Help. Advice needed re: Cars

chelseabun_3

As a possibly useful comparison. I have a vintage, gorgeous, reliable 18 year old Volvo 240 estate, which I love and adore (did I mention I love it?!) OhDear has a 2 year old Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCi. Here are our respective costs per month:

Volvo
Purchase cost / deposit 675 (2004)
Monthly costs (finance) 0
Insurance 17
Road Tax 16
Servicing, repairs and MOT 17
Fuel (for same miles per month) 80
Depreciation 6

Total costs per month 136

Fiesta
Purchase cost / deposit 500 (2006)
Monthly costs (finance) 178
Insurance 46 (driving school, so expensive)
Road Tax 3 (very low due to small diesel engine)
Servicing, repairs and MOT 34
Fuel (for same miles per month) 40
Depreciation 125

Total costs per month 426

So even though my volvo isn't as cheap on fuel as OD's fiesta, it's far cheaper to run over all. And it will probably still be going strong when the fiesta's a distant memory! The depreciation figures are assuming the volvo is now worth £400 and the fiesta (purchased for £9000) now around £6000 at most.

New cars are not all they're cracked up to be, and as the OP is extremely unlikely to be allowed to keep her new car, this will hopefully allay some of her fears about an old one. If OD's driving school didn't need the image of a modern car we would happily lose it and get another cheapie.

strimmerman

Sorry forgot to say

Van and no1 scrap car in OH name
Car and No2 scrap car in my name

So 1 out of 2 won't be bad will it.....I make us sound like a scrapyard though....imagine if OR told us that we could only keep the scrap ones.....lol.....you gotta laff otherwise you would cry...like I have half of today!!!

Sunk

Got to say CB before BR I sold my 4year old seat ibiza.
As soon as the warranty ran out it was in the garage more times than on the road, timing chain snapped/coil pack/bearings, cheap metal.
But most annoying is when they have to put it on a computer to see what's wrong....sensor this sensor that.

You can't beat the old car for lifting up the bonnet & being able to see the engine.
So 6months of running a 4year old car cost more in repairs than 6months of running a 25year old car.

Luck of the draw I suppose.

strimmerman

Me again.....many many many years ago like....20years my Oh got a personalized number plate and about 8 odd years ago I brought him another. Not expensive ones it cost me £250......one of these number plates is on the car that the OR could decide to take....and the other on the van...are they something that an OR would take as an asset......they are not sought after numbers by any means......I know that in law the number plate does not actually belong to us and that if the car was stolen and not recovered that we would have to buy it back so techincally it is not ours.

If indeed you agree that really they dont actually belong to us so therefore we just don't bother about them......would it be a good idea to put the one on the car on retention just in case the OR decides to take the car? Or would that not be allowed.

Of all the things to worry about I know this pales into insignificance but had to ask.

chelseabun_3

My motto is: Never trust a car that doesn't have a distributor cap.

OD's motto is: Never trust a car that's run by computer.

So far we've both been proved right! The more complicated the car, the more it costs when it goes wrong, and the less likely you are to be able to fix it yourself. I've cleaned up distributor connections and spark plugs with a nail file before now ... and it worked.

Sunk

chelseabun wrote: »

My motto is: Never trust a car that doesn't have a distributor cap.

OD's motto is: Never trust a car that's run by computer.

So far we've both been proved right! The more complicated the car, the more it costs when it goes wrong, and the less likely you are to be able to fix it yourself. I've cleaned up distributor connections and spark plugs with a nail file before now ... and it worked.

Exactly!!!
Music to my ears......dizzy cap/carburetor:rotfl:

blind-as-a-bat_2

Sunk wrote: »

But most annoying is when they have to put it on a computer to see what's wrong....sensor this sensor that.

.

More annoying is the fault may not be the sensor, but the result of the fault causing the sensor to show a fault.

In short EMS can make it harder to find a fault than it was before, but thats progress :rolleyes:

LilyBart

Strimmerman,
No idea about the personalised numberplates, though I'd have thought the fact that they're personalised means they have little secondhand value (perhaps I'm being naive). Just wanted to say what a seriously cool post that was about giving up control when you go into this bankruptcy thing. You're quite right, of course, and reading that made me realise I'm stamping my feet like a child about my recent developments. Anyway, dry your tears for now, and polish your halo, because here's one person who's seriously in awe of your feistiness! And Sunk, I am still very jealous of you having an in-house mechanic!
Lily

maxmycardagain

Sunk wrote: »

Exactly!!!
Music to my ears......dizzy cap/carburetor:rotfl:

proper points
dynamo
starting handle

the last one is much missed....

strimmerman

Lily thanks.......I am trying to actually get to grips with what i wrote myself.....feeling a bit better now.....still think i will pass out with fear on Weds at OR interview.......it is a really hard thing to relinquish control and something I am not good at.....BUT it will have to be done.....maybe its a bit like find god lol.