Old Motor

[Benipete]

Originally Posted by Bob Dobson

The A40s c 1952 were Austin Somersets. There was a similar-shaped Austin Devon. The one on the photo is c1962.

I recently read that the Land Rover was introduced c 1948 and the number of those still on the road is a very high proportion of the total manufactured.

The one in the picture is a Cambridge I think,I see It round town quite a lot.

Mine Is 20 years old and done 55,000 miles.

[MargaretR]

My little Seat is nearly nine, and has done 9,500.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

My little Seat is nearly nine, and has done 9,500.

It would be cheaper getting a taxi when you went out Margaret, 1000 miles a year,that's hardly turning the engine over

[MargaretR]

Originally Posted by jaysay

It would be cheaper getting a taxi when you went out Margaret, 1000 miles a year,that's hardly turning the engine over

I get ultra cheap fully comp insurance due to low mileage
road tax 110.00
car insurance 175.53
mot 40.00
petrol 30.00
car service 70.00
total 425.53 (35.46pm)

Last sunday I went out by taxi to my son's house and the trip to Huncoat and back cost me £12.

I will be giving up my car when the tax and insurance expire near year end, but what has decided me to do that is not running costs but the repair bills (electrical/battery problems) I've had in the past two years.

[entwisi]

1000 miles/year on 30 quids worth of fuel is approx 200mpg.... you should be talking to guiness book of records there! working on 40 mpg around town you are really looking at 150 quid a year for petrol


You are also forgetting

depreciation got to be 200 /year min even on a 9 year old car.. ,

tyres ( should be replaced after 5 years as they go off ) so working on 150 a set is another 30 quid a year,

as you also mention repairs 50 quid for general bits per year would be a sensible figure to start with but understanding that a big bill ( in this case ~ 200+ ) you might even be in the point of throwing the car away losing even more in "depreciation"

Dont forget to someone as careful as I know you are you are missing out on the interest on the money tied up in your car that could be making you money elsewhere,

adding that lot in rather increases the real cost /month to approx 55-60 /month in my rough estimates

[MargaretR]

During the first few years I did far more than 1000 miles per year.
I visited my cousin in South Wales and made trips every couple of months to Gilsland Spa in Northumbria.

It was when I became ill 3/4 years ago that mileage plummeted.
For the last 3 years I have filled the tank annualy, hence the £30.

Tyres have been replaced since new due to punctures.

I will be giving my car to my son for general use by my family.
I doubt it is worth much more than £1,500 - £2000 - money I don't need.
Interest rates are abysmal with no signs of improvement, so the interest on money from a sale would provide just a handful of taxi trips a year.

[entwisi]

in which case, 30 quid of petrol is 5 gallons so no more than 200 miles/year in which case you definately would be better using taxis......

BTW, its not good to fill up annually as modern petrol "goes off" and can cause injectors etc to gum up leading to big bills for replacing....

I do find it intersting that you sate its 1-2K that "you dont need" yet you profess to searching out every possible deal to save pennies here and there.....

The handful of taxi trips would also be more than none........

I'd also ask how "good" a driver can be with so little exposure to the road and driving conditions today. Its often said the roads are not what they were and even a pup like me can see the difference in volume/attitude/quality of driving over the last 10 years...

I know that when I dont ride my motorcycles for a short while I am "rusty" when I get back on so I'd hate to think how you must feel....

[jaysay]

My father drove a Mini City was a 1983 reg, he taxed it insured it fully serviced it and did around 500 miles between MOTs, he only used it to go to Accy once a week and up to my gaffe 3 times a week, I had just persuaded him to pack in driving when he died in 2003, in his case a taxi would have been much cheaper

[Gremlin]

Seeing as the thread mentioned Land Rovers I thought you may want to see one my brother took to South Africa and back in the early 60's. The only problem he had, apart from a few punctures, was a gear box cross member breaking, he got it welded by a chap who got it red hot and beat the parts back together with a big hammer. When they re-fit it the bolt holes matched up spot on.

The old Landy got back Ok and was in regular use for many years after, it is still rotting away somewhere in one of his buildings at his mill.

Brother is on the near side of the Landy in the photo, he didn't even have a driving licence until he returned even though he drove half of the miles

[DaveinGermany]

An old II series Lanny short wheel base, cantankerous bluddy things, but they could take some abuse.

[Gremlin]

I could never get second gear on any I drove in the army without a clonk.

The one my brother took to SA and back was the over head/side valve engine type and I made up a system of fuel lines, pumps and valves to take fuel from the two tanks we fitted and he could pump fuel from either tank via either pump and from one tank to the other if one sprung a leak. The front steering ball joint were really bad when he returned and I can remember driving it with about three quarters of a turn play on the steering wheel. They had originally painted it red but was advised to change it in case they came up against any Commie hating tribes.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by DaveinGermany

An old II series Lanny short wheel base, cantankerous bluddy things, but they could take some abuse.

Had one of them on the site were I served my time in the sixties Dave, that's when I learnt to double declutch, which funnily I did quite a lot right up to stopping driving in 95

[Bee]

Hahaha - Saw broken cars outside Tommy Blank's in Accrington......One appears to be a blue VW Polo saloon......X plate........... registered only 10 years ago.

And for Alan, there is a VW Passat-MAX Taxis parked out there.......with a smashed front.

[Lost in Cornwall]

Back in the 70's I had a mate who had an early Land Rover with a valve radio in it. If he gave you a lift in a morning the radio took about 10 minutes to warm up.

[Neil]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

My little Seat is nearly nine, and has done 9,500.

It would probably cost you less money to use taxi's instead