Bills and car life cycle, where do you draw the line?

Makhaira

Makhaira

Makhaira

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I've looked at changing my car a couple of times in the last few years and bottled out each time, "better the devil you know". From experience, what's the right time to swap cars out? This is the first car I've had for any length of time, so my experience is lacking.

Currently have a 2004 st220. Seems healthy for its age, probably worth about a grand I expect. The clutch is starting to go, impressive given it's on 128k miles, and the subframe bushes need doing again. Clearly there's a point where death by a thousand cuts mean I should have cut and run, but I doubt I'll think that until I've passed it.

In short, I'm expecting bills soon that exceed the car's value. The car though is a known quantity and (touch wood) a good runner, so I'm inclined to squeeze more out of it. Right call, or should I be looking to use larger sums of money to shift to something in more of a 5year old/50k territory (which this was when I got it) and repeat my cycle?
 
Really depends, if it's a daily driver that you rely on then it's going to be sooner rather than later.

I drew the line with the skoda at 120k, but that wasnt so much the car being bad as me being in the right position to change up, dont plan on dropping the current motor until at least that (unless something major goes).

I'd say the one that would definately call it for me is corrosion issues, especially on the chassis, once you start having to get welding done on a daily then i'm out.
 
Even if you get another car it's still going to need the clutch and bushes doing again at some point, after probably the same amount of miles. There is no getting away from the routine upkeep.

If it's still generally healthy and not rusting to bits underneath, then it's fine. You could buy a brand new car and the engine explode a week later.
 
Just keep it op. I try to avoid maintenance costs by only keeping cars for 12 months "apart from my Focus ST that I had for 18 months" and it's worked well for me so far buying cars private with 12 months mot and a fresh service and then re selling 12 months later after its Mot.
My first ST220 I put 12k on and sold at 94k still felt solid then bought a Focus ST that was 2 years newer with far less mileage and that cost me far more to run and maintain so buying newer with less miles isn't always a winning choice.
I've been running about in my second ST220 for nearly 10 months now a 2003 with 73k on and I haven't spent a penny on it. Everything is still working and in good condition drives solid etc.
You regularly see 220's with 150-160k on for sale as long as the gearbox is fine you will only have to really worry about the clutch and general items that any car from 3yrs old could need. Just run it till it dies I say
 
Don't get drawn into the fallacy of "repairs more than the car is worth", it isn't a house, it's a car - a constantly depreciating asset that needs constant upkeep and maintenance.

There is no right and wrong to your question, it's a very personal thing.
 
there are loads of mondeo's that ages with 200k+ miles. i think yours has some life left yet :) parts are cheap enough for them and the parts are everywhere, say if someone hits the mirror on you st220, you just go on ebay and get one same colour and full working for £20-30. some of the newer cars you get a hit mirror and its £9000 a year for an electrical degree to work out which wires went to the automatic puddle dipping dimmer heated blind spot monitor and the £500 for the mirror. :p Then you have to get it painted as well.
 
To me, it depends how long you plan to keep it and partly how long you've had it.

Clutch goes after 10 years of ownership... well if you spread that cost of that 10 year period then it's not actually that bad, especially if you plan to keep the car for a few more years.
 
sigma said:
Aren't you contradicting yourself a little bit?
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:p What I mean is that's the way I treat cars keep 12 months and sell on to avoid general maintenance bills etc which imo is the cheapest way to own one but op is past that point having had the car for a number of years he knows what he's had done to it and how reliable it's been etc so in his current situation I think keeping it is his best option rather than selling and getting say 1k for it
 
I had a 2003 Mondeo tdci for 9 years from 2006. Took it from 93k to 200k miles. It was like triggers broom by the end. There was always something come mot time and usually another thing during the year. Op's car sounds ok to me it's not having issues yet.
 
Personally I would think about changing when the costs are (outside of routine maintenance) reaching a point where I think a newer better car would on balance cost less over the next couple of years.
 
Me = I keep a car until the repairs cost more than the car is worth. Having said that I sold my last car because the keys were stolen & the main dealer said a replacement key & reprogramme the car so the original key wouldn't work was four figures. I sold the car to my sister who promptly killed the catalytic converter on a flooded road.
 
I have just gone through this exact same decision making process
My ST220 is on 151k and is a 53 plate, although mine is converted to LPG

Mine has had the clutch/DMF/Slave cylinder done.
Bushes are being done next week

I decided to keep it, due to
1 - It is for the type of car it is, reliable
2 - pretty cheap to run considering its an "ST"
3 - Spending £1000 on this car is preferable to any depreciation hit I would take by going to a newer car that isn't going to cost me any more in fuel
4 - I do 18k per year so replacing would mean diesel and that is bad mkay

The £1000 figure is for the service I am about to get including rear bush replacement, and hopefully whatever it costs to fix another issue I have with it at the miunute
I am also considering paying to get my wheels refurbed, they really let the car down atm.
 
MichaelAwkward said:
This is definitely not the case unless you’re talking about cars which cost £500 to begin with...
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Explain how that is not the cheapest way to run cars? And no I'm not talking cheap £500 bangers my last car was 5k. If you get a good deal private and re sell private you really don't lose much money.
Take my ST220 I have been driving for nearly 10 months paid 2.7k for it I could sell it right now for 2.4k all day long and I have not spent a penny on anything for it. So it would have set me back £300 to own for 10 months and put 6k miles on if I sold now. Not bad for driving a 3.0 V6 around
 
It is a bit of a strange equation how you suddenly arrive at the decision.

As related in another thread, just traded in our Corsa for a Kia Sportage (and very nice it is too). We bought the Corsa at just over a year old and it would have been 11 in January next year. Only 40k miles on the clock, never failed on the roadside, so why get rid of it? Well first of all, at that age you never know when a major mechanical failure is just around the corner. Even something simple like an electric window failing could have written it off. It was only a couple of thousand miles from needing new rubbers all round. Even if I put budget on the front and mouldies on the back (perish the thought) that was looking at £200. Last service threw up an advisory on the front pads and discs probably another £200. It has chewed up 2 x MAF sensors in the space of about three years which was also £200 a shot as I'm not mechanically competent to change myself.

So that's at least £400 if not £600 that could be a nice chunk out of the replacement vehicle.

We went into KIA expecting to get £1000 scrappage and instead got a £1500 p/x. Doubt that would have been the case in another couple of years. We did borrow quite heavily from our savings to fund the new car but in return we have a vehicle with a 7 year warranty, 5 year service plan and no MOT to worry about for three (or is it four?) years. We've got complimentary RAC breakdown for a year with the option to pay £169 to extend for another two years.

So I would say 10 - 11 years is probably the time at which you need to seriously look at the options, even if it is a good runner. I'll be looking to keep the Sporty the same amount of time.
 
draw the line when bills become prohibitive surely? there is no right or wrong answer, I have an astra thats approaching 218,000 miles and the biggest bill it's thrown in the last 58,000 miles has been a clutch replacement. It depends what you are able to do yourself as well as simple services can become expensive if done at a garage.
 
You could sell it for a grand then buy a clutch and bushes with the money so costing you nothing!!

Wait, Ive not thought this through.
 
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