As above. I have a UK MY99, don't go in for modifying and yet that question's becoming more and more relevant as the years go by. My last big bill was a new Exedy clutch and front brakes combined, about 16 months ago. £750.00, mates rates. I have daydreams about keeping the thing forever, but sometimes worry about the time I'm going to have to spend again, even though it's cost me nothing but a pair of tyres, a minor service, a couple of wiper blades and a secondhand downpipe since that bill. The car has no issues at all, other than a bit of lacquer peel on the bonnet vents and a bit of bumper rash that I really ought to sort. What size of bill would make you say "**** it"?

 

TBH the one thats nearly the same value as the car! that all depends on you on how you think its worth, some are worth saving some are rot boxes that should be crushed lol just my 2 pence

 

Would have to be about £3k or more.

How much would a recon WRX engine be? Mine runs perfectly, just curious!

 

Thats a good question. This is from a man who is dripping money away on keeping his old man's Jag on the road, which over last year has had the following:

£450 on a steering rack.
ignition coil (£50)
ECU repair (£250)
Injector rebuild+flow test test (£120)
Coolant+Air temp sensors (£25)
Vacuum actuator (£20)
Two thermostats (£30)
Radiator hose (£12)
Bonnet struts (£20)

Not to forget:
11 litres of engine oil @ £4.50 per litre
10 litres of neat antifreeze @ £3 per litre
9 litres of Dexron III ATF fluid @5 per litre

And 85litres of Tesco 99Ron....every 150miles

I should scrap it

Thats on a car that has barely covered 1000miles in the space of 12months

 

Seriously? XKR?

 

XJ-S V12, with the ongoing fueling/ignition problems (one after the other) its been doing less than 10mpg At first I thought there was a fuel leak, my uncle then agreed and pointed to the engine.

Its running much better now, so maybe I'll see 15mpg (I hope) .

 

Ali, those are SERIOUS running costs, lol. Does the performance or driving experience in any way compensate for the outlay?

 

Hmmm. But you get some people on here saying the value of a car such as mine is about two grand on a good day, whereas in the For Sale section, you can't find one under three and a half, sometimes four and a half.

 

Ahh, I have a mate with a mdl 2000 XKR, think he gets 18mpg or so, but hugh 20s on a run.

 

No. Not even close.

In fairness it does handle and brake very well, as the suspension and brakes have mostly been sorted (understeers less than the average scoob). But I never have the guts to drive it in anger, as I constantly fear that something may break or fall off.

New steering rack should sort the lack of feedback (its a sporty version)....and stop the puddle of fluid forming underneath it.

 

Try thinking of it in another way.

If something needs replacing, don't go for OEM, use it as an excuse to upgrade

 

Blasphemy!

 

It's a good question.

I sold my 95 WRX on here about four months ago for £1500. The car was in fantastic standard condition inside and out with no chav'd up go faster stickers, spoilers or exhaust. I was under no illusion I would get more, despite what some people would like to think their old cars are worth. I had spent close to the cars value in the previous few months and the same question you're asking kept crossing my mind, but then I'd look out of the window at the car and think, how can you drive that to the scrapyard?

I think realistically, £2k value on your car is not far off the mark and I guarantee if you were to put it up for sale on here you would get quite a few pm offers of less than a grand. I think I read a thread yesterday where somebody is struggling to get more than £2K for his 51 plate Bugeye.

So I reckon if the engine went pop that'd be it, strip it and sell it as parts.

 

I think this is a mad question - people will spend thousands on a newer car then lose all the money when selling it along with depreciation and think nothing of it.

However when a car is only woth a couple of grand it seems that people will not spend a bit to keep a good car on the road. A classic will lose no money now and looked after will last a good few years more at least. Regardless of the age you still going to have to buy tyres, brakes, clutch, servicing and other bits.

Is a real shame that when a car iss only worth a couple of grand the owners seem to give up on the car - then buy a more expensive newer one and spend even more money on that - to lose even more over the next few years - mad.

Keep your classic - make it the car you want it to be - enjoy.

And they are the original and look the best - timeless shape.

 

+1 i have spent twice my cars value on it and i dont care because its just how i want it and its rust n rot free, and its a 95 classic. i am going to keep it because as these cars become rarer and rarer they will actually become worth more, a bit like my ald s2 rs turbo did.

 

I understand what you're saying, mine was a 95 and I'd had it 5 years and loved it. The only problem is there are still so many around its going to be a long time before they become rare.

