So What Have You Had To Replace?

[PinkMinkee]

cant wait to be rid of the smart..granted its been fun tearing strips off boy racers who thought i was driving a car with a 1 litre lump under the bonnet when i wasnt, buuuuuuuuuuuuuut its becoming troublesome now the warranty has run out (2 years on a merc is not good)

things i will miss about the brabus...........pulling away at traffic lights, wheel spinning and leaving dumbfounded boy racers n beemer drivers behind lol

things i won't miss.......too many to mention lol.

time to grow up n be sensible...ok scratch those last 7 words hehe

the rav we are picking up weds may have covered nigh on 90k miles but its in better nick than my smart car and its had the upgraded clutch n flywheel put on it, we are really excited hehe and plans for changes in the future are chip, twin exhaust, spoiler and headunit and mebbe respray the bumpers and side strips oh yea and a chunky xtr bull bar :)

[wack]

that's some depreciation 25k to 7k in 2 1/2 years

Probably something to do with the 96,000 miles it's done

7k was the PX offer which means they'd be looking at selling it on for 10k+

100,000 miles is nothing for a well maintained diesel, I just sold a 2001 ford transit i'd owned from new with 453,000 miles on it, oil changes every 6000 miles, in the last 3 years I had to call the AA out twice, a burst hose and a sensor on the back of the engine which put the injection pump in limp mode, other than that it just had service items.

I'd sooner pay 7k for one I know the history of rather than 10k from a dealer with a warranty that comes with a magic get out clause everytime you try to claim on it :(

[anchorman]

that's some depreciation 25k to 7k in 2 1/2 years

Probably something to do with the 96,000 miles it's done

7k was the PX offer which means they'd be looking at selling it on for 10k+

100,000 miles is nothing for a well maintained diesel, I just sold a 2001 ford transit i'd owned from new with 453,000 miles on it, oil changes every 6000 miles, in the last 3 years I had to call the AA out twice, a burst hose and a sensor on the back of the engine which put the injection pump in limp mode, other than that it just had service items.

I'd sooner pay 7k for one I know the history of rather than 10k from a dealer with a warranty that comes with a magic get out clause everytime you try to claim on it :(

Absolutely - it's still new and best of all somebody else has been stuffed with all that depreciation. I often question my sanity (yes, yes I know - you all do) for buying a new one which cost more than my first house and money is falling off it :( :( :(

[wack]

that's some depreciation 25k to 7k in 2 1/2 years

Probably something to do with the 96,000 miles it's done

7k was the PX offer which means they'd be looking at selling it on for 10k+

100,000 miles is nothing for a well maintained diesel, I just sold a 2001 ford transit i'd owned from new with 453,000 miles on it, oil changes every 6000 miles, in the last 3 years I had to call the AA out twice, a burst hose and a sensor on the back of the engine which put the injection pump in limp mode, other than that it just had service items.

I'd sooner pay 7k for one I know the history of rather than 10k from a dealer with a warranty that comes with a magic get out clause everytime you try to claim on it :(

Absolutely - it's still new and best of all somebody else has been stuffed with all that depreciation. I often question my sanity (yes, yes I know - you all do) for buying a new one which cost more than my first house and money is falling off it :( :( :(

The thing that never fails to amaze me is how many people sell a car just as the warranty runs out and the MOT is due, it's like they're terrified of a big bill but totally ignore the fact that the car has probably lost 60% of it's value in the 3 years they've owned it and will only lose another 10% in the next 3

By buying another new one they're losing another 60% over the next 3 years which will be thousands more than they'll ever spend on repairs.

Cars aren't built like they used to be, in the 70s a 6 year old car had almost rusted away, some of the guys at work have 10 year old mazdas and toyotas without a rust spot to be seen.

I got wise about 3 years ago, since then i've owned 11 cars ranging from an Audi A8 4.2 quattro(8 mpg round town) to a mazda MX5, I haven't had hardly any depreciation in that time because if I saw something cheap i'd buy it and sell what I was driving for more or less what I paid for it.

