Does anyone in the trade ever see mint `retirement cars` 15yrs or so old, yet like new?
I see what I assume are retirement cars now and then, driven by a younger driver, perhaps inherited?
Often 15 years old and yet looking as though they have never seen a winter, or stood out in the summer sun.
I was looking at an red Peugeot, going past recently. Fifteen years old, red paint and all... looking like brand new.
really new that is, almost like a timewarp, if it existed, would present one.
I guess its quite reasonable for someone buying their last car new, to keep it in a heated garage when its salty on the roads or even wet.
To use the free bus pass and let the car stay pristine in bad weather.
Whats the best example seen? in common cars that is, not the Lord in his Manor with a brace of Bentleys.
Regards
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My dad was offered a facelift Rover 820 hatch auto, IIRC a 94M about 4 years ago or so so it was nine years old, again IIRC it had done about 8000 miles, mint condition and only a few hundred quid, though I drive it and it seemed that the auto box was stranging about 100 of its 140 horses, dog slow, he turned it down.
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If it's 15 years old, regardless of what condition it's in, I wouldn't want it. 15 years old is old hat, out-of-date, old technology. Eugh!
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L\'escargot.
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I agree. 15 years old is full of hidden rust and dodgy electrics... An age when electrics took over and most manufacturers had problems when newish...
madf
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See loads of these on a weekly basis. We are near a small Fenland town which has a huge proportion of long living residents who seem to hold onto their old cars and keep them garaged/maintained.
In the last few days ones I've seeen include Hilman imp, 1960s Austin 1300, Riley Elf, 1980s Citroen BX and a 1993 Audi 80. None of these cars were re-sprayed or restored but all in a condition in keeping with something just a few years old. Obviously kept with pride.
I do look after a 1960s Jaguar S-Type that gives every impression of fitting this bill but actually a few years ago it took a £30,000 restoration to look so tidy and original!
Then there is my own retired Uncle's 1985 Mercedes with about 50K recorded, garaged all the time and near unmarked.
It is unreasonable to class all 15yr old cars as "old hat". There is a lot of the "Emperor's new clothes" situation in marketing new cars. There are many aspects where new cars go backwards from the older ones but we are all so impressed showing our friends the shiny bits we miss the truth.
David
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My first car - 1969 Cortina Mk2, 1.6 automatic.
A 'little old lady' had owned it from new, and when our family got it in 1982, it had 29 000 miles on the clock.
After my mum had used it, she haanded it dowen to brother, sister and then me.
Absolutely immaculate in and out.... before numerous learning-to-drive accidents by me and the siblings!
The old dear lived in a nearby retirement home, and had to give up driving due to bad eyesight.
The car was garaged for a few years before we got it, but her son had gone round every 2 weeks or so and given it a good wind up of 20 miles or so to keep 'the cobwebs out' as he put it.
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In 1997 we bought a Honda Sivic Shuttle for my mum. It was a 1992 model with 4,200 miles on it. Had been driven by a disabled person before his death. Serviced just twice. We drove it until 2005 at which point it had done about 35,000 miles in total and we sold it to a friend who continues to drive it. Would I drive it now? Yes, without doubt, one of the best designed cars on the road and has never ever let anyone down except for the aftermarket alarm and immobilser system.
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If it's 15 years old regardless of what condition it's in I wouldn't want it. 15 years old is old hat out-of-date old technology. Eugh!
That's right, new technology is always better isn't it? And you never see a new car with problems, they never appear at the dealers until they're at least 4 years old ;-)
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Slightly off-topic, as this came from a young chap, but I don't think of 15 years as all that old...
farm1.static.flickr.com/133/395824365_ad861b87ce_o...g
Also, this has done a decent mileage, and I wouldn't have bought it if it hadn't. Cars like to be used, IMO.
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I was lucky enough to buy a Rover Three Thousand Five that was a retirement car for a chap who drove it for 15 years then put it in his barn with 42k miles on it.
