HubChat: Is Bangernomics Doomed? 

20 years ago I had a mate who was designing ECUs for multiple manufacturers. Each had their own standards for how many years the ECU should last on average. He drove a battered old sierra. I asked him why a guy with such a well payed job drove a battered old car, his answer “it’s the last car made without an ECU”. 😂

A subject dear to my heart. I have been driving since 1987 and have always had cheap to buy used cars. They may have been cheap to buy, but they were damned good cars. My current car - a mk2 Mondeo saloon, I have had for 15 years, and to be honest, I don't think i want to change it for something newer, my old mondeo is reliable, and comfortable, and with very little in the way of fancy electronics to go wrong. Just a short few years after my car was built in 1997 vehicles started to become complicated, with numerous can bus modules that can be prone to failure. Modern cars can have over a dozen such modules, and failure of one can bring the whole car down. And manufacturers are trending towards not supporting them after they are just a few years old. I see so many instances on channels like PineAuto diagnostics where new modules are simply no longer available after 5 years or so. So your left having to find one second-hand, and with many of the modules you need to program them to the car. On top of that, so much under the bonnet these days is made of plastic that goes brittle after a few years. Manufacturers these days seem to be building in obsolescence, basically expecting the car to only last a few years. I myself am lucky, I have my own workshop with car lift, welder, compressed air etc. I also have my own spraying equipment. So i am set to keep my car on the road for as long as I like, or as long until the government stop me. I also have a cupboard full of spares that will keep the car going - common items like suspension components, coil packs, and those pesky vacuum heater controls. And if you think the demise of bangernomics is gaining speed now, just wait until electric pretty much takes over. You will not be buying a cheap electric car for under £1000 that is going to be worth having, the battery packs will be knackered, which will cost you ten times or more you paid for the car to replace. Yes, you might find a cheap electric car in the future, but you will be stopping every few miles to charge it - to whatever capacity the packs have left in them. I spoke to my MP about how all of this is going to effect low income families - her answer? You can lease an electric car for as little as £250 per month! That is £3000 per year. That simply does not compare to the days of bangernomics where you could buy a decent car for less than £1000 and get a few years reliable use out of it. I can see many low income families being forced off of the road, the gap between the rich and poor growing even more. And, with the price of electricity these days, EV's are not so cheap to run after all. I know I take keeping my used car to the extreme, but in the 15 years I have had my car, I have known plenty of people that have bought 7 or more either new, or nearly new cars in that time. I wonder who's carbon footprint is the bigger? Anyway, I totally agree Ian, the days of cheap motoring are fading, I myself am grateful to have spent so much of life in a time where cheap motoring was easily possible. Not so sure that will apply for my grandchildren, I have a feeling they will be paying a few hundred ££ per month to lease a car, and that will no doubt be a car that is only designed to last a few years. For me, I am keeping the Mondeo, it may be 26 years old now, and they were everywhere when i bought it 15 years back, but your hard pushed to see any nowadays, it's getting to the point where people stop and talk to me at petrol stations about the car. It appears to be turning into somewhat of a modern classic. I think i have talked myself into the challenge of keeping it on the road for the rest of my driving life!

I'm amazed, how few people have any mechanical skills at all, i.e. people waiting for breakdown companies just to change a flat tyre... I started repairs at around 14 (with absolutely no idea at all, what I was doing), repairing my dads lawnmower, then moved on to mopeds, motorbikes, cars etc. it was the only way we, at the time could afford to have our own transport.. with the internet/RU-vid, things are much easier to learn how to repair things... now I've reached the grand old age of 65.. sadly COPD, has now ended me fixing much at all.. Cheers 👍

The under-£500 car used to be a staple of the UK car market, but it's definitely disappearing fast. It's because of a combination of bonkers car inflation lifting the bangers out of the bracket (a £500 car is now a £1,000 to £1,500 car) and the increase in scrap values, as you say.

