Spain's drivers resist new cars, keeping vehicles aged 15 to 27 years

Old cars, zero breakdowns: why many refuse to upgrade

There is a car approaching its 27th birthday that, according to its owner, "still flies." Another has just passed the 21-year mark with 165,000 kilometers on the odometer. The question of how old each household’s car is has become, unintentionally, a thermometer for rationalizing automotive spending: some drivers have decided that buying a new car doesn't fit their budget. The result is a varied list of ages, dropping as low as two months and rising without hesitation to 15, 21, 27, and beyond.

The coincidence is striking. Many respondents own cars older than nine years, and quite a few repeat the same idea: as long as the car runs, there is no reason to visit a dealership. One person sums it up with a phrase that defines the whole issue: a new car is an endless pit of expenses.

How old are the cars resisting retirement?

Fifteen years for the first respondent, sixteen for another, fourteen for the next. A diesel SEAT Ibiza owner boasts 300,000 kilometers before reaching 11 years; another reports 19 years and 230,000 kilometers. Also appearing are a Peugeot 205 registered in 1997, a 14-year-old Golf IV, and an Alfa Romeo 156 that hit its decade mark with 152,000 kilometers.

The pattern repeats: cars from the early 2000s, simple engines, and a shared belief that automobiles have stopped being investments and become expenses. The exception comes from someone who admits retiring their first car at 25 years and 340,000 kilometers, in third-hand ownership, with no notable breakdown other than alternator brushes.

Kilometers and diesel: the argument that doesn't add up

Some argue that a 15-year-old diesel with 100,000 kilometers is hard to justify: buying an engine designed to devour miles but driving only a few thousand per year is, in their view, a miscalculation. This voice sets the bar at 250,000, raising it to 300,000 or 400,000 to make the math work.

Nuance comes from those whose circumstances changed. Buying a diesel while driving 25,000 kilometers a year, then moving and finding themselves driving 1,000 a month, turns selling the car into another waste. The mileage criterion is decided over time, not by the engine label.

Timing belts and the maintenance business

Here consensus breaks down. The timing belt raises the most suspicion. One was replaced at 100,000 kilometers and 10 years, with the owner insisting it was "macroscopically new, not a single sustancia ilegal." They were shown it after pressing, and he summarizes it as a scam, though admitting the water pump did have a leak. Another belt was replaced at 165,000 kilometers on a 1.4 HDi, with the owner clarifying he did so because the mechanic asked him to.

On the other side is the warning against neglect: a car with 90,000 kilometers blown internally because the belt wasn't changed in time.

Diesel vs. gasoline: data that dismantles the narrative

The most uncomfortable twist in the conversation arrives with pollution. Against the idea that diesel is the villain, evidence points the other way: modern downsized gasoline engines would be up to ten times more polluting than current diesels, according to an analysis spread by specialized press. Meanwhile, another driver claims diesel particles are linked to grass allergies, admitting they bought a diesel when driving more and now drive less than 10,000 a year.

Few things illustrate the confusion better: the car labeled as polluting may not be the one actually causing the most emissions in practice.

What does it really cost to maintain an old car?

The numbers debunk the intuition that an old car is always a financial ruin. A 105-horsepower Audi A3 1.9 TDI with 235,000 kilometers has been maintained for 11 years at an average cost of €4,500 annually all-inclusive — fuel, insurance, repairs — during which time its owner earned €43,500 in mileage allowances for work. A 14-year-old Megane Classic 1.9 dci was bought with 125,000 kilometers for €2,500. And some combine two cars, both gasoline, for €3,500 total.

To this are added loose items: a Varta battery costing €35 more than the cheapest option, which came out at €65, an alternator taking €600, a seized radiator fan at 250,000 kilometers. The fine calculation — separating maintenance costs from replacement costs — is what everyone does at home with a calculator and the ITV (vehicle inspection) in hand.

Remains the case that best portrays the phenomenon: a 13-year-old car with 450,000 kilometers, accompanied in the garage by a 30-year-old van that pays no tax and whose historical insurance costs €40 a year. Or the 1997 Peugeot 205 where you have to disconnect the battery every time you park, because an electrical short drains it. The van owner admits considering retiring it, though keeps it for now; the Peugeot owner swears he'll keep it until it breaks.

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Article compiled from the analysis of a public debate on consumption and motoring.