Old Bangers Re-appearing back on the Roads

Tail Wagger

Is it just the sign of the times, or are we gone back to the past? Have you noticed some of the old bangers re-appearing back on the Roads,

It's like back in the 80s with some of the heaps of Junk driving around.
Well I suppose they must be in good order if there driving, and I suppose the more up-to date models 08s 09s & 10s are not as plentiful, or does that depend on where you live?

Or are all these old cars being bought up for the re-launch of the Scrapping car Deal's that are filtering through... What do you think,...who knows?

kasper

maybe not everyone thinks driving a plastic car thats glued together and has a life of 7 years is much of a car , i prefer a real car not a disposable one . i dont need a laptop to service mine

Anan1

Tail Wagger wrote: »

Have you noticed some of the old bangers re-appearing back on the Roads?

I have to say I haven't.

hoodie6029

I've been seing some cars ten years old plus around. They seem to be in good condition tho. There's a pristine 91 Corolla in complex car park.

robtri

Anan1 wrote: »

I have to say I haven't.

have to agree....


OP do you have any figures that back that up??

L1011

Do massive mileage, can't agree. There hasn't been any sudden further aging in the average age of cars on the road, if anything due to there being higher sales this year than last, and the scrappage scheme, its improved - slightly - over what it was before.

I've been up and down to Galway from Cork for the last year and haven't noticed. In the year I've had a 1997 Rover 400, a 1993 Honda Prelude, a 1992 E class Merc and a 1997 Rover 200 Coupe, it's not often I come across a car older than mine to be honest. All mine were NCTd and roadworthy too I may add

Perhaps 'tis me you have been encountering.

Some folk consider a 99 Astra, Avensis, Corolla in good nick to be a banger.

bucks777

wouldnt agree...actually this year i've seen far more 10 cars than 09s last year,a significant amount more

Max_Damage

I have a '95 Escort as my every day car. And hopefully, I'll get at least another 5 years out of it.

mondeo

There is plenty of 10 yr + cars out there I would rather drive over a new one anyday.. Quite frequently I see cars as old as 1994' on the road and in good condition. Older cars I see on the road are usually quite desirable models. Certain larger engined BMW's and Mercs etc are the ones I am referring to.

cullen5998

I drive a 1995, its about the condition of the car not the year. Mitsubishi FTO GPX. I think the opposite though, theres less bangers on the road than there used to be. Its rare enough to see older smaller cars these days. The bigger cars tend to more desirable to keep like bmws and mercs.

Our man in Havana

There is absolutely nothing wrong with driving an older car. I has a 96 and it does me the finest and it is not a crock either.

kasper

my youngest car is twenty years old and my oldest is thirty five

Max_Damage

I prefer to drive older cars aswell. Newer ones all feel (and look) the same. The thing about my Escort (and the Micra K10 before it), they have no power anything and very little electronic nonsense. I find that I'm in control of the car, and not having a computer doing so (i.e. EBD, ABS, ABC, XYZ, KKK, etc. )

decotipp

i drive a 99 would definitly not consider it in any way old or a banger she has nearly 180 miles on the clock and its still going strong never gave me a days trouble and i plan on holding onto it for as long as i can. if a car is looked after well it dosent matter what plate is on it in my opinion. some of todays cars are built in such mass production that the build quality has suffered as a result. "the older the fiddle the sweeter the tune" haha:D

Max_Damage

decotipp wrote: »

she has nearly 180 miles on the clock

Just you wait till you hit the big 1000!

goat2

decotipp wrote: »

i drive a 99 would definitly not consider it in any way old or a banger she has nearly 180 miles on the clock and its still going strong never gave me a days trouble and i plan on holding onto it for as long as i can. if a car is looked after well it dosent matter what plate is on it in my opinion. some of todays cars are built in such mass production that the build quality has suffered as a result. "the older the fiddle the sweeter the tune" haha:D

i drive a ten year old, i bought new back then, i love it, would never part, not for the cars i see now, all the makes now are becoming too similar in shape to one another, too computerised, not all garages can acommodate them and their chips, gone too far

mickdw

I have seen a couple of cars with wrong colour doors & wings cropping up again. Last time I saw that was in the 80s.
THere is nothing wrong with older cars at all. Lovely feel to some older cars

Max_Damage

What reminds me of the 1990's is when I used to see old cars with the coat hanger aerials! Haven't seen that in ages!