My Starlet is 25 years old this year. Bought it for £500 4 years ago, it's my only car. I've done 30K miles in it and use it for work, shops, days out and camping trips. It is amazingly well made, easy to maintain and returns 50mpg. I don't think I'd find another one below a grand as they are becoming collectable.

Love this. In 1987 I wrote my degree dissertation on Automotive Electronics. Applications and Implications. I cited improved efficiency performance and safety would come at the expense of end of life owners and home maintenance. I was right 😊😊 eh 😉

I inherited my Dad's 2010 Kia Rio2 a few years back, with only 20300 on the clock, it now has a little over 26500. I've been tempted to sell it, as it's a rather lacklustre 1.4 auto, but it's just so damn reliable!

When I passed my test back in 1979 my first car mine was a second hand Hillman Avenger easy to work on. All you need is a Tool box. New cars you need a computer to plug it in.

The look Miss HubNut gave Mr HubNut, when Ian mentioned scrapping the Charade could have frozen a polar bear's dangly bits 😀

the scrappage scheme has a lot to answer for. I was lucky to get my Rover 75 in 2019 for £250.

Spot on discussion. Same basic thing here in the USA. New cars today are considered disposable, and fail in ways that are uneconomical to fix. I tend to go for cars which are a little older, and lately have been holding on to them as daily drivers for much longer, putting money into them as needed. Specifically, I have focused on 1980s-early 90s W123 and W124 Mercedes Diesels. Extremely durable, and will keep going for as long as you are willing to keep fixing problems as they come up. They have no fancy electronics to go wrong. At least twice recently I have spent more of repairing problems than the purchase price of the car, but it's still much cheaper than flipping through newer cars.

Speaking of bangernomics: I'll pick up my sweet 2008 Citroën C1 from my trusted garage tomorrow. One sill was ill and had to be welded. I'm curious what this will cost again... Like every car that I did own, I want to keep the C1 running as long as possible. Fortunately I don't need her daily; I'm cycling to work. Have a good time everybody and always a nice trip. Cheers - Martin/Germany

Ian - 100% agree with your comments. Carol our austerity Corsa C is knocking on the door of 20 years old. Probably not worth much more than a few hundred quid. But there is no rot and it’s only done 75k miles. I’m happy to keep spending a few hundred per year to keep up the MoT. Taught two kids to drive and the clutch is original. Modern enough for me. Keep up the good work and keep driving the cars you love….

Bangernomics can work if you A) have access to reasonable tools/equipment if you need it, B) are fairly well versed at working on frustratingly awkward cars, C) tend to stick with one make/model and learn the wrinkles. The list could go on, but you get the idea. You are spot on regarding public transport. I live in the very rural Fens. We have a bus service to the village, the first bus leaves for the town in one direction just after 9am, the last bus arrives in the village at about 4.30pm, so not much use for getting people to mainstream jobs. There is no bus to the town in the other direction at all. Scrappage and ULEZ has/will undoubtedly see the loss of some decent cars, and ULEZ type schemes are becoming more widespread. I recently swapped a C3 for a Maestro, partly for the ease of maintenance. I suspect this debate will rumble on, and on, and on...rather like some of the better bangers!

Purchased a 1999 K11 Micra for 700 quid 3 months ago, 36,000 miles and in beautiful condition all documented, spent an age sourcing it, with prices ranging from a grand to two and a half grand, absolutely nuts, there are still some bargains out there but you have to be in the right place at the right time, taking it to TFOE in July and very much looking forward to it.

Its why I drive a Morris Minor, literal simplicity, plus, ok parts have gone up, but it is still economical to keep it going compared to modern (last 20 years).

Got to admit I scrapped my old 2006 4x4 before Christmas still with MOT got over £400, down to long term cost of repairs. I did own it for over 5 years. I know a retired mechanic and when we talk it's always comes down to late 80's and 90's cars are always the best.

