Why you shouldn't trade in your old car!

Unless you can park only one car in your home, here are few reasons why you may keep your old car still in your garage when it is time to buy a new one:

1. Older cars are built to last. Most modern cars are not. I am saying from my own experience. My 15 years old TATA Indica is close to 170,000 kms in audometer. I am still using it as a daily driver. It's pulling power is bit reduced but do not have any other problems yet. It is very easy to repair and spares are one of the cheapest in the country. Now, I self repair it most of the time, unless there is an irritating electrical problem. Self repair is something which is going to be a challenge in a new car, as they have electronics boards controlling everything. Being a diesel it still has good mileage. It do not have the refinement of a petrol engine but have amazing torque when fully loaded. Also it has very good space inside.

2. It is prudent to keep your new car for long journeys and special occasions while using the old one as your daily driver.

 
3. With proper service, you can still use your old car for many more years than you expected. Here is the tip: find a trusted local mechanic for maintaining your old car. That way you can avoid rip offs in a dealer service center.

 
4. Some of the possible offs in an old car can be the electrical system. It is likely to fail once you cross a 15 year mark. Most annoying ones are failures of head light and signals. But you can still use the car when it is day time. For evenings and long journeys you can use the new ones. In my observations, 70% of driving needs come from errands which requires local travel only.

5. Most modern cars there are many electronics boards which control everything from detecting the level you pressed your accelerator, the Tyre pressure monitors etc. So, something goes wrong you need to reset the related sensors. The failure of which may prevent your car from even starting up. Also expect these electronics to start failing anytime your car crosses 50000 mark. It will be a ton of money in parts and labor to replace the electronics.

6. Modern cars have critical parts made from plastics and not from metals like old cars. So  over a time period,  these plastics fail. Apart from reduction in overall weight,  the main consideration in the conversion into plastics are cost cutting. No wonder new cars have serious problems once they cross 5 years mark.

7. THEFTS: Another reason for keeping an old car is that, a newer model car is always a target for Thieves. Suppose you are visiting a tourist spot. If you park and go inside the tourist spot and come back to board after few hours, the Thieves may try to steal the car meanwhile you are inside. I always use my old car to go places where I need to park the car out of site more than few minutes. A common old model car do not invite thieves' attention as much as a new one. 

8. I strongly advise that you learn to do the basic maintenance in your car. It is very easy to learn from youtube. You can save a ton of money in this way. My own experience is narrated here: 

My journey in self repair of my cars