Hi all,
Just a quick update on my 2 year costs (since purchase)for my Audi 80 2.0 L reg. One question, looking at the costs do you think this is in Bangernomics territory. I terribly hope so!
Start mileage 107051
Distributor £75.00 108000
Front Tyres £90.00 110500
Front Bushes £20.00 112150
MOT £40.00 114110
Front Discs + Pads £45.00 114500
Oil Change £10.00 117000
Air Filter £10.00 117000
Headlight Bulbs £10.00 117000
Battery £25.00 118000
Timing Belt £80.00 120000
Fuel Pump £60.00 120500
Rear Tyres £90.00 120650
Door Lock £25.00 121300
Rear WB £25.00 121800
Exhaust £128.00 125000
MOT £40.00 126000
Front Tyres £90.00 127450
Oil Change £10.00 129000
Oil Change £10.00 135000
Rear Tyres £35.00 137000
Front Tyres £75.00 141000
Fan Switch £5.00 144450
Coolant Change £10.00 144450
Thhings to note are;
Car cost me 450 pound to buy (Dec 2005)
Mileage is now around 148000
I do 20k per year (fuel has worked out at 5k for 2 years) at 30 -35 mpg
Car insurance has cost 700 pound for two years
Cat tax has cost 400 pound for two years
Things outsatnding on car
Slightly unlucky with door lock going both within space of a month, still they wont need changing for a while
Original clutch, hope to get to 200k on this one before replacement
Needs a oil change soon
Could benefit from some spark plugs
Brake fluid renewal
SO do you guys think this is a cash pit or quite reasonable? Just wanted another opioion really. All guys at work are into their new cars and I seems to like the older motors more.
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You can ignore tyres and servicing, these would need doing on any car. Take these out and it's cheap as chips. It all depends whether you are happy fettling cars or not. I don't mind, as long as they don't actually breakdown without warning.
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It seems you get a maximum of 17K from a pair of tyres?
I'd love to know where you get a battery for twenty five quid, and discs & pads for forty five?
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All the aboive bits add up to just over a grand. Yeah I dont mind fettling. I can do most routine servicing myself. Anything over that my dads friend who has worked for the VAG group for over 30 years as a mechanic MOTS and changes big items
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T,
a lot of the costs are unavoidable, MOT, oil change etc (I note you do it quite frequently). But those tyres don't seem to last long and the rears go as fast as the fronts, about 17k?
JH
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T a lot of the costs are unavoidable MOT oil change etc (I note you do it quite frequently). But those tyres don't seem to last long and the rears go as fast as the fronts about 17k? JH
Yeah had 2 and a half sets on. Half being current set now. Seems to be a bit heavy on the fronts. It has been checked on tracking device and seems ok. Not too worried, I only pay 35 pound for each tyre (budget brand, MAXXIS, CORSA). Im not a spirited driver, more of a poddler.
I try and change oil every 6000 miles (3 times a year) and use Quantom VAG brand oil 10W/50 part synth
All consumables are sourced via mates rates from VAG mech pal
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And by the sound of things the car is still worth at least what you paid for it. A result I think.
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Not really a typical banger really is it, if you can source parts and labour cheaply.
Few could do that , so difficult to compare to a dealer /garage serviced car.
(IMHO Cheap tyres are carp and don't forget one loss of grip and your a gonner, so no more bangers!- just mash)
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Not really a typical banger really is it if you can source parts and labour cheaply. Few could do that so difficult to compare to a dealer /garage serviced car. (IMHO Cheap tyres are carp and don't forget one loss of grip and your a gonner so no more bangers!- just mash)
Cheap tyres OK im a cheapskate. But ive always ran cars with cheap tyres. Thats my lookout
Not much labour needed 3 items, the rest done by my self
Cambelt 2 hours
Fuel pump 1 hour
Distributor and timing alignment 1 hour
4 hours in 2 years. New cars have more than that on servicing alone. Im fortunate to have a little knowlege my self. Bangernoics isnt really cost effective if evey small thing needs to go to a garage is it.
Im not comparing a new car vs old, If id spent 2k on a car and then had to spend all the same again, that would be a similar comparison
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I think it's bangernomics - take one cheap, easy to work on, but well-made car, and one fairly experienced owner/driver, who does most work him/herself, and see the savings...
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who does most work him/herself
Hmm i know ive got a bit of feminine side but come on! Only joking!
