How much has it cost you over a lifetime of driving, and how have your cars died?
Check out the cars i've had...
1979 Suzuki LJ80 $1200 - Killed by drunk bogan in Monaro get $1500 insurance chq Lifespan 3 years
1982 Toyota Corolla Wagon $500 - Rammed into side of van being Colin Mcrae, then got a 4wd enema (slowly), sold to wreckers $50 - Lifespan 3years
1980 BJ40 Landcruiser $1500 - Couldn't kill it, but drove like tractor sold $1200 - 2 years
1984 Mitsubishi Express Starwagon $100 - blew 3rd gear Sold $650! - Lifespan 3years
1977 Mercedes 230 $1500 - Sold for $315 - Rusted to Buggery - Lifespan 4 years
1995 Ford Falcon Wagon $1900 - still going and quite luxurious.
So not including running and repair expenses lets see... after 15years I'm down $2985 and have a car. That means I can justify my six kites, five boards, three wetsuits and kiting holidays to the missus.
My uncle bought it brand new in 1982 for $7500, then we rebuilt it to brand new condition in 2000 and I bought it from him for $7500.
Being a Hilux though, it hasn't died. It has rust now though, pretty serious, but it still works great.
I'd say it's worth less than my flysurfer now, but I couldn't really sell it anyway. I'll just drive it into the ground and get another one. Might upgrade to 1986 model. 
Yeah it had done 380,000km and been used as a dog house. The rear seats had been eaten and the thing still smelt like a dog when i sold it.. to a mechanic that should've know better...
Sam
Can't believe you sold the Merc!!
Where will you ever get another 4x4 like that??
That Mercedes looks like Martin Bryant's old car. Is it ? Kitedevil you are in Tassie, He is/was in Tassie ?
Love the Merc with the canoe, that's gold!
Holden Belmont Panno - Bought $3k 1997 - Left behind and then sold for $650 in Canberra 2001. Took me from Hobart to Perth, Perth to Canberra and everywhere in between.
Holden Kingswood - Bought $1200 2002 - Yellow stickered and wrecked for $50 2005
Holden Premier - Bought $2500 2005 - Sold 2006 $1700
Toyota Corolla - Bought 2006 $1200 - Sold 2006 $1200
I can't do the maths on that, but it seems like a good deal to me. Better tan theseplonkers that get a new Corolla on finance, spend 3 years paying it off at which point it's worth 30% of what it was when they bought it.
This a good thread Devil.
I had a gold Datsun Pulsar (that's right - Datsun). It had a reverse siren which was such a chick magnet.
Driven by an old lady from Bondi to Bondi Junction and back to do her groceries. By the time my brother and I had finished with it, there wasn't a straight panel left.
Ended up costing me 50 bucks to tow it to the wreckers.
All my kites have ended up in the bin too. I'm starting to see a pattern.....
Bought a 1981 RX7 in 99 for $3400, spent another $1600 on it on new shocks, tyres and carby overhaul.
Blew it up in 2003 Rally Driving it from Jindabyne to Melbourne on 250km of unsealed road. Best way ever to say goodbye to a sports car.
Bought my Dad's 97 Magna off him for $6000, sold it a year later for $6000. Sweet.
Bought a 1982 VW Campervan for £3500, now worth £4500 cos they are getting harder to find.
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So not including running and repair expenses lets see... after 15years I'm down $2985 and have a car. That means I can justify my six kites, five boards, three wetsuits and kiting holidays to the missus.
Hey Kitedevil, how about doing the same for your kites and boards you have had. I bet like me it won't look nearly as good. I guess thats Kiting!
Select to expand quoteslimjim said...
Hey Kitedevil, how about doing the same for your kites and boards you have had. I bet like me it won't look nearly as good. I guess thats Kiting!
You're 100% correct. I was just in the need of fuel for my argument which was something about "all those stupid kite things in the shed...."
Kites are beggining to become un-saleable. OVer 12mths old and it may as well be 4 years old. I'll just have to choose carefully and keep them for my kids and friends, but either way, much prefer a shed full of kites.
Youre up early kitedevil!!! Must be that 12km downwinder we are about to go on!!! LOL
best car i ever got was a HQ holden..bought it for $700 drove it for 8 years nothing ever went wrong..sold it for $700...go the holden!!!!
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Go the Datsun!! I have a 180B coupe, spend the last 2 years restoring it, runs beautifully, it also has a reverse siren (internal only) because it's a dogleg box. Best thing is i can get my kite, board and camping gear in the back!!
SSS 180B, now thats a cool classic car, unlike everyone else, yours is prob worth 3 times more than the day you got it..
my van 87 hiace 2 cases of beer...
i will second you on the ford wagon, they are pretty good i got one like yours but a year newer for a grand, perfect although i had to get a new muffler the otha day 150 bucks, took the fella 10 mins or less to put in, i think thats the business to be in.
i bought a genuine XW GT off a mate's old man for 14 grand and sold it for 145 grand 5 years later. http://www.grandtourer.com.au/Aspx/CarsForSale.aspx?Sold=1&CarForSaleID=26
im happy with my two car toys, one for when going to perth, lockable which is handy
and one for downwinders /beach trips at home, i always get a warm fuzzy feeling as i wave to the patrols, hilux's and what not that are bogged down to the axles in sand as i drive past.
AP6 valiant ute bought it for $100 after i rolled my van in 1986 ,put a heater in it a year later not realising heater was leaky and cooked the engine .Put a new engine in it for $100 and $250 installation,only mechanical thing to go wrong after that was the univrsal joint to the diff dropped out on my brother when he borrowed it without asking and drove to melb.new uni joint $40 installation $100 .Swapped a clapped out caravan for a new panel job ,and rust removal .Gave it to my dad in 93 ,mum an dad moved to newcastle 94 dad died and rust got away and we sold it for $800 to a guy that was going to fix it up,car did not die saw it about 3 years ago .
Bought my Honda Integra new in 1994 for $48k, you can buy the 2008 version for less than that now!
Anyway since I work for myself I can claim 12% of the cost of the car each year so that’s a tax deduction of $5,700, I still have the car and love it, worth about $8k now but I can still claim $5,700 so it is worth a lot more to me.
More importantly my 129x39 666 fits cross ways in the boot so I can keep my kite gear in the car without putting the rear seats down.
But wish I had bought 4 XW GT's instead.
and mine was only a standard GT. an XYGT phase 3 in good nick will fetch close to a million dollars.
at the end of the day its just an old ford falcon
OK,
back in the 80's when I was a young fella I had $7000 in the bank.
Driving down the magic mile in brisbane back then I coulda bought a nice shiny red XYGT for that back then but decided I'd get a house first, shiny cars later.
Well house is now paid off and worth $400K+ and I get a car allowance which I salary sacrificed for a shiny new car so it costs me zip !
Probably woulda been ahead of the game if I just bought the GTHO, but then I'd have been paying rent for the last 25+ years and mortgaging the house at the bowser to fill her up 
It really was a great car in the surf!
