How old is old nowadays?

nas

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As per the title really, was having a casual chat with a mate yesterday who owns a showroom. We were discussing the early Audi A5's (~58/09) to which he said 'these are getting on now so factor in consumable costs if purchasing'.

Although it wasn't said too seriously and typically applies to all cars, the comment was aimed at major servicing, belts if applicable etc for the age which is fair

Aside from this, and my opinion, I'd not really consider the A5 or most rival cars of similar age old as such, based on the fact that this car is still available to buy from franchised dealer. e.g. here

Is it that easy to overspend on an 'old' car when xenons, decent engine/box & infotainment feature on your wish list?

So to pose the question, when browsing A/T or P/H at where should the line be drawn when spending around 15k. I know the badge is largely relevant, but wouldn't expect that to cost literally thousands more than other options available.
 
I'm not really sure what being available from a franchised dealer has to do with whether a car is 'old' or not. There are 2005 3 Series on the BMW site and it's difficult to argue that an 11 year old car that was superceded 4 years ago isn't 'old'.
 
[TW]Fox;29440670 said:
I'm not really sure what being available from a franchised dealer has to do with whether a car is 'old' or not. There are 2005 3 Series on the BMW site and it's difficult to argue that an 11 year old car that was superceded 4 years ago isn't 'old'.
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I'd say that's not exactly comparable as there isn't really a pool of ~05 3 series' available.
 
Where the line should be drawn is entirely car specific. If you want a base spec 320d then at £15k you'd be bonkers to buy something more than a couple of years old. If you wanted a kitted out 335i though, £15k is only going to stretch to 5 or 6 year old examples (to illustrate the point, actual figures may vary, I've not checked)

That said, Audi did well to virtually never change the exterior design yet somehow make enough changes to face-lift models to keep them fresh in the eyes of Joe public, that a 7 year old A5 doesn't actually look massively older than a new one. A 7 year old 3 series or C Class does.

This is a big bonus to second hand bling seekers, especially if you slap a private plate on it, most people wouldn't know how old it was.
 
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On the flip side, you can still buy what is essentially a 58 plate A5 brand new from a dealer (how Audi are still pedaling that generation of car is beyond me), which would surely mean that a 58 plate A5 is still as new (generationally speaking) as the current model (admittedly that won't be for long now).
 
to me, old is around 52 plate and before. Even then though, a car that's been looked after at that age should still be perfectly happy. I have a 60 plate, my missus has a 12 plate, I still consider those ages to be decent.
 
I have to keep reminding myself what year it is when looking at cars. :D

Last car I had was a 54 plate and when looking at new ones I keep seeing nice examples of 54 /55 /56 reg cars and then suddenly remember that they are over 10 years old.

Probably still perfectly good but yet it surprises me, must be a sign of getting older. :o

I guess anything from the 90's I would now consider to be "old"
 
Anything pre-2000 is what I would class as old now. If you ask my mother though, anything over 3 years is old.....
 
Uther said:
'Old' means something from the 80's for me!
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you and me both.. Ive got a 97 Audi A4 avant and I don't really class that as that old.. the wifes got a 15 plate seat leon that I class as modern ***p

RogerMesenseless said:
I consider my E30 'old'. Anything from mid 90's and back for me seems quite old too. Although some cars still look really good for their age. (E39 M5 Springs to mind).
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any pics of the E30... I do havea soft spot for an E30 and have owned a few and still deal with them on a regular basis
 
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Age of a car doesn't really concern me. What does is the overall condition and appeal.

Put it this way. If you present me with top condition B7 and B8 RS4. I'm more likely to go for the B7.
 
DAIR said:
Age of a car doesn't really concern me. What does is the overall condition and appeal.

Put it this way. If you present me with top condition B7 and B8 RS4. I'm more likely to go for the B7.
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This is all great in theory but it becomes so much harder to find a car that isn't crap the older they get. The older a car gets the more it picks up small scratches, marks, wear to the interior, etc etc because most people don't look after cars. Then it gets considered 'fair wear and tear' as the reality is most people simply don't care.

My car is 6 years old and if all 6 year old cars were as immaculate as it is, I'd happily buy one but every other one I see just isn't.
 
jbh110tdi said:
any pics of the E30... I do havea soft spot for an E30 and have owned a few and still deal with them on a regular basis
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Sorry for slight thread hijack but here you go..

1991 318iS (missing an IS lip). Might get its own thread if I do something major it it :p

taGeLGG.jpg


Nzkw2tM.png
I definitely consider this old.
 
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RogerMesenseless said:
Sorry for slight thread hijack but here you go..

1991 318iS (missing an IS lip). Might get its own thread if I do something major it it :p

taGeLGG.jpg


Nzkw2tM.png
I definitely consider this old.
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that's lovely.. brings back memories of my old white 318is

pretty sure ive still got a good condition 318 is badge if you ever need a spare
 
Blimey I must be old, I run a 2000 Mazda Xedos 9, a 2003 JEEP Grand Cherokee, a 2006 Mazda RX8, a 1999 Honda CBR600F4 and a 2007 Honda Civic Type R and my son runs a 2004 Mitsubishi Charisma... but I look after all my cars/bike!
 
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Pug

How is the Mazda running - do you use it a lot or just Sunday mornings.

It's not a Xedos 9 it's a "Miller" - I do miss that engine though. ;)
 
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