Mick gtt

Yeah I think you got it wrong buddy ,ive 1984,86,87 cars and all are roadworthy condition

VolvoMan

cullen5998 wrote: »

The bigger cars tend to more desirable to keep like bmws and mercs.

I'd disagree. These are the cars that are more costly to run and as they get older people find it hard to justify big expenditure on them, such as road tax etc. As a result, they see the scrapyard a lot earlier than your typical mid range Japanese car, which is evident in the amount of 90's Carina's you see compared to the likes of the E32 7 Series and larger engined 5 Series of that era.

cullen5998

You have a point alright but i meant the cars are seen as classics and people want to have them because they like them not because they are cheap to run.

daveharnett

VolvoMan wrote: »

I'd disagree. These are the cars that are more costly to run and as they get older people find it hard to justify big expenditure on them, such as road tax etc. As a result, they see the scrapyard a lot earlier than your typical mid range Japanese car, which is evident in the amount of 90's Carina's you see compared to the likes of the E32 7 Series and larger engined 5 Series of that era.

Big older cars are more costly to run than small older cars, but it's all relative. If you like cars, they represent astonishing value for money. TCO for a year in a 10/15 year old V8 7 series is less than a new i30. Baffling.

aidhan

A lot of those newer cars have been repossessed leaving people with no choice other than to drive a banger. I have also noticed an increase in demand/sale of cars for around E.1000 which a few years ago nobody much was bothering with. My '94 audi 80tdi was bought two years ago for E.600 and its flying it with 200k mls and is doing 50mpg. What would I want a new plastic yoke for

W.Shakes-Beer

i drive a 00 Astra with not a mark on the body and a fresh NCT last week. Looks and feels new to me.

Sure we all see some cars that are only 06, 07 etc. and they're absolutely bolloxed.


Its up to the owner imo.

VolvoMan

daveharnett wrote: »

Big older cars are more costly to run than small older cars, but it's all relative. If you like cars, they represent astonishing value for money. TCO for a year in a 10/15 year old V8 7 series is less than a new i30. Baffling.

Absolutely. That's why I still have a moderately big Volvo S70 2.5 litre.

lots of sensible folk about here tonight, years back there was loads of cars i wanted, looking at the local free adds was a joy, not many modern cars would tickle my fancy at all, very little beyond 2005 i think, no doubt as the modern stuff gets cheaper i shall see them in a different light though.

Testament1

Drive a 97 Levin and most people that look at it find it hard to believe its 13 years old...nothing wrong with older cars if they're looked after and most of my favourite cars were made in the 90's

BostonB

Guy in work has a couple of years old merc. Took it to the dealer to see what the error code was, that was appearing. Turns out its to warn him that some of his lightbulbs are about to fail. What kinda con is that. i bet you could do 100k in that car and blub wouldn't fail.

notnem

I drive a 1994 Toyota Corolla Seres (like this one). It drives fine, is very comfortable but the body work has taken a few dents from careless drivers in car parks who just drive off.

It has 213,000km on the clock and is NCT'd till June 11. Runs like clockwork, but needs a new wheel bearing which might be an issue since it is a Jap import.

I love the character of it and dream of doing it up someday.

BostonB

Tail Wagger wrote: »

Is it just the sign of the times, or are we gone back to the past? Have you noticed some of the old bangers re-appearing back on the Roads,

It's like back in the 80s with some of the heaps of Junk driving around.
Well I suppose they must be in good order if there driving, and I suppose the more up-to date models 08s 09s & 10s are not as plentiful, or does that depend on where you live?

Or are all these old cars being bought up for the re-launch of the Scrapping car Deal's that are filtering through... What do you think,...who knows?