Thanks for all opinions, will try and give a 200K report or 100K from ownership in aabout 2.5 years if i get there (no i dont mean the tyres)
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I'm interested to know how big a bill would make you scrap it.
I ran an old car for a while (A6 on an N plate) and faced a £1500 bill when the car was worth about £2000, £2500 at best and that was a real tough one.
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>>I ran an old car for a while (A6 on an N plate) and faced a £1500 bill when the car was worth about £2000, £2500 at best and that was a real tough one.
Ah, the biggest challenge in bangernomics; when to stop throwing money at the car.
2 years ago or so my 800 quid Omega needed 450 quid spending on it, I gambled on fixing it and got another 2 years out of it with just a lamda sensor and cam sensor needing replacing. A total of 600 quid in repairs ( ignoring wear & tear) in 2 years / 63,000 miles. So I made the right decision IMHO.
Agreed the finances get more tricky if you're paying a garage to fix the car, although my repairs above were Vauxhall main dealer for the 450 quid and local mechanic for the other two bills.
P.S. The tyres on the 1800Kg RWD Omega last roughly 30K miles ( Pirelli P6000), intrigued to know why the Audi 80 is so heavy on tyres.
Edited by SpamCan61 {P} on 29/02/2008 at 11:15
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Admirable account TO of rational car ownership.
And I note you spend more on front tyres than back. Cheapskate perhaps, but sensible given consistent and fairly conservative driving.
Edited by Lud on 28/02/2008 at 20:49
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I think it's bangernomics - take one cheap easy to work on but well-made car and one fairly experienced owner/driver who does most work him/herself and see the savings...
seconded, if you can do some spanner work and dont mind getting pink fluffy dice up , an hour or two could save you a kings ransome for basic remedial work and i think honestjohn is the dogs "preverbials" for info and technical help ..
Edited by Webmaster on 29/02/2008 at 09:41
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I think that's great going -- I make it under £1000 (including original purchase price) if you DON'T include tyres, MOTs, insurance and oil changes (as said above, any 3+ year car would need these).
At 20K per year that's 2.5 pence per mile.
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So the only non-servicing items are:
Fan switch £5
WB £25
Lock £25
And arguably the distributor and exhaust £203 as they're every-ten-years items so are part of the 'capital' cost. Battery possibly also.
£55 (or £258) for 2 years motoring and 45,000 miles. So somewhere between 0.1 and 0.6 p per mile. That looks like a real cash pit to me ;)
If I were you I'd change the plugs, you'll probably save the money in petrol. I'd also change the ignition leads to help winter reliability - but that's next year's problem I suppose, now.
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No, no ,no. This is NOT bangernomics!
This is about driving a great car and getting great value for money. An Audi 80 MkII isn't a banger by my standards - its still a good car.
Tim - I think you have done really well. Not only do you get to drive a great car you have done it at minimal cost. The money saved can be spent other more fun things, wether that be more beer down the pub or a kit car for some serious fun at the weekend.
I've owned an Audi 80 Mk1 and currently own a 1999 A4, both have been great cars, I'm sure the MkII is as well. Regarding the tyres I found no noticeable difference between premium brand and budget (I've had a good mix of both) in terms of handling and wear. I'm not sure of mileages, but my A4 seems to get through tyres fairly fast on the front.
Sounds like you have got it spot on - regular fluid changes, active maintenance and a bit of mechanical sympathy makes all the difference.
Edited by moonshine {P} on 29/02/2008 at 14:25
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>>No, no ,no. This is NOT bangernomics!
Yes yes yes it IS bangernomics. It's *exactly* what bangernomics is.
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I agree - this is 'bangernomics' The A80 might be a great car but its *value* makes it a banger in this sense.
How are the front suspension arms? Are those front tyres wearing evenly? My OH runs a 1998 A4 tdi Quattro which is also v.heavy and we get lots of miles out of the continentals on it.
Might be worth putting better tyres on just for better wear. I paid £135 last week for a pair of 195/60-15V contisport premium 2 on the volvo. So it isnt *that* expensive for prmium tyres.
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I buy tyres like that for £20 a corner... with 5mm left.
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A 94 L mass-produced car that cost £500, in a safe, driveable condition is a banger!
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This thread makes me uncomfortable because I dislike the term 'banger' for cars. It has associations for me with the automotive pig-ignorant trying feebly to be rude about an old car, whether it be a de Dion, Ford model T or 1993 Escort (my own elegant pre-used carriage).