There are plenty of bargains out there if you look hard enough :)

[anchorman]

that's some depreciation 25k to 7k in 2 1/2 years

Probably something to do with the 96,000 miles it's done

7k was the PX offer which means they'd be looking at selling it on for 10k+

100,000 miles is nothing for a well maintained diesel, I just sold a 2001 ford transit i'd owned from new with 453,000 miles on it, oil changes every 6000 miles, in the last 3 years I had to call the AA out twice, a burst hose and a sensor on the back of the engine which put the injection pump in limp mode, other than that it just had service items.

I'd sooner pay 7k for one I know the history of rather than 10k from a dealer with a warranty that comes with a magic get out clause everytime you try to claim on it :(

Absolutely - it's still new and best of all somebody else has been stuffed with all that depreciation. I often question my sanity (yes, yes I know - you all do) for buying a new one which cost more than my first house and money is falling off it :( :( :(

The thing that never fails to amaze me is how many people sell a car just as the warranty runs out and the MOT is due, it's like they're terrified of a big bill but totally ignore the fact that the car has probably lost 60% of it's value in the 3 years they've owned it and will only lose another 10% in the next 3

By buying another new one they're losing another 60% over the next 3 years which will be thousands more than they'll ever spend on repairs.

Cars aren't built like they used to be, in the 70s a 6 year old car had almost rusted away, some of the guys at work have 10 year old mazdas and toyotas without a rust spot to be seen.

I got wise about 3 years ago, since then i've owned 11 cars ranging from an Audi A8 4.2 quattro(8 mpg round town) to a mazda MX5, I haven't had hardly any depreciation in that time because if I saw something cheap i'd buy it and sell what I was driving for more or less what I paid for it.

There are plenty of bargains out there if you look hard enough :)

Yep

And that is the very reason I will hang on to mine until it is many years old. As my frugal friend says;

a RAV is for life not just for christmas!

[Fujisan]

that's some depreciation 25k to 7k in 2 1/2 years

Probably something to do with the 96,000 miles it's done

100,000 miles is nothing for a well maintained diesel, I'd sooner pay 7k for one I know the history of rather than 10k from a dealer with a warranty that comes with a magic get out clause everytime you try to claim on it :(

All perfectly true. 100K is nothing for a well maintained diesel. And you are spot on, that it is much better to known the history of the car you are buying.

The point I was making is that if the car had a more average mileage (ie., it had been in the hand's of a low mileage private owner), then you would have had to pay more for the car. That was all.

Cars aren't built like they used to be, in the 70s a 6 year old car had almost rusted away, some of the guys at work have 10 year old mazdas and toyotas without a rust spot to be seen.

There are plenty of bargains out there if you look hard enough :)

Thankfully that is also true, cars are built much much better now. And if they are given a minimum of care and attention can stay looking good and running well for years and years.

You also make another very valid point, there are bargains out there.............but you also need to know what you are looking at so that you don't end up with a lemon. I think that is were most people will put up with the pain of depreciation because they can look at a used car and think well that looks in good nick, sounds ok but are just not sure in their own minds if the thing is going to fall in a heap just a mile down the road.

You have the eye and the experience to sort the wheat from the chaff and good luck to you, it's a skill many would like. The vast majority of the motoring public don't, that's why they like new / newer car's. In a way that is why Japanese cars are so popular, people don't need to know anything about them because they are generally so reliable.

a RAV is for life not just for christmas!

On that point, I have to disagree. No car is for life. Each car should forfill a purpose for that stage in your life. When that phase of your life is done and your needs are different, it is time to change vehicle.

Everyone has there own plans, goals, needs out a particular car. While it is still forfilling it's role to a satisfactory level, keep it. When it's role has been achieved, moved on.

[NMaria]

I agree that modern cars can cover enormous mileages, and used to buy secondhand on that basis. Trouble is, you never know how the previous owner(s) have treated and driven it - fsh means little in this respect. Many people sell a car because they have or suspect a problem they want to get rid of. I have had some superb secondhand cars but have also bought the odd pig-in-a-poke, causing me a great deal of expense, hassle and worry.

