Time to draw the line?
Discussion
Deja vu for many, but I just don't know what to do for the best any more.
Bought a Clio 172 Phase 1, paid £1400, a price I now realise was probably an easy £600 more than it was really worth. In the last 3 months spent best part of £2k fixing stuff, cambelt, dephaser, tyres, exhaust, blah blah...
On saturday only moments after handing out £220 for new road tax for the year, the damn thing decides to dump all its coolant on the A1, meaning I needed recovered. The car is drivable as long as I keep the coolant topped up at least twice a day.
I've got it booked in for repair, but after that I don't know whether to keep it, as...
1. It needs the arches doing before winter sets in - who knows how much that will cost.
2. I've fallen completely out of love with it - a car that I imagined would be a cheap but fun daily driver has become an expensive liability.
3. I simply can't afford for this level of wallet raping continuously - although its difficult to imagine it could carry on for much longer but what with point #1 and the potential of engine / head gasket / gear box / clutch could all still fail knowing my luck.
Despite all the work I've had done, I'm told its still only worth what I paid. On the one hand forking out for all this work and then selling it for the next owner seems like madness. On the other hand, I think I actually hate the thing now. But I need a car...
Bought a Clio 172 Phase 1, paid £1400, a price I now realise was probably an easy £600 more than it was really worth. In the last 3 months spent best part of £2k fixing stuff, cambelt, dephaser, tyres, exhaust, blah blah...
On saturday only moments after handing out £220 for new road tax for the year, the damn thing decides to dump all its coolant on the A1, meaning I needed recovered. The car is drivable as long as I keep the coolant topped up at least twice a day.
I've got it booked in for repair, but after that I don't know whether to keep it, as...
1. It needs the arches doing before winter sets in - who knows how much that will cost.
2. I've fallen completely out of love with it - a car that I imagined would be a cheap but fun daily driver has become an expensive liability.
3. I simply can't afford for this level of wallet raping continuously - although its difficult to imagine it could carry on for much longer but what with point #1 and the potential of engine / head gasket / gear box / clutch could all still fail knowing my luck.
Despite all the work I've had done, I'm told its still only worth what I paid. On the one hand forking out for all this work and then selling it for the next owner seems like madness. On the other hand, I think I actually hate the thing now. But I need a car...
Is there any way you can reduce the wallet raping you have down as point nr. 3? ie. how much work do you do on the car by yourself? A performance hatchback is never going to be a bargain at that price unless you are to spend on it, but 2 bags of sand is rather a lot for an old Renault!
Agree with the others, once the love is gone, you need something new.
Agree with the others, once the love is gone, you need something new.
Chrisw666 said:
Do you have the funds to buy a £500 or so boring snotter? That may allow you to take the Clio off the road and DIY it to a standard you're happy with over the winter.
I'm not really experienced enough nor have the room to do this unfortunately.TBH I'm thinking of just getting a crap car to replace it. Losing the will to live with the last few cars I've had. My fault for buying wrecks. That is the option, the other option was going to be to buy something newer but more depreciation proof on finance, but given how crap I am at buying cars, I'd end up ruined attempting such a gamble. Or I could just play it ultra safe and find a rot-free MX5.
TameRacingDriver said:
I'm not really experienced enough nor have the room to do this unfortunately.
TBH I'm thinking of just getting a crap car to replace it. Losing the will to live with the last few cars I've had. My fault for buying wrecks. That is the option, the other option was going to be to buy something newer but more depreciation proof on finance, but given how crap I am at buying cars, I'd end up ruined attempting such a gamble. Or I could just play it ultra safe and find a rot-free MX5.
I thought I was crap at buying cars but the last two sheds I've bought have been pretty faultless, the Volvo cost a bag and had been a one owner from new car it did 16,000 miles with minor servicing and a wishbone needed and I sold it on for just under half what I paid as I needed it gone, the Puma had been really well serviced and everything but the front bushes had been done in the 2000 miles before I bought it that cost me just over £1k and has been a revelation.TBH I'm thinking of just getting a crap car to replace it. Losing the will to live with the last few cars I've had. My fault for buying wrecks. That is the option, the other option was going to be to buy something newer but more depreciation proof on finance, but given how crap I am at buying cars, I'd end up ruined attempting such a gamble. Or I could just play it ultra safe and find a rot-free MX5.
In fact I'd suggest you give a Puma a go because they're a fun thing to drive, cheap to run and there's enough about that if you find one without structural rust getting one with the common boxes ticked will be a bit easier.
For circa £750-£1k you could easily buy a decent E36/E46 325 or 328
for example:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
cheap to run and fun to drive...
for example:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
cheap to run and fun to drive...
Cut and run! Sounds like you've bought a howler ....
My mum had one of the early 172's and in the 8.5 years she owned it (but only 18,000 miles) - not a thing went wrong! Once I sold it to my mates girlfriend, though, the problems came through monthly .... and have done so for the last 3 years!
My mum had one of the early 172's and in the 8.5 years she owned it (but only 18,000 miles) - not a thing went wrong! Once I sold it to my mates girlfriend, though, the problems came through monthly .... and have done so for the last 3 years!
Chrisw666 said:
TameRacingDriver said:
I'm not really experienced enough nor have the room to do this unfortunately.
TBH I'm thinking of just getting a crap car to replace it. Losing the will to live with the last few cars I've had. My fault for buying wrecks. That is the option, the other option was going to be to buy something newer but more depreciation proof on finance, but given how crap I am at buying cars, I'd end up ruined attempting such a gamble. Or I could just play it ultra safe and find a rot-free MX5.
I thought I was crap at buying cars but the last two sheds I've bought have been pretty faultless, the Volvo cost a bag and had been a one owner from new car it did 16,000 miles with minor servicing and a wishbone needed and I sold it on for just under half what I paid as I needed it gone, the Puma had been really well serviced and everything but the front bushes had been done in the 2000 miles before I bought it that cost me just over £1k and has been a revelation.TBH I'm thinking of just getting a crap car to replace it. Losing the will to live with the last few cars I've had. My fault for buying wrecks. That is the option, the other option was going to be to buy something newer but more depreciation proof on finance, but given how crap I am at buying cars, I'd end up ruined attempting such a gamble. Or I could just play it ultra safe and find a rot-free MX5.
In fact I'd suggest you give a Puma a go because they're a fun thing to drive, cheap to run and there's enough about that if you find one without structural rust getting one with the common boxes ticked will be a bit easier.
mk1matt said:
I'm generally rubbish at buying cars and end up with stuff that turns out to be a financial liability. That said I bought a Puma 1.7 in January for £900 and apart from a battery and a set of rear bushes it's been great. Fun to drive too.
This one looks good and I know its not a million miles from the OP. http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/4200350.htm
I bought mine in the same part of the world so there is a slim chance that it's been looked after by the same place mine was.
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