Car Fanatics

As a proud Englishman I’m grateful for having been given the opportunity to personally own a few great British cars. One of them, a 70s MG Midget was really cool though I didn’t have it for long, as its steering was a death trap and after realizing it, it made sense to sell it on to another person. Let the new owner work it out for himself, as the previous owner to me had done.  

Whichever way you look at it, cars cost a lot of money to buy, and then to maintain and repair they can also cost a pretty penny. In 1985 I owned a BMW 320 which was a fantastic car, but one wet evening after coming out from a nightclub and driving home half cut, a lamp post was my destiny. The car was a write-off, so a scrapyard was found where it was sold for £500. Yes, it wasn’t a lot of return on my investment, but an appropriate solution at the time (40 years ago).

In the UK, a car junk yard for written-off vehicles is commonly called a scrapyard or a breaker's yard. According to the British government, they are also sometimes referred to as Authorised Treatment Facilities (ATFs). These facilities specialize in dismantling and recycling vehicles, especially those that have been written off by insurance companies. 

My 1997/98 Jaguar XJS was a classic grand tourer known for its luxurious design and powerful engine options, particularly the V12. It was the last year of production for the XJS model, marking the end of a 21-year run. While praised for its comfort and styling, it's also known for potential reliability issues associated with older Jaguars. Hence, annual maintenance had been pretty expensive, and then when problems followed it became too expensive to keep.

The bottom line is, however expensive it is to buy cars, they are necessary to get from A to B although nowadays many people are leaving their cars behind and turning to Uber or taxi services. In many cases it costs less in the long run because there are many benefits like not having to pay to service your car periodically, or repair from mechanical problems, or pay road tax and other related fees, or for parking.

And on top of that by selling your car now, you’ll get more than selling it later, as depreciation each year burns a hole in your pocket.

Take care!

Prof. Carl Boniface  

Vocabulary builder:

In the long run (idiom) = means eventually, over a long period of time, or ultimately. It refers to the final or eventual outcome of something, rather than its immediate effects. 

If money is burning a hole in your pocket, you are very eager to spend it as soon as possible, especially on something you do not really need but would like to have. Money always tends to burn a hole in my pocket.