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I guess it was a 1.9 PD TDi? Probably had several clutches, turbos, flywheels and anxilaries during though.
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Mine don't reach that sort of mileage, but my MB is now 18 i have spent, hopefully invested, some more money over the last year to make it last as long as possible, i shall keep it indefinately unless someone offers me a fair price.
Either way, SWMBO and i are probably finished with modern cars, apart from luxurious gems like the Lexus GS450h and LS460 (probably too complicated for me if push came to shove) they hold little interest for either of us, i wouldn't give you a thankyou for a modern Diesel or a cloned modern hatchback of indeterminate make, so older interesting and value for money under £2k banger money cars it is.
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so older interesting and value for money under £2k banger money cars it is.
The best cars are often the cheapest. :) My M-B is also 18.
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I guess it was a 1.9 PD TDi? Probably had several clutches, turbos, flywheels and anxilaries during though.
A bit like Triggers brush.
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Do you think there would be many cars that reach this mileage without some sort of corective maintenance?
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Americans tend to keep their cars longer than we do.
It's tempting to change cars more often here as the price for a used car can be so much cheaper compared to some other countries.
6 years is the longest I have owned a car - I don't know if I could have the willpower to last much longer than that unless it was perfect for me.
But we know that the perfect car doesn't exist, although GB seems to have got pretty close with his W124 coupe ;)
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6 years is the longest I have owned a car - I don't know if I could have the willpower to last much longer than that unless it was perfect for me.
It needs a particular mindset when buying if you do plan to keep it "for ever" - particularly specification as each generation of car is better equipped so you need to think about what you might miss in the future even if you don't consider it essential now.
When I retired I bought an Astra, top of the range with extras, intending to keep it for ever - but at 7 years old / 98,000 miles it sustained accident damage to the suspension and didn't drive the same afterwards - and I wanted 4wd to get me off wet camp sites more easily - so I changed it "early".
Edited by RT on 22/02/2014 at 11:59
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I know someone who bought a Mercedes E300D estate at 2 years old, with 20,000 miles covered. She still has it with just over 400,000 miles at 19 years old. She could easily afford to change, but hasn't fancied anything else. Even the front wings are original. Substantially less outlay in 19 years than when she used to update every three years.
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In terms of longevity, the W124 E300D is arguably THE car made in the past 50 years.
My W124 E280 estate reaches 20 in April. Some work needed underneath, but the box and lump are doing fine, so no reason to worry yet.
Which begs the question, what could replace her? I've heard 2.5 petrol X-Trails keep on going, the 2006-2009 W211 patrols are strong, and maybe the last cr-v in petrol auto, but there's nothing like the golden era of M-B now.
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I have a 405 that will be 20 in August. Its still rust free, and the engine and box are still good. Even the aircon works. The alcantara on the seat bolsters has worn through, and the heated seats havent worked in the 8 years i have had it. It still drives like a 405. It got under my skin, and i cant see me selling it. But it does only have 160,000 miles on it, so its got a lot of life left in it yet (hopefully).
My mother drives a Golf bought new in 1990. Miles are modest at 120k ish, but the car is completely reliable. I think if you dont get bored, and you have reasonable luck you can keep cars as useable daily drivers almost for ever. But i dont know if the same is true of the latest cars, i suspect for many the cost of what would once have been a modest failure will kill many off far too soon.
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I guess it was a 1.9 PD TDi? Probably had several clutches, turbos, flywheels and anxilaries during though.
Unlikely to need several clutches, turbos or flywheels. Even if it needed two of each it would still have been much cheaper than changing at every 50/60,000 miles.
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this is something that I am looking at also. currently I own a four month old skoda octavia vrs diesel. loving it but can it be something that I can keep for a long time (7-10 years) without getting loads of big bills. (should add that im a soldier based in Germany so I bought it tax free and can sell it after a year for the price I paid for it hopefully! ) I have looked at old mb w124 as one of the indestructible runners. but realistically am I kidding myself on that buying a 15-20 year old car is a way of saving money longer term?
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You have to bear in mknd that most of the cars mentioned above have been in the same hands for all those years, and no doubt been looked after and regularly serviced. If you buy, for example, an old Mercedes estate, good as they are, you are gambling on whether it's been looked after.
The CR diesel in your Skoda is much better than the pre-2009 PD engine. Look after your new Octavia and that will be a far better bet over 7-10 years than buying something old.
Edited by Avant on 22/02/2014 at 23:05
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Avant, thats my issue. I really like the car but I just want to make sure I minimise the risk of developing lots of expensive problems! tbh I don't really see any options with recent cars thats why I was looking at older ones.
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In my straw poll of 1, keeping a car economically viable for 200,000 miles is relatively straightforward nowadays.
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"In my straw poll of 1, keeping a car economically viable for 200,000 miles is relatively straightforward nowadays."
Straw poll of 2? My Skoda Superb 2003 1.9PD has needed very little work in its 150k miles. It is well serviced and looked after with regular oil changes, cambelt/waterpump/coolant(4yr), brake fluid(2yr) changes,brake pipes greased every year . Still on original battery!, clutch, exhaust, turbo etc.. Alternator failed at 100k. Still drives well and does 50mpg(real life). The one thing I will have to attend to is a bit of rust where the rear wheelarches meet the sills on both sides - not too bad YET.
