That's that for another two years

[L Austin France]

My old Pug 806 HDI passed the CT today with a few minor defects.
23 years old & actually done about 240,000 km, although the 2nd hand panel I fitted due to the original's LCD odometer screen going duff & hence the CT, shows 305,500 km.
I've owned her for about 20 years & really like the old gal. Top of the range model with leather & all the bells & whistles which still funtion as new. Always starts & never let me down. Beat that you modern cars!
Excellent 7 seater when needed but used more these days as a rubbish carrier & material collector with 5 seats removed .
Hope to keep her on the road until she becomes a voiture de collection. Don't use her very often & dunno what I'll eventually replace her with.
Wouldn't half miss her if she died.

[Lori]

Congrats !

We tend to keep cars around 20 years too. We try to choose them carefully so they will last.

[RobertArthur]

Department lost, almost forgotten & found: memories from the 70s and 80s, a glowplug for an old Mercedes 220 diesel, when maintenance was much easier. Took about 10 minutes to change a defective one, including the diagnostics, simple series connection. In a much more sophisticated modern Merc you start removing a lot of stuff down under and then it takes about 30 minutes with expensive special tools. And a special price for the plugs as well. Not to forget le main-d'oeuvre.

[Hotrodder]

Its nice to hear its not just me that likes to keep a car as long as possible. I accept it is not easy for people who have to pay a garage to do the maintenance and repairs but it does give you a chance to learn its funny little ways and the sounds that tip you off that something needs attention. My old Transit had about 350k miles on it when I was forced to let it go. I knew every moving part intimately apart from the injection pump that was too complex and expensive to mess with. That was the Achilles heel that sent it to the scrappers. Both our current vehicles are 2001 Peugeots and clinging on to life. So far only exhaust systems have had to be farmed out to a garage. I have no way to lift a car high enough to do exhaust work.

[Hotrodder]

Department lost, almost forgotten & found: memories from the 70s and 80s, a glowplug for an old Mercedes 220 diesel, when maintenance was much easier. Took about 10 minutes to change a defective one, including the diagnostics, simple series connection. In a much more sophisticated modern Merc you start removing a lot of stuff down under and then it takes about 30 minutes with expensive special tools. And a special price for the plugs as well. Not to forget le main-d'oeuvre.

A good friend here did a spark plug change recently and it took him quite a while to achieve it. I wondered why.
I haven't seen under a Mercedes bonnet and now I understand why it was such a pig to do.

[niemeyjt]

Agree - far less to go wrong - and you have reminded me to book a test for the Volvo - albeit only a 20-year-old with only 420K on the clock.

It regularly does 1000kms to the UK without missing a beat.

[RobertArthur]

The street is your workplace, not an uncommon sight is the sixties and seventies, allowed. Today? Probably a fine of several hundred of euros. Selling illegal stuff out of sight is probably much easier....

[niemeyjt]

Well, a bloke with a Series 2 Land Rover near No 1 daughter's old flat did it in the street - but then maybe it was only because it was tax exempt?

[Hotrodder]

That photo could have been me, not all that long ago while we were still migrating south for the winter. The Transit, loaded to the top with stuff. Food, Alsation, four chickens, tools, and a Kubota mini tractor. Twice had to change a failed wheel bearing at the roadside, and repair a dodgy starter and a broken alternator bracket allowing the fan belt to make a bid for freedom. Usually at night and more often than not, raining into the bargain.

Happy days.

[DominicBest]

I have three cars. The youngest is 17 years old and they have an average of age of 43. The 17 year old car is my everyday transport and recently passed the 300,000 km mark and is now rapidly approaching 200,000 miles. If I had to drive to the UK at a moment’s notice I would take it as I trust it completely. At its last CT the tester asked me if I had replaced anything as it was in such good condition but apart from regular servicing from new and new brake discs 100,000 miles ago it’s totally original. My second car is three years older but has done less than half the mileage. It passed its CT a year ago but a few weeks after that I changed the rear disc pads for the first time in its life. The other car is a VdC and I must admit that I’m glad when we get home at the end of every journey. It’s only needed recovering once and that was on its first outing after I’d got it registered in France. This summer it did a 600km long weekend round trip carrying my camping equipment. With sufficient care cars will last a long time. I’m lucky that I’ve never been tempted to change either of my newer cars since buying them new. I still enjoy driving both of them. I really don’t understand the recent fashion where it seems normal to change your car every two years or so.