26 Feb 2015

A question about : Your Bangernomics successes

Hello my fellow cheapskates. After spending nearly three years running a car for as cheap as possible, mainly as I ran it throughout all but he darkest depths of winter on WVO/UVO (waste or used vegetable oil), in a Vauxhall Astra I have had to say good bye to the old girl as it is no longer economical to repair to get it through it’s MOT (which has now expired yesterday).

Running my Vauxhall Astra on veg oil-
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...ht=worried+jim

Being of limited budget but a growing fan of “Bangernomics” (old banger cars + economics) I have decided to catalogue my experiences of running a sub Ј1000 car and I would like you to share your experiences if you are doing the same, weather through tight-fisted choice, i.e.-
-Why buy a new car when you can run one successfully for the equivalent of two new car finance payments.
-Or like me because you have no choice.

Now to begin with we need to agree on price constraints. I have gone in with a Ј1000 price limit even though I paid half this, if you disagree lets discuss reasons, I am all ears.

Here is my set up-
A Rover 600 2.0sli.
12 months MOT
No tax
Ј495.

4 Doors, Manual, Saloon, Petrol, Metallic Blue, MOT-02-2013. Honda engine, ABS, Alloy wheels, Folding rear seats, Lumbar support, Immobiliser, Passenger airbag, Rear armrest, Radio/Cassette, Rear headrests, Alloy wheels, 3x3 point rear seat belts, Alarm, Drivers airbag, Electric windows, Height adjustable drivers seat, Remote central locking,
The mileage was approx 118,000, Cambelt changed @79,000, loads of history (not fsh though) all the old MOT certificates.

The bad bits about the car are-

Electric aerial doesn’t retract (can’t use a carwash)
Drivers seat lumber is worn
Paint is faded on roof and boot lid.
Radio is missing a button and unable to pick up many stations
Small cigarette burn in rear passenger seat
Driver’s seat belt doesn’t retract
Not sure if Air con is fully working (suspect needs a re gas)
Wind noise at speed from top right of driver door
Both wing mirrors are tatty (held together with tape and a nylon tie)

The good bits-

Drives very well
All tyres have lots of tread
All electrics work
12 months MOT
Goes like stink
Better than the last car I had.

So in a nutshell I have bought a car with a brand new MOT for the price of getting my existing Astra through it’s MOT just to face a similar if not larger bill for the same next year.
Now there is nothing to suggest that in a years time I face the prospect of a large MOT repair bill and may have to start again with another car, hopefully not, and this is to document how far you can go with a banger.

I have found an original Topgear review by Jeremy himself from 1993-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1Lq92QTrBw

I have had a good look around ebay and it is full of Rover parts should I need any- I currently have the wining bid on a Haynes manual so I can really get to know the car should I need to.

I will be the first to admit that this is a gamble, no nice new car with no faults or warranty should any arise, hell, I’ve bought a car from a now defunct manufacture, how will this effect me? Now in my mind when I was a teenager in the early 90’s a banger was a Hillman Imp, Vauxhall Chevette or as in my case and my first car a Talbot Sunbeam. These were cars that if you wanted a radio (or a rear heated element on the rear screen) you had to fit one your self. Cold morning- fingers crossed, MOT time meant welding new sills. Now a banger today comes with power steering, ABS, electric windows, fuel injection and in some cases air con, so why spend Јk’s?

Top Gear guide to Buying a Banger with Quentin Wilson- From 1997
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUVmN...eature=related
(You won’t be buying anything featured in this clip but it gives you the idea and you can see the difference between “old” and “modern” bangers.
So by now you should be getting the jist of how to join in. Share you car and model any feature it may have and keep updating!