Ten years on, a small amount of paint refurbishing, one new tappet, tyres and a battery were all it needed to go back into very enjoyable everyday use.
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I hasten to add Swmbo frives a 1993 Peugeot 106 - from new. It looks OK and goes very well.
BUT
I know the welds rust under the spare wheel. There is hidden rust in some non strutural panels invisible to normal view..(take off the headlamps and look! )..
and the electrics have to be mollycoddled every 2-3 years.
And that's one garaged from new , serviced annually with 45k miles.
The suspension rattles over bumps as all the joints have loosened up, the trim creaks and frankly it probably needs new suspension bushes and dampers to restore the ride to its best.
And frankly it's worth £300-£500 tops.. and imo I would NEVER EVER buy a car of that age... without a MAJOR rebuild of the brakes (ours hashad new disks, hoses, and rear cyclinders and linings), new engine hoses (some virtually unobtainable without a wait), and new engine and gearbox mountings due to rubber perishing with age.
Do all that properly and by a garage and it's £500 to £1,000.
Economic madness.. unless you are ..... retentive and like polishing old junk:-))))
madf
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"Economic madness.."
As opposed to what? A new car will depreciate by more than I paid for mine on its first day!
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I had a 1980 Talbot Avenger 1600 auto which 3 years ago when I bought it, had 26k from new.
It had only two owners from new and its first owner until 5 years ago.
It originally came from Paignton and never left that area until it was sold on the death of it sfirst owner. the second owner was the owner of the dealer who originally sold the car.
The old MOT's showed that it covered at one point, just 1500 miles over an 8 year period, the vast majority in its first 10 years.
On buying it, we had it serviced, changed all rubber pipes and had the carb cleaned and gaskets changed. After that, it gave reliable service and parts were silly cheap from a great specialist on the south coast run by a lovely old lady, always helpful and always next day.
It had hardly any rust as it had been Ziebarted when new and that stuff did its job and it only needed a tiny patch up in drivers footwell.
It was a comfy car that could do 3 hours at 80 mph and the 4 speed auto gearbox was a rarity back then, which certainly helped keep the revs down when cruising.
Would I buy a cherished car? Yes, absolutely, BUT id make sure I knew what I was buying and go through it with a fine tooth comb changing age related parts issues to get reliability.
Oh and not everyone likes new cars or complicated ones. Sometimes its nice not to need a laptop to adjust the mixture - screwdriver is far cheaper.
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Sometimes its nice not to need a laptop to adjust the mixture - screwdriver is far cheaper.
Amen!
Damn sight easier too.
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As opposed to what? A new car will depreciate by more than I paid for mine on its first day!
Absolutely. The first-year depreciation on many cars would be enough to see me in transport for 20 years....
I have a policy of keeping cars until they drop -- even on a banger, if it treats me right I'll treat it right, and that means I'll happily pay for fairly expensive repairs if the car is otherwise reliable. If a car is still running well at 15 years old, what on earth is wrong with keeping it?
A case in point actually is a car I've just acquired for the household for free. It's a Daewoo Nubira, 1997 and owned by an old boy for many years. It's in damn good condition, not a speck of rust anywhere, clearly well looked after and everything works. Many folks would see this as a throwaway car and run it without servicing until it falls over. Not me -- assuming the MOT doesn't kick up any nasties in a few months it'll be getting its cambelt changed (Vauxhall engine so prone to ripping itself apart if the cambelt is neglected), and I'll be aiming for 3 or 4 years out of it. No reason to think I won't get it either -- the mentality of some people who refuse to spend a penny on an old car but will happily lose £10,000 over 2 years on a new one is lost on me.
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There's more to consider when buying a car than the likely depreciation. I just happen to like to have the latest technology, performance, and goodies. In other words I like to move with the times.
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L\'escargot.
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"a car I've just acquired for the household for free"
That's what I call bangernomics! :-)
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