|
My brother has a 2004 Fabia which hasn't been serviced in many years. He gets it fixed when something breaks, (such as new points last year) but isn't bothered and is quite happy to bin it if something expensive goes wrong.
For his birthday last year I bought him oil and spark plugs to change when he came to stay with us, but we couldn't get the sump plug out so couldn't change the oil! The oil is still sat in the boot of the car.
It's in a terrible condition, scratches, etc, but somehow it keeps going ands runs quite nicely!
|
|
If something works-LEAVE IT ALONE!
|
My brother has a 2004 Fabia which hasn't been serviced in many years. He gets it fixed when something breaks, (such as new points last year)
A 2004 Fabia (or any car for that matter) will not have points. Like all cars (even basic ones) after about 1992 ish it will be fuel injected with an ECU to control fuel and spark.
Pretty sure the last car we owned that had points was a 1984 Mini.
The Fabia may well have a distributor but you will not find any points in it. If the garage have charged him for such work they are having a laugh.
|
|
|
|
|
You can get pumps that'll take the oil out.
|
|
Some years ago a friend had a Volvo 240 which had no maintenance or oil changes for six years. But it came as a complete shock to me to see he had bought five litres of Sainsbury’s cheapest oil and went about an oil change.
|
|
I admire these people who go bangernomics never mind extreme bangernomics! I just couldnt go with the idea of having a car I couldnt trust and would let me down at some point, probably in the most god forsaken place or time.
I always used to buy new but now Im retired and on a pension, am resigned to the last car we bought new will be the last 'new' car we ever buy and very likely wont be able to afford anything decent less than 3 years old.
|
|
A well chosen bangernomics car can be trustworthy. I've never had any concerns with my last 3 cars all bought for less than £1200, two no more than £800 I'd be more concerned about a qizmo, technology laden new car letting me down.
|
|
Lots of stories about sub £1000 cars that go on for years for stellar mileages. I am sure they exist - eg: only driven once a week by a careful retired lady driver, FSH etc etc
But I can't help believing that the other side of the coin is more likely unless you invest a lot of time looking, and know what to look for. Likely to be a lot of tales along the lines of:
- drove it two weeks, two months, failed MoT on............
- heater failed, clutch change, battery died, brakes need overhaul, power steering gone, limp home mode after 15 miles, ABS failure etc etc. Hardly worth repairing.
As a weekend toy (eg: convertible, old Merc etc) covering low mileage it can be fixed at leisure if/when it fails, Day to day I prefer nearly new, regularly serviced, don't abuse it, keep for 8 years or 150k (whichever comes first).
Cost for Fiesta size 2 year old hatch on 20k is around £10k, Sell for £2k after 8 years = £1000pa. Not much different to a banger for £1000 replaced every 2 years + repairs and replacements. A lot more reliable too!
|
|
Your last para is a really good point Terry - anyone else care to comment?
I'd have thought that 'extreme bangernomics', as in the thread title, makes most sense for people with the necessary skills who can buy an old car, do it up so that its condition improves, and sell it for more than they paid for it.
Edited by Avant on 07/06/2020 at 11:53
|
|
With any car there is a balance between cost and reliability and if you need reliability and don't have basic skills as a mechanic and don't want to learn bangeromics probably isn't for you. I've had my current car since January 2012, cost £4000. 2.5 years oldwhen bought. Just passed an MOT with a single minor advisory. Estimated cost, including work done, repairs and servicing over the years is around £50 a month plus things like petrol, tax and insurance. I've learned how to fix things as I've gone along but never had to change anything urgently. So things like replacement of exhaust, timing belt, suspension as they wore out.
llld
|
|
The key to sub £1500 bangernomics , is to go for cars that were well made in the first place . Early Ford , Vauxhall , Toyota , Honda etc from the early 2000s were solid build with enough tech to make them reliable , but not too much to make them uneconomic to repair . Also don’t forget s/hand parts are plentiful.
|
|
|
|
I'd have thought that 'extreme bangernomics', as in the thread title, makes most sense for people with the necessary skills who can buy an old car, do it up so that its condition improves, and sell it for more than they paid for it.
