Generally speaking, a spaceship destined for the moon is a tiny capsule stuck on the end of a huge, pointy rocket somewhere in sunny Florida. But the spaceship we’re looking at is a family hatchback at a used car dealer in West Drayton, off the M4.
In fact, it’s a 10-year-old Ford Mondeo 2.3 Ghia X auto that has done 293,000 miles, or a bit more than a spacecraft does on its way to the moon. It’s for sale at Trade Price Motors, a large used car lot at the end of an industrial estate.
Be honest – would you buy such a motor? For most of us, 60,000 miles is the cut-off. Any higher and we start to worry about component life and reselling the thing. The idea of buying one that’s done 100,000 is a stretch, but one with 293,000 miles? Pigs might fly – to the moon.
“Sixty thousand miles is most car buyers’ first sticking point,” agrees Mark Bulmer, senior valuations editor at Cap HPI. “Then it’s 100,000, but anything over 150,000 miles and condition is everything, to the extent that the price difference between a car with 200,000 miles and another with 300,000 is negligible.
“This is because modern cars can take high mileage. In fact, doing lots of miles is better for a car than doing too few when the oil doesn’t get hot enough to circulate properly. Rust used to be the big killer, but now that car makers have fixed that problem, if a high-mileage car has been serviced regularly, it’ll be fine to buy.”
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Stupid system, why didn't my
Anyway
My take is that those who are reffering to keeping an old car running as being more environmentally responsible are reffering to global environmental issues that building a new car contributes to, that and the cost to earth resources, as opposed to reffering to local air quality which is obviously better if we all drive hybrids or EVs, and I totally agree with you, I too would rather live where the local air quality is better, but as to which way is better for global environmental emissions is concerned I do not know.
However that Mondeo is a great car for a large ish family, as it is a safe car with plenty of space and is cheap to buy, I personally would go for something smaller and cheaper to run, but it has to suit your needs, the cheapest EV is something like a citigo which wouldn't suit everyone's needs size wise let alone range etc and is is still nearly a £20k car, so a modern EV is definitely not the answer for many, myself included, and I think the same rationale can be had for a hybrid.
defending the indefensible
Several folk trying to defend the undefencible. They know they're wrong, we know that they know they're wrong but for some unknown reason they continue to stick their heads in the sand.
I can remember walking down Renfield Street in Glasgow where the fumes caught on the back of my thoat and made my eyes water. The air was blue mist and the smell of petrol and diesel strong. Similar story when I worked in Holborn in London. At lunchtime in summer we'd go to the pub but no chance what so ever of enjoying a pint outside in the sun - you'd literally have tears in your eyes.
So I put to those deniers this. We have two towns, one used exclusively by EV's and hybrids, the other used exclusively by 300,000 mile 2.5 diesel cars with little emission controls. Which street would you like to live in and have your children play in the garden? Which street would you like to shop on? Which street would you like your kids to go to school on?
So that 300,000 mile Mondeo, or whatever other old banger it may be, is more environmentally friendly is it? We scrap old cars, vans, lorries and buses for a reason.
And don't even get me started on how less safe those older vehicles are.
scotty5 wrote:
Scotty5 - actually comes down
You don't see the consequence of the precious metal mining industry or of vehicle manufacture in Holborn. New vehicle use takes the impact away from point of use and appeals to a certain type of consumer. Is a marketing thing.
In CO2 alone according to projections by a major manufacturer an average new electric car will break even with a diesel at approx 150000 miles and that is without factoring in the impact of mining. Very few people are doing these millages.
Until the late 1990s, I
Until the late 1990s, I chopped cars in at the mid-50k mark.
Since then I ran an Astra Estate from 0-109k until a truck squashed it, while the present Focus is 129k+ and runs nicely.
Wasn't so happy with an Ibiza mind, nor a Mondeo Estate, so I guess luck does still play a part!