You're essentially asking are people keeping up with the Joneses and Also implying that the only value on a car is how new it is. You must have no interest in cars to think like that.

argosy2006

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqzzNvh8_34

i have one of these, its 3.0 twin over head cam 6 cyclinder .refined motor,, drinks petrol, huge tax,and it now has over 202,000 miles on it,
it has never needed a repair for an nct,, has always passed first time, after all these years,
thats quality you don't get today,
value is zero! i couldn't give it away, who would want it,,costs more to tax it for 3 months than its worth,
i have same tan leather,,and its not worn one bit after 15 years!!

fonecrusher1

I noticed in the big freeze a few months back it was mostly the owners of newer cars that were reporting car won't start!, car doesn't sound well, help! whats wrong with my car? my lovely new car has sh!t itself type threads.
Yet my old 1996 'banger' just carried on regardless with no problems whatsoever .:rolleyes:

L1011

VolvoMan wrote: »

which is evident in the amount of 90's Carina's you see compared to the likes of the E32 7 Series and larger engined 5 Series of that era.

How many people in Ireland could afford a 7 series or large engined 5 series back then? There were vastly more of the Carina's so it'd be safe to expect theres still a lot more...

fonecrusher1

Tail Wagger wrote: »

Or are all these old cars being bought up for the re-launch of the Scrapping car Deal's that are filtering through... What do you think

I think if you look down your nose at someone who doesn't drive a brand new car then it says an awful lot about the sort of person you are.;)

Some people just love their cars & don't regard them as fashion accessories that good gosh simply must be updated every year.:)

Anthony O Brien

VolvoMan wrote: »

I'd disagree. These are the cars that are more costly to run and as they get older people find it hard to justify big expenditure on them, such as road tax etc. As a result, they see the scrapyard a lot earlier than your typical mid range Japanese car, which is evident in the amount of 90's Carina's you see compared to the likes of the E32 7 Series and larger engined 5 Series of that era.

i agree, just took a 00 merc off the road because it would cost too much to put through the nct

Max_Damage

I've said this before & I'll say it again, the majority of the goons that live in this country are pathetic, having to buy new stuff just becuase it's new and shiney, and to 'keep up with the Jones' so to speak. Throwing away perfectly good older cars in the process.

This sort of pathetic behaviour isn't seen in the likes of France, Oz, USA, etc., where many owners still drive cars from the 90's, 80's, and even a few from the 70's (particularly in America).

I've had people actually laugh at me for having a 15 year old Ford Escort. Well I'll tell you something, I'll have the last laugh when it comes to servicing and repair bills, aswell as when they're in a mountain of debt becuase they can't pay for their 'shiney new car'!

Rant over.

Seweryn

daveharnett wrote: »

Big older cars are more costly to run than small older cars, but it's all relative.

Not all big cars are expensive to run (even if they are, they are still cheaper, as they do not depreciate their value).
At the moment I drive a 190D Mercedes-Benz (I know it is rather small car) and I believe that it is one of the cheapest cars to run with decent comfort. The service and parts cost pennies, no cam belt to change, fuel efficiency is almost 50 mpg on average, no depreciation and very high reliability.
My second car is a bigger one - a 124T 250TD Benz (1990) and it is almost as efficient on fuel as the Baby-Benz with great comfort and massive loading space.
These cars are usually serviced and maintained by their owners (a child can do it) and it makes them economical to run. No electronic nonsense and low service requirements helps to keep the cost down.

The Pontiac

Max_Damage wrote: »

This sort of pathetic behaviour isn't seen in the likes of France, Oz, USA, etc., where many owners still drive cars from the 90's, 80's, and even a few from the 70's (particularly in America).

The condition of these cars can be amazing too. Looking at some of the German cars you'd see here in the summer months, and they look brand new. Some of them 15 years old too and they look incredible.

Some people aren't interested in losing a few grand a year in depreciation, just to have a new reg. The celtic tiger years was the perfect example of this - when new cars in this country were outrageously priced (the dearest in Europe), but most people had to have a new or nearly new car for some bizarre reason. They'd point out to you all the 'advantages' of having a new car, but you just knew if was for status reasons and nothing else.

