tongue in cheek, Stella, read in context your comment is perfect 
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But, as I said, modern cars just don’t deteriorate very quickly - mine is 13 years old and is a long way from being an “old banger”. I am thinking of changing but there’s no rush.
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We basically drove our first car here in France into the ground and only replaced it when it died a death.
Our second user Seat Ibiza (sourced from Spain) works perfectly well for us and the only reason at the moment to consider a replacement is to go electric
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I wouldn’t feel safe in one of them, I imagine it would be like driving around in a bubble that could “Pop” at any moment! 
Exactly. We think shiny new cars are lovely to look at but don’t necessarily think we need one, they are also a bit m’as-tu vu.
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Blimey, their definitions of what you need to live well are not mine! We’ve nearly finished decorating all the rooms in our house (after 11 years here) and I have no intention of decorating them again for many, many years. And we run a 10 year old car that we have no intention of replacing for a few more years yet. Our last one was 17 years old when it was replaced, and that was only because of the UK scrapage scheme at that time paid us to do so.
Our budget is much more slanted to fun - cinema, theatre, presents etc - than clothes or replacing perfectly functional kitchens…
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Year after year the media or some think tank comes up with pie in the sky costings for raising children,he cost of a wedding or some other survey and this week it is how much you need to be a comfortable pensioner.
We have always made sure that value for money is top of our agenda no matter how much money is available because that’s how we were brought up. I sometimes wonder what planet these number crunchers are on.
When you have lived/survived for 65 years do these number crunchers think we have learnt nowt about budgeting and managing finances in accordance with your needs/requirements?
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Cars are going to become a lot more expensive the next few years, with the new European ncap regulations starting in 2022 with driver monitoring in every car plus electric cars about 30% dearer becoming the norm.
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People think it’s a holiday , but not a easy holiday making a living,
You must live somewhere interesting I guess near a large town like Bordeaux? As in rural charente there certainly isn’t much to do that’s interesting, c’est mort.
I have always thought that what you spend is far more important than what you earn, my in-laws have a joint pension income of around £35k a year but that is not enough to fund their lifestyle so they dip into savings rather than cutback.
Having been out of the UK now for 14 years we’ve become used to living on less, our shopping habits have changed drastically but we don’t feel poorer for it. We will be better off when we’re retired as our costs will plummet, no cotisations to pay, only one vehicle to run, no children to support etc.
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From my many posts, it should be quite clear that I live in a small rural village.
I guess it all depends on one’s outlook and what one finds “interesting”… as well as the level to which one is prepared to get involved in the local community and beyond. 
As I have said, the article is about Retired folk, not those making a living.
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Quite right @tim
A sound business maxim defines the way to profit as being the price at which you buy… less so the price you sell at. Same meat, different gravy 
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You just adapt Barrie, we live fairly close to you and there is stuff to do but it just takes a bit of time to suss things out.
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And if these figures are for pensioners, then there’s no budget line for care costs? That needs budgeting for surely…
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Care Costs are certainly not within my budget. However, we have made our home as “user-friendly” as we can, with the prospect of old-age and possible infirmities.
Having said that, I have already managed to get up and down stairs on my bottom, with my leg in plaster, so feel quietly confident that the Stannah Lift can wait yet a while.
Those figures relate to retirement in UK - a very different proposition.
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I too live in rural Charente. How can you say there is nothing interesting going on when I can look out of our window and see this racing across our garden?
A family of deer having their breakfast…
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Anyone can join their local Comité des Fêtes - where their support and ideas will be welcomed.
This is also an excellent way to learn/improve language skills and integrate with the community. 
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Received a standard letter from DWP this morning confirming that if I continue to live in a EEA state or Switzerland and are currently entitled to an increase to the State Pension, they will continue to pay the increase for 3 years up to and including 2022-23 and that this will happen even if the UK leaves without a deal.
It continues - “The Government plans to negotiate an agreement to ensure [it] will carry on being updated in the longer term.”
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I’m intrigued to know with whom they intend to negotiate …
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Really I haven’t found it, most people I met don’t do much except vide greniers.