That's what car dealers do. The most successful one I knew of was a man called Tom Hartley who started his career at much the same time as I did. I sometimes wondered whether I'd made a wise choice....
|
|
|
|
Cost for Fiesta size 2 year old hatch on 20k is around £10k, Sell for £2k after 8 years = £1000pa. Not much different to a banger for £1000 replaced every 2 years + repairs and replacements. A lot more reliable too!
Two of those were MK1 Focus bought at over 10 years old, both FSH, one with 138, 500 miles at purchase and the other 97,000. So neither had been driven once a week by a little old lady. The 138,500 one went up to 183,00 over 3 and a half years before being sold to be replaced by the 97,000 one which I kept to over 120,000 miles. Only parted with it because I needed a van. Each Focus was used as very day vehicles and were two of the most reliable and cheapest to run cars I've ever owned. The 1996 Merc estate, bought in 2011 cost £800 and has had more spent on it being what it is. The upside is agreed value is now £4000, you won't get a £30,000 plus Mercedes estate bought new being insured agreed value for anything near it's cost price, not that you'd likely be able to do so. And being a modern Merc will most likely have cost a pretty penny or two to run.
You say a 2 year old Fiesta at £10,000 cost would be a lot more reliable. You'll never know!
Buy new or buy a bangernomics car. I'm glad there are so many people prepared to buy new then there's lots of choice for those who need/choose to spend not much. Seek out Hub Nut or not2grand.co.uk for IMO a more interesting car ownership experience than the buying new or PCP new route. More chance of selling at a profit if you buy a cheap car as SLO76 knows only too well.
Edited by Trilogy. on 07/06/2020 at 14:37
|
Two of those were MK1 Focus bought at over 10 years old, both FSH, one with 138, 500 miles at purchase and the other 97,000. So neither had been driven once a week by a little old lady.
That doesn't surprise me. I see a lot of Mark 1 Focuses on the road that are approaching 20 years old, and all seem to be in sound condition (usually petrol variants). I seem to remember they were rated as Europe's most reliable car for several consecutive years.
|
|
I’ve had 3 of these gen 1 Focus models . Still got 2 of them . All petrol . The first 2001 has gone to Focus heaven as it was uneconomical to repair the corrosion at the rear , but nothing wrong with the way it drove . Probably the best car to have come out of the Ford factory. Pretty much indestructible.
|
|
Our Mk 1 Focus aut estate is still going strong after a hardish life at nearly 20yrs and 150,000 miles old, but rust is gradually getting the upper hand. It cost me £7000 sixteen years ago. Until this year when we splashed out on a new Peugeot 2008 I have always measured depreciation on our cars in the hundreds rather than thousands of pounds. But that is not 'extreme bangernomics' where only a few hundred rather than a few thousand pounds are tied up in a car which, unless a classic, is referred to by accountants as a 'wasting asset'. Some assets, especially new ones, waste quicker than others.
There is also the opportunity cost of losing the interest or dividends that those thousands might otherwise have generated over the lifespan of the asset, an unquantifiable sum which is rarely included in motoring costs.
|
|
|
|
Some years ago a friend had a Volvo 240 which had no maintenance or oil changes for six years. But it came as a complete shock to me to see he had bought five litres of Sainsbury’s cheapest oil and went about an oil change.
Why shocked? If only doing 1000 miles a year there is no need to change the oil annually. In the early years of this century my TR7 went over ten years between oil changes, which have been mostly every four or five years. Its engine is over 40 yrs old, has done only 71,000 miles and still works very well, burning hardly any oil between changes. The only attention it has ever had (apart from oil and filter changes at or before the recommended 6000 mile interval) was the removal of the cam cover to check the valve clearances. No adjustment was necessary.
Ironically, the bunkum advice to change the oil annually whatever the mileage seems to have originated at about the same time that the oilmen substantially improved the lubricity and longevity of their product.
Edited by John F on 08/06/2020 at 10:31
|
|
Another advantage of bangernomics is you can change your car much more often, more than once a year if you so desire, without fear of suffering significant depreciation. So if you get bored change it for something else, maybe there'll make a profit too.
|
|
Buy well, look after it properly and then sell at the right time and in the right way and you can run a car for the cost of fuel and tax. Ivee Ed don’t itcreliably for years and I’ve little mechanical skill nor much in the way of tools.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
