Seriously?

[Moomoo]

Originally Posted by Steve 940

New listing just seen!!!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/275508763...Bk9SR8yRobb_YA

Looks a fantastic car, probably one of the cleanest MOT histories I've seen, but still a wedge of cash

Cheers
Steve

Quite agree Steve, it’s nice isn’t it? If you’re slow mileage chap , it’s a cheap “NEW CAR”.

It would do me!😁

[BicycleBoy]

While since we've had a rusty Amazon. Here's an old friend, now down to £2000 (£1500 last month and £3750 firm before that, so who knows).
https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1514773

If MOT'd, number plate probably worth more than car.
Buy, fix enough to pass MOT, get age related plate & sell 73 ELF to finance restoration? Trailer and brave pills obligatory.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Steve 940

New listing just seen!!!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/275508763...Bk9SR8yRobb_YA

Looks a fantastic car, probably one of the cleanest MOT histories I've seen, but still a wedge of cash

Cheers
Steve

Well, maybe. I’m always a bit circumspect about expensive oldish but non-historic motor cars. I’m not sure how one uses a 31 year old museum piece. If driven like a modern car the mileage and condition would soon stop it being special and reduce its value quickly. If just kept to look at that seems a bit pointless to me.

Lots of people will disagree with me, but this still seems a great deal of money for something that can’t really be used.

:-)

[Othen]

Originally Posted by BicycleBoy

While since we've had a rusty Amazon. Here's an old friend, now down to £2000 (£1500 last month and £3750 firm before that, so who knows).
https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1514773

If MOT'd, number plate probably worth more than car.
Buy, fix enough to pass MOT, get age related plate & sell 73 ELF to finance restoration? Trailer and brave pills obligatory.

What a bizarre world we live in: a vanity plate is worth more than a motor car (all be it a pretty crappy one). I’m wondering whether anyone has tried to transfer the vanity plate without MoT testing the Amazon, perhaps DVLA wouldn’t notice :-)

[Steve 940]

Originally Posted by Othen

Well, maybe. I’m always a bit circumspect about expensive oldish but non-historic motor cars. I’m not sure how one uses a 31 year old museum piece. If driven like a modern car the mileage and condition would soon stop it being special and reduce its value quickly. If just kept to look at that seems a bit pointless to me.

Lots of people will disagree with me, but this still seems a great deal of money for something that can’t really be used.

:-)

Yes I know what you mean, I do feel cars need to be used rather than just viewed as an 'asset' or artwork, although I can think of quite a few other vehicles that would be rather more pleasing on the eye than a 240😀

If it had been an estate and a GLT, at that price I'd have been very tempted.... As Andrew mentioned it's almost a cheap new (ish) car. Then just go mad on rust prevention work, and then just enjoy driving a very nice motor.

Talking of GLT estates, Google is a dangerous thing, isn't it...

http://www.formulacars.co.uk/used-ca...40-glt-estate/

I suppose it just comes down to what each person wants, no right or wrong approach as such, everyone to their own, but would be good to see it being used.

Cheers
Steve

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Steve 940

Yes I know what you mean, I do feel cars need to be used rather than just viewed as an 'asset' or artwork, although I can think of quite a few other vehicles that would be rather more pleasing on the eye than a 240😀

If it had been an estate and a GLT, at that price I'd have been very tempted.... As Andrew mentioned it's almost a cheap new (ish) car. Then just go mad on rust prevention work, and then just enjoy driving a very nice motor.

Talking of GLT estates, Google is a dangerous thing, isn't it...

http://www.formulacars.co.uk/used-ca...40-glt-estate/

I suppose it just comes down to what each person wants, no right or wrong approach as such, everyone to their own, but would be good to see it being used.

Cheers
Steve

As you say Steve, each to his or her own. I do find the whole idea of paying well over the odds for non-historic motor cars bizarre. I look at that 35 year old estate with 90,000 miles and a nasty glass sunroof you like for £11,500 and compare it with a modern motor car. The 8 year old Skoda Superb elegance diesel estate with 80,000 miles sitting outside my house now is probably worth less than £10,000 but is a better motor car in every way: more powerful (140 HP), better fuel consumption (50 MPG), cheaper tax (£30/year), far better corrosion protection… why would anyone pay more to drive a relic with no particular historical interest? This is just my view of course.

I do like old (40-60 year old) Volvos of course, but because they are a cheap way of owning interesting motor cars. In my humble opinion a couple of grand is plenty to pay for a pretty good 240. I’m a tightwad though :-)

Alan

[Moomoo]

Originally Posted by Steve 940

Yes I know what you mean, I do feel cars need to be used rather than just viewed as an 'asset' or artwork, although I can think of quite a few other vehicles that would be rather more pleasing on the eye than a 240😀

If it had been an estate and a GLT, at that price I'd have been very tempted.... As Andrew mentioned it's almost a cheap new (ish) car. Then just go mad on rust prevention work, and then just enjoy driving a very nice motor.

Talking of GLT estates, Google is a dangerous thing, isn't it...

http://www.formulacars.co.uk/used-ca...40-glt-estate/

I suppose it just comes down to what each person wants, no right or wrong approach as such, everyone to their own, but would be good to see it being used.

Cheers
Steve

That’s how I see it!