 

There are probably some owners out there that are spending more on tax/insurance and fuel alone, before any other bills come into the equation.

 

um i agree its a hard one , but i still think that the classics are alot cheaper to run , that say a 51 plate bug , 250 quid for a a/f sensor on a bug thats classics aint got for a start..... 300 quid for a airflow meter for a bug , 100 for a classic ........

I did think of selling my classic then i think ive spent say 2k in bits keeping it on the road in 4 years , tyres , servicing , mot etc ,
If i sold it it worth 1500-2000 lets be honest , at say 22mpg ?????? with 245bhp but the car makes me smile then ......

say i sold it for 2k and buy a replacement say a 51plate 206 hdi to save money 50mpg ?? with 90bhp , that would save me say 100 pound a month on fuel but the roughly the same service costs , mot costs , parts a little cheaper , intill the injector pump packed in .

but would it make me happy ..

I dont think so .......

The end of the day the car owes me nothing after that long , its at a stage where everything has been changed , so why sell and start again ?????, there are so many people selling scoobies on the cost of running , but if you actually work it out its not worth it , just think about it , it may be a short term fix but it wont be in your favor in the end ,
If you have a classic scooby keep it , it owes you nothing after this long .

 

Yes my classic is nearly 11years old got it from new with 57k on the clock so will be my money pit ,hobby in the next few years
Only mods was lowered suspension and drop links so it handles like a dream and looks great

Things to spend money on shortly will be
Dents out of door £100

Wheels refurbished £250

Slight rust appearing on one rear arch so will need that sorted so budget probably £400 for this then it could do with a front end respray for odd stone chips etc to make it perfect and might as well get the rear bumper sprayed so say £750

Will need a new clutch eventually £500

So looking at £1600 to make it perfect
On a car worth £2500-3000 ,hardly common sense as I only do 2000 miles a year with it as the wrxd is my everyday car now
But it gives me pleasure looking at it and it's been with me as long as the misses so I think
I will keep it for ever

 

I'd like to think that I'd keep mine forever, too. One thing that's bothering me though, is that as the car gets older it's going to be really difficult to keep it nice without a garage or car port. Being out in all weathers is really going to take its toll.

 

Keep them as long as you can I say, the classic will be a rare sight on the roads in 3 to 5 years time.

 

Yes I agree


I always admire the old RSs and cosworths that's 20 years old and immaculate that's what as we look t the future with the NBO I want to see lots of 20 + year old classics and bug eyes all restored as new

Many classics will disappear in the next few years with the youngest being 10'years old now the chavs will get them for a months salary mod them up race them put second hand Tyres and brake pads on them with dump valves and eBay special crap then they will be scrapped crashed and the rest will rust

Who will keep them on here I wonder ?

 

abit of a strange question from someone who has nearly 59000 posts

suppose it all depends how much you want to keep it in the end,
my last classic which i owned for 2 years cost me over 10k in all (inc modding) plus insurance costs etc etc and only covered 1800 miles in the 2 years of ownship.

was it worth it ?

a big fat YES

 

Not really. 59,000 posts and eight years of Subaru ownership, but in that time I've seen the value of my car decrease from ten grand to (in some people's opinion) two grand or so. You start asking the question when a major service plus a couple of other jobs costs nearly half the value of the car, it's only natural.

 

I think a bill that just can't be met by funds or you can't quite stomach sticking it on a card.

I'd quite consider buying a nice MY00 car for say £3K. I can easily see myself spending another £3K on go faster bits - one reason why I've not bought another one just yet.

If I got a classic it would be rotated every 6 months with my Jeep Cherokee - thats 1999 and 4.0L engine. As you can imagine its probably worth about £1500 on a good day. I'm considering getting it convered to LPG - best quote I can get is £1000 by some polish dude. It could also do with new rear leaf springs and a few other odds and ends which could easily add up to another £1000.

Don't make sense forking out 2/3 the cost of the vehicle just to be able to keep it (which is the same thing as paying for a big bill - to keep it)

I could sell the Jeep, knock the classic purchase on the head and get a bugeye STI for about £5.5K - no guarantee it doesn't puke out a piston within the first month and I've got a £3K repair bill. What choice is there at that point but pay?



If you love you car, it doesn't matter. If its just a form of transport, let it die. I've an old MK3 golf that is knackered but its been in the family so long I just can't bring myself to scrap it - its proper knackered though.