absolute rock bottom!

moo_cow

hi guys, typed this once before but was asked to sign in again so lost it.
have hit rock bottom today. am 22k in debt. been down cccs route. recommended solution bankruptcy at this time. which for us is absolutely not an option. so have muddled by. got some creditors to agree temp lower payments and have muddled by on ebay etc until we start getting more money through. have several ppi claims, bank charges claims etc ongoing and am currently looking at credit card claims.
3 weeks ago our car (which is on hp) went wrong and we've waited a week and a half for a diagnosis. we're told today that it needs a new gearbox which is £3500-£4000. we obviously don't have that kind of money and wouldn't pay it if we did as it's more than the car is worth. we are only 17 months into a 5 year agreement and had planned to surrender the car at halfway so as we could free up the £122 a month it's costing us to repay the other debt. all of that has gone to the wall now. we're stuck with a car that doesn't work. citroen won't take any responsibility despite it only having done 35,000 miles as it's 2 years out of warranty. I've had enough. i've been on medication for severe depression for 19 years now and this year my dad was diagnosed terminally ill with lung cancer. This has just about sent me over the edge. Hubby is struggling to cope. Does anyone know of anything we could do regarding the car situation? has anyone heard of anything that could help? i'm so desperate this is just the final straw.

chevalier

What about it being not fit for purpose? You could do a web search to see if this is a known problem?

If this is all making you ill, then why is bankrupcy not an option, because you are in the financial field? Is a career worth your health?

regards
chev

jaydeeuk1

Sorry to hear about your situation. What car is it? You could try a couple of things, write to Citroen to see if they would offer a goodwill gesture towards repair. Find a quote for a reconditioned gear box at an independant garage - quote above sounds like its from a dealership. What insurance do you have?

evans17

Try and get a second hand box from a scrap yard, then find a friendly local mechanic that will fit it cheaply for you.

moo_cow

hi chevalier, no i'm not working at all due to my health. Bankruptcy is just not an option due to personal circumstances.

jaydee, it's a citroen c2 sensodrive. It's untouchable by an independant garage because of it being a computerised gearbox. we had looked right into this which was why it took us a week to get it to a garage. hubby is in the middle of contacting citroen again. it's just a complete nightmare. insurance is fully comp won't cover anything either. first thing we looked in to.

doodledo_2

Our car needed a new gear box last year. We like you were given stupid quotes to do this.

We ended up trawling the net and found a second hand reconditioned gear box which came with a warranty for 6 months. We found a local small mechanic to fit it and got it all done for under £1000. Still money we could have done without paying but it got our car back on the road and meant we could keep our fairly new car compared to having to buy a possibly unreliable banger.

moo_cow

hi doodledo, not an option. we've made loads of enquiries and no one will touch them. if we'd have know this we'd have never bought it in the first place. i'd not recommend one to anyone.

doodledo_2

Not good.

Definately think you need to contact Citroen like you are as this seems ridiculous after just 35000 miles.

moo_cow

just spoken to citroen. not having it at all. so we're stuck with a car that doesn't work costing us £122 a month.

piptom&AndyPandy

Hi
This was on GMTV a little this morning not sure if totally applicable but the finance company might be able to help. This is something to do with they currently own part the car or something like that. But i'd say best bet is going through HP company.

also if paid half can surrender the car with no debt.

Seems a lot of a gearbox what car is it?

Pip
x

dancingfairy

Sorry to hear you are having such a rubbish time. .
A couple of things I can suggest:
1) contact CAB or National Debtline for advice on the car front and whether you can hand it back or claim through the finance company or whatever.
2) Do a SOA and post it up here is case some people have any bright ideas for you.
3) head over to the up your income board for suggestions to bring in a bit of cash.
4) Get your bank claim looked at as a hardship case - they are only on hold for most people - if you are in hardship they have to fast track it through for you.
5) have you checked you are getting all the benefits you are entitled to?

I'm sure there will be more suggestions but this should be enough to start with.
df