How long did they last?

[Justin Case]

A spin-off from the 'Ten year old cars thread' rather than hi-jacking that one

 

I was surprised how a short a life some of my earlier cars had, especially as they were generally in a reasonable non-shite state when I got rid of them and Saabs were supposed to be more long-lasting than the average?

 

1973 Saab 96 - 12 years

1975 Saab 99 - 12 years (surprised as this was a superb car)

1979 Saab 900 - 13 years

1988 Citroen BX - 11 Years

1987 Saab 900 - 14 years (not too bad as I took it to 13 years/ 175,000 miles)

2000 Citroen Xsara ? (was re-registered after me)

2001 Alfa 156 - still on the road

 

Best however was my 1976 Saab 96L weekend toy which managed to live on until 2007 (31 years)

 

How do yours compare?

[Junkman]

Rover P6b - 38 years and still going.

Rover 2000 TC - 43 years and used as a daily.

 

 

Buy British is all I can say.

[Spiny Norman]

Like I said in that other thread, almost all the cars I've had in recent years have been over 10 years old.

The oldest was a Volvo Amazon which celebrated its 40th birthday while in my care but that's obviously the exception.

 

The Saab 900 I had until earlier this year was 21 when I sold it and is still on the road according to DVLA. My current '96 Merc E class will be old enough to vote next year, despite the rust reputation.

Both Rover 600s I had were well into their teens when I had them, the R reg 618 was still on the road last time I looked, the Ti died after OMGHGF.

 

Just checked and it looks like my old Alfa 156 is still taxed & insured. So it made it into its teens.

 

It's only recently been possible to do an online check so I don't know how some of my earlier cars did, but I do know that my '79 on a T Princess only lasted till about '87/88 because it was bought by someone local to me.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I've only ever owned three cars in my life.

 

33.333333% attrition rate (Fiesta lasted 20 years) the rest are still going (as far as I know). 

[chaseracer]

1976 Hillman Avenger: 8.5 years (Dad's first and only new car; became the family hack until killed by my sister in an argument with ice and a wall...)

1978 Citroen Dyane 6: 8 yrs

1980 Citroen GS1220: 10 yrs (I killed this one...)

1985 Citroen BX16RE: 12 yrs

1987 Citroen BX19GTi: 12yrs

1982 Citroen Dyane 6: on SORN for far too long, coming up to its 32nd birthday 

1975 Saab 96: still going, somewhere, 19 years after I sold it!

1981 Volvo 240GLT: 17 yrs

1989 Peugeot 309GLX: 14 yrs

2001 Fiat Punto JTD: exported in 2011

1990 Citroen XM Si: terminally rotten at 16 yrs, dismantled by me

1993 Citroen XM Prestige: 15 yrs

2003 Citroen Berlingo Multispace: keeper 

1990 Mercedes-Benz 300E: comfy 

[vulgalour]

The stuff I buy is already over 10 years old by the time it comes to me, so it's already done pretty well to be around.

 

R490RVJ - 1997 Rover Maestro - 16 years.  Presently on SORN so probably still out there.  I know it sold again shortly after I sold it with nearly no tax left on it so I'm going to pretend some hero is restoring it.

H489TAH - 1991 Citroen BX - 22 years, scrapped by me due to terminal rot and other issues.

B78DVL - 1985 VW Polo - 28 years.  Presently on SORN awaiting resurrection.  Had this car for 12 years.  Guy I sold it to has plans for it and bought it primarily because it had a really good bodyshell.

OKK160W - 1981 Austin Princess - 32 years, soon to return to the road, presently on SORN

GBT563W - 1980 Austin Princess - 33 years, still in daily use

HEP920N - 1975 Renault 6 - 38 years, hopefully soon to return to the road though it is currently 'unlicensed' probably due to being off the road since 1993

[STUNO]

Audi 200 24 years so far

Rover SD1 29 and still going with new owners this year

[warren t claim]

Looks like someone has scrapped my dads Landy.