The other issue is high cost of brand new cars having a triple down effect. I paid £14k for my new Fabia 5 years ago, the same car now is over 20k. I am just keeping my Fabia for as longs as I still need a car. I have no intention of replacing it and I think a lot people are keeping their cars longer too.

I love the relative simplicity of the Aygo mk1 I recently bought for my daughter to learn to drive, though I did pay more than I would have a year ago…

Changes to the MOT have not helped, as if the engine warning light is on, it's now classed as a major fault. Combine this with tyre pressure monitoring systems, fitted to newer cars, which often become faulty, means you can fail an MOT, for a part that is hardly a critical safety issue, but is expensive to fix = Blood Boiling.

There's also another issue with the scarcity of bangers around the 15+ year mark: people think that anything that old and in reasonable nick is now a classic! Very few decent cars now drop down below the £1k mark, they seem to hover around the £1.5k area until a big bill occurs then it's either scrap it or trade it in only for the dealer to scrap it. Oh and Bristol is currently awash with LEZ rejects, they'll be for sale in the next 6 months or so when the exemption for locals expires.

1999 Toyota Camry with 225k Miles just in! Runs like a champ. 2 Owner. Bangernomics at its best (2.2 4 pot with no block issues lol!). Agree Gumtree is no longer cheap. Facebook Marketplace has replaced it in my eyes. I guess what was £500 is now £2000, so what is now £500 is pretty much was scrap/end of life previously. It does not help that the price increases seem to have private sellers thinking that they can sell at retail pricing either with zero protection or preparation. I think Mrs Hubnut is correct that the dead is now really dead eg needing a £1000 Body Control / Keys and Barrel swap. Bangernomics cannot be done with post 2005 and needs to be petrol as diesels are so overly complex now. Is it also easier now to just flog your banger to WBAC than deal with missed viewings, tyre kickers and wanabee Mike Brewers. The £100 Micra K11 Automatic is still going strong with no spend on the Homebuilt channel by the way! By the way that business exists, someone with loads of space filling it with old tat, its Chops Garage lol!!

As a car mechanic in 2010 I bought a Renault Scenic on a V plate for £500 as a trade in. Was going to be a stop gap but continued to be our family vehicle for the next four years. I remember her fondly, really helped us financially through tough times.

Hey, just a quick message to say I love the discussion format, and how you two bounce thoughts and ideas off each other. More of the same please! And yes, it does make me think… and lots of other people, I expect.

A very valid and engaging chat Ian, my little Jimny barely scraped through the last MOT ! i m dreading this June as am disabled and can no longer get underneath, so its either gonna be really expensive or scrap? but what then? like others have said no longer can you get a Bangernomics car due to inflation etc etc.....I feel a mobility scooter on the horizon! Gulp!....great chat guys keep em coming!

Picked up an 05 plate zafira 1.6 from a garden for £800 last July. Spent the same amount since on tyres cambelt and exhaust. But going forward it's a solid car will be good for another few years. So a good result.

It’s channels like yours that keep older cars out of the crusher. My 20 year old Accord cost £700 around two years ago. I might get something similar today for double that. It’s had a set of tyres, one alleged service (they didn’t change the plugs, so God knows what they actually did), the n a second service for the MOT, reconditioned ABS pump & a new wishbone. The only thing that doesn’t work is the air con which has a faulty pump. I live in Belfast, so that’s only an issue for three days every two years or so. Even better, I like the oul thing more than the few brand new cars I’ve driven. Win win. Keep the faith!

08:21 I know what it feels like in relation to emission zones. I had to sell my perfectly reliable and cheap to maintain mk2 Clio from 2005 because it was not Euro 4 compliant. Bristol introduced a new emissions zone which meant my clio would have been subject to a £9 fee every day for my work commute, sometimes again if I was working nights £18 for nights... In the end I could not bring myself to scrap it. 41k miles on the clock. Had to finance a nearly new car.... The new car does have cheaper tax and insurance, does better MPG too, but it is a shame we are being made to give up our reliable older cars

I was offered £500 for my C4 scrap. I scrapped it as it needed a clutch at £2000. Old (Hubnut) cars are trendy again too so everything is now considered valuable.

