[john.wigley]

Originally Posted by tt82

I think you need to factor it the costs of buying the new car - at most you will get £500 for yours in trade in, so if you spend say £2,000 on the new car, thats £1,500 you could have put towards maintenance.
Secondly, like yourself, people tend to change cars when the are needing money spent on them. Dealers may spend some money correcting some of the issues before selling, but they will try and keep it to a minimum as it eats into their profit. So any car you buy, there is always a chance that will need some work doing to it as well. Common work required is tyres, brakes, clutches and cam belts.
Lastly, is it a case of "Better the Devil you know?" Any new car might have a terminal fault which is masked by the previous owner/dealer. If you know the history of your car, and other than wear and tear items needing replacing, it is still reliable, then why change?

Hear, Hear, tt82! Couldn't have put it better myself. People also forget about the costs of production and disposal, as well as depreciation on newer cars. All of which makes my 27 year old 745 'green' in my view, in spite of it's 27MPG thirst!

Regards, John.