Keep car or get rid?
Discussion
OK, I'll keep this very brief, as I really can't be bothered to sugar coat anything.
Bought a Clio 172 about a month ago. I pretty much suck at buying cars, but it had decent amounts of service history, a recent cambelt (the job everyone looks for when buying clios), and was reasonably priced. It did have a couple of questionable mods like 17" wheels and a chavvy scorpion exhaust that appeared to be held on by elastic bands.
It was £1400 in fact. 76K miles. Cambelt with 2 years. I had a £2K budget for the car.
Sorting the exhaust (new stainless system, quiet, stealthy), and getting rid of the 17"s, and getting tyres that were needed, will have cost me around £600 so far.
Now I've just found out the dephaser pulley is knackered. For those that don't know about Clios, it is usually replaced along with the cambelt in many cases, and replacing it means a replacement cambelt, aux belt and waterpump (may as well replace it since its obviously had corners cut in its life), I am looking at a bill of £800.
I already know it needs new brake discs and pads.
Having never been the type of person to let a problem get worse unnecessarily, its either replace or get rid of the car. This car could be an endless money pit. Or it could be alright after these jobs. I'll never know, but all I do know is I can't afford to maintain this level of expenditure. 1 month and already £600 down and £1000 down next month. If I spend this money, I'll have spent more money than I paid. Or do I just get the hell out now and try and make my money back (or more, as its actually in better nick now than it was when I got it!!).
Then again, I could sell it, buy another car and have all this crap again (just check my garage for my track record of buying cars, its not good).
Christ even leasing something would prove cheaper than what this has been so far.
Bought a Clio 172 about a month ago. I pretty much suck at buying cars, but it had decent amounts of service history, a recent cambelt (the job everyone looks for when buying clios), and was reasonably priced. It did have a couple of questionable mods like 17" wheels and a chavvy scorpion exhaust that appeared to be held on by elastic bands.
It was £1400 in fact. 76K miles. Cambelt with 2 years. I had a £2K budget for the car.
Sorting the exhaust (new stainless system, quiet, stealthy), and getting rid of the 17"s, and getting tyres that were needed, will have cost me around £600 so far.
Now I've just found out the dephaser pulley is knackered. For those that don't know about Clios, it is usually replaced along with the cambelt in many cases, and replacing it means a replacement cambelt, aux belt and waterpump (may as well replace it since its obviously had corners cut in its life), I am looking at a bill of £800.
I already know it needs new brake discs and pads.
Having never been the type of person to let a problem get worse unnecessarily, its either replace or get rid of the car. This car could be an endless money pit. Or it could be alright after these jobs. I'll never know, but all I do know is I can't afford to maintain this level of expenditure. 1 month and already £600 down and £1000 down next month. If I spend this money, I'll have spent more money than I paid. Or do I just get the hell out now and try and make my money back (or more, as its actually in better nick now than it was when I got it!!).
Then again, I could sell it, buy another car and have all this crap again (just check my garage for my track record of buying cars, its not good).
Christ even leasing something would prove cheaper than what this has been so far.
falkster said:
If you sell it you'll have to let the potential owners that it needs this work doing.
What like they did with me?I'm starting to realise most people are extremely dishonest when selling cars. I'm a very honest person, but I'm a tad sick of being played the mug here.
That probably makes me sound a t
t, but I'm really not. I'm just utterly fed up.As for the test drive, I'll just do what the seller obviously did, drive it first and work around the problem, which is possible.
It wouldn't be sold to a PHer though, I will say that much.
On the one hand, it would be nice to fix it up, but this level of expenditure is not sustainable. I may as well have just chucked £3k towards a loan on a 197 with a warranty.
TameRacingDriver said:
It wouldn't be sold to a PHer though, I will say that much.
How would you know?- Do you want to buy it?
- Yes
- Great. Oh, are you on PistonHeads?
- Yes, why.
- Well the car's f
ked and I was hoping to fob it off on a mug.Have you already gotten rid of the other alloys and the Scorpion exhaust? If not, they'd help you recoup some money. Regarding repairs, have you had it looked at by someone who is familiar with these cars? If so, is their opinion that it's going to be a pit or will the work that's currently needed give you a good car?
Animal said:
How would you know?
- Do you want to buy it?
- Yes
- Great. Oh, are you on PistonHeads?
- Yes, why.
- Well the car's fked and I was hoping to fob it off on a mug.
Have you already gotten rid of the other alloys and the Scorpion exhaust? If not, they'd help you recoup some money. Regarding repairs, have you had it looked at by someone who is familiar with these cars? If so, is their opinion that it's going to be a pit or will the work that's currently needed give you a good car?
I wouldn't sell it on PH. I'm obviously not going to ask them. As other poster says, sold as seen. Plead ignorance, just like what's happened to me 3 times in the last year.- Do you want to buy it?