The real question should be what is “cheap” , it used to be under a grand but now it’s more like 2-3 grand now sadly. People are holding on to cars longer because they can’t afford to replace.

Been doing it for years but now keeping them going is the priority

Oh yes. Never underestimate the desire of the government to get as many people as possible out of their cars (except themselves of course). The use of ULEZ zones will greatly restrict where you can economically use older cars and take a look at what is proposed for Oxford to see what other draconian legislation is in the offing.

I really enjoy your videos! As part of the HubNut cultural exchange, my family is introducing HubNut-isms to Alabama - like Palaver, Bodge, Gubbins and phrases like “needs must”. In exchange we would appreciate you saying “Y’all”, referring to your eldest male child as”Bubba” and referring to good time as “high cotton”. Keep up the good work! All the best!

The Netherlands is no different, same problems. 2 or 3 Years ago i bought a semi scrap 1.2 Punto of 2007 for €350,- delivered at home. Tinkered about € 800,- worth of new components ( brakes/fluids/filters/dampers and springs, etc..) in it and it is still running flawless. Fortunate that the 1.2 and 1.4 Fiat FIRE engines are still fairly simple and easy to work on with cheap new parts available everywhere. Guess this Punto is surely worth above €1000,- at the current market but i am not going to sell it, can't get such a good car for that price anywhere.

I've always been a proponent of bangernomics, through necessity as much as choice. I now have an approach similar to yours Ian, keeping my old car running in good mechanical shape. What went wrong with my life 😂😂

What a very interesting topic. There is obviously a 'sweet spot' towards finding a vehicle where its inherent reliability and simplicity are optimised to provide a usable car at an affordable price. Looks like many 80's & 90's vehicles still appear to fit the bill!

My favourite purchase was a W reg VW Passat estate 1.8t petrol. £250 had it 4 years and took it from 150k to 197k before the engine died (oil pump died and the engine got hot and seized I think). Only real expense was a couple of hundred quid on some new exhaust and general servicing (oil and filters each year which I did myself for like £50 or something). Scrapped it for £170. Wonderful, practical and even slightly fun to drive but best of all dirt cheap motoring

For clarification the London ULEZ starts from the south/north circular and from August will extend to Greater London which is roughly anywhere inside the M25. I'm in Kent so plenty of Ulez adverts about as it affects commuters in all counties around London.

This was a very nice and entertaining episode. 🙏⚘ Greetings from Sweden

Speaking of dual mass flywheels: They are a wonderful idea. It's just a shame that most of them aren't very well designed. A lot of them have flimsy inner bushes where a double row bearing should be. It's about as much use as a chocolate fire guard :)

The scrappage scheme in 2009 killed the old car market plus parts for anything 15+ year is a mare to get hold of or is so expensive it’s not justifiable

Great discussion, loved this video. Thank you!

My brother and his girlfriend built the models. It's nice to see them displayed.

I've always practiced bangernomics. For the first 15 years of my life on the road, and working all over the country, the most I spent on a car was £500 (a lovely low mileage, old man-owned toyota Camry). Most of my first ones were free because it used to cost money to get a scrap car taken away. In 2020 I ended up needing an auto and ended up spending £1000 on a car with a questionable head gasket, at that point I realised bangernomics is pretty much over.

Bangernomics sounds like a naughty euphemism. Also mentioning scrapping vehicles that don't have a problem, there's a trucker youtuber who I occasionally watch (KevTee), one of the main jobs he does is pick up scrap cars. He picked up a IIRC 5 year old car that was scrapped because it wouldn't start, and the reason why it wouldn't start was because the owner didn't realise you had to put the automatic gearbox in a specific gear for the car to start.