I bought a 00 Focus Ghia 1.6 h/b three years ago for €4,500. Repairs to date: coil pack at €130. If the car gave up on me tomorrow it'd have cost me only €1500 a year. I'm quite confident I'll get a good few years out of it yet. If I decided to sell it today I'd probably get €1500 for it, so it would have cost me only €1000 a year in depreciation.

unknownlegend

I drive a mid 90's jap car. Bulletproof reliability, i do the all the usual servicing myself every couple thousand miles or when needed cos there's no crazy electrics, and if there's anything i cant do my local indy mechanic will sort me out in no time. Any extra i pay in tax compared to a new 'green'/diesel machine, which isn't much, i save in depreciation as on the open market most people would consider my car close to worthless and not worth a second look! It serves me very well, and to appease the OP i haven't seen that many older cars on the road but i wouldn't mind seeing some, as they are cars with a bit more character in my opinion.

eamon234

Just because a car's old doesn't make it a 'Banger' that implies that there's something wrong with the car - it's quite obvious that if these cars are still on the road there can't be very much wrong with them. Older cars are easier to maintain. I've lost track of the number of people I've met over the last few years who had weird problems with new cars that no-one could fix or even diagnose. There's just way too much tech going into cars these days and it's getting worse.
I can't say I wouldn't like a new car but I can't afford it I'd rather spend the money on my family and home so if some dipsh1t wants to look down their nose at me because of that off with them!

corktina

after many years of having new cars, we changed our thinking a couple of years back and now run a 2000 escort which just got two years of NCT applied and a 2002 Fiesta which is good for a good few years use yet(plus a 1995 escort kept in the UK which has only 50000 miles up on it.

In addition just yesterday I used TWO of my 1973 cars in ordinary use (one for the school run and the other to go to the train station (round trip 25 miles).

You cant get cheaper legal motoring...my cars are perfectly reliable, provided you look after them and have an AA card "just in case" and are jsut as comfortable as plastic jelly mould new cars which can let you down in an instant if the computer just THINKS something might be wrong.

I Was VB

Well my 'fleet' currently consists of

1993 JDM Carina 212Klms and is still driving away nicely

1994 JDM Corona 370Klms is still working away

1996 Carina (my baby!!) 166K miles unfortunately it will be retired from service on monday when the thing below will take over its job, this car has been the best motor i've ever driven and worked, never let me down cost buttons, and can service it in my sleep!

2003 Avensis, i hate it.

If it werent for the TR bringing in the 9 year rule for taxis i would be quite happy to drive my Carina untill one of us drops, that why i'm gonna keep it as a second car.

VolvoMan

MYOB wrote: »

How many people in Ireland could afford a 7 series or large engined 5 series back then? There were vastly more of the Carina's so it'd be safe to expect theres still a lot more...

I was thinking of that point too before I posted.

Either way; big cars don't live a long life in our country, with many narrow minded reg snobs scrapping them when they need regular maintenance or simply a motor tax renewal.

VolvoMan

argosy2006 wrote: »

i have one of these, its 3.0 twin over head cam 6 cyclinder .refined motor,, drinks petrol, huge tax,and it now has over 202,000 miles on it,
it has never needed a repair for an nct,, has always passed first time, after all these years,
thats quality you don't get today,
value is zero! i couldn't give it away, who would want it,,costs more to tax it for 3 months than its worth,
i have same tan leather,,and its not worn one bit after 15 years!!

Come on, I need more details on it!:D

They were a very rare car over here in 3.0 litre, is it an Irish car?

fonecrusher1

Theres a guy lives down the road from me driving around in a blue 1992 323. I know that car was never exactly a head turner but the thing is spotless & i think its a cracking looking little motor.
He must wash & wax the thing every week because it really is immaculate.
I always take a good look at it when i pass. Tiz a lovely little thing.

BrianD3

Seems to be a bit of inverted snobbery in this thread. People who buy new cars are plebs, unlike those clever individuals in their 15 year old cars?

Actually people may not be as stupid as you think. New cars are far safer than many of the older cars listed in this thread. The idea that new cars are "weak plastic" while old ones are "tanks" is a complete myth. The opposite is the case. Personally I would not drive an unsafe car as my daily driver.

Service intervals are longer than the 5-6k miles common in the past. New cars have warranties up to 7 years. New cars are better than old equivalents in terms of refinement, equipment etc. Will often have better performance and economy too.

From my own experience, the newer the car design the more durable and reliable it is. It is true that problems with new cars can be expensive and difficult to pin down. The latter is the job of the motor trade and many in the trade seem incapable of doing their job. In a few years time, perhaps they will be up to speed with these new fangled computer things.

Finally, just because someone buys a new car doesn't mean that they are a plate snob or got themselves into debt so they could have a new plate. Many people don't actually give a sh1te about depreciation and have no interest in driving a 10 year old 7 series rather than their new Hyundai. That's their business.

kasper

BrianD3 wrote: »

Seems to be a bit of inverted snobbery in this thread. People who buy new cars are plebs, unlike those clever individuals in their 15 year old cars?

