Last Rites for a Car
Discussion
So tomorrow afternoon I'm due to drop my X-reg Fiat Seicento off at a breaker's yard in Marston Moraine. It's not really via choice - if I had the time, money and space I'd work on putting it back together and making it into a fun little pocket rocket, but the financial situation, the lack of a garage and the lack of any free time at all has made me decide it's better to grab a quick three figure number rather than go through the hassle of Autotrader and Ebay when it's in such appalling condition I'll just be relisting it time and time again.
I do feel kinda bad about it, since the car is a genuine hoot to drive on B-roads, and because it was bought for less than £500, I can throw abuse at it without much care. Unfortunately that's beginning to show itself more and more. I bought it from a Romanian couple in December last year when they had a kid on the way and wanted something bigger (and safer!) as the intention to keep going until I had a year on my license and could get on the company car scheme. Unfortunately the cold weather, and EVERYTHING going wrong on the little thing. Brakes with a stopping distance the size of London, a handbrake that only seemed to work when it wanted to, a gutless engine (made me miss the 1.1 in my Sporting variant!), a refusal to let the driver's side lock work, the horrible rattling of the heater, body roll that would have been hilarious if not in Milton Keynes, bodywork slowly falling apart and most recently a nearside door catch that doesn't always hold made me do the sillies and get my Colt on finance. I love the new car, it's not let me down, but for some reason I'm getting just a little misty eyed over the Fiat.
I don't know if it's because I bought it after losing my Sporting, and I remember that one more fondly as my first car, or just because the giggle factor manages to kick in when you drive it on the right roads, but I'm finding it harder to remember the negative factors and almost wanting to keep it. I know the wife of the previous owner actually gave it a name, but as that's not the sort of thing to do here on Pistonheads, I thought I'd turn to you for a bit more advice of how to give X623 ABC a proper send off.
Do you guys have any sort of specific routines you do before you send a car off to the great scrapheap in the sky? Have you ever felt momentarily misty-eyed over a car that you know you can't afford/shouldn't keep and yet don't want to let go of? Do you watch it get crushed, or do you just leave before you can get all emotional?
I do feel kinda bad about it, since the car is a genuine hoot to drive on B-roads, and because it was bought for less than £500, I can throw abuse at it without much care. Unfortunately that's beginning to show itself more and more. I bought it from a Romanian couple in December last year when they had a kid on the way and wanted something bigger (and safer!) as the intention to keep going until I had a year on my license and could get on the company car scheme. Unfortunately the cold weather, and EVERYTHING going wrong on the little thing. Brakes with a stopping distance the size of London, a handbrake that only seemed to work when it wanted to, a gutless engine (made me miss the 1.1 in my Sporting variant!), a refusal to let the driver's side lock work, the horrible rattling of the heater, body roll that would have been hilarious if not in Milton Keynes, bodywork slowly falling apart and most recently a nearside door catch that doesn't always hold made me do the sillies and get my Colt on finance. I love the new car, it's not let me down, but for some reason I'm getting just a little misty eyed over the Fiat.
I don't know if it's because I bought it after losing my Sporting, and I remember that one more fondly as my first car, or just because the giggle factor manages to kick in when you drive it on the right roads, but I'm finding it harder to remember the negative factors and almost wanting to keep it. I know the wife of the previous owner actually gave it a name, but as that's not the sort of thing to do here on Pistonheads, I thought I'd turn to you for a bit more advice of how to give X623 ABC a proper send off.
Do you guys have any sort of specific routines you do before you send a car off to the great scrapheap in the sky? Have you ever felt momentarily misty-eyed over a car that you know you can't afford/shouldn't keep and yet don't want to let go of? Do you watch it get crushed, or do you just leave before you can get all emotional?
crosseyedlion said:
List it on ebay, honestly and it should be no trouble.
I've taken a car I was about to give up on on a trackday before, given it absolute hell- felt like a great send off. Put it on ebay the day after and made most of my money back
Trust me man, this is going to make nothing on eBay. xD I'm too bad a liar to explain away the faults, the paintwork is appalling and I just don't really have a lot of time to deal with visitors to poke around at it. I just want to get it gone ASAP.I've taken a car I was about to give up on on a trackday before, given it absolute hell- felt like a great send off. Put it on ebay the day after and made most of my money back
Andurron said:
crosseyedlion said:
List it on ebay, honestly and it should be no trouble.
I've taken a car I was about to give up on on a trackday before, given it absolute hell- felt like a great send off. Put it on ebay the day after and made most of my money back
Trust me man, this is going to make nothing on eBay. xD I'm too bad a liar to explain away the faults, the paintwork is appalling and I just don't really have a lot of time to deal with visitors to poke around at it. I just want to get it gone ASAP.I've taken a car I was about to give up on on a trackday before, given it absolute hell- felt like a great send off. Put it on ebay the day after and made most of my money back
If you are going to kill it though I'd give it a thrash down some B-roads on the way to the scrappy, then pull the numberplate off and keep a key for posterity.
Cars like a Sciento actually fill me with pity.
I could never drive or be in one without an overwhelming fear of dread that we were going to crash, and the crisp packet bodywork, along with the 3-inches between my face and the bumper of the range rover that hits us, wouldnt do much to protect me.
Death machines.
Same can be said for all cars of similar age/size.
I could never drive or be in one without an overwhelming fear of dread that we were going to crash, and the crisp packet bodywork, along with the 3-inches between my face and the bumper of the range rover that hits us, wouldnt do much to protect me.
Death machines.
Same can be said for all cars of similar age/size.
Andurron said:
crosseyedlion said:
List it on ebay, honestly and it should be no trouble.
