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(Inspired by the Alfa thread)
Just about to book in our Mazda 3 2.0l Sport for its service/MOT – we have owned it since new and it's now 11 years old with a measly 55,000 on the clock.
In that time it has needed just the one expensive repair (Stability Control issue) which Mazda went 50/50 on and the usual consumables. It still starts first time every time and apart from feeling a little flabby at times, it's still fun to drive.
Over to you...
My van (Transit) bought new 2003, close to 300,000 miles and I'm still driving it about to/from work and to/from mountain biking destinations.
Its been to Corsica about 5 time plus various tours of Europe.
Service properly and regularly - just normal wear and tear, still original clutch.
Be sad when it dies, but Id be happy to get another one.
peugeot partner van - 9 years - consumables only + an alternator. - took it from 30k - 115k with two trips to the alps where it would sit at 81 all day on the toll roads.(thats foot to the floor)
My land rover ninety now coming up for 8 years - albe it its now 30 years old and under went a year long full strip down and rebuild 3 years ago where i went resto mod on some bits - LED lighting has made a huge improvement to reliability of the lighting system and the heated screen has meant i can see when its raining. bought with 100k and now has 130k on the clock.
when I was younger I had quite a few cars, changed them now that I look back on it relatively frequently. Then I started holding on for a bit longer, as evidenced by the mileage when they got sold on or scrapped.
Golf GTI - sold at about 110k, was 4th but not final owner, had it since about 50k, must have owned it for 6 years.
Saab 900S, got written off around 110k as well, again held for c. 6 years, from around 55k IIRC.
next, Saab 900S again (mk 2 model), finally scrapped at around 110k having had since about 45k, probably had that 12-14 years.
currently on an Octavia estate, gain 2nd hand, just running that in at 50k having bought at about 24k.
Mondeo 2.2 Tdci Estate Mk3, owned it for 10 years and 130k miles. One EGR failure that was replaced for £55 and a broken front spring were the only problems in that time. Regret selling the car, especially when the car that replaced it, a Skoda Octavia Mk2 VRS, ended up being the worst car I had owned and also for the shortest amount of time.
I had an XC90 bought new in 2002 and sold in 2014 with only 80k on the clock but it was feeling tired.
Check shows it as being currently taxed and MOT'd
Current car bought 2006 at three years old. Just developed a slight coolant leak. It uses a bit of oil now, whereas it used not to, but the fuel consumption is better than it was a few years ago. There is a bit of creaking from the oily bits and a tiny bit of rust on one door cap. 125K miles on the clock so not heavy use. It's had a few bits replaced but mostly minor. The most painful were the radiator fan (300 quid for a hairdryer) and the secondary air something pump (300 quid for a hairdryer).
I had a 1995 Subaru Impreza that I bought when it was 2 years old and kept for 11 years before chopping it in against another car. Was completely reliable over that time, needing only 1 ABS sensor over and above any routine servicing.
My current Landrover is 35 years old and going strong but did have a ground up rebuild when I bought it 7 years ago.
We have a honda civic type R, we bought it new in 2007, so its now coming up for 11 years old, it hasnt done many miles though (67000), but its been mainly good, despite it being stolen from us when nearly new in 2007 in a carjacking incident.
It recently needed a new damper, and an aircon condensor, other than that its just been regular servicing ,tyres and brakes.
1932 Morris Major Six, I got it as a box of nuts of bolts from my father in the late 1980s. He was given it as a complete car by his father in the 1950s. My father was an engineering student at St Andews at the time. Although he graduated and did a PhD, he was a useless mechanic. He dismantled the car as a student, it was in the same state when he ran off with his secretary thirty years later.
I rebuilt it from the ground up over a year and drove it to the Vintage Car Extravaganza at Glamis the day after it got its first MOT in our family ownership.
I used it a fair bit when I lived up in Orkney, ther roads were as quiet as roads from the 1930s up there and I joined the very active vintage club. We went on runs to the northern isles in the summer. Since I came back south I've not used it much at all, which is a crying shame.
Some pics here
I have a 2006 BMW 130i that I've had since September 2013. I got it with just under 75,000 miles and it's now just over 141,000.
Only cost beyond consumables has been a failed water pump. Servicing and running costs are high but I love it. Hoping to get it to the moon (240,000 miles).
Mate bought an Audi A4 new in 2003 and it has something like 290k miles on it now. Will be chopped in for the VW scrappage scheme later this year.
Not car, but the longest-owned vehicle and only motorbike I've ever owned I bought in 2009, so coming up for 8 and a half years. Shamefully it's only done about 6k miles in that time.
BMW M6 bought at 10 years old with 40k on it, did 175 miles then put a leg out of bed and it's sat in the workshop ever since. Currently having the engine rebuilt with new bottom end, rods, pistons and so on. Although I found out recently the injectors are on the fritz so that's yet MORE money that needs spending on it.
