It's funny i think of my fiesta as my 'new car' but it is a 58 plate now, so not really that new at all.
It is a lot nicer bodywork wise and squeaks and rattle wise than the ZS - but it has only just covered 23K miles i think it is.... the ZS is on 102K and spends many months laid up due to it 'sulking' or other random factors.
My parents used to drive their cars until they started to be uneconomical to keep on the road when money was tighter, and i remember the old carlton they had was on 170K (and many caravan towing miles) before it was traded in because just too many things were going to need replacing for the MOT one year...
It is funny i dont really consider spending the car's value to repair it as uneconomical (of a car of this age) - as it invariably means that it wont happen again, and you wont get stung for it while it is still fine elsewhere.
Having seen the prices involved in keeping my sister's mini on the road, and her husbands 330csi - both the same era as the ZS - i still think even with my stupidly excessive upgrades, the day to day running costs for wear and tear items is peanuts in comparison. Funnily - they have sold/traded both those cars in as being too expsensive and then impractical...
This April on my birthday I will have had the ZS 10 years - and hope i get the same time out of it again