Excellent discussion points raised by both of you on this subject. It was a very enjoyable listen this morning. I am reminded strangely of the continuous wave of historical invasions throughout our islands history, starting in the SE of the country and then forcing the local populations to relocate further north and west. Seems like the introduction of new car policy in the SE of this country today is doing the same to the existing car population - what a strange parallel methinks!

I live in the north east of England and cheap cars rarely exist now , what once would have been a £200_£500 car is now in the £1000+ price bracket 'craxy'. And I think electronics stop cars from reaching old age , I own my late father's Volvo and I'd love to keep it forever but in reality the electronics and price of fixing electronic problems will make that impossible for me .

My Peugeot partner cost me £850 just over a year ago. I think the bargains are still out there but they're harder to find. Also the more modern old stuff can be a nitemare with sensors etc failing all over the place!

Very good point about late 90s/early 00s cars. That was when cars were the best as an overall package - driveability, reliability, durability, affordability etc.

I think it might be a good thing for the survival of older cars that they are getting more expensive. If a car is worth £500 and needs a £300 repair, many would just scrap it (Although I would argue that's not often the best thing to do economically). If a car is worth £1500 but the repair is the same price then it makes it a easier to swallow, especially if getting a replacement vehicle will cost another £1500 anyway. Personally I think mid 90-s to mid 00's is the sweet spot, but there's still plenty of durable cars through the 00's even into the 2010's. It seems to have got steadily worse though, the ratio of reliable to unreliable models has probably shifted over time. I don't think I'd touch anything diesel from within the last decade, DPFs, DMF's, EGR's, VGT's, SCR, injectors, pumps... many expensive components which on certain engines seem to be a case of when, not if. It's hard to imagine a euro 6 diesel still being driven about at 25 years old...

I like old car, but not in the way "If it breaks i'll get another one" I like fixing them, giving them dignity so they don't get scraped.

I've done bangernomics since 1990 - so 33 years. Most of the cars have lasted between 3 & 7 years. God knows how much money this ethic has saved - I'd definitely say £50,000+.

I've ordered a couple of large mugs. As for Bangernomics, the Vectra Estate I scrapped last year got £400 for it. Also, for example I bought a 56 reg 3.0 cdti Vectra Estate 7 years ago for £2000, and seen them go now for £4000! crazy! ?( and offered 4k for it!)

Until this financial doom sorts itself out and prosperity returns to the UK, I think this era of making do and fixing it will continue, as you say just after the 9 minute mark. That isn't always a bad thing, it means less waste, but lack of prosperity in general isn't good so I hope this malaise doesn't last too long.

I had 20 year old ford focus, cost me £250 and had a knackered gearbox, £300 to get it reconditioned and it was back on the roads

I'm happy there was some sort of BMW ad not too long ago where they promoted their customers to keep driving their old beemers.

I've been slowly fixing a friend's Mk5 Golf 1.4tsi. Usual slipped timing chain problem, resulting in a set of bent inlet valves. Parts are pretty cheap, but the complexity of this supercharged, turbochared, direct injected petrol engine is proof of the last wheezing gasp of the internal combustion engine. The complexity wouldn't be quite such a probelm if you didn't need so many special tools to undo or even reach fasteners.

Great little Vlog Ian and Carly, I too think the days of Bangernomics are gone although I am sure with the ULEZ in Edinburgh, being inforced from next year we may see a few cheap cars coming up for sale as Edinburgh is not charging you money to come in. Instead they are going to fine non compliant vehicles £60, again you get a grant to buy a EV or a Travel Pass or either walk or take public transport!

I still love my Berlingo for its amazing condition and its tardis like proportions. If the engine ever blew up I'd love to convert it to electric if the price of the work wasn't too obscene.

We have same issue at College, where we used to buy cheap old cars, for students to work on, or if someone scrapping one give them same amount. Nowadays they are fetching over £500 scrap value.

