Irish people and the notion of "going down the years".

W.Shakes-Beer

Was having this discussion with my dad yesterday.

I currently drive a 2003 Astra Bertone which is a great car.

I was half jokingly saying to my dad yesterday that I'd like an old 2 litre Cavalier SRi for my next car (which I do have a soft spot for).

the first question he asks is "Jaysus how old are they!?" to which I say "ah early 90's".

He nearly had a heart attack!

He couldn't get over the fact that I'd happily go from a 2003 car to a 1993 car as my daily driver. He said I'd be looking for trouble doing that.

Now, I'd be familiar enough with both cars and know that there isn't a world of difference between the technologies, the 2003 car obviously has a few more gadgets and luxuries but they're not worlds apart.

My dad is only 49 so thought he might have got my reasoning but he didn't. As far as he thinks, going back in years is asking for trouble, even if its for a car you like.

Perhaps the biggest irony of all is that he is on the lookout for a classic/vintage car :pac:

So boards, does the age of a car play a big role to you?

Me personally it doesn't once the car is in good order.

JonathanAnon

I was thinking similarly when I saw four foreign lads in a 1996 Almera Saloon... (the garage must have been fresh out of Nissan Sunnys)... I have never been very "car proud".. I drive a 02 Golf, cos the large back of.. it is practical..

I see guys driving around in 2011 Golfs and I think... WHY? Cost a fortune, worth half the second you drive it off the fourcourt, parts are more expensive... Unless you have bucket loads of money, I really dont understand why people pay for new cars.. (well, the warranty being the only plus).. Personally I would have no problem driving a 1990s car if it fitted my needs best.

On another note, I saw an English reg MKII Escort the other day.. Lad driving it looked as proud as punch..

Padraig Mor

Went from a 2008 1.8 Citroen C5 (bought new) to a 2005 Lexus GS300 3.0 auto last year. Wife's aunt: "why would you do something like that?!" :rolleyes:

Zubeneschamali

JonathanAnon wrote: »

I really dont understand why people pay for new cars..

You can get into awful trouble if you take them without paying.

JonathanAnon

Personally I would prefer to go up in years and with less mileage. I wouldn't mind staying around the same year, my current car is 2001 or going back maybe one year if it was for a very particular car, though if I was buying a normal car I would be looking to go up well in years.

No way would I go back to an early 90's car for a daily driver it would be muck compared to a modern car.

JonathanAnon wrote: »

I really dont understand why people pay for new cars.

Well I would love to buy a new car if I could afford it. Brand new for a start so no wondering how it was treated before you, everything will work on it, perfrect paintwork, perfect interior, warrenty, comfort, gadgets, no fixing wear and tear items constantly like you have to on an older car, no wondering will some expensive fix be just around the corner etc etc.

Mr Benevolent

I saw a 1993 Escort RS Cosworth in Tesco Clarehall on Saturday. Feck the year as long as the car's good.

stovelid

Have a 2000 car. Does me fine and is in great nick. Plus unlike the vast majority of big new cars on my street I actually own it.

Will change it in thenext two or three years but only to something around five or six years old.

pajo1981

While it's true you'll get great value going back a few years (I'd never buy a car new myself), don't forget that technology and manufacture wise even a modest modern car will be in a different league to something from the 90s.

I'd say I have no problem goin back in years, but probably wouldn't go back a model.

Sleepy

I'd imagine it's related to how few Irish people service their cars properly.

A car that hasn't been looked after for a couple of years might be okay if you look after it. A car that's been abused for a decade? That's going to give you trouble!

EPM

I switched from a 2006 to a 2009 car earlier in the year. As the cars were both run of the mill cars I wanted to come up a few years with the money being spent. If however I was buying something a little bit special I'd have no problem with going back a few years. It really depends on the car IMO.

thirtythirty

Not necessarily "going down the years", but I've typically had cars within 5 or 6 years of age, and then hold onto it as long as I want/can.

