The reason we drive shite/chod/cars no one wants anymore

[Kiltox]

Parking older cars is a joy I must say when you talk about size - we don’t have parking spaces for 2018 cars.

 

The Primera is really narrow compared with its modern equivalent. I assume because it’ll fold up cripplingly in a crash.

[MorrisItalSLX]

I would rather dump large quantities of money into Jaguar petrol and maintenance than dump it in a finance plan for a new white good misery mobile.

[SmokinWaffle]

Some thoughts...

 

First up, let's not generalise. "Young people want..." is just a daft thing to say - people are individuals and they want different things.

 

 

Thank you! I'm a "young person" and love old chod. I have a 70's British rust box!

 

I've had my fair share of shite, £120 K11 Micra, free Xantia Sinker, Phase 1 306...

 

I have a lot of friends that get cars on fiance / spend a lot on them - and I get it in some respects. But paying £300 a month for 4 years is something I just don't want to commit to, it seems mental. I'd rather spend the money elsewhere, going out, living life. I don't buy new stuff for the same reason I don't buy £400 trainers from Shike or Addicrap - I can get Converse for a 10th of the price that do the exact same thing...

 

That - and most cars are a piss poor investment. I recently picked up a lovely 56 plate Saab 9-3 1.9 TiD with good history and cambelt/water pump done for £780. More than I'd normally spend on a car (and newer than I'd like - really) - but I need something for long distance (partner lives 40 miles away) frequent trips and work w/Cruise Control. It was probably £25k+ new, now it's 12 years old and is worth pittance. Don't really want to put all my money into a car and get none of it back.

 

Worst case, I scrap it in 2 years because it has an electrical fault/EGR issues (most likely) and get £300 for it. That's £480 loss - compared to selling a 5 year old car that's nothing. Most cars depreciate faster than they accelerate. It's just not logical!

 

New cars are generally money traps and not made to last, I'd rather have tried and tested stuff so you know whats good and what isn't. They also lack character. Everything, including my Saab, looks the same these days!

[Guest Hooli]

Parking older cars is a joy I must say when you talk about size - we don’t have parking spaces for 2018 cars.

 

The Primera is really narrow compared with its modern equivalent. I assume because it’ll fold up cripplingly in a crash.

 

The biggest difference is you can't see out of a new car.

[Guest Hooli]

I would rather dump large quantities of money into Jaguar petrol and maintenance than dump it in a finance plan for a new white good misery mobile.

 

Hello, are you me?

[iainrcz]

Not all modern cars are dreary, mundane tripe. Yes a lot are, but not all. And not all of them cost a million pounds for the privilege.

[MorrisItalSLX]

Hello, are you me?

Depends, are you me?

[Guest Hooli]

Depends, are you me?

 

*looks in mirror*

 

Aye, that's me alright.

[SierraMikeHotel]

That - and most cars are a piss poor investment. I recently picked up a lovely 56 plate Saab 9-3 1.9 TiD with good history and cambelt/water pump done for £780. More than I'd normally spend on a car (and newer than I'd like - really) - but I need something for long distance (partner lives 40 miles away) frequent trips and work w/Cruise Control. It was probably £25k+ new, now it's 12 years old and is worth pittance. Don't really want to put all my money into a car and get none of it back.

This is the thing, really. Cars are not an investment: if you put your money into a house you'll probably get it back, but money you put into a car is gone. Let someone else pay the depreciation!

 

I've spent more on my Merc than I usually do, but when you consider that a new one would be in the region of £40k it's still ludicrously cheap.

 

I really, really like it and I intend to keep it until something goes really expensively wrong with it - I'm betting on at least five years, to amortise the cost down to the level of my usual chod.

 

I might consider buying a five year old car, but never brand new.

[sutty2006]

I’m currently sat on lunch break in Mercedes Benz uk training centre. Over hearing some of the other lads on the course one says

 

“Yeah I spent 11 grand on the car, a grand on the wheels, two and a half grand on the air suspension “

 

I zoned out after that. That’s £14.5k. Don’t know what car it is. Not even interested. But what runs through my head is, I don’t even have that kind of money to spend on a car....and then further money to spend making it potentially better. Don’t think I’ll ever have that much money, unless I take a loan out and get raped paying it back. Old chod rules.....because it’s all I can afford right now and I love it. Shit, 14.5k would go nicely towards an F250 pick up. One can but dream.

[Bobthebeard]

Each to their own really. Some friends have just bought a 64 plate Honda CRV after years of running 15/20 year old stuff. Both in their early seventies and reckon it will last them out with minimal hassle before they give up driving. Cost them 13K.

Fair enough.

I find nothing at all attractive or desirable new car wise today so I run older stuff. Anything that doesn't have actual bulbs in the lights really. That's the cut off for me... LED stuff is just showy/blinding/horrible/aggressive and not really fit for use.

 

Edit. Was in a supermarket carpark yesterday when some kind of low slung new Audi was pulling out onto the main road. The entire rear end was just a blinding line of brake light on the boot. The car in front of me had to put down the sun visor and I could actually see them covering their eyes.

[John F]

Together, the cars I own probably cost over £80,000 when they were new. They still have a fair amount of life left in them, and I can enjoy them for a tiny fraction of their new price.

 

Also, new cars tend to have nasty aggressive styling, a harsh ride and shit seats.

 

And they try to do everything for you, whether you want it done or not.

 

Fuck new cars.

[richardthestag]

My lads flippin love their 16 year old cars that we managed to get for a couple of hundred each. There was a wedge of inevitable scrap to wade through in order to find the right cars.