Do your research kids....
I had my Golf GTi for five years and, apart from the accident and the new engine it needed, it was a good car, certainly more reliable than the Omega that replaced it. So much so that I was glad I never sold the Golf and could drive it again both during the fixing of the heads on the Omega and after I sold the Omega on.
It did have a lot of miles on it when it finally went though
2001 Toyota Yaris Verso, bought new - mainly consigned to dog and bike mobile these days, but it just refuses to die - passes MOT for little money
Bit of a cheat because it was my Dads, then mine and it’s my Dads again now, but 2001 Passat V6 Diesel. Dad paid £30k for it new, it’s done 120k miles in 17 years or so.
Only a single fault, Alternator wore out which cost a fortune because despite being a common car and a common-ish engine is was a very rare mix of the two and the alternator was specific to that model.
It felt a bit rubbish last time I drove it, but my Dad had tapped a wall in the snow and creased the wing and upset the steering but never repaired it, plus it was on 8 year old crap tyres. I’m told it’s fine again now.
Mate got 250k miles out of a 20v Turbo A4, single clutch (£1k!) and a head rebuild, not the cars fault, a spark plug failed and dropped the tip into the head.
Bought a honda accord tourer new in 2005, just traded it in In December 2017 with 170k on the clock.
Still have my 1987 Citroen 2CV I bought in 1988, so 30 years of ownership. Am I winning 🙂
Honda Integra Type R.
From new in 1998 - 2014. 100k miles.
It was on and off the road for the last couple of years. Nothing major, just lots of "old age" issues.
Still miss it.
It's still off the road, according to the MOT check.
Maybe I should track it down through the DC2 forum and buy it back,....
10 years, 63k miles and the gearbox just fell out.
Honda Jazz coming up for 14 years from new, something like 120k on the clock I think.
Other than tyres, brakes and exhausts I struggle to think of anything that's needed replacing. The bonnet catch corroded itself shut at one point.
Had the said Alfa since 2001.
Houses, jobs, cats, bikes, underpants, wives and girlfriends have all come and gone, but the Duetto has remained with me
I had a Ford Focus for 10 years it was 1 year old when I bought it. Only got rid of it when I got a company car. Other than the usual wear and tear the only thing that ever went wrong with it was a coil pack. Sold it to a work mate and it went straight through the last MOT.
My previous 03 Ibiza 1.9 TDi...
Bought it at just over 3 years old, in Sept 2006.
Sold it in Jan 2016 and only because our daughter arrived and we needed a larger car for lugging baby stuff. My Wife has a 12 plate Ibiza FR, which is now my daily transport, while the Ibiza got sold & replaced with a Shitroen C3 Picasso.
My Ibiza ticked over 24k miles on the drive home from picking it up & I sold it with 274k miles on it. So, it did 250k miles in just over 9 years of my ownership. People say diesels are expensive when they go wrong, but that wasn't my experience.
It was still on it's original clutch & dual mass flywheel, turbo, injectors, fuel pump, exhaust. Front discs & pads lasted ~120k miles.
I had a couple of boost pipes come off (on separate occasions) while driving to work which was a bit of a pain, but didn't leave me stranded and were relatively cheap to replace.
Biggest expense was the a/c compressor - that was £500 fitted. Had I not been doing a 120 mile/day commute at the time I probably wouldn't have had a new one.
I told the bloke I sold it to that he would be mad to do anything like map it, because he will probably trash it. He muttered & off he went.
A couple of weeks later he texted me to tell me he'd re-mapped it to 180bhp (from 130) and it was slipping in 5th & 6th.....but he worked in a clutch & tyre place so was planning on doing the clutch himself.
I loved that car & I was pretty sad to see it go. The plan was to sell it at 300k miles, but it didn't quite get there with me.
Ordered a Caterham 7 in late 2000 built it and registered in early 2001
its now done over 20.000 miles but has changed a bit over time .
its in my garage still but unfortunately reckon it's times up as need the funds 😞
98 S reg Skoda Octavia. Sold it for 200 quid at 17 years old and 97k to a Polish mate. A new clutch at 14 yrs was all it ever needed. He is gradually restoring it and drives it to Poland a couple of times a year.
Peugeot 605 SVi, 18 years. It was stil a delight to drive but so many perishable bits of rubber and plastic needed replacing to keep it reliable it went to the breakers.
Bought a shogun in 2001 with 6k on it and sold it in 2010 with 128k on the clock - all it ever had was oil and brake pads - bloody amazing and the chap who bought it is still driving it.
Forgot about my caterham 7, bought in 2000 when it was 4 years old,so its now 22 years old.
