Discussion
The Ace family car is a very old VW Sharan. We know it needs to be replaced and plan to do it in the new year for something newer and better - something like a Hyundai Santa Fe as we need 7 seats.
The clutch has been on the way out, and we've been nursing it for a while but the other day it went once and for all. Its top speed was about 21 mph and the clutch slipped extensively in first gear. Both Lady Ace and I commute five days a week so we needed a new one very quickly.
Rather than buying a new family car in one day and spend £x thousands on the first one we saw, I thought the best bet was to get a cheapy for a few weeks just to keep us mobile. I'll have the shed, and Lady Ace will drive my Skoda Superb as her commute is much further than mine. The alternative was a hire car, but at £50 for a day it would get pricey very quickly.
The above scenario was combined with work being the busiest it possibly has ever been, so I only had a few hours in which to find something.
Rather than looking at Autotrader, I fired up Facebook Marketplace and searched for "Car", costing less than £1000 and within 5 miles of where I live. There was a lot of old s
te and stuff very optimistically priced but there was a few Vauxhaul Corsas and an Astra for about £700. The thing is, I really don't want a Vauxhall, I've driven one as a hire car and detested it so I kept scrolling.
The advert had been up a week but nobody had contacted the seller. A 54 plate, mk1 focus saloon, 1.6 LX. 114k miles with 6m MOT for £595. I really like the mk1 focus so this was an obvious choice.
I went round and had a look.It turns out the seller was the father of a friend of my daughter's (handy) and it was being sold on behalf of a friend who had a bereavement. The car hadn't been driven much and needed to be sold.
I looked around and it seemed OK, took it for a drive and revealed nothing obviously ghastly. By this time it was 5pm and I needed to do the school run at 8am the following morning so, as I thought it would probably last a fortnight at least, I bought it.
Bad points:
Needs a wash.
Spare wheel well was full of water and the boot carpet was wet. Consequently the car was a bit whiffy. Inspecting further we couldn't see a leak and I think it was from when the car was parked under a tree for ages, the drain above the boot was full of needles so the water over flowed into the boot.
Windy windows in the back - keeps my children fit.
Ditchfinders all round, including part-worn (!) Luckyland tyres on the rear. Fronts have about 3mm tread.
Only driven about 5k miles in the last 7 years.
No aircon - suspect needs a regas
Focus saloon not cool
Good points.
Tape player - this means I can listen to audiobooks / spotify from my phone.
Engine revs cleanly with no hesitation
Looking through paperwork, I can see receipts in the last 5k miles for new battery, new clutch, new coil packs, new brake calipers, pads and discs as well as rear brake shoes. No idea about cambelt but longevity supposed to be 100k miles so not too far out of date.
Having dried the carpet, applied Vanish carpet cleaner and febrezed the hell out of the car it's now fresh and there is no leaks
It's terrific fun to drive. Small, nimble and revvy.
It warms up in minutes, which is handy for winter and has the quick clear windscreen which is miraculous. Having only bought it for a few weeks I now plan to keep it as it's just brilliant to drive and there's something perfectly refreshing about driving a manual, with feel from the steering and not being so insulated.
Current plan is to run it to the MOT. if it passes, then address air con and cambelt, new tyres and then run it for as long as it goes. For only £600, it will owe me nothing by the end of the week (vs 12 days of hire car).
I'm well aware that shed buying is based on chance. To have bought the first one I saw, and it be a good one is very fortunate indeed. I am now a convert.
The clutch has been on the way out, and we've been nursing it for a while but the other day it went once and for all. Its top speed was about 21 mph and the clutch slipped extensively in first gear. Both Lady Ace and I commute five days a week so we needed a new one very quickly.
Rather than buying a new family car in one day and spend £x thousands on the first one we saw, I thought the best bet was to get a cheapy for a few weeks just to keep us mobile. I'll have the shed, and Lady Ace will drive my Skoda Superb as her commute is much further than mine. The alternative was a hire car, but at £50 for a day it would get pricey very quickly.
The above scenario was combined with work being the busiest it possibly has ever been, so I only had a few hours in which to find something.
Rather than looking at Autotrader, I fired up Facebook Marketplace and searched for "Car", costing less than £1000 and within 5 miles of where I live. There was a lot of old s
te and stuff very optimistically priced but there was a few Vauxhaul Corsas and an Astra for about £700. The thing is, I really don't want a Vauxhall, I've driven one as a hire car and detested it so I kept scrolling.The advert had been up a week but nobody had contacted the seller. A 54 plate, mk1 focus saloon, 1.6 LX. 114k miles with 6m MOT for £595. I really like the mk1 focus so this was an obvious choice.
I went round and had a look.It turns out the seller was the father of a friend of my daughter's (handy) and it was being sold on behalf of a friend who had a bereavement. The car hadn't been driven much and needed to be sold.
I looked around and it seemed OK, took it for a drive and revealed nothing obviously ghastly. By this time it was 5pm and I needed to do the school run at 8am the following morning so, as I thought it would probably last a fortnight at least, I bought it.
Bad points:
Needs a wash.
Spare wheel well was full of water and the boot carpet was wet. Consequently the car was a bit whiffy. Inspecting further we couldn't see a leak and I think it was from when the car was parked under a tree for ages, the drain above the boot was full of needles so the water over flowed into the boot.
Windy windows in the back - keeps my children fit.
Ditchfinders all round, including part-worn (!) Luckyland tyres on the rear. Fronts have about 3mm tread.
Only driven about 5k miles in the last 7 years.
No aircon - suspect needs a regas
Focus saloon not cool
Good points.
Tape player - this means I can listen to audiobooks / spotify from my phone.
Engine revs cleanly with no hesitation
Looking through paperwork, I can see receipts in the last 5k miles for new battery, new clutch, new coil packs, new brake calipers, pads and discs as well as rear brake shoes. No idea about cambelt but longevity supposed to be 100k miles so not too far out of date.
Having dried the carpet, applied Vanish carpet cleaner and febrezed the hell out of the car it's now fresh and there is no leaks
It's terrific fun to drive. Small, nimble and revvy.
It warms up in minutes, which is handy for winter and has the quick clear windscreen which is miraculous. Having only bought it for a few weeks I now plan to keep it as it's just brilliant to drive and there's something perfectly refreshing about driving a manual, with feel from the steering and not being so insulated.
Current plan is to run it to the MOT. if it passes, then address air con and cambelt, new tyres and then run it for as long as it goes. For only £600, it will owe me nothing by the end of the week (vs 12 days of hire car).
I'm well aware that shed buying is based on chance. To have bought the first one I saw, and it be a good one is very fortunate indeed. I am now a convert.
Edited by 8Ace on Tuesday 17th September 11:02
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