I notice that the UK car census conducted by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows rising new car registrations and longer-lasting cars have combined to push up the number of cars in the UK by more than 436,000 units to 32 million in 2013.
The 1.4 per cent rise in 2013 marked the fastest rate of growth for 10 years. This saw the number of older cars rise thanks to ever-increasing reliability. Cars older than 12 years rose 11.3 per cent against 2012 with 2.06 million more cars recorded in the latest census.
Compared with a decade ago, the average age of a car increased by a full year (to 7.7 years old), as the trend grew for cars remaining on the road for longer. This fascinates me.
It also prompted me to calculate the average age of my fleet. Spread over four cars it is 25.25 years, although the week before it had actually been 26.75 years as I had bought something a bit newer.
Or maybe you don't run as many (old) cars as I do? If you don't, maybe you could try and match my score by thinking back and listing the age of your previous cars and come up with an average age of the cars you have owned? I struggled to get below 10 years at any part of my car-owning career.
According to the offcial stats, there are more than 1453 different models on UK roads with the Ford Focus making it as the nation’s most popular car.
Obviously I love old cars since I believe a three-year PCP, contract hire or lease is reckless and wasteful short termism as far as I am concerned.
So I just wondered how old your used cars are, or usually are? Oh and do you own a Focus like everyone else?
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Beat this for average age!
Just come across this old thread, James - yes, we (retired couple) have a reliable 2000reg Ford Focus Auto Estate 125,000m (Yamaha engine, Mazda g/box). I have just doubled its value by replacing the front discs and pads! I also have an original unrestored 1980 TR7, 70,000m, owned from 1981, and a stunningly quick (lower final drive than the LWB) 2005 Audi A8 SWB W12 sports saloon, 62,000m, which I doubt any of you young scribblers have driven as only about sixty were sold here before they put the more raucous and less torquey V10 in it and called it the S8. All three are taxed all year round, used regularly, and should last several more years.
Average age 22.
Increase in Awareness
I think this sort of thing can be put down to people being more aware that they don't need to own a newer car. People are less disposable with their income now, and would rather spend money fixing their car than spending even more on a new car. This is probably helped by the internet allowing people to find trustworthy garages and mechanics, through review sites and specialist search engines such as https://www.whocanfixmycar.com/, allowing people to get their car fixed, and actually know it's fixed.
15 years and counting
I've never owned a Focus, although set out to buy a nice sensible one last year. In the end I ended up coming back with the A4 Cabrio (having looked at no Focuses and 5 A4s...).