To ask what you'd think of as an old car/old banger...

[LikeDylanInTheMovies]

I was talking to the security guard at work when a flash brand new Audi drove past. After talking about cars for a bit the security guard said something along the lines of II'll stick to my old banger'. I agreed and said my car was pretty long in the tooth too, P-Reg (1996) but still started every time, passed its MoT etc.

Thing is, his ''old banger' was an 09 reg. AIBU to think that this isn't even remotely old given the improvement in build quality and reliability of cars? I wouldn't think of any car on the new style plates as being particularly old.

Hurrah for Ifailed. I applaud the virtuous, I salute those who aspire to the highest of standards, whether they be ethical, environmental or whatever, and invite others to join them. I am grateful to those who educate me and sign-post me. C'mon, gerrof her (?) case, already. Instead of being so irked and offended, suspicious that someone is trying to claim some sort of moral high ground, shouldn't we be saying: "Go you!" when posters like Ifailed raise the bar a little? Be a bit inspired, hear it as a call to change? And before anyone goes on about the disputed veracity of the 16 years blah upthread, that's beside the point. Whoop, whoop, Ifailed!

I have an 02 plate micra. I'd definitely consider it a bit of a banger compared to all the other shiney new cars I see on the roads. I see shiny new cars everywhere and only an odd few similar to my own. 09 isn't old imo.

I've just installed a new radio into my car as i didn't own any cassette tapes nor planned on buying any. The windey down windows are a flashback to my childhood too...!

Waitrose I don't think anyone said bangers are best? Just go away to people who think they're all righteous for driving electric.

Fundamentally all mass produced cars by their very nature are damaging to the environment. Whether they run on diesel or unicorn shit. Every car is made, used and eventually dumped. The fuel it uses is part of its damage.

If they can manage it without sounding sanctimonious or going off topic then by all means ....

I straddle both camps.

We have a 2015 electric car for day to day trips, and for longer journeys and dog walks we have an 18 year old Volvo with 250k plus miles on the clock that JUST WONT DIE

Giddy I don't think I understand this virtue signalling thing so just ignore me, I'm probably talking bollocks!

Ah, I'm being reminded of a similar moralistic discussion with a travelling "companion". I raised the issue that it was environmentally better to keep and maintain my mature car than replace due to the environmental impacts of production and recycling. He'd caught trains from England to China and decided to neutralise his carbon footprint of his flight back by going vegetarian. So he ate all the imported vegetarian food that had been carted across the Gobi desert on Mongolia, rather than eating the local goats and camel like the rest of the population. Gotta love food miles

Anyway, I'd say it was about condition. My car has had its annual vacuuming today so is less bangerish than it was this morning. Investing in some hubcaps would work wonders! She's 8 years old and aside from the toll of a scatty owner and the toll of two young children on the interior, her mechanics are in good nick.

A neighbour upgraded their car at the weekend now leaving us with the oldest combined age of our cars. Some cars are older, but they all have another nearly new car too. Ours are 6 and 8, and not as German as the others.

Waitrose
IllMet don't be so credulous.

A car 10 years or older is a old banger to me

It is about condition and resale value. If you're going to need to pay someone to take it away, it's a banger.

I've just bought a yellow 02 Mini Cooper. I'd be very offended if anyone called it an old banger! It's in beautiful condition and very well maintained.

Ouch........ Hope you don't have anywhere near the amount of problems that are common in older mini coopers, or have a fat wallet!

I think 'old banger' is more a definition of condition rather than age.

We've only ever owned one car, having lived in cities and not needed one for day-to-day transport. I vaguely remember identifying with the carless sanctimony, but sometimes you have to give in if you don't want to spend as much time on the bus as you do at work.
We bought a cheap new car about 10 years ago when we moved somewhere more rural and vowed to keep it until it died. We don't give a shit about scratches, but keep the innards well maintained and serviced. It certainly looks like a banger, has around 200k on the clock and I reckon filling the tank about doubles its value.
My neighbourhood is generally not affluent but keen on cars, so my battered motor is surrounded by much older but flashier models: Audi, Mercedes, BMW. I wouldn't dare think of them as bangers. It might show in my face.

