Oldest year of car you would consider buying/owning

[SilverSaloon]

just out of interest, i wondered what would be the oldest year of car and/or mileage you would consider buying as a daily driver.

 

[mattc]

Did consider an 80's W123 as a daily driver. Yes they are tectonically slow but the laid back approach would have suited for the commute....but work insisted I have a new thing so bang went that idea.

Guess the issue is rust more than parts.

 

[minio]

hmmm... it couldn't be older than 1806 really...


And for a day to day use I wouldn't go older than 1975 (depending on various factors though).



Greg

 

[A210AMG]

For a Daily driver I would like to have a few luxurys and to be safe (airbags etc)

So that probably limits the year to when most cars had airbags as standard.

You also want it to turn on and work so would not want something that was iffy?


My current car is the oldest and most millage car I have owned 7 yrs and 130K

 

[wemorgan]

I'm looking for a diesel car right now. I've no exact rules, but some like <10 years old <120k seems a decent price/age/reliability point to buy at.

 

[grober]

If you want a big engined car you have to aim for a pre March 2001 to avoid high road tax. Pre 1990 probably means a compromise on safety and corrosion protection. Diesels really need to be turbocharged to have decent performance. The introduction of high electronic content in the later 1990's tends to mean repairs and maintenance tend to be more problematical /expensive. In general cars at the end of a long production run tend to have most problems ironed out. These are general observations and the time scale varies from manufacturer to manufacturer but can be used as a guide.

 

[stevieb15]

I've an 89 W126 which I use daily, 18000 miles, since May 2011, couple of hundred pounds cost plus servicing which I think is great, my 88 BMW 3 Series is having a new leather interior and soft top manufactured and fitted by my Textiles and Upholstery division and I expect one of my family to use it daily.
It's great if you can make this work, low depreciation and repair bills but you need to be hugely canny/lucky at the point of purchase.

 

[steve333]

Difficult question to answer as it depends on a number of factors but all things considered as long as a car has a full history complete with old mot's & receipts & is in good condition for age then pick a number really,10-20 years?

 

[blondebier]

I run my 1993 W201 2.5D auto as a daily driver and it is great.

Depreciation is virtually nil.

Averages 44Mpg on my 25 mile commute each way.

I haven't taken the plunge into veg oil motoring, but at 44Mpg I don't think I need to.

 

[Sp!ke]

I bought my w201 as a daily driver and used it for a year with no problems whatsoever.

However, looking at my annual fuel spend, it makes little sense to drive an elderly car as a daily driver due to fuel costs.

I put over £4k of fuel into it over 10 months which works out to £14.5k over 3 years, plus servicing and maintenance and expensive road tax.

Works out more expensive than buying something much newer/more economical.

 

[neilz]

1970

 

[moonloops]

Mercedes would be 2011
Toyota would be 1990

 

[carat 3.6]

I think an old merc/jag/bmw from 1985 - 1995 is the perfect daily driver. Cheap, reliable, diy friendly, luxury barge's.

 

[LESTAYLOR]

My 1985 Mercedes 508D Camper was a daily runaround for 7 months. (See my album) it is 23ft long with no power steering. great fun. Returned 25mpg from the 4ltr diesel. only problem was parking at Tesco.

 

[stevieb15]

I bought my w201 as a daily driver and used it for a year with no problems whatsoever.

However, looking at my annual fuel spend, it makes little sense to drive an elderly car as a daily driver due to fuel costs.

I put over £4k of fuel into it over 10 months which works out to £14.5k over 3 years, plus servicing and maintenance and expensive road tax.

Works out more expensive than buying something much newer/more economical.

The trade off is low depreciation, lower maintenance costs and higher fuel bills v the cost of main dealer servicing and repairs, depreciation, cost of capital and lower fuel bills.
I actually rather like the style of the older specimens probably because I'm one myself.

 

[Henry D]

Age has never been a deciding factor for me,I always buy on condition and whether I like the car,when I bought my Merc I went 5 years older but I fancied the car and I'm glad I bought it,its without question one of the best vehicles I've ever owned and there's been a few!.

 

[Rory]

If you want a big engined car you have to aim for a pre March 2001 to avoid high road tax.

Anything before 23rd March 2006 is max band K which is £260/yr at the moment (so not much more than the £215 for pre 2001 cars).

 

[Wagon]

spend money on petrol not fast depreciating cars....
Plenty of folks on ImpactBumpers 911 forum dailying 30 plus year old 911's.

 

[ss201]

My daily driver is a 1989 W201 2.6 auto. Converted to LPG four years and 70k miles ago. Stands me at nothing with what I've saved on petrol and still looks and drives like a good 'un. A long-term keeper. Comfortable, reliable, economical, depreciation proof car.

 

[kusanku]

I would not go much before 1980, and certainly nothing which struggles with unleaded. I had a 1984 W123 as a daily drive for 6 years, and only changed it because my daily commute in thick traffic resulted in a fuel consumption of 8 mpg.

I do far less miles now, so would definitely consider a 190E, a 123 series 230E or a 124 series as a daily drive.