I must say I’m a bit concerned about the future of the banger. In 10 or 20 years’ time, I may be too incoherent and senile to care, but right now, it doesn’t look that good.
Insurers Admiral did the usual attention-seeking thing and revealed that there are just 799 Ford Granadas in circulation. Or at least on our roads. Well, that always happens: what was once street furniture eventually, through natural wastage and rust, becomes a rarity. This isn’t bangers dying out: it is just them becoming classics. What is supposed to happen is that you move on to the next generation of neglected and overlooked 2000-onwards motors.
Things like a Honda Civic, which is a recurring favourite of yours. A 2001 Civic 1.4i with 112,000 miles as an unwanted dealer part-exchange costs £295. It has those massive wide-eyed headlights and just some age-related cosmetic marks and knocks. That’s value for money right there.
The Toyota equivalent is the Toyota Corolla. A 1997 1.6 GS can still do a job, especially at £475, which seems rather pricey actually, but if it never breaks down, then that’s a just-add-petrol situation.
The point I am making here is that these are the utterly reliables that have proved themselves in the real world. However, the next generation of potential bangers is not looking good. A reader writes – and I will protect his identity – that he has recently spent quality time delivering hire cars and what he is experiencing is not great when it comes to wear and tear. Obviously, hire cars lead a very hard life indeed, but these are 19-plate vehicles and are no more than 10 weeks old and with mileages that are less than 1500.
So let’s start with some worn carpets on a Hyundai i10 and Honda Jazz. More serious is a service light being on at 3500 miles with a Ford Tourneo Courier. Annoying is a frozen touchscreen on a Ford Focus and irritating, especially for neighbours, is a repeated alarm activation on a Citroën C4 Cactus. Driver’s door switches not working on a Mini Countryman need to be snagged and false tyre pressure warnings on both a Jazz and a Mitsubishi Outlander are a surprise.
Our undercover correspondent signed off with a “Best of luck buying a banger in 10 to 15 years’ time”. He has a point. Cars are now needlessly complicated. It is disturbing that the cars he is driving are box fresh and already showing signs of failure. I spent some time with a major supplier of warranties called Motoreasy. They have the real-world stats, which identify repeat reliability offenders. Maybe I’ll tell you some real-life breakdown stories soon.
What we almost bought this week
Audi TT 1.8T Quattro: The 1.8T is the orphan in the Mk1 range but no matter: this one, a 2002-reg with 112,000 miles, looks like a bargain. It’s got full service history, claims the private seller, and has had just three previous owners. This should go in its favour – except for the fact that they could all have been animals behind the wheel.
Tales from Ruppert’s garage
Mini Cooper, mileage - 102,954: My 1964 Mini, which has been piling on the miles recently, made a guest appearance at the Autocar Awards and was in a little film that was shown on the night. I made the epic journey. Well, it was only a 250-ish-mile round trip, and blimey was it noisy. I usually do half-hour blasts, but six hours at 250dB was rather tiring for someone of my age, but huge fun.
I will give it a quick once-over because it is due an MOT. Legally, it doesn’t need one, but one would be stupid not to.
Reader’s ride
Skoda Fabia estate: Steve Lee is giving us an update on his Fabia 1.9 TDI estate: “It is not far short of 177,000 miles. It was originally for my son, who needed something cheap and economical. Once he had finished with it, I took it over and used it for work and now my wife uses it.
“During its time with us, it took four of us and a boot load to near Frankfurt and back at 60mpg. That was when it had done 144,000 miles. Since then, I’ve used it to move the contents of my daughter’s flat, twice.
“While we’ve had it, it has had only routine maintenance and servicing, a couple of front dampers, rear door locking solenoids, two brake light switches and a few minor things. I have done all the work myself. It’s been the best car I’ve ever had and I’ve had a few.”
Question: I’ve got £5000 to spend on a first car for my 18-year-old daughter. Is this enough or would I be better off paying a smaller deposit and £100 a month for something newer? Gordon Turner, Bedford
Answer: For £100 a month and a £200 deposit, you could get her a 2016 Renault Twingo with 27,000 miles but that’s a four-year PCP with an optional final payment of £2300. Simply put, you’ve paid £5000 over the term but still don’t own the car. So see if you can persuade her to take a 2015 Skoda Citigo SE with 38,000 miles for £5000 dead – no deposit, no monthly payments and she can part-ex it any time. John Evans
Question: I’ve been observed doing 38mph in a 30mph zone by speed watch volunteers. I was caught doing the same speed by police in the same zone two years ago and attended a speed awareness course. Will I get a ticket for being caught again? Lucy Harris, Folkestone
Answer: Speed watch volunteers can’t issue tickets. The worst you’ll face is a letter from your local police saying they’ve got your number and if you are observed again, they may act or pay you a visit for a spot of further education. John Evans
Read more
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James Ruppert: the most reliable used cars​
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Dear ol' Granny
Well I for one am saddened to hear of the Granada's demise as my first ever car was a gorgeous 1976 Mk1 with black vinyl roof, two-tone custom paint job and 2.5 litre V6. As a 20 year-old student back in 1984 I hankered after a Mustang, but at £250 the Granny was a more than adequate substitute ... perfect for motorway trips from home to college in Cardiff, ferrying mates to classes and cruising a deserted Butetown after dark. One Valentine's Day my girlfriend and I left a nightclub and discovered the car had been stolen; the police found it abandoned on a council estate a few miles away, the petrol siphoned out and the aerial decorated with a fresh daffodil. You gotta hand it to 'em: those Taffy low-lifes had a sense of style!
Confusing article eliciting confused responses
There are 2 entirely separate points which Mr Ruppert is trying to make here - and I'm surprised at how badly he's mixed them up.
On reliability and wear-resistance, I'd be very surprised if today's cars are less well built than those from 20 or 30 years ago.
But where he's 100% right is on complexity - today's cars will undoubtedly still be driveable in 20 years time.... but a massive number of the trivial, pointless and idiotic "features" now fitted as standard will be unsuable, either because they're not worth repairing, or parts are not available (because the parts inventory has ballooned, it won't be worth anyone's time keeping a stock of everything).
There's also the problem of subsequent owners not knowing which features still work and which don't. You might be relying on your car's tyre pressure sensors keeping you safe, totally unaware that they stopped working years ago, and the seller forgot (or "forgot") to mention it.
The absolute killer of cars
When they fail, and they surely will, the cost will be at the very least £1000, and quite possibly several thousand pounds. (When the tiny LCD display failed on my old 2001 E Class, I needed to give Mercedes over £1000 to make it work again)
These costs will render the cars both undriveable and irreparable.
And as for a failed hybrid system...
eseaton wrote:
Just out of interest, what is "hateful" about a touchscreen? That is unless one likes a cockpit festooned with buttons and software that is tied to hardwired controls and unable to be updated. Maybe I'm missing something beyond their dubious aesthetics and the questionable cost of replacement, something that was thrown at catalysts, ABS brake sensors, etc before they became nonissues.
Touchscreens in cars
The problem with Touchscreens in cars:
Those are just a few ergonomic and usbaility issues off the top of my head. Mainly discovered after using the system in my Mondeo. I am so thankful I have physical climate controls!
Unfair comparison
Old cars of the past were similarly unreliable, especially first model year ones.New cars of today are much more loaded with gadgets, therefore a single failure is statistically more frequent. But, if your car is second model year or above and preferably Japanese, it will be equally reliable, compared to an old one.