The Brighton run used to be known to the tabloid press as the 'Old Crocks' race' or something similarly moronic.
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Excellent post Tim.
As a contrast, I'm an Audi bangernomicist but pay local independants to do most work
96N A4 1.8 petrol bought for £200 with 183k (now 211k)
tyres £170
front suspension arms (grrrrr) £450
all shocks £400
2 oil changes £70
lambda sensor £83
clean throttle body/renew emissions hose £90
two MOTs £80
front disks/pad/ 1 rear caliper £200
wiper blades/filter/plugs £60
battery £35
2 hub caps £26
key £20
starter £115
I make that £170 or 6p a mile
Now needs new sunroof switch, one new suspension arm (GSF ones don't last long!).
Consumption is 34-36 mpg.
But it's no banger, feels like it'll go on forever, wife loves it.
Admit I was lucky to buy it for £200 as the seller thought the mechanical faults were terminal, it was crabbing badly due to worn shocks and suspension arms.
Stewart
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Mapmaker - I guess I didn't put my point very well. Yes, you are right, it is bangernomics, but I don't agree with the name. As Lud points out, the term banger is misleading and conveys the wrong image.
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OK. This is bangernomics 21-century style.
I accept that bangernomics in the 1980s was quite a different matter. I think the general convention is that anything sub-£1,000 is in banger territory. And when that includes cars that are 10 years old and cost tens of thousands of pounds to begin with...
funny old world.
Edited by Mapmaker on 29/02/2008 at 18:10
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>>funny old world.
It used to be called 'the updating of poverty'
The first time I went to Nigeria, in 1973, I was a smoker of untipped cigarettes. The only such brand available in Nigeria then was called 'Bicycle'. There was a picture of a bike on the packet. If you picked one of the cigarettes up carelessly, the tobacco could all fall out. They were awful and I had to smoke tipped.
The second time I went there, in 1977, there was a new tipped brand on the market in silver packs, called 'Mercedes'. They were awful too, but the change said something. Everyone smoked smuggled Bensons anyway.
There was never a 'Peugeot' as far as I know.
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Hi,
Thanks for all thoughts. Sorry not to add sooner, im quite in demand these days.
Ive added a pic for you to get a visual impression if you ere wondering
myweb.tiscali.co.uk/centurion/
P.S quite an old pic (just after purchase) so no alloys on now, just rides on std audi rims and trims
Cant fault the car really, Im a firm believer of basic is better. Windy windows and the like. A nice simple car that rides well.
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I've looked at the photograph. What a grotty old shed. I don't understand how anybody could envisage driving around in a rusting pile of iron that looks like that awful car. I feel really sorry for you, perhaps we could all have a whip round for you.
And it costs you £0.0012 per mile as well. And you don't have electric windows; how can you face yourself in the morning.
:)
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Indeed, I've driven some sheds, but nothing like that ;-)
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Im fairly confident that men in white coats will take you away if you find rust anywhere, fully galvanised if i remember
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oldnotbold,
Ive just been looking at the one in classifieds/ebay TDI looks an absoleoute minter, similar to mine. Bet thats cheap to run
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TO - not quite minter, as there's a scuffed dent on the driver's door and a hole/crack is the NSR valence, but it's knockout inside. Also some rust bubbles ion the front of the NSR arch. I've not driven it much, but 50 mpg seems to be about the mark.
£720 already ....
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Very tidy car, TO -- I hope it continues to serve you well.
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£500 would have also bought you this:
eBay # 220201780583 1994 AUDI 100E V6 2.8 QUATTRO GREY, FSH, 2 OWNER as would a very similar eBay 190199464771
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I agree, fantastic looking car in exceptional condition. But 2.8 litres, 4wd and toys may not mean 2-3 years of low cost motoring, but then I may be wrong. And fuel, i bet you would sturuggle to see 20mpg tops
If I could choose a dream old audi, I would got for a 5 pot 90 but they are a bit long in the tooth now, youngest would be a J plate
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Mmm, I had a 2.3 100 Avant for a while on a J, which got me about 22-23mpg.
I think that your fuel cost would double with that 2.8, but heh! Just think of the depreciation you're saving... I guess high fuel costs has pushed those down in value even more than previously.
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TO - just had a look at the pics of your car - very nice, I always thought that red was the best colour for an Audi, looks like its still got a great shine to it.
Take care of it, I look forward to your 4 year update!
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