I reckon that's the best value period - If you find the right car is, it'll likely just be at the tail end of it's prime; still in excellent running order, minimal paint damage, an "almost back to new" interior after a valet, and possibly still in the current generation of the model's line. Or at least, still "modern looking".
Most importantly though the depreciation curve has done the majority of it's downfall, and your'e more into straight line depreciation so you get a car that could stand beside it's 2011/2012 cousin and still hold it's own, without the ridiculous price tag!

TomMc

I'm sure that there are plenty of people who sold a car (older for newer) and have since regretted doing so.

Went from a 2005 (company car) in 2006 to a 1999 car, went from that to a 1995 car, year matters not much to me to be honest. I'm sort of sick of changing cars at the moment though, have no mind at all for it

Owen

Went from a string of brand new company cars to a 05, then to a 02, now in a 03 - doesn't bother me, it's just a digit on a numberplate. The new car pride gets old very fast and you're left with a mountain of debt/cash spent on an asset that depreciates pretty quickly.

I'd love the UK private plate system to come in here so no one knew what year my car was. It'd pass for a 07/08 no bothers.

no1beemerfan

Years don't bother me in the slighest.

I went from a 1998 car to an 1986 car then to a 1997 car! It all depends on the car and the condition it is in.....I'd thoroughly check any car before I buy it....sure a 5 year old car might not be looked after at all. Just because its got a fresher number plate does not guarantee its in better condition mechanically wise.

L-M

Year doesn't bother me at all.

I went from a 99 Golf to a 95 E200 to a 90 e30 and now back to a 01 Golf (if it was 98 or 04 it wouldn't make a difference to me).

high horse

For me it depends on the car. When I change my car, I want to get something better than my current car. A few years ago I changed from a 97 406 TD (yawn!) to a 91 BMW E30 318iS because I always wanted one. In that case I had to explain myself to a few co-workers who just didn't understand why I would do such a thing!
I currently drive an E46 touring and when it gets replaced, I will get something more advanced technologically. That also means that I wouldn't replace it with a newer E46 touring (even though they are a fine car)

_Kaiser_

high horse wrote: »

For me it depends on the car. When I change my car, I want to get something better than my current car. A few years ago I changed from a 97 406 TD (yawn!) to a 91 BMW E30 318iS because I always wanted one. In that case I had to explain myself to a few co-workers who just didn't understand why I would do such a thing!
I currently drive an E46 touring and when it gets replaced, I will get something more advanced technologically. That also means that I wouldn't replace it with a newer E46 touring (even though they are a fine car)

True.. you want something new/different when you change your car I think - that's why I couldn't switch to the new B7 Passat for example.
Aside from the fact that I just don't like the look of them, the interior is virtually identical to my current B6 version.

Plus when you change you want to trade up, even if it's going back a few years.. me I'm now half considering a 03 E220 diesel vs my current 06 2.0 TDI Passat (damn that diesel bangernomics thread side-tracking me )

Thatnastyboy

The older the better,

Ive actually not had a car thats been newer than 99 yet,

My current motor is a 95,

My previous motor was an 88 - The best car I have owned to date: a Carina II, possibly the most reliable and best built car ever made (imo)

Thinkingaboutit

My Dad has always got a new car, and kept for ten years, roughly. He likes a car that'll go a long comfy, distance, and he doesn't need to worry about some hidden problems, and he saves the price up for them. I've an older car, but sort of like them, and if I didn't have that, something that starts reliably and moves without burning too much fuel is fine - something like my brothers 95 Civic saloon, excellent economy at a steady 60 mph, and reliable. I don't use a car too much, and all it is a piece of metal that sits in a traffic jam. Signing a finance deal for a pile of metal that tumbles in value relentlessly is insane in these times.

