Tough financial times have prompted Autocar’s Used Car Expert James Ruppert to reveal the secrets of Bangernomics.
It's all about getting yourself the most car for the least money. At a stroke, depreciation no longer becomes an issue, running costs are slashed and there are no monthly finance charges. It also contrasts the high costs of buying a new car with the supreme good sense of buying a well-used one.
The full Bangernomics guide, published in the 15 May 2013 edition of Autocar, details our pick of the best city cars, people carriers, family cars, luxury saloons and performance cars. The feature also highlights common issues and faults to bear in mind when considering a competitively priced used car.
Not only will it save you money, but Bangernomics makes you feel good about owning a car. You'll be recycling a used car, prolonging its life and hopefully seeing a slightly larger balance in your bank account.
There are numerous BMWs, Mercedes and Audis available at very competitive prices. Savvy buyers could pick up a BMW 5-series from £595, a Mercedes from £395 and an iconic Volkswagen Golf from £495.
"You will own a car that will not drop in value much and will be cheap to run", explained James Ruppert.
Bangernomics isn't difficult either; it can be rewarding and enjoyable. You'll learn some skills, waste less money and have a new topic of dinner party conversation.
To learn more about the Bangernomics way, pick up this week's issue of Autocar magazine.
Autocar magazine is available through all good newsagents, and available to download from Zinio and the Apple iTunes store.
Click here for more used car buying guides.
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Hardly brain surgery.
Anyone would think this is a new concept. Many of us, often through financial necessity, have been doing this for years. I've ran a 15 year old V6 for the last 7 years - endlessly reliable, it's cost me next to nowt. Image? Couldn't care less.
Age
For the last two decades, the durability of cars, from major manufacturers, has improved markedly, including drive trains. I remember not so long ago, where 100,000 miles was said to be the reliable limit, now this seems to be closer to 250,000. Obviously other parts, brakes, suspension, etc will wear out sooner, depending upon the type of driving (when looking for a diesel, lots of motorway mileage is always a good thing).
The one area to remember is safety; as far as I am aware, air bags are good for about 15 years, then need replacing (not cheap); the AA (or RAC, not sure which) did a survey on older cars a few years ago and found that a steel monocoque, after 10 years of average mileage and wear and tear, had lost 50% of it's structural strength.
The moral of the story is, if you buy an older second-hand car, remember not to crash it (the bigger the car, the safer you will be).
Ha ha ha ha - a laugh a day
Can't help laughing since reading James Ruppert's Bangernomics. The whole article along with the pictures was fantastic.
That's not saying I'm gonna go out looking for an old banger but it did make for a fun reading.