 

The enquiry is complete.The vehicle details for D701 SWL are:

Date of Liability 29 03 2011 Date of First Registration 17 06 1987 Year of Manufacture 1987 Cylinder Capacity (cc) 3528cc

[DVee8]

Daimler 250V8 45years and counting

[Shep Shepherd]

The Volvo: 23 years so far.

TV2: 16 years so far.

 

I don't expect the latter to be on the road long enough for it to celebrate its 20th 'madeday' though.

[Sloth in a bowl]

My cars have been

Fiat Uno - 1985 scrapped in 1999 (14 years) on 127,000 miles due to rust everywhere

Renault Laguna - 1995 scrapped in 2005 (10 years) on 130,000 miles due to rust in places and the petrol tank trying to fall off and that it was generally unreliable

Volvo V40 - 2002 still going (11 years) at 142,000 miles (17,000 of those done this year) has been very reliable except for brake calipers

Datsun 260Z - 1974 still going (39 years) at 82,000 miles (spent most of the last 10 years off the road) has had a lot of money thrown at it, various minor niggles still outstanding

[saucedoctor]

It seems NI reg numbers don't work on that, but here's a few of mine:

 

AXI5727 - 1982 Talbot Samba LE. Died in 1992 due to massive engine failure (and I mean MASSIVE). Mind you, the bodywork was virtually perfect. (if you exclude fire damage to the front)

CDZ4705 - 1987 Ford Escort 1.3 Pop. Bridged in 1996. Terminal rot. That car had been welded in the boot at 3 years old!

JDZ9056 - 1991 Rover Metro GTa. Still on the road. I'm in contact with the chap who bought it from me in 1999

ACZ9988- 1999 Ford Ka. Dead by 2006. I saw it in my mate's breakers yard.

HKZ8797 - 2002 Rover 25. Just been out in it

 

That 1996 Xantia diesel that I owned for one day is still about, I saw it a few days ago.

[CortinaDave]

My old 1962 Consul Capri I owned ten years ago is still going, albeit on a SORN. The current owner wrote to me recently. Amazes me as it was largely made of chicken wire and old copies of The Sun when I had it a decade ago.It was very cool, but in very shit condition.

 

Next longest - surviving would be the 1963 PB Cresta I had - AOT255A -  Unlicenced since early 2012. 49 years. Not bad! This was still really tidy when I sold it in 2005 ish - I hope its still out there somewhere, although I suspect the Hydramatic gearbox made of unobtanium may have caused its demise had something gone wrong with it

 

Also an FB Victor - NWR 641A - Unlicenced since 2009.

 

Finally my yellow 1971 Mk3 Cortina GXL - currently being broken by a guy in Ireland sadly, but survived on the road until Sept. 2012... a fair innings!

 

EDIT: Just seen my old Triumph Herald Convertible is "licence not due" - MKO449F. This makes me happy.

[Lord Sterling]

Current

• R642EGD - '97 McKV6 Sterling - 16 years old and still going, but is starting to show its age.
• Micra_Sterling - '98, 15 years old and still going strong, but starting to show its age.
• N181AWP - '95 827 Sterling - 18 years old, on a SORN but still in my care.
• G615HVP - '90 827 Sterling - 23 years old, on a SORN but still under my ownership
• E50UKJ - '87 825 Sterling - 26 years old, on a SORN and still in my care.
• D280OOH - '87 820E - 26 years old (slightly older than E50UKJ by a few months) on a SORN and now in my care.

 

Former

• E745MMT - '87 825 Sterling - Made it to 2010 at 22 years old before dying of OMGHGF.
• F852COG - '89 827Si - On record this car lived until 2010, but I crashed it in 2008 so technically it only made it 19, maybe 20 years old. I kept it in the garage after acquiring N181AWP and sold it for a paltry sum in late 2008, so it probably got SORN'd until 2010 when the rest was scrapped.
• F230TAR - '89 Ford Sierra Sapphire Ghia - Lasted until 2005. I scrapped it as I knew nowt about cars then, I nearly blew the engine a couple of times.