As a GLT estate mmmmmmmmm!🥰

Googling can cause wallet damage!☹️

[Steve 940]

Originally Posted by Othen

As you say Steve, each to his or her own. I do find the whole idea of paying well over the odds for non-historic motor cars bizarre. I look at that 35 year old estate with 90,000 miles and a nasty glass sunroof you like for £11,500 and compare it with a modern motor car. The 8 year old Skoda Superb elegance diesel estate with 80,000 miles sitting outside my house now is probably worth less than £10,000 but is a better motor car in every way: more powerful (140 HP), better fuel consumption (50 MPG), cheaper tax (£30/year), far better corrosion protection… why would anyone pay more to drive a relic with no particular historical interest? This is just my view of course.

I do like old (40-60 year old) Volvos of course, but because they are a cheap way of owning interesting motor cars. In my humble opinion a couple of grand is plenty to pay for a pretty good 240. I’m a tightwad though :-)

Alan

Alan, I do totally agree with your points on more modern vehicles being more fuel efficient, performance etc. etc.

However, the downside is that they're all more complex and expensive to maintain in my experience. I think I paid nearly £5-6k in last 2-3 years of owning my old Audi Allroad.

Think I've been converted to less is more, and the older I get, I fear becoming a luddite 😀

Also, I do perversely seem to enjoy the adventure of driving an older vehicle, will I get there?? After 13 or so months into Volvo life, and nearly 11k miles, the old girl hasn't let me down.

Oh, if you fancy a project???

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volvo-PV4...edirect=mobile

Cheers
Steve

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Steve 940

Alan, I do totally agree with your points on more modern vehicles being more fuel efficient, performance etc. etc.

However, the downside is that they're all more complex and expensive to maintain in my experience. I think I paid nearly £5-6k in last 2-3 years of owning my old Audi Allroad.

Think I've been converted to less is more, and the older I get, I fear becoming a luddite 😀

Also, I do perversely seem to enjoy the adventure of driving an older vehicle, will I get there?? After 13 or so months into Volvo life, and nearly 11k miles, the old girl hasn't let me down.

Oh, if you fancy a project???

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volvo-PV4...edirect=mobile

Cheers
Steve

We are all in violent agreement Steve :-)

I like simple motor cars (Amazon and 1983 240 with a carburettor) - The only difference is I don’t like paying much for them!

Alan

PS. I hardly ever stay up this late (it is 1 am) - but I’ve been out collecting Dan and his mates from a party - as dads do :-)

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Steve 940

Alan, I do totally agree with your points on more modern vehicles being more fuel efficient, performance etc. etc.

However, the downside is that they're all more complex and expensive to maintain in my experience. I think I paid nearly £5-6k in last 2-3 years of owning my old Audi Allroad.

Think I've been converted to less is more, and the older I get, I fear becoming a luddite 😀

Also, I do perversely seem to enjoy the adventure of driving an older vehicle, will I get there?? After 13 or so months into Volvo life, and nearly 11k miles, the old girl hasn't let me down.

Oh, if you fancy a project???

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volvo-PV4...edirect=mobile

Cheers
Steve

This is quite an interesting discussion Steve,

I have a foot in both camps in that I run modern motor cars as well as my two older Volvos (59 and 39 years old). I've just done a little thought experiment to see what would happen if I disposed of my 2013 Skoda Superb diesel estate and ran the Barge (1983 240 saloon) in the main car role instead.

I suppose the Barge could just about do everything: it is fitted for towing, so I could use my bike trailer (maybe twice/year) and my 3/4T ramp back (perhaps 4 times/year) much the same. Moving Bob around would be a bit less convenient in that there isn't room for his travel crate in the back, but not impossible. So, the 240 could do the job, but a bit less comfortably (no electric memory seats, air conditioning etc), safely (no airbags, ABS, stability control etc) or conveniently (no built in SATNAV, remote central locking, electric mirrors etc).

I insure the Skoda for 8,000 miles/year and the 240 for 2,000. If I insured just the Volvo for 10,000 miles/year I probably couldn't buy classic car cover for it, so the cost might be about the same as both at the moment. The Barge is about £300/year for tax (for one more year, then free), but the Skoda is only £30 - so it would take 10 years worth of historic car ownership to recoup that expense.

I think normal servicing costs might be similar - I use a local garage for the Skoda which is about £200/year. I would service the 240 myself but the schedule demands more frequent attention. Normal expendables like tyres and brakes would be the same. The Barge would need more repairs in that the Skoda hardly ever goes wrong and seems completely immune from corrosion. 1980s Volvos are very prone to rusting and there is an inevitability that it would become an issue on a car used every day. The Barge would need more replacement parts in that everything is 39 years old and bits will come to the end of their natural lives.

The biggest difference would be in fuel consumption. In 8,000 miles the Skoda would need 160 gallons costing about £1,300. In 2,000 miles the Barge will use 80 gallons costing about £640 - so my total cost for the pair now is about £1,940. Now, if the Barge did 10,000 miles/year it would use 400 gallons costing about £3,200. So, my fuel bill would rise by over £1,200.

On the plus side (for the Barge), I could sell the Skoda (I might get 10 grand, probably a little less) and the barge only cost me £2,000 - so it has stopped depreciating (it will appreciate a bit when it becomes an historic vehicle in a year).

So, it could be done: I could use the Barge as a regular car. The one factor that swings it is favour of keeping the Skoda and using the Barge as a hobby car is that Dan won't drive the 240 (he is learning to drive and should very soon have a licence). Ho hum, better leave everything as it is :-).

Bobwalking time.