Who says owning an old Volvo is expensive?

[TurnipSpeed]

Well, I am on my second 940 2.3lpt in 11 years,
and am totally dependent on the car’s reliability,
having no money for a newer car.
My wife and I look after her Mother( 88 and in poor health)
from 20 miles away.
Apart from the water pump going bang, the car has been a
lifesaver, but is also great fun to own and drive.
Yes, I know that sooner or later it will let us down again, but
I also know it will usually be easily and cheaply fixed.
And with a few exceptions, most people are within reach of
public transport for emergencies( me included).
I am not naive, but am happy to have a car that we can rely
on and enjoy.

[canis]

It does depend quite how old, and how much of the work one does oneself. No way could our family have stayed on the road were it not for a goodly supply of V40 parts being taken off the road every year. The danger will be when they start to dry up, like what happened with my Sierra.

Then, in terms of efficiency, there's considerable doubt as to whether a new car is genuinely more efficient after cost of disposal and recycling the old one plus the mining, refining, production of a new one, bearing in mind the new one won't be able to do anything the old one can't already do, and will probably spend a lot of time driving backwards and forwards because the driver can't resist using the built-in sat-nav.

As for dangerous, I'd debate that too. I'm genuinely astonished at the level and depth of modal interface systems drivers are playing with while they're driving around. Trying to figure out if the sport mode is genuinely faster, or if it's all just gimmick. Say what you like about your airbags and auto-braking - our 20 year old V40 has never killed an occupant either, now I wonder why that is...

No. Fact is running a turn-of-the-century V40 is far and away cheaper than a new car. My father in law has a Kia Picanto to prove it, and it's a pile of ****e I know for a fact which I'd rather be driving. Difference is, his one cost £6500. We've not spent anywhere near even half that. And we get leather seats, heated, auto, cruise, climate, elec, etc. Put in that perspective, a base model Kia Picanto for six'n'alf grand is a ludicrously expensive way to get around.

[TurnipSpeed]

I always find it strange that people choose to buy a car
over 3 years, without ever owning it!
true, you get that perceived reliability( but not always!),
but at a huge price.
Still, that’s up to the individual.
Know what I’d rather SPEND my money on!

[canis]

Ha, yeah, that's the other point - we actually own ours. It might not be new, might not have the latest faddy headlamps but it's all ours.

[Triple-S]

In my books, you are all talking about what I call newish cars. I have never had a newish car nor want one: our first was a late forties side-valve Ford which we used everywhere when we had a young family. Then a 20 year old campervan so we could have holidays, then a 20 years old Volvo Amazon for yet more inter-galactic mileage with very little down-time. Then a 25 years old Volvo 245 with ditto use, and since the end of last century the 1972 Volvo 164 I still drive now - have just this second returned home after seeing friends with it.
I do some preventative maintenance but more complex or heavy tasks I pass to a Volvo dealer (yes costly but I enjoy driving the car so mere detail). Now I'm retired I only use my 164 for family and friends rounds, so why on earth would I need a newer car? I can get bits far easier that a friend with a late '80s Rover, with its OD gearbox I can get better fuel consumption than my former workmate's Mondeo, I now have free tax plus classic car agreed value insurance and nil depreciation, so what's there not to love?
Naaaa, new cars are either for regular commuting to have your doors bashed in the car park, and car snobs, of which I am neither! There may only be a handful of Volvo 164s left in Surrey/Sussex but they are all loved and in regular use - I know all the owners!

P

[jpliddy]

this subject will always have 2 sides to it i have owned my car over 19 years now its been very reliable overall but has had its gremlins which with the help of you people here ive got them sorted . i do a lot of maintenance myself which i enjoy doing when the weather suits . so im on the side of the keep the old girls rolling
my personal opinion only regards jim

[Dibble]

Originally Posted by SteveP

Wouldn't call it an exception, the only thing I can agree with is that modern cars use less fuel.

Volvo used to have an advert that said 'True economy is not how many miles to the gallon but how many years to the car'!

[mrfixer]

I think if you repair older cars yourself then I would say they are not expensive having to pay someone different story if you had to pay every time you had a fault
We have two oldish Volvos both 2003 models and I work on the little things most months just to keep from developing into major faults

[TurnipSpeed]

I would have an older Volvo if I could afford one, along the lines of
“Less to go wrong”.
To many enthusiasts the later Cars( post-1998?) have much less in common with the older cars( poorer build quality and design perhaps?).
I know of a cheap ex-Volvo mechanic who does work on my car, so I am fortunate.

[aardvarkash10]

admittedly a sample of two but here's my claim to certain proof:

Snork, 2008 V50 2.4i 170-ish hp version. Bought as a JDM import 2 years nine months ago at 49,000km. Now 115,000km. Costs to run - one set of tyres, two short form services (oil, filters etc). Currently showing around 12km/l average. More airbags than a convention of retired hairdressers. Doesn't leak, blow smoke, or drop oil. Never failed to start. Gets left in the snow on mountaintops for days on end, still starts. Great audio system, goes round corners well, brakes well, accelerates ok. Looks anonymous.

Moomin, 1995 940 estate B230FT. Bought as a fun car approximately 2 years ago. Approximately 6,000km since then, Work so far - coolant bypass pipe leak repaired, radiator replaced, heater matrix bypassed, cylinder head removed, skimmed, valves lapped, refitted, radiator hoses replaced, water pump replaced, thermostat replaced, rear brake pads and shoes replaced, front tyres replaced, drop links and bushes replaced, spaceship and strut stay arm bushes replaced, ignition module and crank sensor replaced, plugs replaced, one short form service (oil, filter etc), in-tank fuel pump replaced, driver seat realigned after power seat adjustment ran amok.

Needs new shocks, sunroof leak to be repaired, heater matrix to be replaced, air con system to be reinstated. Stereo system is tired, starts some days, leaks like a sieve atm, drops fluids like a geriatric gentleman, drinks petrol at a rate that makes him solely responsible for the entire global warming problem, can apex a corner in the same way a galleon tacks around an Americas Cup course.
Looks like a Norse God voyaging south to conquer some lilly-white cowering lowland dwellers.

I smile when I drive both of them, but for very different reasons.