Parent Cars

 

• D233KYG FATHA_Sterling's '87 Rover Sterling - Lasted until late 1998, so 11 years.
• G886KAW - '90 - Mutha_Sterling's Fiesta - Lasted until 2003 surprisingly, so 13 years.
• CAW995T - '79 Renault 14TL - Lasted until 1989. 10 Years.

[willswitchengage]

My Dad's 2002 General Motors Astra lasted six years and didn't even make 100K... read into that what you will

[Lukas]

The average age of a car when it´s getting scrapped is 12 years in Austria. But with a great east-west-difference.

 

L

[Split_Pin]

My Cars have all had average lifespans.

1996 Corsa B P505UGG Unlicensed since 2006. Lasted 10 months with its new owner.

V167ELD Vectra B, scrapped by me down to timing really. Too many cars, new family and this one needing a fair bit doing to make perfect.

W226LBL 2000 Corsa B still going strong. I'm determined not to kill this one after the Vectra fiasco.

SO03LUJ Astra Coupe. Had this since 2 years old, currently in my garage on SORN

 

The hero of the family has to be my dad's old Volvo 340 A442ESX. Lasted 20 years to 2004.

His 240 F93SSF on the other hand had a crap innings for this sort of car, only lasting to 2002

 

It's grand to see that some members' cars have lasted 35 to 40 years. FUK MODERNS.

[phil_lihp]

Pretty good survival rate on my lot, all the mundane 90s/00 stuff I've had is still taxed apart from...

 

Citroen AX 1.0i Debut: 1993 - 2005 (12 years).  Scrapped about 8 months after I sold it with 121k on the clock so almost certainly the engine let go, it was showing signs of a second HGF and valve wear by then. Almost 100% rust free to the end though.  Could probably have lived a bit longer but the previous owner had neglected it badly and it got through a long list of replacement bits in the 3 years I had it.

 

Vauxhall Nova 1.2 Merit: 1988 - 2013 (25 Years).  Owned from 2012 - 2013.  Returned to the road after a 7 year layup in a field as documented on here.  Tragically scrapped within 6 months by its next owner, I still can't fathom why as it was in remarkable condition and I spent a lot of money on it to ensure it would last.  This one was a testament to the underseal that coated its underside - this kept it incredibly well preserved.

 

I was genuinely surprised to find this one still going too:

 

Renault Kangoo 1.9D: 1998 - Present (15 Years).  Bought and ran for a few months in 2011.  Spent far too much having the sills welded up, I noticed the next owner SORNed it shortly after buying it and it stayed that way for 2 years but is now taxed again.  Money well spent!

[Junkman]

You know, both of my Rovers have perfect roof liners. So has my 1972 Mercedes.

The one in my 1994 Puglet is already shedding, that useless newfangled post-1986-tosh.

[scruff]

My Land Rover is 61 years old and was being used daily up to a few months ago. The RR is 1995, wife's Polo '98, grandad's Austin now in our care is 1955 but doesn't count as I've never seen it move. I think the youngest motor I've weighed in, or sold on for breaking would be my misses' old Clio which was a W plate. 

[Jikovron]

blimey ive had a good few baggy bottom mobeels pass by me although not much by many peoples standards , ive had 13 cars in the last 7 years and 6 have bit the dust,  6 i still have now , only 1 car i have given away actually i believe still is OTR and that was a Y plate 4 door focus that i swapped for my rotten mk5 van

 

The roll call of departed machines

G846 KNT , volvo 340 gl owned for 2 years sold august 2007 as an excellent condition converted 1.7  it was subsequently scrapped straight away i believe

E168 BNS, Skoda 120L bought august 30th 2007 sold in 2010 then it also was scrapped quickly after (unsupprisingly as it was rotten)