So we (husband and I) calculated that if we bought a good quality new car, looked after it carefully, and kept it for many years, the annual cost of depreciation over those years would be no more than that of the depreciation plus repair costs for kind of secondhand cars I had had in recent years, and we'd have a bit more peace of mind. I'm approaching the boring-old-!Removed! phase of my life and drive around remote parts of the country on my own at nights, so reliability counts for a lot. Laying out so much money (some of it belonging to the bank manager!) on a car did give me the willies at the time, though!

[anchorman]

Maria

Everything you have said here helped influence me spending that kind of money. In fact I originally bought the 4 month old demonstrator and I don't know whether it was just a lemon or the way it had been treated but it felt more like a 10 year old not very well loved vehicle. When I got this one as a result of complaining about a very bad gear box (hats off to RRG Macclesfield) it was astonishingly different (better) in lots of respects.

However, Wack has a point that if you can come accross a vehicle that even with a high mileage is still running OK then they represent very good value for money. My old Corolla that my daughter now runs was mint (now got scuffed wheel trims and the odd shopping trolley dent but she is a novice) is mechanically perfect and I would have no reservation about jumping in it right now and driving to the southern tip of Italy.

I have been associated with the motor trade for a very long time and there are few ways to lose money at a monumental rate than by buying new cars. Some people write it off as a necessary cost - their need for personal transport and apportion a percentage of their income to it. Others have an desire to keep trying something different and they are perfectly entitled to do so - you only come this way once. My mate has had a Mazda 6 from new. He had it dealer serviced for the duration of the warranty and I did the last one. It has not yet done 20,000 miles, never been bumped at all and from memory it cost about 20 something k. We checked the price against some new motors quite recently and they were offering not much over 7k. To me (and Wack) this is the kind of car that if purchased at this kind of price is an absolute bargain.

Fuj.

I was built for comfort, not for speed and my desire to own a Mazda 5 or similar does not exist. All I can see is another way of compounding the already stiff neck. Besides, I haven't worked out whether you get in by sitting on the floor beside it and threading my feet in or to go in head first then trying to do a 3 point turn. I just know i'd need a block and tackle to get out to nurse the neck. I'm afraid as long as I can climb in to the blooming thing (and maybe Kingo can provide me with some sort of zimmer attachment) then I will be hanging on to it. Unless of course the bring a new model out next year no, no seriously - it's here to stay!

[NMaria]

You make a good point, anchorman. If you can get a secondhand car of known and trusted provenance at a good price, you're probably on to a winner. I've been unlucky enough to buy cars that came with all the usual promises of one-careful-owner (except it turned out he drove with the gear lever in an iron grip), low mileage (which meant sitting in traffic jams with his foot on the clutch and banging up and down kerbs), and full service history (except the garage in question had gone bust - ah). We bought a car from a neighbour for my stepson; it had fairly high mileage but had been well looked after and was a brilliant little car. I have also known of people who have bought brand new cars and had a great deal of trouble with them - even our friends with T180s seem to have more niggles than one might expect from a Toyota, not to mention the dreaded DMF on the 4.2. Conclusion: no hard and fast rules, do what suits your personal needs, buyer beware, and keep your fingers crossed!

As for the cost of buying new: it was indeed a monstrous amount of money to spend on a car, and now I hope and pray that our circumstances will allow us to keep it for at least 10 years! I don't care about image or driving the latest model; I think this is a fantastic car and I'll keep driving it for as long as it remains reliable.

[Fujisan]

My old Corolla that my daughter now runs was mint (now got scuffed wheel trims and the odd shopping trolley dent but she is a novice) is mechanically perfect and I would have no reservation about jumping in it right now and driving to the southern tip of Italy.

I was built for comfort, not for speed and my desire to own a Mazda 5 or similar does not exist. All I can see is another way of compounding the already stiff neck. Besides, I haven't worked out whether you get in by sitting on the floor beside it and threading my feet in or to go in head first then trying to do a 3 point turn. I just know i'd need a block and tackle to get out to nurse the neck. I'm afraid as long as I can climb in to the blooming thing (and maybe Kingo can provide me with some sort of zimmer attachment) then I will be hanging on to it. Unless of course the bring a new model out next year no, no seriously - it's here to stay!

