The whole new car market is one big gravy train i think. They cover up built-in obsolesence and short life of parts with ridiculous gadgetry and stupid MPG claims. They've cottoned onto the fact that looking good and being able to brag about trim level is now far more important to people than any of the vehicle's mechanical details.PS_RalphW wrote:Sigh.
My efficient, energy and money saving diesel car is back in the garage, and I am facing another large repair bill.
It's getting to the point where it would have been cheaper to sell for scrap (at 4 years old) and replace if I had known what the repair would cost up front.
It will need an MOT and 2 new tires when I get it back.
My next car will be electric.
A lad i work with has just been hit with a £670 bill for a faulty sensor on a Mk5 Astra which detects battery voltage and inhibits the starter motor if it's not above a setpoint. In the old days you knew if your battery was duff because the car wouldn't turn over properly, and you knew if the alternator was faulty because the red light would come on. Companies are finding ingenious ways of emptying your pocket, and there was nothing wrong with the lad's battery apart from probably a bit of caking on the plates resulting in a drop of a few tenths of a volt.
Old cars are the way forward. I drive them because i like them and it's fun to see how much more power you can get out of them with recreational tuning; the fact they cost peanuts to maintain is beside the point for me, but a welcome bonus. People are afraid of old cars because they are bombarded with information about how safe and economical new cars are, but what you lose in poor MPG you more than gain in maintenance costs. There is also a hilarious myth that old cars are unreliable, or that the older a car is the more unreliable it will be which makes me chuckle warmly when i hear it spoken of by self-proclaimed experts.
The first rule with old cars is to start with a good example, from a manufacturer known for either quality or simplicity. The best cars i've had have always been one of these two. I never buy anything with a Lambda sensor either as they are prone to various failures and risky when it comes to the MOT emissions tests, which means i always buy pre 1990 vehicles by default. The most reliable fuelling system ever designed was the Bosch K-Jetronic, otherwise known as mechanical fuel injection; not economical but incredibly reliable and far superior to carburettors for smooth running. I once had a Volvo 240GLT 2.3l K-Jet, in 5yrs all it needed was a relay for the fuel pump and a steering rack- all that from a car costing £550 off ebay...Quality. I'm currently running a Skoda Estelle which is far more dependable that you might think and responds very well to tuning. I recently fixed the gear linkage with some old bits of rubber i found knocking around my parts collection...Simplicity.
The best old cars tend to be the stuffiest, least fashionable ones, any of these are belters...
Volvo 240,340
Skoda Favorit
Saab 900
If you like to look good the Porsche 924 Lux 2.0 (van engine) is a reliable daily driver, but you've got to get a good one.