Absolutely brilliant video Ian Miss hubnut 👍❤️ very interesting topic on banger nomics brilliant

Another factor in my opinion are all the Discovery car save shows, crappy cars that would have cost 200 quid 10 years ago are now being advertised as 'BARN FIND' for 1700

My wife's coworker back in 2006 had a 2004 Daewoo Nubira with only 8,000 miles that he wanted to sell for $4,000. It checked out in good order by our mechanic, and we bought it. We drove it for 15 years, and scrapped it when the timing belt broke on its interference engine. We will never get a deal like that again!

I hear you. I have had my 52 plate Nissan Micra for about 4 years now; it's got 70k miles on it and I'd never get rid of it willingly, even though a bloke came round to my house twice offering to buy it. It cost me £900 and I'd probably get that for it now (11 months MOT). I agree that the turn of the century was Peak Car.

Dear Reader, To put it somewhat graphically: in the Netherlands 30% is becoming more riche per day, and 30% more poor per day. So there is a big demand for let's say Tesla's (subsidy for rich people) and old/small cars (for poor people). The middle class cars from a certain age are very cheap indeed. So it almost looks like Verelendung (impoverishment), to call in a Marxist phrase, on the car market. Really old and cheap cars and cars for the (subsidized) rich. Now I'm writing this it dawns on me. Thank you Mr. en Ms. Hubnut, for being the source for this. Perhaps it's an very interesting idea to work on building a small fleet of cheap classic cars (in our country older than 40 years, means no taxes). Perhaps specializing on a certain niche brand. So you become the centre for: Autobianchi, Citroen, Simca or Talbot or something along this line. Buying them cheap, tinkering and selling them to a niche group, of wich the NubNuts become the epicenter? Just a thought. Michel Poor Dutch Philosopher (no car)

You're spot on with this video folks. There really aren't the good 'bangers' out there anymore at sensible money. There's a lot of overpriced rubbish for sale. And yes, selling cars is a serious pain, and people want a new car for a few hundred quid!

Very seriously soui sensible thinking. Really appreciate your philosophy

I always have been surprised by the low prices of used cars in the UK. I guess it's because of nobody wants to have the RHD cars... Here in Europe, our older cars are mostly exported to Eastern Europe and continue driving there for several more years. On the other hand, a lot of used cars are imported to our country (NL) because we lack certain popular models that were just not sold a lot new here because of all kinds of government incentives. I am still driving my 14,5 year old FIAT Bravo, which I bought 2nd hand when 8 years old, because: I know it has been very well maintained, I drive only 5000k a year and I still like driving it. No point in trading it in and having to fork out at least 6000€ to buy another 10 year old car and start all over again fixing a backlog of maintenance. I don't understand why there are not a lot of the London cars moved to Wales and sold there?

Parents live in St. Davids. It was fine until they got into their 80's and couldn't drive any more. Bus every 2 hours into Haverfordwest that finishes at 6pm. Careful where you retire to....

Went looking for a K10 Micra a few months ago. Remember them being around 500-600 quid a few years ago, converted from local currency, for a really tidy example with low miles, few owners etc. But now, the few that are still being sold start at 1500£ in really rather subpar condition, with dodgy gearboxes and the like, and all the way up to 3000£ for tidy examples. Maybe a sign of everything considered even marginally "retro" automatically becoming exorbitantly expensive and "sought after". Just a thought. Great video as always!

Have fun with the magnetic spark plug sockets! I have ONE in my airplane tool bag that I take with my on long-distance flying trips. It's so amazingly better than anything else (but also eye-wateringly expensive, so thus only one).

It's the punitive car tax that's killing them, along with clean air zones.

Fascinating stuff…thank you

Here in New Zealand I picked up a 1300cc Toyota Ist 2005 model for $1000, did a oil change air filter, plugs and it just keeps going great looks like new inside and out, and every time I drive it I think of HubNut with a smile! and about 5ltrs per 100kms in economy with no lithium in sight!