You make a good point, anchorman. If you can get a secondhand car of known and trusted provenance at a good price, you're probably on to a winner. I've been unlucky enough to buy cars that came with all the usual promises of one-careful-owner (except it turned out he drove with the gear lever in an iron grip), low mileage (which meant sitting in traffic jams with his foot on the clutch and banging up and down kerbs), and full service history (except the garage in question had gone bust - ah). We bought a car from a neighbour for my stepson; it had fairly high mileage but had been well looked after and was a brilliant little car. I have also known of people who have bought brand new cars and had a great deal of trouble with them - even our friends with T180s seem to have more niggles than one might expect from a Toyota, not to mention the dreaded DMF on the 4.2. Conclusion: no hard and fast rules, do what suits your personal needs, buyer beware, and keep your fingers crossed!

As for the cost of buying new: it was indeed a monstrous amount of money to spend on a car, and now I hope and pray that our circumstances will allow us to keep it for at least 10 years! I don't care about image or driving the latest model; I think this is a fantastic car and I'll keep driving it for as long as it remains reliable.

This a wonderful discussion, thank you.

In a way Anchorman, you have proved my point. Your old Corolla had served it's purpose for you and you felt at that time it was right to hand it on to your daughter. If nothing ever changed, in a perfect and stable world, you could in theory buy one car and live with it forever. But this is an imperfect world, thing's and need's do change and we have the ability to adapt to these changes and we use that abilty when we need too.

You bought your RAV for one set of reasons, Maria, Wack and the rest bought there RAV's for another set of reasons and I bought mine for yet another set of reasons. We all have different needs from a car and for all of us we have worked out that a RAV will best forfill that need at this time.

Can you honestly say that your RAV is the last car you will ever buy? There is no need to answer that question.

Personally, as I have stated elsewhere I will review the status of my RAV after 5 years. If it is still forfilling my needs and requirements, in a quiet reliable way, then I will keep it a while longer after that, maybe ask the question annually after that, who know's.

But I don't believe in dogma and over-attachment but that's just me, everyone is different.

I did like you description of the MX5. I think I could just about cope with getting in and out of one of them. A lad in work had a Lotus Elise and honestly I still don't know how he got in and out of that with the roof up. You're right, you would have to sit on the floor and shuffle in.

Like Maria said "do what suits your personal needs, buyer beware, and keep your fingers crossed!"

We are all different, we all had different idea's and priorities. And long may it stay that way. ;)

[anchorman]

Not sugesting you are wrong Fuj' only that the surest thing after day follows night is that changing cars (unless we are talking Ferarris or something) will lose large sums of money. I gave my daughter the Corolla partly because it got her into something a bit more substantial than her old Suzuki Swift but that also meant a change for me. I think i have mentioned before that I went to buy a 4.2 Granite that was 12 months old and had 2500 molies on the clock, then I drove the 4.3 demonstrator which I bought and then I ended up with a new after complaining about the gearbox. The current anchormobile kind of evolved but it was one of the most troublesome decisions I have ever made. It was actually anchorwoman who conviced me that the anchorcash was nothing more than a number on a computer until it was spent.

I'm not unhappy with the car but I wanted my cake and to eat it too. Its was a psychological dilemma for me and maybe I shoud have had the Granite! Or was it the 4.3?

[Fujisan]

Not sugesting you are wrong Fuj' only that the surest thing after day follows night is that changing cars (unless we are talking Ferarris or something) will lose large sums of money.

The current anchormobile kind of evolved but it was one of the most troublesome decisions I have ever made. It was actually anchorwoman who conviced me that the anchorcash was nothing more than a number on a computer until it was spent.

I'm not unhappy with the car but I wanted my cake and to eat it too. Its was a psychological dilemma for me and maybe I shoud have had the Granite! Or was it the 4.3?

Oh you're not wrong! I hate to think of all the money I've spent on car's in the past. But I also tend to think we only pass this way once, you can't take it with you and rather than look back at the money I've lost, I tend to remember the good times (and the sad) with each of my cars. Each was different, each did the job I required from it at that time and when it was time to change I was generally sad to see them go but life moves on.

One of my mates recently bought a Jag S type, lovely car in everyway, after many many years of yes no self questioning. He does enjoy the car but he also feels guilty now, he feels the car is too good for him! Car's generally are a lot of money and they will lose a lot of money, personally I just accept that has a fact of life and get on with living a happy life.

