Finger rule on car longevity

[Jet-Fighter7700]

So I'm about to start a flame war here,

But lets see what happens

So anyway with my Korean cars ecu busted and costing a lot of cash (probably) to fix,
I'm getting a lot of conflicting info from many people.

They say the most cost effective way to drive a reliable car---any car is buy at 1 year or demo keep for 5 years then sell as it gets to 5 years exactly,

So in my case brought my picanto at 3 years from 2010 drove for 2 and now time to sell as its 5 years old and too expensive to maintain

My argument is as long as nothing major happens, you can drive for as long as want, or until you find something better,

Or is this all dependant on what you drive, and how you drive?

Surely something that was built to last like a tazz or citi golf is more reliable than something more modern with a ecu, like a figo or an i10
Not sure if its the same if its a corsa lite or Chinese car like geely or even etios

Still trying to understand like with cellphones ant IT equipment, if planned obsalecence exists?

 

[Sinbad]

I have 2 ecu based cars. One was made in 98 and the other in 2003.

going up the sani pass in the 98 one in the next few days.
Look after it and it'll look after you.
Repairing an old car can be expensive but it's a lot cheaper than a new car

 

[Polymathic]

So I'm about to start a flame war here,

But lets see what happens

So anyway with my Korean cars ecu busted and costing a lot of cash (probably) to fix,
I'm getting a lot of conflicting info from many people.

They say the most cost effective way to drive a reliable car---any car is buy at 1 year or demo keep for 5 years then sell as it gets to 5 years exactly,

So in my case brought my picanto at 3 years from 2010 drove for 2 and now time to sell as its 5 years old and too expensive to maintain

My argument is as long as nothing major happens, you can drive for as long as want, or until you find something better,

Or is this all dependant on what you drive, and how you drive?

Surely something that was built to last like a tazz or citi golf is more reliable than something more modern with a ecu, like a figo or an i10
Not sure if its the same if its a corsa lite or Chinese car like geely or even etios

Still trying to understand like with cellphones ant IT equipment, if planned obsolescence exists?

Yes it does, it is the reason they release a new model every year but it's at a way lesser extent

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Yes it does, it is the reason they release a new model every year but it's at a way lesser extent

So what your saying is cars last as long as the warrenty still around?
If they made it as reliable then nobody would buy new cars...

 

[supersunbird]

The kilos are normally what drives the maintenance bills on a car, more than the vehicle age alone. Obviously many kilos with old age is not the ideal.

 

[gelid]

Its all about looking after it and getting something was was reliably built in the first place

 

[Wasabee!]

Get a VW polo vivo, there is a reason why it is the best selling SA car for a few cars years now besides the brand.

Go read youtube reviews on it. It isn't the most advanced engine like the Koreans put in their cars, but this makes it cheap to maintain and it is reliable. My friend has a polo 2005 that is on 330 000 kms. Also it shares many parts with the old polo. Fuel economy on the highway at 100km/h 80% driving gives me 5.5l/100 km.

 

[Beachless]

For me its just before the banks stop giving out loans to potincial buyers and that is 8 years old. But like the others said it depends on milage and how well you were able to look after it. Some cars are also better engineered and use better materials than others.

 

[Foxhound5366]

In my experience the warranty is pretty useful to fix those parts of a new car that are delicate and faulty from the get-go.

I have a theory that after a new car is released, the OEM then studies which parts fail on it during real-world use thanks to all the warranty claims, and re-engineers those components to prevent them from failing and thereby reducing repeat warranty claims on the same parts.

In my current car, an engine temperature sensor failed twice and needed to be replaced in the first year of the car's life under warranty, and in its third year of life it needed to have the climate control temperature sensor replaced (also under warranty).

The actual mechanicals are running like a dream still, and I reckon she'll keep going for a good long time yet. I'm hoping with those senor gremlins sorted, there's nothing more in store once the warranty expires in two years

 

[Archer]

Still trying to understand if like with cellphones and IT equipment, if planned obsolescence exists?

This whole 5 year/100,000km/out of plan thing is clever marketing driven by fear. Luckily it means cheaper used cars for the rest of us, so I thank the people following this

 

[FNfal]

This whole 5 year/100,000km/out of plan thing is clever marketing driven by fear. Luckily it means cheaper used cars for the rest of us, so I thank the people following this

It works for me i buy new and do not keep the car more than 3 years , normally 2 years by then i am bored with the car any way and buy another one .

 

[PostmanPot]

They say the most cost effective way to drive a reliable car---any car is buy at 1 year or demo keep for 5 years then sell as it gets to 5 years exactly.

This fallacy exists because it drives/fuels the car industry. Age, maintenance, and mileage myths are all there to keep the manufacturers afloat, pumping out new cars.

P.S. It seems your full stop and comma keys have been switched around.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

This fallacy exists because it drives/fuels the car industry. Age, maintenance, and mileage myths are all there to keep the manufacturers afloat, pumping out new cars.

P.S. It seems your full stop and comma keys have been switched around.

Lol regarding comma and full stop, autocorrect sometimes does that.

As for the car myth, I'm not so sure regarding that, i mean you get cars that go forever with no issues,
And then you get cars that fall apart as soon as the warrenty expires.

So it all depends then,
As for a Polo, thought about it but my experience been less than great,

Dad Had a Polo vivo hatch 2014 model that spent more time in the garage with on the road, mainly power steering issues and mainly issues related to sensors not working right.

 

[supersunbird]

Lol regarding comma and full stop, autocorrect sometimes does that.

As for the car myth, I'm not so sure regarding that, i mean you get cars that go forever with no issues,
And then you get cars that fall apart as soon as the warrenty expires.

So it all depends then,
As for a Polo, thought about it but my experience been less than great,

Dad Had a Polo vivo hatch 2014 model that spent more time in the garage with on the road, mainly power steering issues and mainly issues related to sensors not working right.

See, new car doesn't always equal less hassle.

 

[Nirv]

My GF's father drove a rental Polo with about 1k kms total yesterday, broke down and would not start with various ECS and other electrical system warnings in the parking lot of a restaurant. So yeah, new isn't always problem-free.

 

[reactor_sa]

My GF's father drove a rental Polo with about 1k kms total yesterday, broke down and would not start with various ECS and other electrical system warnings in the parking lot of a restaurant. So yeah, new isn't always problem-free.

Haha, probably the battery died. Was this while attempting to start the car?

 

[Nirv]

Apparently not, just cut out while moving. Strange that it happened after driving for 3hrs just fine.

 

[Lupus]

I had a polo for six years, they are expensive to maintain actually.

 

[supersunbird]

I had a polo for six years, they are expensive to maintain actually.

General services maintenance? Broken/failed components maintenance? Dealer or independent service place?

 

[Zuner]

Drive the car nicely, and maintain it properly and it will last, i own a 99 Hyundai Accent, i drive minimum 200km a day, its currently got 446000km on it, and it doesn't cost me much to maintain.