We will see how it goes but tempted to keep it running well through the 200k barrier but not sure about 507k though.
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The one thing I will have to attend to is a bit of rust where the rear wheelarches meet the sills on both sides - not too bad YET.
This will sound snarky but definitely is not - I thought VAG cars just didn't rust? At least not at a mere 11 years old.
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"This will sound snarky but definitely is not - I thought VAG cars just didn't rust? At least not at a mere 11 years old."
I must admit I was suprised when I first saw it. The unerside is perfect though. I've seen an Audi A4 of that age with the same problem - must be a feature!
I also have an even older 2001 Octavia which has no body rust.
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Avant, thats my issue. I really like the car but I just want to make sure I minimise the risk of developing lots of expensive problems! tbh I don't really see any options with recent cars thats why I was looking at older ones.
Lexus, especially their bigger models, with full service history, are engineered to last a very long time - many Lexus LS 400's from the 90's are still on the road.
Someone at work owns a 1991 BMW E34 520i auto. It goes on and on although it is serviced well. It's very hard to pick up a good one now because many have been neglected, which is a shame considering their over engineering - but most big cars end up the same way.
Someone mentioned a Peugeot 405. I still see many 306's without a hint of rust and running well - I wish I had bought one at the time as I still think It is a great looking car. I rode in a friends one a few years back and the combination of ride and handling was sublime. The 307 that replaced it was very poor.
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I still see many 306's without a hint of rust and running well - I wish I had bought one at the time as I still think It is a great looking car. I rode in a friends one a few years back and the combination of ride and handling was sublime. The 307 that replaced it was very poor.
I have owned three 306s (all diesel) and a 2-litre cabrio. All had excellent bodywork and an elegant and functional shape developed from the 205. The pity was that there was no space to jam in all the extra gismos required to keep up with the pack in the 21st century.
I agree that Peugeot lost the plot in their next generation of designs - I haven't tried a 307, but the seats of my only 206 (a Garros) became unbearably uncomfortable after an hour's driving. Fortunately the 207 I now have is better, but elegance has been lost.
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My partner runs a Rover 45 that is 11 years old. It isn't a high miler but he said it's never needed anything doing to it, and he's hoping it will keep going for another decade or so. It handles like a barge though!!
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Youngest son has a W reg Yaris with 139k miles. It's scruffy but on original engine,gearbox and clutch. Sounds fine.
It was sadly neglected so cheap. New timing chian and radiator sorted it. He has done 40k miles in it.
As for E300D Mercedes, fine for motorways and long journeys. Not so good in car parks..And when they go wrong, they are NOT cheap..And the front suspension design is a pia to set up..And they rust - as do most 20 year old cars.
Any car can do high miles - motorways , regular servicing and never starting from cold. Easy.. BMW 3 series Mark 2?? did 1 million on a track...
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As for E300D Mercedes, fine for motorways and long journeys. Not so good in car parks..And when they go wrong, they are NOT cheap..And the front suspension design is a pia to set up..And they rust - as do most 20 year old cars.
Mine is fine in car parks, with an mazing turning circle. My specialist didn't appear to have any problems with front suspension.
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You have to bear in mknd that most of the cars mentioned above have been in the same hands for all those years, and no doubt been looked after and regularly serviced. If you buy, for example, an old Mercedes estate, good as they are, you are gambling on whether it's been looked after.
The CR diesel in your Skoda is much better than the pre-2009 PD engine. Look after your new Octavia and that will be a far better bet over 7-10 years than buying something old.
My W124 E300D was only a 2 owner car, father and daughter. I paid £800 for it and have spent £2,000 on it to make it really nice. It is now much admired, on a classic car agreed value insurance policy, valued at just under £4,000. If you want a well looked after one, properly prepared for sale (unlike some dealers) I suggest you look here. www.w124.co.uk e.g. w124.co.uk/carsforsale.php?page=detail&id=2007...0
The cars are not cheap, but the guy has specialised in them since 2004. In my experience so far parts are not particularly expensive, nor is servicing. I use a Mercedes specialist in Suffolk.
I f you buy a newer car you are also gambling on whther or not it will be reliable. Sadly, there will be more to go wrong.
Edited by Trilogy on 23/02/2014 at 19:35
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BTW, Autocar will be road testing the 507,000 mile Golf just as they would have done 13 years ago. Should make interesting reading.
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I think in the UK we got used to changing our cars more often as they used to rust away after a number of years. But now that cars are pretty well rust proofed it seems to be expensive environmental controls like DPFs or emissions failures that can kill a car off earlier than it should.
Until the price of replacement injectors DMFs, DPFs and EGR's is a lot lower I think we'll still see pretty decent cars being scrapped for the sake of something fairly simple.
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be like trigger in Only Fools and Horses - he had his broom all his working life but had several new heads and handles over the years!
Edited by NorthernBoy on 26/02/2014 at 10:29
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