For those that are thinking of purchasing a newer car
 

A good friend of mine has a Land Rover Discovery Sport, it is 6 months out of warranty and he has had owned it for about 12 months. On a recent trip to Scotland he kept getting a warning that the steering assistants was going to be turned off and it did on a couple of occasions, it would come back if he switched off the car and restarted it.

Any way it went into the dealer today for investigation. He was charged £280 to investigate the problem and all it needed was a software update :eek:

You cant tell me they didnt know exactly what the problem was likely to be and he was warned it might need another update if the problem comes back.

Anyway while on the ramp it was noticed it needs a new header tank for the cooling system but they didnt have one in stock, the part is £180, the sensors need coding to the car and it will take about an hour to fit, total cost will be over £350.

This is on a 42 month old car with 22k miles on it.

...and we grumble about the odd rusty sill !

Fools and their money are easily parted!

That’s a nice feeling, and one to be appreciated …..but at some point money will have to be spent (unless you sell and move on to something newer, or something that has already had money spent on it).
Unfortunately, parts deteriorate and need to be replaced over the course of time, no mater what the marque.
I find myself in this situation atm with a well cared for tourer that I bought several years ago.🙄. It has costed very little since purchased, but alas, now needs rear sills replaced, rear arms, and front struts. When Im getting the rear end sorted it ill probably replace springs and shocks too, to tighten it up a bit.
At a guess it’ll be about 1/2 price I paid for the car, but i reckon it’s worth it for another “x” years. “X” is unknown.😬
I don’t drive it much, so I’d say the current tyres will outlast any work done.🤔

The figures stated seem typical for any modern car where a main dealership is used for diagnostics and repairs including manufacturer supplied components. Your post in my view proves the point that spending say £1k on a known good car in order to extend its useful life is often going to be more economical than a replacement car.

Really, my friend, what you say is so deflating. Nevertheless, thank you for your sensitive and so eloquently delivered expression of views. :}

But at £280 on a modern car after 2 years, and potentially an annual cost of that is not necessarily going to extend the life. Rather that cost will just diagnose an issue only before further cost of replacement (rather than repair) of one of the many many sensors or compatibility programming of a component on a car. I have receipts of around £1000 for failed diagnosis and labour for temporary fitment of parts cannon experimentation on an XType (a car I still rather like) from a main dealer, with the only permanently fitted parts listed were for cable ties and 'some tape'! Yet the problem persisted! A squirt of WD40 apparently is a known fix for the problem I faced! (turbo actuator that gummed up, without revealing a code).

It is the nature of the beast, though. If you wish to keep up with the Joneses and display some form of affluence. We are spoiled now by our vehicles in that we have the support and knowledge of those who have had to find a way to make them viable in the modern or impoverished world.


I have missed your comments :D - just need Brian back now too, to make the popcorn worthwhile lol.

It's the reason I first came to own a 75 - after doing a bit of a hunt around for comfortable cars :D - the forum was just so comprehensive with the Buyers Guide and all the How to's. And being in the Midlands the Nano's are on my doorstep.

And it's why I came back after my dalliance with a Passat. Decent enough car with a good forum but not a 75 ;).

Long may it continue. :bowdown:

I think.
 

The 75/ZT is the last great car of the modern era that will be considered as a classic, there isn't a modern car that comes close in terms of looks and fast approaching desirability, we in the know are quite contented with the modest spending to keep a 75/ZT on the drive and, as time goes by there will be many that are just weekend cars on sunny days, that's the mark of a true classic. I think it's fair to say that modern cars aren't as loved by a younger generation, they're being taught to tolerate a car as a necessary evil and don't seem to have the passion, many £50,000 cars are on driveways and the garage has £30 worth of junk in it, that speaks volumes. I'm happy to have my cars, they are the last great British car and the last to really turn heads.

I think we are in agreement but expressing things differently. The point I intended to make was that a person should think carefully before expiring their trusted older car with a modern one because regardless of the make, ongoing costs are likely to be higher with the more modern vehicle.

It is likely to prove more economical to spend £1k on a trusty old car than to buy a newer one.