The Ј495 beast-
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Tatty rear bumper-
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Poor paint condition on roof (with free seagull crap)
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Poor paint condition on boot lid-
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Tatty wing mirror-
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Missing radio button-
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Best answers:

  • "M" reg Audi A6 estate bought for Ј750 with full MOT & 120000 miles.
    I ran it for 3 years & the only things I bought were 3 tyres... flew through the 2 mots.
    In the end the engine management went awol & I was quoted Ј800 minimum to fix.... don't think so
    Drove it into the local scrappy & got Ј260 for it! I think that's a success.
  • It amazing what is out there, just pop your post code into Autotrader, https://www.autotrader.co.uk/ set the distance at just 10 miles and hit search. Spoilt for choice and all of it is a bus ride away.
  • I think it's fair to add that the VW (& Audi in it's final months) were/are second cars!
    The main car is still a banger (although a bit different), "W" reg bought some 4 years ago, & the Audi was passed on so to speak
  • What is the fuel economy like?
    That seems to me to be the biggest issue by far in these sort of 'money saving' exercises.
    Say 7500 miles a year, so a 20 mile round trip daily, or a bit less plus some leisure driving:
    Given Ј6.15 a gallon which is about the current price:
    at 60mpg, about Ј770
    at 50mpg, about Ј920
    at 40mpg, about Ј1150
    at 30mpg, about Ј1550
    at 20mpg, about Ј2300
    What sort of figures are you seeing personally?
    This is my biggest worry - I don't care about driving a banger, but it seems that once you get past about 7 years, it might be better to buy a small fuel efficient car with a long warranty.
  • My current car cost Ј550, at 109k. I put another 400 miles on it bringing it home!
    In that time, I've had a puncture repaired, overhauled the breather system (Ј200 for parts and a few hours DIY), changed the ATF and next will be the fuel filter and cat convertor. It's been with me for just shy of 2 years now and despite the odd few quirks it'll probably live another few years if I look after it. Paint is a bit tatty at the rear end, the rear seats could do with replacing but apart from that it's been a good car but just a bit expensive to insure.
    It definitely helps if you can DIY when it comes to repairs and maintenance. I hate DIY on the car but when you don't have money mechanics are extremely expensive!
  • I'll add the details of my own Astra, unfortunately my replacement doesnt fall into the sub Ј1000 category.
    Purchase cost Ј410, road tax Ј230, Insurance Ј200. Covered 14k miles in my year of running it.
    Cant remember all the work done over the year apart from radiator (Ј25), 2 tyres(Ј35), fuel return pipes (Ј8) service items (approx Ј30) then around Ј100 got it another years ticket last October (including the price of the MOT).
    Theres possibly more, but not too much (and probably mentioned on Jims other thread).
    Thats about Ј19.50 a week or 7p a mile.
    Since we were on the veg oil, averaging 30p a litre for fuel and getting 35MPG, including fuel means the car cost 11p a mile to run for the year.
    Plus I got Ј145 back scrapping it.
    When I was searching for a car, my budget was Ј50 per months MOT (6 month minimum) with tax not important. If any car had tax, I'd add that in (i.e Ј400 for a car with 6 months MOT and 6 months tax)
    As above, diy really helps (done my first brake pipes on this one). Buy a haynes manual, a halfords socket set and have a tinker.
  • Skoda Favorit
    It was about Ј250, with a years mot and tax.
    Much abused, it even had an old concrete fireplace in the back to go to the tip. Must have weighed a ton.
    It needed 4 tyres, as they were perished, but a set of wheels and good tyres from a golf cost me Ј15 off ebay.
    Passed the mot with just a wheel bearing, and I eventually sold it when the head gasket went with just 1 months tax and mot for Ј125.
    Next was a 106 diesel, Ј450. 90,000 miles on it.
    That did another 70,000 miles in 4 years, until the back inner arches went. Scrapped for Ј175.
    It cost all the usual in brakes, tyres, etc.
    Other running costs were a new radiator, two back shocks, and two front seats (ebay Ј5) when the old ones sagged a bit.
    Mot was never more than a gaiter, or a couple of brake pipes last time.