I've taken a car I was about to give up on on a trackday before, given it absolute hell- felt like a great send off. Put it on ebay the day after and made most of my money back
Trust me man, this is going to make nothing on eBay. xD I'm too bad a liar to explain away the faults, the paintwork is appalling and I just don't really have a lot of time to deal with visitors to poke around at it. I just want to get it gone ASAP.I've taken a car I was about to give up on on a trackday before, given it absolute hell- felt like a great send off. Put it on ebay the day after and made most of my money back
I'm currently awaiting a scrappy to come collect my OH's VW Bora 1.6, which is f
ked to fk.
Still drives well but a lot of electrical faults and bushes need doing which, considering it cost me £350 over a year ago, I cannot be arsed to sort out. I'm getting £152.39 collected and there is about a £10 worth of fuel in it. Hence me driving it's last few miles in 1st gear, on the limiter (or lack of, for some strange reason
)
I will be checking the car for lost treasure and might strip off some parts that seem to fecth silly money on the Dub scene (air vents, rear clusters, mudflaps etc) then bidding it farewell when it is collected.
Won't be sad to see the back of it - utterly horendous peice of st it is.
Plus, it's £152.39 extra in my MX-5 kitty
ked to fk. Still drives well but a lot of electrical faults and bushes need doing which, considering it cost me £350 over a year ago, I cannot be arsed to sort out. I'm getting £152.39 collected and there is about a £10 worth of fuel in it. Hence me driving it's last few miles in 1st gear, on the limiter (or lack of, for some strange reason
)I will be checking the car for lost treasure and might strip off some parts that seem to fecth silly money on the Dub scene (air vents, rear clusters, mudflaps etc) then bidding it farewell when it is collected.
Won't be sad to see the back of it - utterly horendous peice of s
t it is. Plus, it's £152.39 extra in my MX-5 kitty
fjord said:
Cars like a Sciento actually fill me with pity.
I could never drive or be in one without an overwhelming fear of dread that we were going to crash, and the crisp packet bodywork, along with the 3-inches between my face and the bumper of the range rover that hits us, wouldnt do much to protect me.
Death machines.
Same can be said for all cars of similar age/size.
I could never drive or be in one without an overwhelming fear of dread that we were going to crash, and the crisp packet bodywork, along with the 3-inches between my face and the bumper of the range rover that hits us, wouldnt do much to protect me.
Death machines.
Same can be said for all cars of similar age/size.
how do you feel about caterhams then?
ADV
Edited by AlfaDogvan on Friday 1st March 13:27
ajb85 said:
I vote eBay. Likelihood is that you'd be £100 better off than the scrappy.
This. eBay might be a bit of hassle, but you'll definitely make more money. And maybe assuage your guilt at getting rid of the thing, if someone buys it who intends to put it to good use.The scrappy will pay you by the tonne, and at 750kg, there ain't much in a Seicento!
Viperz888 said:
I always keep the number plates, and put them up on the wall in my garage. Got quite a collection now.
+1Make sure that there is nothing left in the car of any value.
Also if you are cheeky...... find lots of other objects which need scrapping that can be stashed in the boot.
Slightly related, I was in a scrap yard and spotted a car that looked like it had a roll cage fitted, on closer inspection someone had crammed a kids climbing frame in the back
fjord said:
Cars like a Sciento actually fill me with pity.
I could never drive or be in one without an overwhelming fear of dread that we were going to crash, and the crisp packet bodywork, along with the 3-inches between my face and the bumper of the range rover that hits us, wouldnt do much to protect me.
Death machines.
Same can be said for all cars of similar age/size.
Says the man who's just put some Sunny tyres on the driven wheels of his BMW diesel.I could never drive or be in one without an overwhelming fear of dread that we were going to crash, and the crisp packet bodywork, along with the 3-inches between my face and the bumper of the range rover that hits us, wouldnt do much to protect me.
Death machines.
Same can be said for all cars of similar age/size.
fjord said:
Cars like a Sciento actually fill me with pity.
I could never drive or be in one without an overwhelming fear of dread that we were going to crash, and the crisp packet bodywork, along with the 3-inches between my face and the bumper of the range rover that hits us, wouldnt do much to protect me.
Death machines.
Same can be said for all cars of similar age/size.
Oh dear.I could never drive or be in one without an overwhelming fear of dread that we were going to crash, and the crisp packet bodywork, along with the 3-inches between my face and the bumper of the range rover that hits us, wouldnt do much to protect me.
Death machines.
Same can be said for all cars of similar age/size.
I guess we're all lucky survivors really, what with the entire motoring population of the world being wiped out up until BMW released the latest 3-series. It's sad that there are no classic cars left for us to have shows based around, or races, or to put in magazines, when you consider that they've all been smashed to bits by Range Rovers, and all their owners killed.
Oh well. I'm sure you're always safe and sound, what with the suit of armour you must have to wear every time you leave the house. Can't be too careful crossing the road, can you!
Twincam16 said:
Oh dear.
I guess we're all lucky survivors really, what with the entire motoring population of the world being wiped out up until BMW released the latest 3-series. It's sad that there are no classic cars left for us to have shows based around, or races, or to put in magazines, when you consider that they've all been smashed to bits by Range Rovers, and all their owners killed.
Oh well. I'm sure you're always safe and sound, what with the suit of armour you must have to wear every time you leave the house. Can't be too careful crossing the road, can you!
Obviously you're now just being a bell.I guess we're all lucky survivors really, what with the entire motoring population of the world being wiped out up until BMW released the latest 3-series. It's sad that there are no classic cars left for us to have shows based around, or races, or to put in magazines, when you consider that they've all been smashed to bits by Range Rovers, and all their owners killed.
Oh well. I'm sure you're always safe and sound, what with the suit of armour you must have to wear every time you leave the house. Can't be too careful crossing the road, can you!
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