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Why should an old motor with MOT be worth Zilch ac - Andrew Hamilton
I often use vehicles over ten years old. They go from A to B at 40mpg and have simple engines without ECU or catalyst. Yet on Parkers website they appear to be worth say £200 whether it is a 1990 LDV200 van or a 1983 Metro Auto.
I can do my own servicing and do not get upset at the appearance of another scratch. No one is likely to steal them and they go on reliably year after year. Basically these are the ones that survived, so must be tough and spares are cheap.
The bottom has fallen out of the market! - David Lacey
Andrew,

New car prices have tumbled over the past 3 years, so have second hand car values. The bargain basement has really taken a tumble, mainly because people are now having to pay to dispose of their old non working/MOT failure cars.

Rgds

David
BX DTR Turbo D - David Lacey
Yep I loved my 1988 'F' 'BX DTR TD to death - it was a great car, but valueless.
Perhaps people are scared of the suspension setup?

David
Re: Why should an old motor with MOT be worth Zilc - Paul Whitehead
here here
Re: Why should an old motor with MOT be worth Zilc - Alvin Booth
Its the finest way to motor Andrew. If it wasn't for the fact that most of us fall for the advertising and the "I just can't live without that new **** syndrome the motoring manufacturers would only be producing a handfull of cars annually.
I once had a Triumph 2000 for which I paid £450.00.
Lovely motor with overdrive, leather upholstery etc. Did all my own maintenance and repairs.
Kept it for 10 years and sold it for £350.00.
Now thats what I call motoring.
regards,
Alvin
Harsh reality of prices. - David Woollard
Our latest purchase for running about was.....

1991 BX TZD Estate Turbo Diesel. Now has a full MOT and tax to Jan 2002. No rust. Undamaged interior (dog presence now now removed!). 4 recent tyres. New timing belt. Full history but monster miles. Has gone 1000miles so far in our hands without oil/water use or any real drama.

Total cost to buy/service/repair....£372. About the cost of a major service and timing belt on a newish Clio.

Bear in mind this isn't some old base Metro but a smooth turbo diesel with all the elec bits, PAS, GTI trim and so on.

Zero values, I love them.

David
Re: Harsh reality of prices. - fred smith
if you go to glastonbury next summer you will see thousands of similar cars, but boy do they break down, the AA/RAC even draft in extra staff from all over the place to cope with the breakdowns...
and Somerset County Council have to deal with the - David Lacey
and Somerset County Council have to deal (I pay for) the disposal of the abandoned cars around the site.

David
Abandoned cars. - David Woollard
Send the BXs up the A1M to The Fens please. Plenty of parking here.

David
No BX's, unfortunately! - David Lacey
DJW,

Sorry to disappoint, but the Glastonbury crowd usually leave behind Minis, AX's, Novas, all manner of old Volkswagens, old Peugeot 205 1.1's and the like. Nothing interesting like the odd BX & or Ferrari 355!

Rgds

David

PS. Rest assured - any abandoned BX's - I will be on the Woollard Hotline!
Re: No BX's, unfortunately! - fred smith
yea and the oldest running transits in the country all make the trip?
Wurzels posting. - David Lacey
That's really weird you should post a comment WRT the Wurzels - I was trying desparately to include a Wurzel comment here somewhere tonight Guy!!

Beaten again by the younger brother, again!

David
Re: No BX's, unfortunately! - Jonathan
They dont leave them because they break down.

They are left because either:

a: the owner flew home afterwards
b: he is still there somewhere
c: she was adopted by some travellers and is now living the life under the name of sunflower
d: they are waiting for all the mud to dry.

Jonathan
Re: Harsh reality of prices. - Mark
David,

I'd be there with you too, do miss wheeling a spanner (If I do so now my warranty is void).

However the need to do 45k miles a year dictates a new car that will go each and every time I need it or that if it does'nt the warranty makes sure I get a loan car until its fixed.

as ever

Mark
When you just have to buy new. - David Woollard
Mark,

I could make a case for running the older car on business but it is not so easy.

Going back a couple of years I maintained a 1988 BX 17RD for a guy who covered 45,000+ miles a year, yes really. When he had an accident in that after a year (having taken it from 90,000 to 130,000+) I set him up with my cousin's 1986 BX 17RD. This he took from about 100,000 miles to over 150,000 before we had to scrap it.

Now he has taken early retirement and happily does about 10,000 miles a year in my old BX 19TRS.

But this guy was a one off, he was a very very economical driver who didn't really stress a car.

In my old life I used to run a three year old Saab 99Turbo (my own) on business and covered 35,00 in a year. The depreciation, service, repair and tyre costs were far too high. I relaxed no end when the company Sierra arrived.

David

David
Re: When you just have to buy new. - Mark
David

Have to agree its not easy, I waved goodbye to company motors in 92 and took a cash allowance instead.

According to my tax adviser I have been ahead of the game all told for the last 6 years given that most of the costs are claimable. Main thing seems to be to get a good price for the monster miler when its sold (getting harder) and not buying something that depreciates like a stone (nearly new from supermarket or new import) hence the current Passat TDI.

Seeing my adviser on Friday to cash up with regards to the recently disposed of Vectra DI, hope I'm still ahead when he does the sums.

As ever

Mark
Guy's Mini & The Somerset Levels - Guy Lacey
...huh!!

My 850 mini was suffering from a "dodgy" alternator when all of a sudden, on a midnight dash across the Levels to see a young Maiden the young GL was caught in a police escorted convoy of old Dodge/Scammell/Bristol/etc coaches/trucks doing 20mph. Not a Citroen in sight.

After 5 miles the mini was dead and I faced a 20 mile walk back to Taunton.....

As Adge Cutler once sang - - - "There ain't no ferry to Glastonbury"
Glastonbury. - David Woollard
Friends of ours have just moved to Glastonbury, normal house dweller types with a new job to go to.

Had a search round the websites to see what was going on down there......and it all is!

David
Re: Wurzels posting. - Dave M
im sorry dave but the Wurzels should be shot they give somerset people the incredibly dopey image we have.
i hate them and hope they rot in hell with Jethro
Another Wurzels posting. - David Lacey
But the Wurzels brought us such classics as 'My Vertical Piston-Drive Threshing Machine' and 'Twice Daily' - all true classics, of course!

With song titles such as 'Thee's got'n where thee cassn't back'n, hassn't? which translates into > You've got it where you can't reverse it, haven't you? you can't go wrong, surely?

My HDD is full of Wurzel songs, naturally!

David
Re: Wurzels posting. - Mark
Thought Jethro was from Cornwall;

if he is I for one will extend him the benefit of the doubt as from what I've seen he's one of the better ones.

As ever

Mark