NBB 965E morris 1000 4 door bought in jan 08 and sold 2 months later as it was a previous weld fest job that had gone again so was beyond saving, the lad who bought it had little clue as to the work needed but tried to price it down to free because it was worthless , the engine was boring ,he dealt with mk2 scorts etc, i got 100 quid in the end but again unsupprisingly appeared on the bay and was scrapped soon after in mid 08

F509 NAY Skoda 130gl bought from the goodship Daverapid and lasted 6 months before being twocked and burnt out i cant remember when i got it i think newyears eve 09 possibly 

S721 CBB Fiat seicento sporting, i bought this off the artist formerly tdciweigh,,current username escapes me Liam W for literally pence when my estelle went through a zomghgf phase and it lasted about 4 weeks march 2011 before its mot ran out and it was abit rotten

T36 RTO Mercedes c250td this i bought for no reason in august 11, looked good for a little while and even got a full on autobox cleanout and reseal with filters and oil to cure a limp home mode issue whereby it would either stick in 2nd or kickdown into neutral , this rotted so fast that it went from solid to collapsed sills in 6 months however i sold it to a work colleague and it did 40'000 miles in 1 year till i bought it back for no reason and sold it to a lad as an engine donor by which time it was hideously abused, shell bent so that none of the wheels tracked,,or stayed tracked for long,  steering links rattled scarily, discs warped to the point they rubbed the caliper bodies, wheelbearing lock nuts welded on, windscreen cracked split screen style ,4 actual racing slicks and yet somehow it drove beautifully solidly sold and presumably scrapped in aug 2013, i hope :s

[JohnDeere]

I think the way a car is treated in its early years makes a big difference - if it's well used, but well maintained, it seems to go on to have a long and happy life.

 

I'm amazed that some of the pool cars I used in my BBC local radio days went on to have long and happy lives, given how much they were thrashed when new.  Perhaps also helped that they were "proper" Peugeots:

 

K755 EUL (Peugeot 205, 1124cc petrol) born 25/11/1992  died  09/06/2007 = 14.5 years

K756 EUL (Peugeot 205, 1124cc petrol) born 25/11/1992  shows as "details not found" which presumably means it lived on till the certificate of destruction came in (anyone know when that was?)

L197 GUW (Peugeot 405, XUD) born 01/09/1993 died 01/09/2009 = 16 years

M75 MUC (Peugeot 106), born 1994-ish, also looks like it lived on till CoDs came in

[beko1987]

1976 landy PMA124Y - sold for spares, plate is dead but bits live on

Peugeot 206 W636OAU - Dead due to fire

Ford Puma Y874RCB - Now a washing machine probably, lots lives on though

Citroen ZX (Can't remember the plate!) - Happily lives on, see it regularly

Citroen XM - In OK health so far!

[mercrocker]

I have done a list in my head and I do not think any of my stuff lived long after  me, most of it was bridged  in my presence.    However, I hope my Zephyr 6 674KHO lived on (its not taxed...), I saw a BMW 316 for  a while after I sold it and thats probably about it from 30 odd cars that I can think of.   In order to preserve neighbourly harmony I had our Bedford CF ambulance/camper taken away for scrap after a mega-buck attempt at sorting out the front axle (4wd bollox).    I thought I had seen the last of it but when collecting my Cowley from the scrappy there it was - greener than Rab C Nesbitts teeth and saying please buy me again....As I no longer give a monkey's bollock about the neighbours I  might just do that one day!

[Burnside]

Sadly I don't think any of my old cars are still around.   Expect my Peugeot 406 2.0 GLX 4dr. R59 TUY. As it's been exported back in 09 for a new life abroad as a Taxi!

 

My I St car. A Talbot Samba Style. C347KDA in Silver. Sold in June / July 2005 according to DVLA Unlicensed since 1/04/06. Brought it when I was still at school at 16 in early 2000 for £130. Lasted 20

years though hopefully it stashed away somewhere?

