted out ASAP and there is never, ever any eating done in them.

So his attitude has been passed on to me...I’m the sort of person to pick stones off of the mats and dust the dashboard as soon as I see a speck of dust.

[Albert Ross]

Exactly, I'd say 20% of the vehicles I see coming off the transporters require some bodywork attention, however slight, and those delivered during cold weather get a hard start in life. Not starting? Flat battery through standing? Easy, get two "sales executives" one jump pack, and get the most stupid one to turn the key, as it starts in -15 degrees, watch as they gleefully slam their hoof onto the loud pedal so it gets 5000 rpm before theres oil pressure or any heat in the engine..... The next day, it's sitting all shiny, awaiting delivery to someone who has just spunked 70% more shekels than it cost to build, over 5 years, and you take bets as to how long it will be before it comes back on an AA truck.......... (Said "Sales Executive" no longer works for us after that episode..... someone high-up saw this happening, as did I)

[Micrashed]

So his attitude has been passed on to me...I’m the sort of person to pick stones off of the mats and dust the dashboard as soon as I see a speck of dust.

My father was the same. In contrast my car is a mobile skip.

[Pete-M]

I'm glad cars that cost a shit load of money depreciate sometimes. My Jaaaaaag, new, was somewhere in the region of £53k 18 years ago. I don't have £53k now, and if I save up for another 18 years am unlikely to have a spare £50k then either. Thankfully the Chairman of Cellnet thought it was a good thing to lose a bucketload of cash on and it has eventually filtered down to me after a succession of obsessive Jag freaks all blew a load of cash on it. A tradition I'm proud to continue.

 

As for keeping cars clean inside, Mr W.T.Claim has asked me more than once how the hell they stay as clean as they do inside. It's a basic rule, especially for anyone living in a city, that it's a bad idea to leave ANYTHING on show in a car. So I don't, and I hoover 'em out every few weeks.

[outlaw118]

The Moose is onto her 2nd and a half owner.

Original owner bought her new, ran from 1999-2007/8 then smashed her up. Matey I bought her from had her repaired (catagory c/d), which incidentally he neglected to tell me, and I'm the 2nd REAL owner, 3rd on logbook.

Bought for £1900 off ebay in September 2008, I have spend the grand total of about £250 on general service items, and about the same again on tyres. She's about to have some more dosh thrown at her, cam belt, water pump etc, but like i said £500 in four years ain't bad. Probably done about £50 notes on Autoglym products though....

Coupled with the fact I could probably drag nigh on £1500 for her now, that equates to £900 in 4 years.

I doubt a new version would have been that cheap!

You gotta love bangernomics!

[AnthonyG]

Renault reckon that the life cycle of the 2.2 Espace dci is five years or 100,000 miles.

 

Which is pretty fucking disgraceful for a car with a list price of £30k

 

That is atrocious and the main reason why they are in very deep merde.

[Rusty Pelican]

We have 3 cars here , ones 28 years old , ones 49 years old and ones 50 years old , fuckin great for new car sales us 

NOT