- Yes
- Great. Oh, are you on PistonHeads?
- Yes, why.
- Well the car's f
ked and I was hoping to fob it off on a mug.Have you already gotten rid of the other alloys and the Scorpion exhaust? If not, they'd help you recoup some money. Regarding repairs, have you had it looked at by someone who is familiar with these cars? If so, is their opinion that it's going to be a pit or will the work that's currently needed give you a good car?
Once you've changed those bits, you've hit just about every expensive item on these cars! Anything else is fairly minor/can be done with used parts/home diy/etc.
I've got some perfectly decent Brembo Max Groove discs you can have for £30 (collected from Manchester or plus postage) to start you off if you want? I took them off as I put OE once on with DS2500s.
I've got some perfectly decent Brembo Max Groove discs you can have for £30 (collected from Manchester or plus postage) to start you off if you want? I took them off as I put OE once on with DS2500s.
philmots said:
What else is there to go wrong once you've done these bits?
I'm sure whatever there is, I'll find it.I think part of me is reluctant to spend the money because I am nervous someone will crash into me again like last year, so I spend all this money then get it written off. Its probably a completely irrational fear, but then I'm not exactly the luckiest bloke, never have been.
But yes, I do like the car. And lets face it, what can you buy these days that is much more fun? (I've had most of the cars you can buy for this price BTW).
The guy had it on the diagnostics apparently and said there was nothing else wrong with it (or at least not showing any codes).
It will need the arches doing before winter too.
Edited by TameRacingDriver on Tuesday 19th June 18:37
Personally I would get it fixed , then you have piece of mind if has been done and should be good for many years. Its pretty low mileage too . Shame to get rid when you might get another car needing loads of work too in the near future. Does it suit your needs ie space etc and do you like it generally ?
Stoatman said:
Personally I would get it fixed , then you have piece of mind if has been done and should be good for many years. Its pretty low mileage too . Shame to get rid when you might get another car needing loads of work too in the near future. Does it suit your needs ie space etc and do you like it generally ?
I do like it TBH.And now with the wheels on its starting to feel like mine rather than someone elses old car.
I know what you're saying, and I obviously SUCK at buying cars so if I know its been fixed, it might be OK (or it might not, which is what I'm worried about).
You've already shelled out money on fixing it now so flogging it wouldn't make any financial sense and as already pointed out, fixing this latest problem will mean that you've fixed all the major stuff on it so you'd have a minted motor.
My 'rule' when buying cars is to not spend anything on them until the honeymoon period is over, typically a month or so. This allows all the car's foibles to rear their heads so you can see how much needs doing and how much it's all going to cost, plus it also allows you to decide whether you truly like the car and want to keep it - something that is very hard to do in the earlier stages because your judgement is clouded with having a new shiny toy to play with. It's amazing how quickly you can go from loving a car to hating it when you discover everything that's wrong with it and how much it will all cost to fix!
My 'rule' when buying cars is to not spend anything on them until the honeymoon period is over, typically a month or so. This allows all the car's foibles to rear their heads so you can see how much needs doing and how much it's all going to cost, plus it also allows you to decide whether you truly like the car and want to keep it - something that is very hard to do in the earlier stages because your judgement is clouded with having a new shiny toy to play with. It's amazing how quickly you can go from loving a car to hating it when you discover everything that's wrong with it and how much it will all cost to fix!
Edited by All that jazz on Tuesday 19th June 18:55
Everyone will wonder why you are selling so soon after buying so you are set to lose either way- I would fix.
Its not the end of the world- I once bought a Merc which I realised the next morning had been in what looked like ten different huge shunts and had to scrap it. Also had an engine terminally expire on a range rover a few months after buying (after forking out for rebuilding the air suspension).
Its not the end of the world- I once bought a Merc which I realised the next morning had been in what looked like ten different huge shunts and had to scrap it. Also had an engine terminally expire on a range rover a few months after buying (after forking out for rebuilding the air suspension).
I was going to comment on price but even looking here :
http://www.northwestperformance.co.uk/information....
The job will be 600 ish , not including water pump . Although it sounds a little cheaper. DOnt go to Renault but I guess you already knew that.
http://www.northwestperformance.co.uk/information....
The job will be 600 ish , not including water pump . Although it sounds a little cheaper. DOnt go to Renault but I guess you already knew that.
Stoatman said:
I was going to comment on price but even looking here :
http://www.northwestperformance.co.uk/information....
The job will be 600 ish , not including water pump . Although it sounds a little cheaper. DOnt go to Renault but I guess you already knew that.
Using Renault parts it will be nearer £800 if you include the water pump (around £140). That's about as good as it gets. http://www.northwestperformance.co.uk/information....
The job will be 600 ish , not including water pump . Although it sounds a little cheaper. DOnt go to Renault but I guess you already knew that.
OP, your profile says North East, where bouts?
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