    I did have the cam belt done, but it was due for another this year.
    Replaced by a Renault. Ј350 short mot, a bit of welding Ј100, and, now 12 months
    So 7 years worth, Ј950 ish, not including the wear and tear items, (brakes, cambelt, tyres etc) less whatever the Renault is worth, currently around Ј500 on ebay.
  • VW polo 1.4 CL on a r plate a mate picked up last year he intended to do a few remedial repairs, and give it to his son to learn and drive when passed, bad bits, interior really dirty (but suprisingly no fag burns) the red was a faded pink, driverside hub and bearing collapsed hence the previous owner selling it, rocker cover gasket completely blown, and a radiator plug leak.
    some PTFE tape on rad plug sealed the leak, a scrappy sought suspension leg with hub, fitted DIY, a good old hoover and steam clean to interior, new rocker cover gasket, and a mop polish.
    total cost of repairs/clean up Ј35.00.
    total cost of vehicle Ј120.
    passed MOT no advisories back in january.
    has all document with the vehicle and has 84k genuin miles. and full service history up untill 72K when it change over to it second previous owner.
    what a bargain banger in my eyes.
  • 89 Toyota Carina II, bought with 80k on it in 2004 - still got it and it's running well. I paid Ђ800 for it, which was about right at the time for one of these, never mind the low mileage. One owner before me, who'd taken it with him when he'd retired, so only one driver.
    It didn't cost anything for repairs (apart from a couple of tyres) until last year when I got a bit nervous about the cambelt and paid a local workshop to do it - that, a battery, an alternator and two rear shocks are all it's needed in the past eight years. So, the total thus far is approx Ђ800, or Ђ100 per year, which isn't bad. Only problem with running such an old one, even though it exhibits good Toyota reliability is that spares are getting harder to find in breakers, plus a lot of these went to Poland, oddly enough.
    I still have the original alternator, so I might rebuild that and keep it as a spare. Needs another two tyres now, but even though it's an ongoing cost overall it's about a third of keeping my Transit on the road.
    I love Bangernomics
  • My parents spent Ј250 on a 45,000mile K reg Vauxhall Nova 1.5TD for me when I was 16, I'm now 24 . Parents drove it as a fuel-efficient runaround to back up their other two cars until I was ready to learn (almost three years ago, car had 54k on it when I took possession) and now it has done 75,000 miles. I actually took my driving test in it, much to the horror of the examiner! In the three years I have looked after it it has needed a handbrake overhaul, new brake pads and shoes, two new tyres. Not bad in my opinion, considering in that time it has been driven by two learners/new drivers.
    The best thing about my dear little car is the fuel economy: 63mpg even when driven by my partner shortly after passing his test (getting used to driving an old tank instead of a modern flying carpet!). 72mpg at best hypermiling.
    Wing mirrors are exceptionally tatty, paintwork is awful, no arial, a few small oil leaks, noisy, no power steering but it has never broken down on me.
    MOT is coming up, the cambelt could go at any time, wheel bearing needs doing, I fear the handbrake needs some work, possibly new brake pads and the fan belt is on its last tension. We're saving up for a new used car for when we need it...might be very soon, but the car has done me well!
    Love reading about your bangers
  • Not really bangers by the
  • You should have no worries at all with that 600 Jim, I've owned 3 myself and all have been pretty reliable.
    My favourite was also my best bangernomics success - a 620ti (the 197bhp turbocharged version) with 6 months MOT for Ј200. Running perfectly - a friend just needed rid sharpish.
    The 600 is an excellent car, enjoy. You should be about 28-30mpg.
  • Merc W202 C180 (1993)
    Paid Ј800 for it. touched up the crack in the front bumper and fixed the coolant leak (Ј1.47 for a new hose from MB themselves) and fitted new front pads.
    Drove it for 10 months (had the tax and MOT on it) and MOT'd it just to see. Pass. No advisories at all!
    Had another 8 months out of it in all conditions, treated it to an oil change and then someone bumped it in a car park and broke the exhaust. Getting it home caused melting to the bumper so wieghed in the tax and got Ј200 scrap. Also kept the private plate that was on it so not bad at all I thought.
    30+mpg and very comfy too.
    5t.
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