older cars | Ask Honest John

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Most recently answered older cars questions

I am confused by the answers I am getting from different garages and forums about oil. We have a 1992 Peugeot 205 1.9 GTI which was made to use standard oil. We converted it at the main dealer to semi...

Volvo S40/V50 withdrawal?

I see that the Volvo S40 and V50 have been withdrawn for sale in the USA. Do you know of any plan for their withdrawal in Europe?

Back to the Landy

Regarding the recent article about running older and much simpler vehicles that are perfectly adequate for everyday use, one glaring omission in the list is the Series 2 or 3 LandRover. Mine is 40 this...

Why don't you compare the costs of repairs of older cars against depreciation and the value of a replacement car?

I don't quite agree with your suggestion that we should compare the cost of repairs to the value of the car. We should instead, compare the cost of repairs with depreciation and the costs/value of buying...

I bought a 1993 Mercedes-Benz 190 LE which needs work on the rear brakes. Should the dealer pay?

I bought a 1993 Mercedes-Benz 190 LE 2.0 about one and a half months ago. It has now developed a loud vibrating/rubbing noise upon braking. I bought the car from a dealer with 12 months' MOT. My technician...

Is this 1995 BMW 3 Series a good purchase for £1000?

I've seen a BMW 316i for sale on a 95 reg, asking price £1000. It has a long MOT with a full service history and 122,000 miles on the clock. It looks ok, it's just the miles are a bit high. I've been told...

I want to buy an old Nissan Sunny but is the clutch on the way out?

I'm thinking about buying a 1993 Nissan Sunny 1.4 with very low miles of 39,000. It drives well, but the clutch seems a bit high on the biting point. Is the clutch on its way out? Also is the motor cam...

Is it risky to buy a high mileage P-reg BMW 320i Cabriolet?

I've seen a P-reg BMW 320i Cabriolet E36 with 237,000 miles, which looks alright and has a full BMW service history and MoT. The seller says it drives fine. Can these easily do more miles, or is this a...

How much is my friend's N-reg Volkswagen Polo worth?

I have a friend of the family who is on the closer side of 50. Last year he decided to start taking driving lessons, but due to various reasons he could no longer continue to do so. Unfortunately he bought...