AIBU to drive a banger?

I think it sounds perfectly reasonably. Can you get the scratches fixed, if you wanted to do something? My car is 14 years old and still going strong though my mum is now in "maybe you should buy a new car" mode.

Edit: no one has ever called my car a banger to my face! It's never needed more than new spark plugs/brake discs so I'm delighted with its continued performance. <Goes off to make a sacrifice to the car gods and hope I haven't cursed it>

My car is 10 years old - haven't thought of it as a banger! Since working from home after COVID, I no longer have to commute and only make short leisure trips so the mileage is low. I don't see the point in buying a new car though I could readily afford one. Plus the only car I like is the Nissan Figaro which isn't made anymore and that'd be even older! Ignore the shallow sheep!

The people telling you it’s a banger and to get a new one are super rude! Your car sounds absolutely fine.

I bloody regret getting my car on finance. I pay £226 a month and totally regret signing up. It’s a nice enough car but I feel a bit sick when the monthly payment leaves my account. I can’t wait to get out the arrangement but I’m only 1 year in to a 4 year deal so a bit stuck.

If anyone knows of any way I can end the deal early please let me know.

I’ve had a succession of old bangers, usually get rid of them at about 14 years old and replace with something 5 or 6 years old. Recently got given my dhs old car when he went electric. I now have a proper grown up car, while enjoying the parking sensors and reversing camera and heater that works….I miss my old banger that I could squeeze past range rovers on country roads and not mind it getting scratched.

i could buy a very nice new car easily…but its not where i want to spend my money.

Keep the car, get new friends/family/colleagues - your current ones are dicks. Not being too bothered about cars and just keeping the one you've got if it works is one of the most sensible things you can do from a financial perspective. People who talk like your f/f/c likely do so because they have crushing status anxiety issues from not being given enough love as a child. Pity them.

Edit: and FFS it's 2026 - there is no way a 10 year old car is a 'banger'.

I'm 100% with you! I'm on a good salary, own several small properties and am very financially comfortable. I drive what I regard as a banger. It looks OK, but won't make it past its next MOT.

Meanwhile, some of the school run parents I know drive expensive, flashy cars or have an EV, despite being on low incomes and having financial struggles. Totally their choice, and I know some people enjoy cars, but seems illogical to me. It's transport.

I thought the same!

My current car is a 2011 Skoda Fabia and it's the nicest newest car I've ever had. The car before this, which I had til 2023, was a 2001 people carrier 😁

Cars don't need to be status symbols. They just need to work and be safe.

I don't really understand people who pee money away on cars!

I view them as functional. If it gets you safely /comfortably from.A-B, fab.

A 10 year old Juke isn't a banger.

A 30 year old ford Escort is a banger.

Our cars are much older then that and its cheaper to keep repairing with a few hundred quid here and there than trying to scrape thousands for a new er car or finance etc.
We don't care at all about our cars one is being held up with tape.
Also I have enough in life to worry about than dents or scratches on cars

I can elevenerife you here, OP. I drive a 15 year old Polo, which used to be on finance but that I bought outright a few years ago. It costs me peanuts to run and it’s only broken down once (which was my fault as the battery got run down, long story). It’s got dints and dings and my mum broke off one of the sun visors about 10 years ago, but it gets me from A to B.

I shall hang onto it for as long as possible.

Does a 10yo car count as a banger?

If you dont like cars then don't spend money on them..

Mines a 13 plate, I'd rather save my money than pretend I own a nice new car on hire purchase and worry about someone driving a trolley into it. Though I still got annoyed about getting a ding from someone's car door.

Totally agree. Most people I know are paying £500+ for car finance, plus silly rules like restricted mileage etc, absolutely ridiculous. I luckily have a company car now, but prior to that an 11 plate Alfa and before that an 06 fiesta. Each to their own of course but to me it’s not worth the money.

The people that judge others on cars are the insecure arseholes who think status symbols make them a better person or the weak-willed who believe in "fitting in" above all else. Unfortunately there's a lot of the first type about. Nobody else cares what you're driving. The only problem with driving a banger is that sometimes these judgemental types aren't just having a different opinion, sometimes they're having different values entirely and you can effectively get bullied because some people who think they're better than you also think that this justifies them looking down on you and treating you like dirt. I suppose you could get a flashy car on finance (I don't think it's necessarily the type of car itself, it's mainly the new pristine shininess that's the issue with these types) to avoid their judgement, personally I take the option of distancing myself from such people because I just CBA with attitudes like theirs. It seems to be a common problem because over the years I've known many piss-poor people getting cosmetic damage fixed on the insurance (and losing their NCD in the process) because they're of the mindset that "you can't drive around in a beat-up car".

As long as it's safe, it's often better for the environment to keep cars longer (even allowing for the fact older cars might be less environmentally friendly to run), and you can spend your money on something better, or save it! Plus you won't have to stress as much about it getting damaged or nicked, and if you have a teenager in the family who might drive it, insurance is probably cheaper.

I have a Toyota Corolla Verso - 21 years old. I hope to keep it for several more years yet. Starts first time every single time. I have it serviced at Toyota garage in accordance with service plan. Long may it continue to run.

I've always driven old heaps. Couldn't give a crap what other people think. The amount of prangs and crashes round here-just not worth having a nice car.

YANBU at all. As a PP said, cars are just a tool we use. I have never seen the appeal of something that simply looks flashy. My current car is 6 years old and feels exceptionally new to me!

My bmw is twenty years old with 240k on the clock, still going strong! It sounds like an old tractor but is still a comfy drive. I’ll miss it when it fails its final MOT.

You have absolutely got this right. Function over form. No stress about leaving it anywhere. Laugh at them. People prioritise different things so nothing wrong with needing the best looking car if that is what they want. My only add is that it is worth getting rescue cover if it is going to break down, and a few things in the car to be prepped (warm coat, bottle of water, phone charger etc) mainly not to inconvenience yourself but also to give them ammunition for why you should not drive a banger. Like OP we have massively enjoyed cheap motoring with no issues, despite our incomes saying we should drive something "far better".

It just depends on your priorities doesn’t it. I’m the same, I buy a car outright when my old one has died and inevitably it’s not that great a car as I haven’t ever managed to save up a huge amount. But it’s mine and it’s cheap to run and fix. A colleague of mine takes great pleasure in having finance for a car she would otherwise not be able to afford. It’s much nicer than my car. However I’d rather put the money towards other things. She would rather put the money toward a nice car. As long as we’re both happy with what we’re doing with the money we’ve earned, there’s no issue.

I've always had cars that are around 10 years old. Owned outright so no debt. I don't much care for a new car , or even newer, top of the range or whatnot.
I have dcs who I allow to eat and drink in the car I don't want to feel stressed about the mess , likewise muddy shoes etc ( I regularly hoover and clean it) but what I mean is my sister has a much newer car 18m old. Stresses at every little bit of mess or Mark. Her dcs take their shoes off before getting in the car if they're messy.

I also wouldn't be bothered too much if someone opened the door against it in a car park or something

I’ve got a 13 yo car, and it’s totally fine. Can’t see why I need to change it!