How old is your car?

[HiccupHaddockHorrendous]

I'm looking for another new car. The 2 cars I've owned, so far, have been 10/11 years old. My BIL can get me a 9 year old one at a reasonable price but I'm wondering if I should get something newer. I don't have a huge budget and don't want to take out a loan but I have savings that I could use if absolutely necessary.

Mine is 5 years old.

I think sometimes getting newer pays off in the long run as older cars are generally more likely to break down (or at least that's my experience)

Both 4 years old. Will prob replace one of them with something 1-2 years old in the next few months.

4yo, looking to replace this month fingers crossed.

10 years, but I agree that once they get to a certain age they do start to have their problems. I just can't afford anything else at the moment. Its due its MOT next month and Im dreading it, you never know how much its going to cost to get it through.

Mine is currently 3years old and is the newest car I've owned. I would say it depends on the make/model and mileage more so than just the age.

Possibly too personal but how do you pay for newer cars? Finance? Savings?

I'm fairly new to the car buying game and I'd have been terrified of having a newer/more expensive car incase I bumped or scratched it.

Mine is 1 year old and DH's is 8 years old. We plan to replace his in about 2 years time. We've owned mine since new (though as it was registered to the garage we got it from it we're the 2nd owners so we got a brand new car with 24 miles on the clock at a large discount). DH's was a year old when we got it.

The manufacturere has a big bearing on durability.

For example - we have owned an ancient classic Beetle that ran to infinity. BUT also had a new Mercedes a couple of years ago that was awful - in the garage every few weeks. My DH got an amazing deal on it and it was his dream to own one . It was crap.
Mercs are actually a bit shit by the way (my one-woman crusade). People think they are great but they aren't really. We also have a few friends who have "saved up" and bought them as dream cars, once they got financially secure etc., only to find they were rubbish.

Age isn't necessarily the gauge. Manufacturer is.

Most Japanaese cars like Honda, Nissan, Toyota etc. are really well made and engineered.
Volovo and Saab are also great quality if you can get a good used model.

Ours is on 0% finance so we left our savings untouched and pay monthly for it.

Our older car is a 1997 one (so 15years) and our newer one is 2007 (so 5 years).
Neither break down but over the last couple of years, we've spent more on the newer one than the older one.
I think it depends so much on the individual car, but, at the end of the day, if you've paid under £1000 for a car, then even if you are spending lots on maintaining it, you are still likely to have spent less overall than if you spend £6000 on a car.
The key thin is finding a reliable and trustworthy local garage, IMO.

My car is 14 years old. The bodywork is a bit battered, but the engine still runs as smoothly as a buttered bannister.

If you want a new car try and find a manufacturer who has got 0% interest finance. Won't cost you an extra penny that way and you can spread the cost.

On the other hand, my VW Passat is nine years old now. We've had it from new but it has never failed an Mot ever and is the most reliable car I've ever had. Would be exciting to have a new car but can't afford it at the moment and to be honest would be loathe to part with this one however old it gets.

Mine is about a year old and DH maybe 4 years old.

It's more about the manufacturer.

I have a mini countryman and previously had a normal mini, I've found them to be really reliable. I don't use DHs (BMW) car but he finds it ok.

My DM has a toyota yaris and Suzuki swift, both of which she has found very reliable.

I've always been advised not to buy the French brands, I don't know how true that is but the one person I know who had a peugot had terrible problems with it.

We have a 2 yo VW and a 4yo Honda. Both totally reliable so far. Previously I had a VW Polo that got written off at 9 years old (plonker in white van). It was fantastic - so cheap to run and never had anything wrong with it. We had a Vauxhall Zafira from new that was perfect till it was nearly 4 years old and then turned into a nightmare.

Mine is an M reg, I think that's 1995. It had approx 170,000 miles on the clock when I bought it 15 months ago for £550ish.

DH's car is the new one - N reg so a whole year younger!

My - I really de-railed the thread. Sorry Hiccup

What I meant to highlight was that manufacturer is important.

I had an amazing Honda and Nissan in succession a few years ago and I now have a Nissan again.
I actually rate Japanese manufacturers very highly.

Most Japanaese cars like Honda, Nissan, Toyota etc. are really well made and engineered.
Volovo and Saab are also great quality if you can get a good used model
Yey mine is a Toyota

The key thin is finding a reliable and trustworthy local garage, IMO
Totally agree, but also have to add having the luck to find one that has been looked after too.

0% finance does cost you money! You can get discounts elsewhere if you shop around. Don't bother trying for a discount from a dealer offering 0% finance, though. 0% has to be just that so no hidden discounts if you don't take it.

Our current car is the oldest we have had in years and is 6 yrs old. We got 1 yr old ex demo and unbelievably the last service was the cheapest we've had on it and by a main dealer. It's a Zafira so different experience to fortyplus

15 months.

5 years old

Current car is 10. Last one was 13 when it died. Newest car I've ever owned was 5 and oldest was 18. I'd say I've spent pretty much the same on all of 'em over the years I had 'em - oldest one was the best as it was so basic that I could most of the repairs myself.

Ive had plenty of cars in my time.

In 2003 Ford Fiesta (K reg) - great little car, but got rid as we moved into town centre with no parking facility
In 2005 VW Golf - just got old (was K reg)
In 2006 peugeot 306 - only one back door opened and when DC2 came along was a bit of a pain
In 2007 Vauxhall Vectra R reg - was great, but had a couple of minor problems, got a bit of money so got another newer car
In 2008 Citreon picasso (51 reg) - rubbish, wish we never had it
In 2008 Ford Mondeo (S reg) - great car until it broke down
In 2008 (again) Volvo (x reg) - great car, 175000 miles on the clock was great
In 2009 Vectra again (52 reg) - was ok to start, but was forever in the garage, got rid end of 2010
In 2011 Toyota Avensis (02 reg) - best car we've had, but my parents had it from a year old, before that it was used for test drives and it has been very well looked after.

I would never have a vauxhall again. If money was no object now and I was looking for a car Id go for toyota, nissan, volvo or VW.

I have an 11yo VW Golf and a 2yo Volvo XC90 and I've had both from new. In each case I chose that make/model because it was likely to last a long time and bought from new because I planned to keep it for a long time. I took out a loan for the Golf (it was my first car) and spent my redundancy money on the Volvo.

Part of the reason we bought new (had originally planned to buy 1-2 yo) was that we got such a discount buying it online it was the same price as a one year one, so I would recommend that (drivethedeal.com)

oldest one was the best as it was so basic that I could most of the repairs myself
Its all electrical rubbish now to make the drivers life easier, far more to go wrong. DH told me so it may or may not be true that once a car gets to a certain age its classed a classic car so very cheap tax.