Definitely holding on to my ST220, which although it's far from a banger, there weren't ever many of them about, and they deserve to be saved. I'm not quite brave enough for bangernomics though, not for my one and only car.

Last year , I sold my '05 Corsa, 120k miles, MOT failure with massive oil leak for £250 scrap value & bought an '08 Mégane CC with 67k miles for £300.

A very interesting subject, I think the days of finding a useable £500 or less car are behind us sadly, most cars that were previously in that category are now scrap or in the £800-£1000 area, some are even more! A lot of these cars as well seem to have similar issues to the cars that you could buy for £300-500! Car take back is a company I’ve used more than once, it’s so much easier selling an old car with issues that way and you get more than scrap value in some cases, selling cheap cars Is so tedious and stressful, people seem to want a lot for little or nothing. I wonder if rising used car prices will make people think twice before parting ways with their car that’s just failed its MOT, and now that car is worth enough money to warrant repairing it, where before it would have been sent to the scrapper!? Thanks for the vid guys, all the best! 👍

Absolutely agree, I'm hanging on to my 2005 picasso hdi 2.0 ,low miles, 2 owner car and it's my 5th one and love them if only for my spinal problems, yes it's got some lacquer peel but I plan on some paintwork in spring and why not, at current prices I could get around 1500 quid for it but what on earth would I buy as a replacement? Nothing decent I fear, love this channel, proper real world motoring without the need for car debt!

I'm still driving my year 2000 Nissan Primera 1.8s P11-144 which I bought for £350 in 2016 with a genuine 45,000 miles. It's nice to drive, very reliable and still shines up pretty well.

Hi both.. im sure the golden age was when cars only died due to corrosion, albeit cars only lasted 10 years max, but in the 70s and 80s engines, gearboxes, in fact anything that could be unbolted would be changed.. oh the days of scrap yards where you just took off what you wanted, or exchange and mart.. filled with engine and gearbox recon companies..

pre-covid the used cars yard i worked in was awash with 300-500 quid cars with a few months test, but since 2020 any car with MOT is baseline £800 if not more depending on how old or uncared for it is

Best car I ever owned was down to bangernomics. Had to sell my nice Audi to fund a business venture. I bought an mot failed 2002 Citroen C5. Fixed it for an afternoon with spanners and one new tyre with the aim of keeping it for six months. Ended up keeping it for 5 years. Such a lovely car to drive, completely reliable, so good on diesel. I drove from Kent to the highlands several times in quiet comfort, I just loved it. You hardly ever see them now. Future classic? I always smile when I see one.

Another interesting video from Hubnut & Miss Hubnut. I must admit that I do like the older generation of car & understand the problems that a lot of people are facing these days. I think that there should be someone who is collecting and saving the cars from ULEZ problems.

I bought a £1200 Volvo V50 a few years ago and I am not going to add up what I have spent since!! I love it and when it was last MOTd the man said it is virtually new underneath!!!

Great video. I think people are just holding on to there cars much longer. Here in Australia it’s the sam. Second hand cars have gone through the roof. And that includes the old one.

There are a few still about but you have to look really hard and have some luck in the process. Managed to secure myself a 60 plate Punto Evo (1.4 Fire 8valve) for £400 about three months ago. Walked it's MOT. Just needed a new blower fan motor. They are out there.

I found my old issue of Auto Trader from the year 2000 recently and it really brought the point home. Back then the under £1,500 "bargain buys" section was HubNut heaven in today's world, a kind of cross between Festival Of The Unexceptional and an everything-must-go fire sale! But back then insurance costs meant I had to choose a Fiesta over that £950 205 GTI - or Rover 800 fastback - the list goes on... (sigh)!

