Repair, sell? Dilemma
Discussion
My daily driver of a Volvo is still going great guns mechanically, but the suspension is very tired now.
Before it's next MOT in about 5 months, it will ideally need 4 new dampers, 2 new spring seats, 2 new wishbones, 2 new ARB droplinks and 2 new tyres. Buying non-ebay parts that will last more than a month, this is about £650 worth of parts. The car is a 1998 S70 with about 180,000 on the clock.
I'm concerned that spending £650 on parts, excluding labour, £50 on MOT and then £120 on tax (will be due at that time), is spending more money on the car than it is worth. Should I cut my losses, sell with 5 months MOT and tax? Or should I spend the money and repair the bits and keep running. It gets 50mpg, is comfy and well equipped.
I just find it abhorrent the idea of spending more money than the car is worth fixing things.
However, finding a car that's cheap to buy, big enough for family work, comfortable, isn't an ex-ethnic taxi that's been to the moon and back and is good on fuel, seems to be next to impossible...
Before it's next MOT in about 5 months, it will ideally need 4 new dampers, 2 new spring seats, 2 new wishbones, 2 new ARB droplinks and 2 new tyres. Buying non-ebay parts that will last more than a month, this is about £650 worth of parts. The car is a 1998 S70 with about 180,000 on the clock.
I'm concerned that spending £650 on parts, excluding labour, £50 on MOT and then £120 on tax (will be due at that time), is spending more money on the car than it is worth. Should I cut my losses, sell with 5 months MOT and tax? Or should I spend the money and repair the bits and keep running. It gets 50mpg, is comfy and well equipped.
I just find it abhorrent the idea of spending more money than the car is worth fixing things.
However, finding a car that's cheap to buy, big enough for family work, comfortable, isn't an ex-ethnic taxi that's been to the moon and back and is good on fuel, seems to be next to impossible...
My personal feeling is that it is often worth spending the money repairing - I would suggest that the car is worth more to you for what it provides than what you would get selling it.
Additionally the cost of a replacement vehicle is unknown as is the quality, at least with your Volvo you know its history.
Components wear out and and can be replaced, rot and major problems such as engines/gearboxes are another matter!
Additionally the cost of a replacement vehicle is unknown as is the quality, at least with your Volvo you know its history.
Components wear out and and can be replaced, rot and major problems such as engines/gearboxes are another matter!
The car is only worth £xxx when you come to sell it. If you like it, then do the work and treat it a bit like the cost of depreciation...
I have spent more on my E39 than I paid for it, but it serves me well and I would have lost more in depreciation had I bought a new boring econo-box. If you got rid and bought another cheap car, who is to say that wouldn't throw a big bill at you anyway? Better the devil you know and all that.
Unless you are looking for an excuse to justify changing your car, in which case, get rid...
I have spent more on my E39 than I paid for it, but it serves me well and I would have lost more in depreciation had I bought a new boring econo-box. If you got rid and bought another cheap car, who is to say that wouldn't throw a big bill at you anyway? Better the devil you know and all that.
Unless you are looking for an excuse to justify changing your car, in which case, get rid...
I would say you're thinking of it in the wrong way.
Just work out how much it's costing you per month keep on the road. If it's going to be a thousand pounds in total for a years motoring that's not bad. It's just because you're totting up everything at one that it seems like a lot, but every car, especially older cars, will of course need a maintenance budget.
Often better the devil you know! However I guess at this level you'll want to feel fairly confident that there aren't any other major expenses about to befall you?
Just work out how much it's costing you per month keep on the road. If it's going to be a thousand pounds in total for a years motoring that's not bad. It's just because you're totting up everything at one that it seems like a lot, but every car, especially older cars, will of course need a maintenance budget.
Often better the devil you know! However I guess at this level you'll want to feel fairly confident that there aren't any other major expenses about to befall you?
Lucas North said:
You're all quite right, of course.
Apart from the suspension work, it just needs the air conditioning compressor sorting (air gap needs reducing). Plus the driver's seat has seen better days, but it has done 183,000 miles.
I like the car a lot, my other half doesn't though.
wow, makes my beamer seem like a spring chicken at 160k miles.Apart from the suspension work, it just needs the air conditioning compressor sorting (air gap needs reducing). Plus the driver's seat has seen better days, but it has done 183,000 miles.
I like the car a lot, my other half doesn't though.
personally i'd keep it. but it sounds as if you(or the organgrinder) would like to get shut of it at some point. now may be a good point depending on what you are thinking of getting for it.
I would advise genuine parts for longevity, and prices are not always that bad. Contact Simon @ FRF Volvo for prices - they do a very good mail order service supplying genuine parts at discount:
http://www.frfvolvo.co.uk/mo-volvo-parts.asp
http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/topic/80181-850-ac-...
It does work - I did it on my V70
http://www.frfvolvo.co.uk/mo-volvo-parts.asp
Lucas North said:
it just needs the air conditioning compressor sorting (air gap needs reducing)
There is a 'ghetto fix' for that:http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/topic/80181-850-ac-...
It does work - I did it on my V70
marky911 said:
Keep it. Better the devil you know.
Any car you could buy for even double the repair costs, would probably be being pedalled due to needing all the work yours does.
^This^Any car you could buy for even double the repair costs, would probably be being pedalled due to needing all the work yours does.
I would feel a lot better repairing it (as long as what you say about it mehcanically is true) and feeling confident that it has perhaps another 100k before it truely kicks the bucket!
Can't you do the work yourself and save some cash on labour?
Had the same dilemma on a Toyota Forerunner some years back. Needed a new cylinder head at 165k miles. Nearly £1500 to fix (including some other odds'n'sods at the same time) but eventually sold her with 235k on the clock three years later and still going strong now. Better the devil you know ....
Thank you all very much for your input guys.
Thinking about it, I do know this car, know everything that's wrong with it and good with it. At least it's a known outlay.
Thinking about it, I do know this car, know everything that's wrong with it and good with it. At least it's a known outlay.
Rockatansky said:
There is a 'ghetto fix' for that:
http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/topic/80181-850-ac-...
It does work - I did it on my V70
Absolute genius, I'm gonna try that next week on my time off! http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/topic/80181-850-ac-...
It does work - I did it on my V70
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