Actually people may not be as stupid as you think. New cars are far safer than many of the older cars listed in this thread. The idea that new cars are "weak plastic" while old ones are "tanks" is a complete myth. The opposite is the case. Personally I would not drive an unsafe car as my daily driver.

Service intervals are longer than the 5-6k miles common in the past. New cars have warranties up to 7 years. New cars are better than old equivalents in terms of refinement, equipment etc. Will often have better performance and economy too.

From my own experience, the newer the car design the more durable and reliable it is. It is true that problems with new cars can be expensive and difficult to pin down. The latter is the job of the motor trade and many in the trade seem incapable of doing their job. In a few years time, perhaps they will be up to speed with these new fangled computer things.

Finally, just because someone buys a new car doesn't mean that they are a plate snob or got themselves into debt so they could have a new plate. Many people don't actually give a sh1te about depreciation and have no interest in driving a 10 year old 7 series rather than their new Hyundai. That's their business.

the point in the original post was there were more bangers about now i for one dont believe there is ,just because something is old doesnt mean its a banger ,this thread has a good few replies from a lot of people except the op ,if he could get back with some statistical proof ?

Eutow

Tail Wagger wrote: »

Is it just the sign of the times, or are we gone back to the past? Have you noticed some of the old bangers re-appearing back on the Roads,

It's like back in the 80s with some of the heaps of Junk driving around.
Well I suppose they must be in good order if there driving, and I suppose the more up-to date models 08s 09s & 10s are not as plentiful, or does that depend on where you live?

Or are all these old cars being bought up for the re-launch of the Scrapping car Deal's that are filtering through... What do you think,...who knows?

I would disagree with this. Back in the 80's you would see cars without wings, and the bonnets and wings would have different colours to the rest of the car etc. Back then it was Triumph Dolomites, Datsun Cherry's, Lada's and Opel Kadett C's and most of them came in terrible colours such as brown and bright lime green.
Nothing like today. On my street there is a black Saab 900 Turbo convertible with black leather seats with an 89 Reg and it is immaculate. I would take this Saab over a new one because a Saab was a proper Saab back then, and not a clone of an Opel Vectra, which is what happened when GM took over. Hopefully that changes with Spyker as the new owners.
I would also take a BMW 8 series -(discontinued, I think, since 1999) over most new BMW's. The year shouldn't come into it if a car is looked after properly.

EPM

BrianD3 wrote: »

Seems to be a bit of inverted snobbery in this thread. People who buy new cars are plebs, unlike those clever individuals in their 15 year old cars?

Actually people may not be as stupid as you think. New cars are far safer than many of the older cars listed in this thread. The idea that new cars are "weak plastic" while old ones are "tanks" is a complete myth. The opposite is the case. Personally I would not drive an unsafe car as my daily driver.

Service intervals are longer than the 5-6k miles common in the past. New cars have warranties up to 7 years. New cars are better than old equivalents in terms of refinement, equipment etc. Will often have better performance and economy too.

From my own experience, the newer the car design the more durable and reliable it is. It is true that problems with new cars can be expensive and difficult to pin down. The latter is the job of the motor trade and many in the trade seem incapable of doing their job. In a few years time, perhaps they will be up to speed with these new fangled computer things.

Finally, just because someone buys a new car doesn't mean that they are a plate snob or got themselves into debt so they could have a new plate. Many people don't actually give a sh1te about depreciation and have no interest in driving a 10 year old 7 series rather than their new Hyundai. That's their business.

Agree 100%

I drive anything from 25-40k miles a year. I couldn't give a flying fcuk if a spend a few grand a year on depreciation. It's nice to know you're in a safer place. Plus the fact that it starts first turn of the key, even after 6 weeks parked up is nice to know. Not been totally reliable but never left me stranded. Anything that's needed doing I have been aware of with plenty notice

Anyone remember the Volvo Vs Modus test on 5th gear a few years back?

Big old "safe" car against a little supermini - I know which one I'd rather.

It is good to see older cars on the road, don't get me wrong. But as daily drivers there are better options

Our man in Havana

And that was a party policital broadcast on behalf of SIMI.