 

2nd Car. A Fiat Uno 45S 3 dr. G246YLF in Black. Still have a old front number plate off it from when I change them. Sold in 08 due to being unable at the time to fix it after a small bump on Pistonheads then saw it a month later on ebay. According to DVLA Unlicensed since 07/06/08. When the tax would have ran out. Spent a lot of time and money on it from buying it 2001 for £95 with no mot.

The car was from London originally and ever panel had been repainted at some point to various standards. I had both sills welded the nearside was replaced. An a second hand pair of doors painted and fitted. An the tailgate was replaced with a genuine old stock item after a lorry rammed it at island. The nearside quarter panel was 60% filler never did get round to fitting that new quarter panel.

 

Lasted just over 18 years though.

 

Fiat Tipo 1.4 DGT. G536BDP in Silver. Brought in Jan 2007 for £77 off ebay. Sold 08 around the same time as the Uno due to a idiot garage screwing up the cambelt change and ruining the perfect engine. Sold for £100 after spending £250 on it and regretted getting rid of it soon after. DVLA says unlicensed since 31/08/08.

 

There the main ones that stand out for me.

 

My Current daily Cavalier as posted a few weeks back. A 1993 1.8i LS Hatch. L547JBM has turned 20 years old. Brought in July 2008 for £250 but had plenty spent when I can afford it to keep it going.

 

The current family Fiat fleet include.

 

Fiat Uno 45 Breeze 3 dr. G37LFD brought 3 years ago with no mot off a badly placed ebay add and used daily for 2 years by my brother. 24 years old and still used but now just used for shows and the odd autotest an currently being kept off the road for winter thankfully due to the next car.

 

Fiat Tipo 1.4ies 5 dr. Silver. M188SWJ. Brought for £300 earlier this year has survived well considering the last owner who used it like a van despite only managing 77,000 miles so far.

An by a strange coincidence it's a similar reg number to my mums dead 1994 Fiat Uno in Met Blue. A 1.4ies start plus. Sadly scrapped by my mum in 08 due to rot but had managed 188,000 miles!

 

The Uno reg was M184SWJ and the Tipo as mentioned is M188SWJ must admit me and my brother did a double take when we first saw it.

[quicksilver]

All three of mine are happily still around

1978 Ford Fiesta BLC 660S - recently SORNed, hopefully for restoration. Was beige but now black apparently.

1981 Triumph Dolomite MWL 737W - just changed hands again and in daily use (had an email from the new owner).

2001 Vauxhall Corsa Y745 UVV - still lives locally, seen it a few times recently. That one lived up to the OMGALLVOXALLSRSHIT reputation so part of me hoped it was dead.

 

My dad still has his T-reg Zafira that will be 15 years old this coming May and he's owned it for 12 so NOTALLVOXALLSRSHIT after all.

[forddeliveryboy]

I've just bought an Audi 80 estate, diesel. Just shy of 200k and 20 years. Gearbox was shagged (no oil changes, towed a caravan, the TDis stressed up the old internals designed for nothing more than 1.8 litre petrols) so had a Passat one fitted. Car's good for another 200k and 20 years, if the way it goes and its condition is anything to go by. And a rather decent car to drive, with sensible suspension travel (not designed for the racetrack and journalists so faster in the real world) and ridiculously simple to repair and maintain. Not that they ever really seem to go wrong, other than the 'boxes.

 

It's ironic that more 'modern' cars are full of bits which not only cost much more but are much more likely to fail.

 

In the past have run old Citroens up to half a million miles without anything more than LHM changes, proper rust-protection once a year (spend half a balmy September day and never have to use the welder) and decent servicing. Never known anything as strong, mechanically. Even the little flat fours in the GSs would still love 7000rpm after 300,000 miles. But of course, as all little-Englanders know, all Citroens are truly Shite! Used to make them even bigger bargains than they already were.