 

They are both 18 (yesterday) many of their school mates are tooling around in brand new citroens etc (bought by mummy and daddy) and even those lads are "wow only £220"

 

A friend of mine was debating whether she better cared for her son by buying him a brand new car probably on PCP than we did by spending less than £500 on two serviceable cars with ABS and Airbag technology. Her argument was that all old cars are dangerous, mine was that she must have been very lucky to survive the last 2 decades.

 

This is not a young person / old person or even a class thing. This is about a chunk of society who BELIEVE. It's old, therefore no good, therefore throw it away and get a newer one.

 

If I won the lottery would I buy a new car? fuck off, I would miss the victory of easing extra life of someone elses rubbish.

[dozeydustman]

We're lucky that the wife's car is uber reliable at 19 years old. When it fails the MoT it's always been something petty, such as worn consumables (tyres/brakes), one year emissions were higher than the limit because the wire came off the lambda sensor and the MoT place put a new crimp on and didn't charge us for it.

 

We as a collective enjoy* working on cars as a hobby. Some of us are professional mechanics no doubt. Around 2000 was when cars started to become ridiculous to work on needing specialist tools instead of a 1/2" or 3/8" socket set from Halfrauds.

 

If something is still perfectly useable, doesn't cost the earth to keep on the road why bin it?

[fordperv]

I’m currently sat on lunch break in Mercedes Benz uk training centre. Over hearing some of the other lads on the course one says

 

“Yeah I spent 11 grand on the car, a grand on the wheels, two and a half grand on the air suspension “

 

I zoned out after that. That’s £14.5k. Don’t know what car it is. Not even interested. But what runs through my head is, I don’t even have that kind of money to spend on a car....and then further money to spend making it potentially better. Don’t think I’ll ever have that much money, unless I take a loan out and get raped paying it back. Old chod rules.....because it’s all I can afford right now and I love it. Shit, 14.5k would go nicely towards an F250 pick up. One can but dream.

Don't forget Steve you can get air ride, wheels etc on finance so it will probably be a case of a bland euro mobile financed up with financed mods which he spunks all his wages paying

[Kiltox]

A 60MPG lease car would pay for itself versus my pikey wagon @ 18mpg, tbh

 

I tried to do the sensible thing and bought a Duster - my FiL now drives it and pays me a nominal monthly sum for the use of it - less than it would cost to lease/PCP but enough to cover its maintenance. He’s left the shite life behind (at 70!) and doesn’t need to worry about whether he will make it to work in the morning / to hospital appointments etc.

[primeradoner]

.

 

The Primera is really narrow compared with its modern equivalent. I assume because it’ll fold up cripplingly in a crash.

Believe me it wont. Primeras are hard as nails. One tip though. Dont hit a Mk2 Mondeo head on because they are even harder

[fordperv]

^ good old battles at the oval

[louiepj]

I have bought both motorbikes and cars new and it can feel addictive with that endorphin rush etc. Choosing the model, colour, specs etc helps with the build up and anticipation but after owning the car for a year or so it becomes the boring reliable car (or total lemon that needs regular warranty work) and next year it will be 3 years old and need an mot so let's just look at the new facelifted shiny models in the main dealers and see what new deals we can get.

For the last twenty or so years I have always also had an old runaround car for me and a new car for the wife until our family began to outgrow our finances and now we run two older cars which I am sure was my wife's suggestion as I had always kept my old shite pretty 'reliable'.

What she didn't realise was that I become sadisticaly emotionally attached to cars once they become older and less valuable but the parts become cheaper and better value for repairing. Hence my Punto being in my possession less than a year but having had a headgasket and head rebuild, clutch was slipping due to gearbox oil leak so box out and rebuild and new clutch, new sump, lower radiator panel, exhaust system and full service. Total cost approx £700 including car.

[mrbenn]

If I won the lottery I honestly can't see me buying a new car. I'd be more about quantity than quality.

[Kiltox]

If I won the lottery I honestly can't see me buying a new car. I'd be more about quantity than quality.

I’d buy so many “investment m8” cars including Ferraris etc and fucking DRIVE THEM

[garethj]

If I won the lottery I honestly can't see me buying a new car. I'd be more about quantity than quality.

If I had £50k to blow on a car it would be very difficult not to hire a car transporter, travel through Europe and buy up my favourites from the old World Cars books

[Shep Shepherd]

Amongst other things which are part of old car ownership, such as zero depreciation, no finance repayments, ease of DIY maintenance, individuality, eccentricity and so on, I get a perverse kick out of having the oldest car in my workplace's car park, especially when I use The Volvo for my commute 

 

The Volvo, pictured yesterday, at work, parked next to a surprisingly reliable Laguna II:

 

[Cord Fourteener]

 So it’s only for 3 days while I’m on a course in Milton Keynes with work.

 

Phew!! I thought you'd gone bonkers up to this point!

 

Anyway, apart from the fact that I can't afford to buy new, I wouldn't want to because you don't get the car you want for the money you pay. Some new cars are desirable I suppose, but you'd have to do a lot of comparing and test driving to find out which. Most folk just want a carriage to either go to work or ferry family around, or both. They want to listen to music and not have to be engaged in driving, so a lot of new cars focus on that.

 

I want a car that is fun to drive, engaging to own and I'm not bothered about the whole keepin' up with the Jones' on the numberplate year newness thing -  that's a very British thing as other countries don't have the year of registration on display.

 

I don't want to spend lots of money on an armchair that dully conveys a bored commuter, I want to drive a work of art that cost me next to nothing, is reliable, has windows that de-mist, boot space, etc etc...

 

We are lucky in the UK really because we can't just ship our old cars abroad - we are the correct hand drive. You have to cross the sea to get to anywhere that isn't. That means our cars depreciate until they are scrapped and we get inexpensive old chod to choose from. In mainland Europe they sell their cars on to other countries so there are less old cars to choose and they are more expensive second hand.