Muckie

Gone all over the scale myself, from an 86 Mini to a 75 Triumph Dolomite.
Drive a 95 Impreza Estate hope to be going to a 67 Ford Cortina next.
Adventures, only one life folks :pac:

fifth

It's so true that Irish people are obsessed with the 'year' of the car.

My history

99 (1 litre petrol Opel Corsa) to 01 (Honda Civic Saloon petrol 1.4)
01 to 06 (Honda Accord 2.0 petrol)
06 to 07 (Volvo S40 SE 1.6 Diesel this week)

I got the leather seats and a few other extras in the Volvo and it's a diesel so cheaper to run. I could have gotten a slightly higher spec (heated seats, xenon bulbs) for the same price if I'd have gotten an '06 Volvo but everyone I talked to assumed I'd be going up at least 1 year when I changed from the Accord, so kinda under pressure a bit there.

Next time, as usual, I'll be upgrading my car, not my year.

SouperComputer

There's crappy old cars and crappy new ones. Depends on what you want from a car. For me, I'll almost always opt for an older car if its more comfortable. Coudn't be arsed driving a more modern, plastic soulless crapbox.

The most compelling argument for a more modern car is safety\crash rating, but again it depends on the cars you are comparing. For the price we paid for our cars I doubt we could have gotten cars that crash much "better" if they were younger. 98' V70 T5 ($2100), '99 S80 T6 ($2800). The V70 is old school, basically an 850 with a cocktail dress and some "rounded" bling, but for $2100 I'm not sure how much better you could do crash test wise. The S80 arguably "crashes" as well as many modern cars. For $2800 ill have my comfy leather heated seats, dolby pro logic surround sound and 260HP before I subject myself to driving a Yaris or something a few years younger and not any "safer".

Big Nasty

For the right type of car I couldn't care less what year it is - in fact for the type of stuff I like I would be afraid to go much newer as there's so much more to go wrong.

ottostreet

The only real consideration I have with regards to year, is whether its a 'start of model' car, or safety concerns. My current cars are 97 and 01. Most of my cars have been mid-to-late 90s cars, and year doesnt bother me in general.

SV

99>97>01>00>05 has been my progression so far.


Hopefully going back to 00 soon.

Eric Cartman

if i could afford to run it as my daily id happily sell my 2010 isuzu for a 2000-2001 750iL

only thing that concerns me about a year is I like getting the latest year of a model so its been facelifted and all the bugs worked out

piperh

I have another post on here about an old 92 1.1 micra that i bought 6yrs ago for €600, having not driven in the uk for nearly 8yrs i was reluctant to spend much while i was getting used to it again. In 6yrs its had €115 spent on it and now needs €170 to get through next nct. Swapped it last yr for my hubbies 5yr old 2.0 s60 thats cost us around €4000 in repairs since we've had it. Give me back an old car any day.

catbear

My runaround is a 95 Subaru Vivio, .7ltr. Bought it for €200 a couple of years ago. Although I've had comfier, just the sheer cheapness of it is hard to beat. I fill the tank (about €35) and I can get two months out of it for getting to work/shopping etc.

During the snow it was brilliant, our main runner with its fatter tyres was just too cumbersome whereas the little light Vivio was always easy to correct in a slide.
Besides from it being small and useless above 45mph, I'll be hard pressed to let it go. My only regret is that it isn't the 4wd version.

slinky2000

My current car is the first 00+ car I've owned, everytihng else has been from 89-99, thats about 8 cars!

slinky2000

catbear wrote: »

My runaround is a 95 Subaru Vivio, .7ltr.

I was about to say how the hell is a 7ltr cheap, than I realised it's 0.7!

Our man in Havana

Driving a 96 Polo at the minute. My youngest car was a 00. I don't believe in lining the pockets of the main stealers or the SIMI by buying a brand new car. Quite simply they can go forth and fornicate with themselves.

-Corkie-

I would and have done several times especially when I was younger. I liked it then because I was like the OP and wanted to try out different cars. Last time I had to go down was because I couldnt afford the running costs of my car.