I’m learning more about modern electronics in cars and with the right diagrams and so on, I’m finding I can get along with it quite well. Sure you need a few more bits, but I enjoy it

Thanks for the information on scrap values increasing. I now know where my Mondeo is heading..🤔

Just had to spend over £200 on a new battery for a 2016 Focus, the car then had to plugged into the Bosch diagnostic system via a PC to set up the new battery for the car (more expense). When these cars get older it won't be economic to do even small repairs like this. Great discussion, completely agree with your points.

New cars are so expensive that old cars are getting more expensive everyday as most people can’t only access to old, used cars

Great video, whilst watching I went on autotrader and did a national search for cars upto £500 and only sixteen cars available!

I'm a Bangernomics person without doubt. I've 6 cars, the newest of which is 1989. You reviewed that one - the Ford Telstar. My golden era in terms of user friendliness is the 1980s. Cabin ventilation and related matters were well sorted, brakes were good, gearboxes had overdrive gears, and yes, electronic ignitions and Jap fuel injection remain reliable today. Though if you've got points ignition, you always keep your most recently replaced points and condensor in the glovebox just in case. It's no big problem. In the UK of course you're at quite a disadvantage in that the cars of that era have all rusted away. Here in Australia that's not so, and I don't anticipate having to go newer than 1989 for a good while yet. Nevertheless, all that you've observed and commented on is happening here - it's just 10 years behind you. Your anecdote about the brake pads was a horrific one. I'll swap you with this one... Have you met staked in universal joints yet? As my girlfriend expensively found out in her X-Trail, universal joints are no longer replaceable when they wear out, and an entire new driveshaft had to be bought. Cheers.

I had a 2002 berlingo 1.9 diesel so no turbo, absolute gem of a car. Bought it with 92k on it back in 2006 for £3000, and got rid of it only because the back end was collapsing and was cheaper to scrap it than get it fixed at the time. But I did have it for 11 years and when I got rid of it it had 195k miles. I so wish I had fixed because the engine was still running fine.

Interesting points…. Also, the Warehouse could be called “Bangers ‘r’ Us”!

I always used to do bangernomics for my cars, usually as I do get board of them. Last good deal I had was back in September 2021 when I picked up a 2009 Citroen C3 with 8 months mot for £350. We spent £175 including mot test to keep it going for another 12 months. It’s mainly used for my wife who works in Plymouth and struggles finding a parking spot (her main car is a 2010 Range Rover). Sadly there are very few reasonable cars around here under 1k

The Scrappage Scheme certainly thinned out the vehicles that would now be prime bangernomics candidates.

Totally agree with you Ian about the late 90's early 00's cars, on Saturday I'm travelling to Essex to pick up a 1997 Volvo V70 TDI, it's going to be my daily, and if it's like my 2000 C70 I had last year, should match modern cars for reliability. Ticket has been booked for Festival of the Unexceptional to, my first time attending!

Great video. I have had older cars for years, my old Vectra and an Escort I've had for 30 years, but within my group of motoring friends, which have cars from old stuff right up to a 2020 Nissan leaf We all notice the same thing, it's hard to change car, prices of old cars are through the roof and the top end of the market is suffering from a shortage of cars and inflated prices. A telling story was my friend with the Leaf had to buy an older car as his work place moved and he needed a non EV to get there! Skoda Octavia14 plate, while the Leaf sits dormant, costing a fortune every month. Its going to get like Cuba you know ...best wishes.

I have been trying to bangernomics for 30 years. My aim is to achieve 10 miles for ever £1 spent. I often don't get there but it used to be easier. Our last galaxy went after breaking the barrier but having multiple issues just at MOT time... Got £350 scrap. But I could not find a suitable replacemnt in my original budget £1K, could not find a good alternative in my extended budget £2K... Spread my net, increased my budget, ended up with a£9K Kuga that's going to have to last us for 10-15 years (if it can).... But I do run 3 cars and a Van for less than what a colleague puts down on his single new Kia Sproutage every month.