Driving car > 10 years old...

[SnapSnap]

I am thinking of selling/scraping my current car and getting a car that is more than 10 years old in its place.
Reason for doing this is to reduce liability/ debt...
I would like some advice:
1) Is this a good idea?
2) Anybody driving an old car? Can share experience?
Thanks!!

 

[RuthBaby]

maintence very high loh
anyway now cars so cheap..
$1 drive away
hahahah

 

[SnapSnap]

Ya... then have to pay through the nose for the monthly installments... That is the part I want to get rid of... if can, than every 2 months can buy a new lens... :bsmilie:

 

[RuthBaby]

tt depends if u need the car for everyday use

someone sold a car to buy a new body
whereas some sell lens to buy

Hahaha!

 

[hwchoy]

my car 14 years old. just make sure to get a good one, and do the necessary maintenance.

IMHO, try to get those more "robust" ones which can survive better such as the BMW, Benz and maybe Volvo.

 

[SnapSnap]

Hmmm... if get the more "robust" ones, maybe have to get older than 20 years ones...

 

[Larry]

erm... old continental cars are hell to maintain... and spare parts are not cheap.

SnapSnap, do your research carefully. you might wanna get some advice from a mechanic you trust. old cars are cheaper, but if you get a problematic one you will spend more on maintenance than what you would pay on instalment for a new one.

 

[kex]

get a honda civic 3 door one lor,spare parts are plenty on the market,<30k should get a quite good one liao.

spend abit to get an evaluation test from vicom.

 

[stingraytan]

my car 14 years old. just make sure to get a good one, and do the necessary maintenance.

IMHO, try to get those more "robust" ones which can survive better such as the BMW, Benz and maybe Volvo.

dont see how BMW, Benz, volvo can survive better..
Get something common like toyota or sunny etc so that getting parts wont be a problem..

Or you might consider getting a cheap new car with a red plate.. Saves a fair amount on COE, road tax etc..

 

[Pablo]

This is not meant as a joke, but, is a motor bike out of the question ?

Cheaper to buy, cheaper to keep running.

Just a thought for you

 

[hwchoy]

dont see how BMW, Benz, volvo can survive better..
Get something common like toyota or sunny etc so that getting parts wont be a problem..

Or you might consider getting a cheap new car with a red plate.. Saves a fair amount on COE, road tax etc..

you haven't seen how the benz are built huh? like a 3-tonner. everything is just more solidly built especially the older benz, and spare parts are even more plentiful.

 

[imaginary_number]

Cars >10 yrs old are prone to give problems. You gotta know how to check these old cars when buying; bring along someone experienced if possible. There are too many possible problems to check for e.g. worn out piston, burning engine oil, and the list goes on.

Brand new cars are more worthwhile imho. The picanto is quite affordable too, at around $42k, iirc. Get a red plate and it becomes ~$25k.

Or get a bike if you're really keen on saving $$$.

 

[hwchoy]

actually if you do intend to get a 10+ year old car, you should budget an extra $5-10K depending on the make for general repairs and refurbishing. no matter how great it is, there will be wear and tear. Primary things to watch for, auto-trans, top/bottom overhaul, timing chain/belt, etc.

 

[kex]

red plate picanto only $25k ??~!?????

really ??

 

[Nihar]

dont see how BMW, Benz, volvo can survive better..
Get something common like toyota or sunny etc so that getting parts wont be a problem..

Or you might consider getting a cheap new car with a red plate.. Saves a fair amount on COE, road tax etc..

Pls enlighten whats a red plate ?

Thanks

 

[kex]

Pls enlighten whats a red plate ?

Thanks

red plate means the car can only be on the road during 7pm till 7am on weekdays and no restriction on wkends and public holidays.

if u need to use the car in the day,u have to buy a $20 day sticker to display on the windscreen.

they are actually called weekend cars,but most pp call them red plate becoz the license plate is red in color.

 

[imaginary_number]

red plate picanto only $25k ??~!?????

really ??

Yeah, I stumbled across the kia forums once. Last I read, Picanto was going for $42k. For OPC, can deduct about $17k.

And guess wat, the picanto was the winner of the shell better mileage challenge - 27 km/l. And I can only get half of that if I use my feather foot. :bigeyes:

 

[ajR]

get a honda civic 3 door one lor,spare parts are plenty on the market,<30k should get a quite good one liao.

spend abit to get an evaluation test from vicom.

Woah, 4 door EG more family la. 3 door so tiong. ;p

ESi i think going for ard 25-30k, VTi i think ard 30-35k onwards.

 

[Phildate]

If you're going for a car over 10 years then go with a Honda - very reliable in old age. Lots of people I know have been lucky with big ol' mercs too.

I was driving a 19 year old Suzuki that gave me no problems at all. Except it was a B**ch to drive so I bought something new! I guess that's something you'll have to consider too - might be heavy as an ox and have no power steering.

I think with almost all cars, luck plays a big part. My Dad bought a brand new Audi A3 and had all sorts of problems with it - in the end the Audi mechanics couldn't actually fix it so he spent the first six months driving hire cars and in the end swapped to a Golf. New cars can be tought to fix if the computer diagnostics can't find out what's wrong with it.

If you buy an old car, just pray it doesn't give you trouble. You might just get lucky!

 

[alikishi]

I live in the philippines and I drive an 11 year old honda civic. Everything is fine just as long as you follow the periodic maintenance schedule. My fuel mileage is sometimes better than my 3 year old Opel Astra (both 1.6 liter engines)