Do Zeds grow old???

[p_b82]

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

[daytona365]

Im glad that we all feel the same way, I love my car and agree it still looks good compared to newer cars. I love the way he makes me feel, and think that the Zeds are from an age when cars were actually made well. No rusty heaps, no major probs. Plus the net and forums like ours, helps keep the cars going as we all club together to help swap ideas, how to guides, and even physical help at times.............Im off now to tinker with him again lol..

[pheelay]

Originally Posted by p_b82

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.

This.

Pricey OEM parts and garage labour costs of owning newer cars VS self maintaining an MGR where cheap parts are available.

I'll run the ZS as long as it's practical, repairs are managable and parts are available. Sadly, it's be the breaking of the remaining Zeds that make that possible and that wont last forever

Edit: even ignoring maintenance costs etc, I rather drive the ZS than anything else

[grimmy]

The way I judge whether it's getting old or not is that it still turns heads and wee boys look at the car and go "wow" as the car passes them.so for me while it is nearly ten years old it still looks "young"

[peterzs]

And I still smile like a wee boy, when I walk back to the car, when its parked up in a car park.

Still get a kick and the wow factor.

[stamford]

That's it, all the time you walk away then glance back!

Wayne Cherry, a design guru for the Vauxhall Opel group many years ago had a phrase to describe the look he wanted as "down the road styling", or in other words WTF was that! (in a nice way)

The day any of us lose that second glance is the time to move on, however having said that I have no idea what goes on in Dan's head sometimes!

[peterzs]

He always comes right in the end Stamford.

[talkingcars]

Originally Posted by peterzs

Never been in the position of buying and swapping cars when they get old. Usually run them into the ground.

The ZS was the newest car I have owned and well pleased with it.

My mk1 was one of the newest cars I've bought, most seem to be so old I end up selling them to someone else to scrap, break them myself or just scrap them - even GV51 has fallen into that group

[Supercharged_Z]

Zs cars do look old if you park them next to a new car but driving down the road alone I think they still have a great presence.

Sadly internally they are extremly old ane its notcibable.

Still as we know as a drivers car there awsome tbh

[tcb 180]

They are just like people. I am nearly sixty with grey in my beard but hardly a grey hair on my head. We have a g reg Astra Gte, A w reg Scooby, A 51 plate Astra 1.7 diesel estate and an 03 plate C220 Merc and they are all great cars. I also loved my zed and thought i would never sell her but I did.