At least they can still be fixed.

[d215yq]

What drives some of us to persist with older cars is perhaps one for the phycologists.

I don't really know why I do it, upbringing,laziness,mean, or is it just a reasonable thing to do ?

I am often asked why I don't, why I haven't, bought a new one.

I think the question should be the other way around. It's quite a perverse mentality to throw something away because three or four parts out of 1000 isn't quite right. Most tube carriages are 70 yrs old plus and most houses/ flats are well over 50 years old and we don't just demolish them and rebuild because they need a new bathroom or whatever. A lot of the planes in the skies are a fair bit older than most of our cars.

I personally think the psychologists need to explain why people who are barely scraping by and/or rent/have 90% mortgages are driving around in new 35k bits of metal (which are all rather samey and not much different from a 5k bit of metal that is a few years older and/or of a slightly "worse" brand). Even more needs explaining if the reasoning is to avoid having to pay 200 quid to get it through the MOT/to get an extra 2mpg over the older car.

I accept we're in the minority on this one though

 

[ajlsl600]

agreed. daft. insurance worth nothin . could actually get jailed for that here.

 

[d215yq]

agreed. daft. insurance worth nothin . could actually get jailed for that here.

It's actually the fact they are non resident in the UK that invalidates the insurance. Anyone living 6 months overseas a year driving a UK plated car is not insured for that reason unless you specifically get insurance to cover as non resident. The tax/mot are seperate offence and do not affect the insurance.

That said I wouldn't be so quick to judge, sometimes people have things to do and don't always know their plans/intricacies of laws. I drove my UK regd car for the first 3 years i lived here... taxed motd insured so appeared all above board but effectively uninsured as I was non UK resident. Once I was sure I'd live here long term I changed to a Spanish regd car. Other expats seem to eventually change too but doubt many do it in the required 6 months!

 

[Frontstep]

I think the question should be the other way around. It's quite a perverse mentality to throw something away because three or four parts out of 1000 isn't quite right. Most tube carriages are 70 yrs old plus and most houses/ flats are well over 50 years old and we don't just demolish them and rebuild because they need a new bathroom or whatever. A lot of the planes in the skies are a fair bit older than most of our cars.

I personally think the psychologists need to explain why people who are barely scraping by and/or rent/have 90% mortgages are driving around in new 35k bits of metal (which are all rather samey and not much different from a 5k bit of metal that is a few years older and/or of a slightly "worse" brand). Even more needs explaining if the reasoning is to avoid having to pay 200 quid to get it through the MOT/to get an extra 2mpg over the older car.

I accept we're in the minority on this one though

So when the one who should be obeyed every week or so asks that familiar question "why don't you just get a new x or y" should I refer her to a psychologist ?