Surely whether it's a banger or not depends in the actual car not just its age. My car may be an 05 plate but it works perfectly. It was the very top spec when it was new so despite being 'old' it has full leather, electric seats, dual climate control, Bose speakers, built in sat nav, panoramic glass roof etc. what would I gain by buying a newer car aside from the different number on the number plate? Aside from the couple of scratches on the bumper which are entirely my fault and I could get sorted if I could be arsed, there's not a damn thing wrong with it so I just can't conceive how it could possibly be a banger despite it's age?

Df's old car is a old X reg (not black, but the one after). He tells me it's as good as it ever was and would resent calling it an old banger. He lovingly towels it down if it's been out in the rain.

I have been known to point out that the crook lock he locks it up with if he has to leave it anywhere has probably more vintage value than the car, and if it needs a new tyre it's a write off.

Ifailed I think you might actually be my nemesis. This'll give you a sleepless night though - last weekend 3 of us took 3 separate cars with a combined engine capacity of 10 litres to a car show for the day. Something like 170 litres of super unleaded was pissed away for such frivolity. You'll stop me driving internal combustion powered cars when you're prepared to pry the keys from my cold, dead hand. Until then, fuck off.

Mine is an 01 plate. But I don't use it every day and it's well maintained, I don't think it's quite old banger standard yet. I might splurge on a new basic DAB radio though, even thought it'll probably be worth more than the actual car .

I've toyed with getting a new car but figured that the energy involved in producing a new car and recycling my old one down would be worse.

Well said meglet and I love the idea of a DAB radio upgrade I might just suggest the same to OH for ours (I didn't know you could get them for cars TBH!). We currently have 2 cars under 10yrs old (just) which is unusual for us (the 'old banger left us earlier this year) but OH does have a much older 'classic' for playing out in too (a luxury maybe but holds its value (might even go up) so ultimately much less expensive hobby than going to the football or a golf habit!).

I love old cars. I have a 16 year old BMW, bought 8 years ago. Can't ever see me parting with her! Luckily DH has taken an interest in learning to restore car body work and has started to sort out her little rust patches for me

My old Granada did me proud for 10 years. 8 years old when i bought her for £600 - 3 DCs in car seats across her back seat easily. Lovely, top of the range in her day, like driving a big comfy sofa up the road. I actually cried when she died :(

I have an X reg Citroen Picasso and keep it at our house in France. It is dented, scratched, the electric windows don't work and the clutch was close to death last time I drove it. I bought it for £8k in 2002 and it owes me not a penny. I don't know if I'll bother replacing the clutch. It is definitely an old banger but has just under 100k on the clock.

I once had a brand new BMW. Got a bit tired of silly men trying to "race" me at the traffic lights. Not really a car person anyway so couldn't care less that my current vw golf is old according to this thread. It does for me.

We've had loads of old bangers. The worst was a rover, which was appalling. The entire engine needed replacing twice in two months! Bothering to replace it the furst time was clearly a mistake.

The best was a very cheap small 11yo mazda which was fantastic, really reliable. Unfortunately it was written off when someone drove into it parked outside our house!

Our current car is 9yo and easily the best we've ever had.

rebel - I once had a brand new BMW. Got a bit tired of silly men trying to "race" me at the traffic lights.

Arrggh i have this too, even though mine's old. I let them get on with it, but the 'i must drive up your bum because you're in a BMW' ones are the worst though, because it's distracting and dangerous. Why do these people do it? I drove DD3s car yesterday (little old Fiat). No one drove up my arse and no one raced me out of the lights. It was nice. still keeping the BMer

Cars are a lot better built than they were even 20/30 years ago. There are plenty of 10/15 YO cars on our roads that don't look old and seem to be in decent condition. I wouldn't class them as old bangers - and I certainly wouldn't class an 09 plate as old - how ridiculous.

But when I started driving 25 years ago, the same 10/15 YO cars that young people generally drove were shitty rust bucket old bangers that fell apart as soon as you looked at them.

It's true, you don't see the really old looking cars now that i'm sure i remember seeing around as a kid (70s early 80s). People don't drive round in 'rust buckets' anymore. Maybe there's more company/HP cars than there used to be.