Havent a clue how many miles its done because the speedo broke years ago,and its had various new clocks in it since then. Its had a new everythibg over the years, i think the only original things on it are the chassis the diff,and the rear left wing, everything else has been rebuilt or replaced - worn out through trackdays or upgraded to go faster on trackdays.
It doesnt get much use these days,but its not depreciating, so it can stay.
Almost 10 years and 60k miles for our T5, started as a panel van and ended as a full camper conversion. Only 'necessary' mechanical issues were new turbo internals after the originals gummed up (stuck vanes, no amount of turbo cleaner helped).
Longest I've owned an actual car was my mk1 Punto Sporting. Couple of years old when I bought it, I had it almost 5 years and near enough cried when I sold it. Around 70k not-very-gentle miles in that time (I was young, male and a driving god, obviously...). Not a single thing broke or went wrong. Well the exhaust rusted through and fell off but that was all.
Ran a mk2 Golf GTi for 10 years. It was just about run in when I sold it after 100k miles.
13 years for the 406 estate I had before my current Mondeo. Bought it when it was 18 months old in 1999, only managed ~130k miles in that time which is kind of strange as I was doing 20k a year for a few years. By the time I got rid it was starting to need more expensive work - it seems it didn't get taxed a year after I sold it or an MOT from a little after that, so I guess it died.
I've had my 2000 VW Passat Estate since 2004. It has 170k on the clock and is reaching the end. Mechanics and bodywork are still good but an increasing number of small niggles - damp, electrics and damp electrics. It's past being worth spending more money on so I'm looking around for a replacement. 14 years for under £5k plus a few minor parts. Can't grumble.
Had longest:
= 1972 VW Karmann Ghia.. will have had 20 years in November, second owner.. covered maybe 30k in that time.
= 1960 VW Beetle.. will have had it 17 years in June.. covered less than 100 miles! 😳
Most miles:
= 2008 BMW 325D Touring.. had it for 7 1/2 years and 130k (just coming up to 200k)
1973 Land Rover Series 3 88, bought in 1996 and still have it, currently undergoing its third rebuild in my ownership.
Owned a Renault Laguna for 6 years and took it from 90K to 220K
Apart from the normal stuff only required a new fusebox, some track rod / ball joint bits and some wheel bearings.
R53 Cooper S - bought new in August 2003. Still got it and still love it.
We tend to buy cars we like and then just run them until they break/become uneconomic to repair.
Currently have an E39 525d Touring that I’ve had for 9 years. Bought at 113k now on 235k. Still on original clutch, turbo and exhaust but injectors and fuel pumps replaced, some by me and some be previous owner. Going rusty now but is still a very nice car to drive and takes a 29er with the wheels on.
Also ran a Mk2 Gti for nearly a decade. Scrapped that at 235k.
I've had my VW Corrado since 2007. Though it's been off the road for a couple of years following a (none fault) crash which became an excuse for a bigger, tuned up engine and a respray. It has dragged on a bit..
Said a sad cheerio in November to my old Corsa, bought six years old in 2012 and banged 80k on her with little more than consumables. The alternator fell off (still drove, garage just bolted it back on again) and the thermostat housing split last summer, but other than that, she'd been a good car.
I've only had 9 cars since I passed my test in 1974. 'Best' as in most reliable, was my 01 Passat 130tdi, had it from 2005 till 2014, bought with 96K & sold it with 235K on, running repairs only, same clutch, gearbox, exhaust, battery. The only reason I sold it was cos for it's mot It needed front calipers, central locking was dodgy, a couple of suspension bits & a CV boot. Wish I'd kept it cos I swapped it for a dog of a same model Passat!
Fave car was my 1972 1600E.
2005 Touran. Bought 2008 with 23k on. Ran until 2014 with 153k on.
Cost a fortune in bits that went wrong, ate suspension parts up front, shat the ABS unit twice, dmf, dpf, she, glow plugs twice, airbag cable twice, boot strut mounting etc etc. Sold it when turbo started playing up on same trip the clutch/dmf started making noises, when it was already booked in for timing belt a week later.
I had a BMW 320d for 11 years. It had 250000 on it when it went. It needed a new turbo at 100k which is why I held onto it. Starter motor went and it struggled through its last few MOTs.
I would have another one.
This thread is making the Audi / pcp threads look ridiculous.
I owned a ford anglia for 2 months back in 1978. Never owned one since. It was scrapped
My 54’ Galaxy TDi.
Bought at 60k, 7 years ago, now on 136k.
Its been the biggest POS ever in terms of reliability, not big faults; just niggly ones, but cheap, easy fixes.
But it’s just such a practical motor though. Drags a tonne & a half Caravan around France with no issues. It’s tolerant of stop start town motoring.
Nothing short of a van comes close, but it’s nicer to ride in than a van.
i can’t see me changing it for 100k yet, providing the chassis holds out. Just about to have a full brake & suspension rebuild.