Old Cars

[nomadpete]

11 hours ago, willedoo said:

I think I'm on my last car. It's a diesel, 240,000 on the clock and I'd probably only do about 10,000 per year these days. Most likely lose the license before the car wears out.

I am agonising over buying our 'last car'.

Not counting possible mobility scooters.

Almost every car I've owned has been an old car when I bought it.

 

Disappointed that my previous post didn't even arc up Nev.

 

But it was only half in jest. We are already making cars nowadays that last way way longer than the 'old'' ones. And we have already shown that any well built car can last 100 years (with proper maintenance). And we are not likely to make many further engineering improvements in crash safety, teaction, or suspension.

 

So why not make cars last a lifetime?

 

[Siso]

The motors definitely do. Current vehicle (courier ute) has 380,000km, last 2 sedans VR commodore had 333 000km when we sold it, VE commodore 360,000 and still being driven by my son although has had a motor because of the timing chain issue.

[willedoo]

7 hours ago, nomadpete said:

Almost every car I've owned has been an old car when I bought it.

I can relate to that, having never owned a new car. The newest I've bought were a couple that were around six to seven years old. Most have been in the ten to fifteen year old range. I never saw the point in going tens of thousands of dollars into debt to buy a new car when a good second hand one costing a few thousand does the same job.

[facthunter]

To build a car from new Parts would cost more than 10 times what a new one costs. A six year old car not serviced properly could be not worth owning at any price. No good if it's been near salt . Once it has no warrantee you never know when A big bill will hit you and often with some brands Spares are not easy to find new. Once a car has become unreliable it's not worth keeping  Parts also fatigue.  like in aeroplanes.  Plastic gets Brittle. Upholstery looks shabby. Shock absorbers stop working properly. Discs get too thin. CV Joints wear. Paint goes off in the sun. Wiring loom rubber ages and copper wire gets brittle. Discounted superceded cars can be a good deal.. Engine reconditioning is nearly extinct these days. A "cooked" Motor is junk. Get a good vehicle and service it meticulously. Make sure the  thermostat is always working. Nev

Edited Wednesday at 07:44 AM by facthunter

[willedoo]

This is an old photo, but this 1924 Hupmobile is still in the family; grandfather bought it new.

 

[willedoo]

Here's another old and not very good photo. It's the FJ ute I learned to drive in. My dad bought it second-hand in 1961. It was that old light green Holden colour. It had some lead bog in it from a previous rollover repair. I was a late starter learning to drive and would have been nine heading toward ten. Reason was, I was a bit shorter than average as a kid and had to wait until the legs were long enough to reach the pedals. Once the legs grew enough, it was just a matter of packing enough pillows behind the back to be able to sit close enough to the wheel to reach the pedals. I had mates that were driving trucks by that age as they were that much bigger. I didn't get a burst on until grade 8 when I grew about a foot in one year.

 

I remember that old ute toward the end of it's life had the tie rod ends held together with wire. It would occasionally come undone and the ute would head off the track into the paddock. We had a Dachshund that loved that old ute. She could perch her rear legs on the seat back, and with her long body, get the front legs right out on the window sill for a bit of wind surfing.

 

[ClintonB]

On 02/09/2026 at 8:10 AM, nomadpete said:

I am agonising over buying our 'last car'.

Not counting possible mobility scooters.

Almost every car I've owned has been an old car when I bought it.

 

Disappointed that my previous post didn't even arc up Nev.

 

But it was only half in jest. We are already making cars nowadays that last way way longer than the 'old'' ones. And we have already shown that any well built car can last 100 years (with proper maintenance). And we are not likely to make many further engineering improvements in crash safety, teaction, or suspension.

 

So why not make cars last a lifetime?

 

The manufacturers would be screaming poor if that happened. Making things to last and fixable is not good business under modern standards. Look at printers, it is cheaper to buy a new one with ink in it than a cartidge for most. Fridges dont last because of the alloy tubing now used corodes from condisation and blown insulation turn to a mild acid and eat the pipes. In my old workshop i had a fridge that was new in 1991 still running with steel tubing, others i know are still runing 70s fridges in their sheds. Not the most power efficent, but better than buying a new one every 5 years. I like fixing stuff because i hate wasting what was already bought.

[Siso]

These manufacturers really aren't doing the planet any good, yet I bet most of them have a page on their webpage saying how green they are. 

[red750]

Give me an old car any day. A friend had a Mercedes. The tyres were $1000 each and had to be filled with nitrogen, not air. My sons Mazda CX-6 diesel Hybrid SUV tyres cost $550 each. Tyres for my 2004 Holden Astra start at $129 each, a number of brands at $189 each.

 

And the techno gizmos to go wrong. My son's SUV has electric tyre pressure sensors and an electric oil gauge. For people too lazy to lift the bonnet. The only dipstick is the one behind the wheel. Even has a wiper maintenance mode for changing wiper blades. 

[facthunter]

Spares cost, availability and Price of labour dictate when it's time to be rid of the Old vehicles. Corrosion Metal fatigue, Bad Paint and reduced safety features,also. Modern cars are More value for Money than many other items. I tend to Keep them Longer than most People I Know. but I look after them better than most People I Know... Nev