News

Old but perfectly fine cars: Why some people upgrade & some retain them

6th June 2023, 16:20 by Utkarsh Chaudhary

If it is running fine, rather than plonking a huge amount on a new one why not put some TLC on the existing vehicle?

BHPian SideView recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Let's keep “old” as a 7/8-year-old vehicle for the sake of discussion.

For some of us retaining a vehicle for long is something of a pride. But as the vehicle ages the more probability of running into expensive repairs and it becoming an endless money pit.

But if the vehicle is running fine (ignoring the minor niggles here and there) rather than plonking a huge amount on a new one why not put some TLC on the existing vehicle as mentioned in some of the really good threads like GTO’s thread on upgrade, swap or keep.

But I am curious to know what finally pushed you to upgrade or for the brave ones to maybe retain the older steeds for longer. (Considering you had no major issues)

For context, I own an 8-year-old 90k km driven diesel Terrano (maintained at FNGs and my only vehicle) but not really having any itch to upgrade (but my friends have more of an itch to make me upgrade), but wondering if I am making any mistake holding on for longer. Resale value anyhow would be pathetic. (I forsee Timing belt and clutch-related maintenance in another year or two).

The major maintenance work also playing on my mind that FNG could mess it up, Nissan ASC I have given up a long time back.

Here's what GTO had to say about the matter:

Awesome thread idea, thanks for sharing.
My Civic was running perfectly fine. Fast, fun to drive, good space and a deadly after-market audio system. But I sold that perfectly-running car for peanuts (some 2.xx lakhs). Reason = the car's age, money, itch for an upgrade and my love for the F10 5-Series. Got the 530d as its replacement.
That being said, "13 years" can be the new "8 years" if you buy the right car. What I'm trying to say is, most of us enthusiasts usually upgrade our cars at the 8 - 10 year mark. But if you spend a little more for a better car, you will keep the car for over 10 years and save money in the long run. Related Article. My 530d is now 10 years old and I have no plans to replace it for at least another 2 years, if not 3. Running beautifully. It's the longest I have kept a daily driver.

Here's what BHPian Kosfactor had to say about the matter:

Our Scorpio was perfect, extremely well kept and yet it was exchanged for a new vehicle after 8 years or so because it was my Wife's birthday and it's the best I could do.
A new house of her choice would be a lot more expensive, guess I saved some money after all.

Here's what BHPian dass had to say about the matter:

The lack of safety features in my 10-year-old Dzire VDI was a key element to look for an upgrade. Looking for an automatic to give relief to my left knee for the other major reason.

Here's what BHPian sunejarahul had to say about the matter:

Made? No. It's going to be an inevitability, soon. For context, I put up in New Delhi where the draconian NGT Rule applies to 10-year-old diesel mules and soon I'll be taking the brunt of it.
The car in question is an MS S-Cross 1.3 MJD which has done about 87k kms since Sep 2015 (will turn 8 this year). The car might have some battle scars on the outside but the interiors are maintained well and the car is, mechanically, as solid as it gets.
Within the past 1.5 years, it's gotten a set of new tyres, a new clutch, new rear struts and the usual timely services with a thorough clean of the intercooler, intake and EGR with a decently good diet (synthetic oils, new filters etc). It's also run about 27k kms in this period covering a few trips to the Himalayas and frequent highway runs.
What comes next is a grey area as I've more than once "almost" sold this one for another in the past 6 months but something has kept it tied to me till now. This also happened to be the first car I "earned and bought" and hence, the attachment does also have a rationale behind it.
For now, I have decided to keep it with me until the end of 2024 before I absolutely MUST sell it. That should give me enough time to figure out what I want next, more importantly, what fuel/engine/transmission to go with it!

Here's what BHPian Bibendum90949 had to say about the matter:

Yes, I belong to this category of owners who retains the cars for a longer period. I bought a new Laura TDI MT back in 2011. It's been the most reliable car I've ever owned till date, with religious upkeep and preventive maintenance of course. I know this may sound weird to many - Skoda and reliability in the same sentence.
Circa 2017-18, I was just window shopping around to see the possible upgrade options. Quickly realised that there aren't many worthwhile cars to replace my workhorse unless one spends big money. Kodiaq TDI was contemplated briefly. Multiple test drives later I realised it's not a match to my Pete's remapped 2.0 TDI, rather not quite an upgrade in terms of driving thrill. Dropped the whole idea and the result - She still remains our highway workhorse and going strong at 205k and 12 years. I feel she's a keeper.
Since then, my interests moved onto SUVs, off - roading and exploratory trips. I'm sort of a sedan to SUV convert and Thar D AT HT is my latest steed in the garage.