Maintaining Used Cars Has Never Been More Expensive

Friday, 21. August 2009

Thinking of taking a used car next time? Over 8 million drivers do each year. The reasons for moving from a new car to a used car vary, maybe you’ve lost your company car through redundancy or a cash for car scheme or maybe you have seen the low prices that 2 and 3 year old cars have fallen to and would look to save some money, but after a friend of mine lost his Renault Megane for nearly two days in order to have his clutch replaced it reminded me that we are living in a throwaway society. Things don’t get repaired these days they get replaced and if you have to get something worn or broken replaced it comes at a cost, a high cost. So you have to weigh up the savings that you could make by taking a used car against the cost of maintenance. This will require a bit of research if you are to keep hold of the cash savings when you traded out of your last new car into a used car. The days of tinkering around with the car in the garage on a Saturday afternoon are pretty much over. Even changing brake pads may require a thorough check of the ABS, ESP and brake assist systems and God forbid the engine management gubbins go wrong, the repair could cost more than the car is worth and is not always covered by the extended warranty insurance, if you bothered to take one out in the first place, how much??? So if you are about to move away from the comfort of a 3 year, fully warranted new car, do a bit of research into the cost of maintaining a used car, you might be in for a shock. By Graham Hill