Most cost effective way of buying and owning a car.

[Sortumn]

We've always followed the model our grandparents and parents used for car owning which was to buy a slightly used car and keep it until it becomes unreliable or beyond economic repair. However we might have to rethink that as cars seem to have changed.

Eg. I owned one car for 16 years, costing me only servicing, brakes and tyres and we let it go when it needed welding. Purchase cost per year eventually worked out at £687.50.
Since that car we've got a much newer car that at 8 years old developed an electrical/computer fault that no one seems capable of fixing and we're about to scrap it. Such a waste as it is mechanically sound. It feels like we've hardly owned it two minutes.

I'm wondering if with all the electrical bells and whistles and eco attic that' are now added to cars, they just don't last as long.

We're wondering if we should be scrapping our old habits? And now be letting go of cars while there's a lot of value still in them, but I really would hate making car decisions every few years..... Or is there an alternative? Old bangers with less electrical stuff to go wrong? Lease cars?

What is everyone's expectation of cars longevity these days? (that makes me sound old) And do you have a system that works?

We are a spreadsheet car family too, I look at safety ratings and reliability, maybe we should have a place we can share all our data 😂

Volvo lover here. Bought ours when it was 3 years old and had 30k on the clock. Had it eight and a half years now. Still love it. Still really comfortable and runs really well. Minimal spent on it, cheap to run fuel wise and free to tax.

OP.
Have you had a dedicated auto electrical specialist look at the car , rather than a garage?

Yes, two different ones. The car had been off the road six months while the problem was investigated. It's a heavy diesel vehicle and a none starter so I think we have no choice than to get it collected for scrap.

I was looking at these but I keep reading reviews that hill starts are a nightmare, theres apparently a known and hushed issue? This really put me off to be honest! How do you find hill starts?

I pretty much follow your model, OP, but trade my car before it falls to bits.

I paid £4K for my current car when it was lowish mileage 6 years old, I’ve driven it for 7 years and 80,000 miles and it’s only really cost me tires, brake pads and two air conditioning fixes alongside regular services. I think it will trade for £1000, so happy with the overall cost.

My last car was a demo car. Had about 300 miles on the clock but it saved me a fortune because it wasn't new. I've currently had her for 2yrs and I bought her for cash. I plan on keeping the car as long as possible.

It really depends on how it's used. There's a lot of "no reason to buy and expensive car just get something and keep it 10 years" on here but that's fine if you drive to work 5 miles away then leave your town 3 times a year.

I do 25k miles a year so buy a 2 year old car and keep it for 3 years before they usually cost too much to repair.

I've leased before and that was a tad more expensive but had the peace of mind.

There's some great deals on electric cars at the moment and they cost next to nothing to run if you have the right electricity package

Interesting thread. Yes I use the same policy, generally buy a 3 year old car, (ideally around 15k on the clock) that when new would normally come with a 5 year warranty (so feel confident it should still be in good nick) and expect it to then last till 150,000 on the clock before becoming uneconomical to run. Took a slightly higher risk with the last car because it's a hybrid and the expected life of the battery is only 10 years so acknowledged it might not last quite as long, but it's 13 years old now and not struggling yet. I am expecting to need to replace it in the next 3 years though so will watch this thread with interest!

I do 25k miles a year so buy a 2 year old car and keep it for 3 years before they usually cost too much to repair.

I do ~20k a year and I've never had a car that even needed repairs at 5 years old, nevermind being too costly to do

I suppose it all boils down to personal preference, but with my PCP arrangements, I usually change cars every 3 years. Yes, I'm always paying a monthly instalment, but if I wasn't PCP-ing I would be paying off a personal loan, and my current agreement is 3.9%, which is good. I live rurally, so like to keep a new, reliable car (and preferable one that is under warranty).

But then I love cars, particularly new ones, so I don't begrudge paying.

I have always bought 2nd hand cars. Unless you are really unlucky, it is cheaper to buy a reasonable condition banger. I've only spent over £5k on a car twice in my life and I've had quite a lot of cars over the years. I've also bought the DC old cars too.

Generally speaking, you are never talking vast sums of money to keep them running and given they were cheap to start with, it just works out cheaper. If value is what you are looking for, then a decent old car is the way to go.

Hmmm. I've only had it a week and so far haven't parked on much of a hill. Didn't know it had this "feature" - this is exactly the kind of thing I dislike in a car. As long as it has the usual pedals, gears and a handbrake, I can do a hill start myself! I will be very annoyed if this is a nuisance! Am going out later, so will take the hilly road to try it out and report back.

I didn't notice any issues when I was in Spain last year, and that was very hilly!

@Atstritchsitchmitch

I did some hill starts last night, on pretty steep hills, and all was fine. Didn't notice anything unusual.