We all make these choices, generally they work out and I'm glad that we are both enjoying our 4.3's

[wack]

So we (husband and I) calculated that if we bought a good quality new car, looked after it carefully, and kept it for many years, the annual cost of depreciation over those years would be no more than that of the depreciation plus repair costs for kind of secondhand cars I had had in recent years, and we'd have a bit more peace of mind.

another valid point, if you're the sort of person that is happy to keep a car many years buying a new one is right for you, i've never owned a new car in my life, after a couple of years i'm bored or something else comes along.

Mind you I am under instruction from my wife to keep this one or learn the habits of a monk :o she likes the RAV, luckily so do I

[Fujisan]

Mind you I am under instruction from my wife to keep this one or learn the habits of a monk :o she likes the RAV, luckily so do I

There you have it, you have your orders now, straight from the Commander in Chief.

Enjoy :D

[duncerduncs]

On the subject of losing money on cars... I've brought 3 cars in as many years! First I had a, then, new shape Astra 1.7 CDTI which wouldn't drive in a straight line (pulling left, and twitching at speed) :censor: It would change from outside to inside lanes on a flat motorway without steering input My dealer agreed with the problem, but after 6 visits to the dealer, they couldn't repair it

So, I lost £8000 and sold it back to them! (it was just over a year old) We brought a new SEAT Leon 2.0 TDI, and both myself and Mrs duncyduncs were very happy with it. Unfortunately, the seating position aggravated an old back injury that Mrs duncyduncs had, and after a year she came home from work and told me it was either her or the car... After careful consideration, I decided to keep the car... sorry the wife

So, I lost £5000 and sold it for a Rav 4...

Back on topic... I've replaced both wipers, as I broke the originals when trying to put the rubber blade re-fills in!

[dave.m]

On the subject of losing money on cars... I've brought 3 cars in as many years!

Think I hold the shameful record on this one, since the beginning of Y2K, the Rav is my eigth car YES 8 :o

Shameful is it not ? mid life crisis or a salesmans dream ? who knows but err indoors says if I change it again its a divorce.

[chatman]

who knows but err indoors says if I change it again its a divorce.

Not a bad swopsey there Dave may put this to my Wife :lol: :lol:

[Fujisan]

On the subject of losing money on cars... I've brought 3 cars in as many years!

Think I hold the shameful record on this one, since the beginning of Y2K, the Rav is my eigth car YES 8 :o

Shameful is it not ? mid life crisis or a salesmans dream ? who knows but err indoors says if I change it again its a divorce.

If you don't mind me asking, how does your wife feel about your reviewing the status of your (wonderful) RAV next summer?

[dave.m]

On the subject of losing money on cars... I've brought 3 cars in as many years!

Think I hold the shameful record on this one, since the beginning of Y2K, the Rav is my eigth car YES 8 :o

Shameful is it not ? mid life crisis or a salesmans dream ? who knows but err indoors says if I change it again its a divorce.

If you don't mind me asking, how does your wife feel about your reviewing the status of your (wonderful) RAV next summer?

Watching her chopping veg last night was scarey, what else could she do with that knife

Put it this way way Fuj, my wifes list of loves in correct order-

New born great nephew in Lancashire / his 3 year old brother.

My current Rav.

Me.

Cue for a song, " Kaiser Chiefs, I predict a riot "

[Fujisan]

On the subject of losing money on cars... I've brought 3 cars in as many years!

Think I hold the shameful record on this one, since the beginning of Y2K, the Rav is my eigth car YES 8 :o

Shameful is it not ? mid life crisis or a salesmans dream ? who knows but err indoors says if I change it again its a divorce.

If you don't mind me asking, how does your wife feel about your reviewing the status of your (wonderful) RAV next summer?

Watching her chopping veg last night was scarey, what else could she do with that knife

Put it this way way Fuj, my wifes list of loves in correct order-

New born great nephew in Lancashire / his 3 year old brother.

My current Rav.

Me.

Cue for a song, " Kaiser Chiefs, I predict a riot "

Oh Dear!

"There maybe dark times ahead........but let's face the music and dance"