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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to drive a banger?

158 replies

Ruleof72 · 16/05/2026 23:58

I don’t think I’m being unreasonable but I’ve had another comment today about my car and I need a sense check.

I own a 10 year old car outright. It’s a cheap and cheerful Nissan juke and is viewed as a banger by friends/ family/ colleagues. Someone pushed their trolley into the side so it’s scratched and doesn’t look great but mechanically, excellent, I have looked after it.

Quite a few people have made the comment that my car is essentially a banger and they don’t understand why I don’t just buy myself a nice new flashy car. I have no desire to do this, so long as it gets me from
A to B, that’s good enough for me.

YABU - you have the means to drive around in a nice car so ditch the banger!
YANBU - current car is mechanically sound and reliable. You don’t need a Porsche (insert other flashy car brand) on finance!

OP posts:
randomchap · 17/05/2026 00:23

I've got a 15 year old Skoda, mechanically it's pretty much fine. A few scratches on the bodywork but no real issues.

It does what I need it to do, and isn't a drain on my monthly budget. One of my colleagues pays hundreds a month for a lease car and although it's so new and shiny, it's such a waste of money

Sloelydoesit · 17/05/2026 00:21

Oh yes. Carry on with your car. I had a Toyota for 10 years that I loved and barely cost me anything in maintenance. Drove lovely. Like a fast sofa. I loved that car.
ULEZ meant it had to go
I bought an Audi with all the gadgets - I fucking hate it. Today I got in and it refused to start. Probably just the battery but I had every error message it could throw at me.
I'm gonna go back to Toyota

Starlingsintheloft · 17/05/2026 00:17

A car is just a tool.

whatdoidonowffs · 17/05/2026 00:15

I’d be so much more pissed off if someone smashed a trolley into my (imaginary) Bentley than I was when they did it into my actual 10 yr old juke 😂😂

DramaAlpaca · 17/05/2026 00:04

Same. I also drive a ten year old banger, bought outright. It's what I've always done; buy a three or four year old car with cash, then keep it until it begins to get unreliable. Mine's a bit scratched and battered but it's got a few more years left in it. I don't care about a car as a status symbol, and I don't do loans or finance deals.

Gillydoller · 17/05/2026 00:02

Ruleof72 · 16/05/2026 23:58

I don’t think I’m being unreasonable but I’ve had another comment today about my car and I need a sense check.

I own a 10 year old car outright. It’s a cheap and cheerful Nissan juke and is viewed as a banger by friends/ family/ colleagues. Someone pushed their trolley into the side so it’s scratched and doesn’t look great but mechanically, excellent, I have looked after it.

Quite a few people have made the comment that my car is essentially a banger and they don’t understand why I don’t just buy myself a nice new flashy car. I have no desire to do this, so long as it gets me from
A to B, that’s good enough for me.

YABU - you have the means to drive around in a nice car so ditch the banger!
YANBU - current car is mechanically sound and reliable. You don’t need a Porsche (insert other flashy car brand) on finance!

All those that comment are breathtakingly shallow. I have a 12 year old Skoda Octavia. It gets from A-B. Both my husband and I earn in the top 1% of UK salaries. Why waste money on a new car unless you’re deeply insecure about your image?

Morepositivemum · 17/05/2026 00:02

I had a flash bmw years ago, not new but lovely looking. Used to break down continuously, parts were a nightmare to get. When I got pregnant I traded it in for the most unflash but steady and reliable Skoda. Reliability over looks always op!!

Greenbag4523 · 17/05/2026 00:01

I feel the same about cars. I always wonder what jobs people do when I see them in flashy cars. I have a decent job but I'm not a car person, some people are.
If you're happy with your car that's all that matters.